Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH

  • 6 ½ tablespoons (91 g) unsalted butter at room temperature (or nondairy margarine)
  • ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell) egg at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups (175 g) all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (I like Better Batter here; click thru for appropriate blends.)
  • ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (Omit if your blend already contains it.)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR ROLLING MIXTURE

  • ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
  • In a large bowl, place the butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy.
  • Add the flour, xanthan gum, salt, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, baking soda, and cream of tartar to the wet ingredients, mixing to combine after each addition.
  • Divide the dough into 18 pieces of roughly equal size. Roll each piece of dough between your palms until it forms a ball, and then press into a disk.
  • Combine the cinnamon and sugar for the rolling mixture in a small bowl. Toss each disk in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until it is well-coated. Allow the dough to sit for 5 minutes to absorb the coating.
  • Roll each ball of dough in the cinnamon-sugar mixture once more, and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets.
  • Place the rimmed baking sheets in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are either pale but flat (8 minutes), or, if you want them a tiny bit crisp around the edges (10 minutes).
  • Cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from “Gluten Free on a Shoestring” by Nicole Hunn

Sweet Lovers Substitutes

Have a craving for sweets all the time? Here’s a few alternate choices for people with a huge sweet tooth:
Choose Fruit Spritzer instead of Soft Drinks: Have an addiction to soft drinks? Juices such as cranberry, orange, grapefruit, and apple are a good way to make spritzers. They are good sources of vitamins A and C. Mix 50 percent juice with 50 percent carbonated or soda water, and just add a few ice cubes!
Choose Dried Fruitinstead of Sweets: Raisins and prunes are not the only options for dried fruits. Try dried kiwis, pineapples, cherries, peaches, apricots, and mangoes. These tasty fruits will give you a healthy burst of energy, especially when you have a craving for candy!
Choose Frozen Yogurt instead of Ice Cream: Non-fat frozen yogurt almost tastes like the real thing, with less fat. Natural frozen yogurt shops are all over the place, and many supermarkets carry some in their freezer section. Yogurt toppings can be a great addition, choose healthy toppings such as, a drizzle of honey, a sprinkle of granola, or top it off with strawberries and dark chocolate shavings for extra tastiness.
Posted by: SSG
 
Source: http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/substitutes-sweet-tooth