Valentine Cookies

Tasty frosted valentine cookies! And believe it or not, they’re vegan and gluten-free! That is, as long as you don’t choose animal derived ingredients, and do choose ingredients made in a gluten-free facility. If you’re not sure, call the manufacturer to ask. Make these cookies for Valentine’s Day, to share with those you love.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour or other brand
• 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Brown Rice Flour or other brand
• 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Sweet White Sorghum Flour or other brand
• 3 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Flour or other brand
• 2 tablespoon freshly ground flax seeds
• 1 teaspoon Bob’s Red Mill Aluminum-Free Baking Powder or other brand
• 1/2 teaspoon Bob’s Red Mill Baking Soda or other brand
• 1/4 teaspoon Spice Lab Himalayan Salt or other brand, finely ground
• 2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil or other brand, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon Brag Apple Cider Vinegar or other brand
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup warm water
• 1 recipe white and pink Vegan Frosting, refrigerated until ready for use

Directions:

1. Place in a large bowl the flours, ground flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a Norpro Stainless Steel Balloon Whisk or other whisk to combine and aerate the mixture.
2. Add the coconut oil and vinegar, then gradually mix in just enough water for the mixture to clump together. When it starts to clump, use clean hands to form the soft dough into a ball. Place the ball of dough back into the bowl, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 40 minutes or until firm.
3. Roll the dough between two pieces of Beyond Gourmet Unbleached Parchment Paper or other brand, for a 1/8-inch high thickness.
4. Cut out cookies with a heart shaped cookie cutter and place them on a baking sheet lined with new piece of parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 350º F oven for 25 minutes or until edges are a light golden brown. Let cool. Refrigerate until ready to frost. Stores refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.
5. Just before serving, use a butter knife to spread the tops with white frosting, then decorate* with pink frosting. Our recipe for Vegan Frosting explains how to use beets juice to turn some of the white frosting into pink. Serve, and enjoy!

Variations:

1. Instead of using pink frosting, decorate with Vegan Chocolate Sauce.
2. Instead of spreading frosting on top of the cookies and decorating, sandwich white frosting between two cookies, or forget about the frosting and sandwich Delicious Nut Butter between two cookies. Use a butter knife to smooth any of the frosting or nut butter that may have oozed out the sides.

Yield:
Makes about 30 cookies

*Because the frosting on decorated cookies can smear when stored one on top of the other, frost and decorate only the cookies that you’re about to serve, unless you have a large covered container that allows you to store many decorated cookies side by side in the refrigerator.