GF Chocolate Snow Cap Cookies

Author: Gluten Free Gigi

Ingredients:

* 3 ounces chocolate (make sure it is gluten-free as well as free from any other allergens you must avoid), melted and cooled slightly
* 1 cup non-GMO confectioner’s sugar
* 1/4 cup white or brown rice flour
* 1/4 cup non-GMO cornstarch (or tapioca flour or potato starch)
* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
* 2 Tablespoons butter substitute (you may use real butter if not dairy-free)
* Egg replacer, prepared according to package directions, to equal 1 large egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute or 1 large egg)
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Directions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment.

2.  Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring between each heating so as not to overheat. Set aside to cool while you mix the other ingredients.

3.  Place the confectioner’s sugar in a medium bowl and set aside.

4.  In a mixing bowl, combine flour, starch, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a whisk until blended, then cut in butter substitute with a fork until a fine crumb-like texture is achieved. Add egg, vanilla, and sugar, stirring until combined. Add melted and cooled chocolate and stir until batter is smooth. The batter will be somewhat thin when you add the melted chocolate; however, as you stir, the batter will quickly thicken and become firm, much like the consistency of cooled ganache for truffles.

5.  Form 1-inch balls with batter (this takes approximately one heaping measuring teaspoon of the batter). Place each ball in the confectioner’s sugar and roll completely, making sure all dough is well-covered and no chocolate batter remains visible. Roll each ball of dough 2 times to insure a thorough coating of sugar. Place the sugar coated balls on the prepared cookie sheet. Do not flatten; the cookies will spread during baking. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops have a crackle appearance. Cool for a few minutes on the baking pan, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Special tip:

This dough freezes well. To freeze: roll the dough into balls, but do not coat with confectioner’s sugar. Freeze the balls of dough in a single layer on a baking tray. When solid, transfer the balls of dough to a food storage bag or container and freeze up to 1 month. When ready to bake, remove dough from freezer, roll in confectioner’s sugar, and bake, as directed above.