This time of year is one of my favorites for many reasons, one being getting to bake all the holiday cookies! When I found out I had to go gluten free I was determined not to let my love of baking die and to master the art of gluten free baking. I’ve had my share of heartbreak in the kitchen when I try to sub an allergen friendly ingredient in and it doesn’t go my way, so below I’ve also included a few tricks and tips for baking gluten, dairy, and egg free, too! If you or your family don’t have food allergies, keep these recipes in your back pocket for if your coworker or friend mentions they are gluten free or vegan, these will make their holiday!
Tricks and Tips for Baking gluten, dairy, and/or egg free:
On gluten free flours:
- The products matter! I’ve had HUGE differences in the texture and success of my baked goods depending on the gluten free flour blend I use. My go to is Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour. It truly can be subbed in at a 1:1 ratio to ANY regular (non gluten free) recipe and it turns out great! It is by far my favorite gluten free flour blend, I stock up because nothing else does the same.
- We’ve also noticed some gluten free flour blends have milk powder in them (…why?!) so be mindful if you are dealing with a multiple allergy situation.
- When baking with it, I always recommend adding it in 2-3 parts, like most recipes recommend even for regular flour. That way just in case it soaks up the wet ingredients more, you can stop while you’re ahead (aka when the dough is at the right consistency).
On baking egg free:
- I’ve got multiple tips for you here – first, I’ve had the best success with two egg replacers – Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer – and flax eggs. I most often use flax eggs. I like the texture of them better and the way they mix into doughs but, sometimes if your flaxseed isn’t ground fine enough you might notice some specks in your dough or final product and/or that it doesn’t gel as well. So if you need a “clean” finished product (like a white cake) I’d recommend the bob’s egg replacer.
- Flax eggs: To make a flax egg typically you mix 1 tbsp ground flax with 3 tbsp. water and let sit for 2-3 minutes before adding into the dough. There are many recipes for flax eggs online, but in my experience with cookie baking specifically I’ve landed on the following: 1 tbsp flax with 2.5 tbsp water for cookies and drier doughs.
- For the flax eggs specifically I’ve also found the longer it can sit the better, closer to 5-10 mins and it will really gel up to the consistency of egg whites.
- Lastly, I’ve found if the recipe calls for more than 2-3 eggs, it just not meant to be turned “egg free.” I’ve had luck with subbing in 4 flax eggs for regular eggs only a couple of times. So if the recipe calls for 1-2 eggs, you’re golden…more than that and I’d recommend searching “egg free [insert baked good here] recipe.”
On baking dairy free:
- My personal opinion – almond, oat, or cashew milk sub in seamlessly to any recipe. I have never had a problem subbing them in at a 1:1 ratio. Those three have very mild flavors as compared to something like coconut milk, which might add a bit of a flavor. Fun fact: oat milk typically has the closest macro breakdown to cow’s milk.
- For butter: we LOVE the Earth Balance buttery sticks. They sub in for regular butter in cookies and icings seamlessly. They even make an unsalted version perfect for baking now!
- For chocolate/chocolate chips: I could eat Enjoy Life minis by the bowl. They are by far my favorite dairy free chocolate chip. Enjoy Life minis blend perfectly into cookies and melt down well too for other recipes. Enjoy Life products are also all free of the top 8 allergens, and more! So they are great if you are baking for someone with multiple allergies. Unreal makes some great dairy free M&M like chocolate gems that work well as a substitute for m&ms in a recipe, too. Hu Gems and Evolved Chocolate Chips are also AMAZING options that are dairy free, they are larger sized, but their flavors are incredible.
Now, I present to you my round of of my FAVORITE holiday cookie recipes that happen to be gluten free. Most are also dairy and egg free (vegan) but a couple do have the option to add dairy containing chocolate. Note: not all these recipe links are to my site, but they are just so good I don’t change or adjust a single thing when I make them. If you are celebrating the holidays with a newly diagnosed food allergy, or a loved one with dietary restrictions, whip up a batch of these cookies, I promise they will be a crowd pleaser for all!!
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blossoms
These are a gluten free take on one of my absolute faves from childhood! If you are not gluten free and/or egg free you can totally just go with the original Hershey’s recipe but this version taste’s JUST like it but without the gluten/eggs! If you are dairy free: I recommend making a little “nest” of sorts with the back of a teaspoon and pouring some melted down dairy free chocolate in, kind of like a thumbprint type cookie!
Gluten Free Vegan Gingersnaps
Sharing a Minimalist Baker recipe for you here that is a crowd favorite in my family! I haven’t even bothered to create my own recipe because this one turns out so flawless for me. I usually don’t do shapes, but instead make them regular cookie/circle shaped and they are so soft and wonderful. I also usually double the recipe and with the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour it takes exactly 3 cups for me.
Gluten Free Vegan Sugar Cookies
Same thing here, I have yet to find a sugar cookie recipe better than this one. Again, these are a crowd favorite even with the non gluten free friends in our lives! Fun fact: I made this recipe all the way in Australia my first gluten free Christmas with some of my best friends who happen to be vegan….they were even a hit in Australia! 😊 Pro tip: the fridge time here is key, a minimum of 2 hours makes it much easier to roll out.
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Alright, I’ve got two for you here. I LOVE, and I mean LOVE my espresso chocolate chip cookie recipe! It was the first recipe I ever shared on lizhurleyrd.com and I it’s my go to cookie recipe. It also works great as a stand alone cookie recipe with no espresso powder in it, OR with a couple drops mint extract and green food coloring if you want to make some “grinch cookies.” This more basic chocolate chip cookie recipe is a classic with a secret ingredient. In my house as a kid Santa’s favorite cookie was a basic chocolate chip cookie, and this one shows up, gluten free and vegan style, of course!
I’ll be sharing a few more gluten free recipes for the holiday as the week goes on, but hoping these put you off to a great start! If you give any a try please reach out in the comments and let me know how they went or message me on Insta – @lizraynor_rd – and let me know how they go!
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