Gluten-free Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate

I love all things lemon! I squeeze it on my cooked veggies, on chicken, on fish, and in my salad. And it's one of my favorite ingredients to use in baking whether it's cookies, cakes, muffins, or bars. And lemon zest! Don't get me started on the wonderful fragance and flavor it adds to baked goodies.



OK - so maybe I'm being a little over dramatic - but it truly is one of my favorite flavors.

I came across this recipe for White Chocolate Lemon Cookies here which had been adapted from a recipe using limes here, who got the recipe from here. Isn't the internet just grand! ;-).

So of course, I had to stick my two cents in, and adapt it further to make it gluten-free.

I am so pleased with the results - another one of those success stories that if you didn't tell it was gluten-free, no one would ever know. The texture is like a real cookie - slightly crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle.

They are simple to make.





Gluten-free White Chocolate Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter, slightly softened
• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup White Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
• 2 Tbs Lemon Zest
• 2 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
• 3/4 cup Sorghum Flour
• 3/4 cup Rice Flour
• 1/2 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
• 1/2 cup Potato Starch
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 12 oz White Chocolate, chips or chopped

Optional Sugar Roll:

• 1/2 cup Fine Sugar (you can sift regular sugar through a mesh food strainer mixed with 1 Tbs lemon zest, dried out and pressed through a mesh food strainer

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

1. Mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum together with a whisk and set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer beat the butter until creamy, and add the sugars, blending well.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each well.
4. Add the almond extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
5. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended.
6. Gently stir in the white chocolate. The dough will be soft, and slightly sticky. You can work with it as is, or refrigerate it for an hour or two to make it easier to work with.
7. Spoon (I used a small scoop) a full tablespoon of dough and roll gently into a 1" ball.
8. Optionally, you can roll the ball into the sugar-zest mixture. Not necessary, but a nice touch.

Bake on parchment paper-lined cookies sheets approximately 12-13 minutes until the edges start to get golden. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to cooling rack.

These can be served as is, sprinkled with powdered sugar, or drizzled with a mix of 1/2 cup powdered sugar mixed with 1-2 Tbs lemon juice.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

---