Gorgeously gluten-free pecan cookies each topped with a nut.
If you're new to gluten-free baking, cookies are a great place to start. In bread or cake baking, gluten is the protein in flour that makes the dough stretchy. It helps bakes rise so you get a lovely airy, lightness. But with biscuits you don't need the dough to rise - it bakes pretty much at the height you shape it it. That means using gluten-free flour in baking doesn't affect the finished result much, so it's easy to do. Dove's Farm is a good brand to use, they produce several gluten-free flour options including brown rice, oat, teff and coconut. They also do a free-from baking powder. In fact, most baking powders are gluten-free but it's always worth checking the label.
Ingredients
- 100g butter, softened
- 75g light muscovado sugar
- 1 egg
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 200g gluten-free flour
- 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 75g pecan nuts, finely chopped plus 16 pecan halves
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5 and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, beat the butter and sugar together until soft and creamy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the chopped pecans and mix to form a firm dough.
- Roll the dough into 16 even-sized balls and place on the baking sheets allowing space between each one for them to spread. Flatten slightly with the back of a fork and place a pecan half on the top of each one. Bake for 15 mins until golden.
- Leave on the baking sheets for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool. As they cool the cookies will become firm and crisp. Store in an airtight container.
Top tip for making gluten-free pecan cookies
Gluten-free flour sometimes absorbs more liquid than ordinary flour, so if the mixture is too crumbly to form a dough add a little milk or water and mix until the dough comes together in a ball.
You might also like:
Peanut butter cookies