Gluten Free Easter Cookie Recipe: Sugar Cookies with a Twist

Blue and rose colored egg shaped cookies with speckles sitting in an egg carton.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Those were the holidays that my grandmother always had us gather for. The meals often had the same foods: potatoes, Polish dumplings, ham, fish, pierogies, etc. The main events, for dessert lovers, would be cookies, cake, and creme caramel. Egg decorating is always a fun tradition but with eggs a bit harder to come by these days, I wanted to make an Easter cookie recipe without eggs.

Why are eggs even a part of Easter?

This was something I only learned about after reading my all time favorite book, American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. The religion major in me was intrigued and my research began. Neil speaks of an Ostara “who is she?” I thought (also thinking her name is beautiful). If you look at history, Christian holidays almost always fall near an ancient pagan holiday. Easter is no different. Enter, Ostara.

Ostara, bunnies, and eggs?

An Anglo-Saxon goddess, Ostara (sometimes spelled Eostra), is representative of the Dawn and Spring. Budding plants and fertility on the earth all fall under her domain. The symbols for Ostara are rabbits, eggs, seeds, and flowers. So while the holiday of Easter has now superseded Ostara, we still continue to celebrate her with bunnies, egg decorating, and witnessing spring come into bloom.

Eostra -> Easter = Egg Cookies

Her name is transformed into the current name Easter and for that I am making cookies. Eggless cookies to be exact. So, what will you need for this delicious Easter cookie recipe? Let’s take a look:
For Cookies:
1. 2 sticks of unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2. ¼ cup white sugar
3. ¼ cup light brown sugar
4. 1 teaspoon lemon juice
5. 1 teaspoon almond extract
6. 2 & ½ cups gluten free flour mix (with a thickening agent such as xanthan gum in it)

For Glaze:
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ¼ cup powdered sugar

For Spots:
¼ teaspoon cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream together your butter and sugars for about 3-5 minutes. It will become light and fluffy (you will be tempted to eat it, but don’t).
Add your flour, lemon juice and almond extract. It should come together to form a dough. If it is still a bit too dry, you can add 1 teaspoon of water or milk at a time until it does.
Take two pieces of parchment paper and place your dough between them. Roll out your dough until it is around ¼ inch thick.
Use your cookie cutters to make the shape you want and place your cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.
Place the cookies in the fridge for at least one hour.
Set the oven to 350°F and bake your cookies for 12-14 minutes after they have properly chilled.
Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes after the have finished cooking. Let them cool completely. In the meantime, make your glaze.
Mix your lemon juice and powdered sugar. If you want separate them into two bowls and add food coloring.
Dip the cookies into the glaze and let them sit for 30 minutes.
Make your dots! Mix the cocoa powder and vanilla. Dip a paint brush into the mixture and flick it onto your cookies. Let it sit for a few minutes and serve up.