Elegant Lemon Tea Cookies- From Gluten Free Gigi.

Today for the first time I’m featuring a guest post- I coudn’t be more  honored to have this very first  post written by my dear Friend Gigi -from Glutenfreegigi.com. Gigi is a true talent and her recipes never cease to impress. I cannot thank her enough for sharing this delightful cookie recipes. I know all of you will appreciate it just as much as I do. Go check out her site for more beautiful recipes like this one..

Elegant Lemon Tea Cookies

Gluten-soy-nut-free | Vegan

I was so excited when my friend, Brittany, over at Real Sustenance asked me to create a guest post for her site this week! Really? Me?! Of course I said yes! I immediately began thinking of what the perfect recipe would be for this post. Several days’ worth of lukewarm ideas washed over me, and then it occurred to me – I would make something special for Brittany. Something that, if we were not hundreds of miles apart, I would take to her this week, as I know she is recovering from gall bladder removal surgery. Now, what would that be? Something light, something delicate and lovely, and something that could accompany the cup of tea that we would sit and chat over for hours. So, to the archives I went, and what I found was a recipe for these filled tea cookies. I adapted a recipe from an old cookbook, making it gluten-soy- and nut-free as well as vegan. So, Brittany, if I were nearby, this is what I would bring over to your house! Enjoy!

Cookies:

3/4 c. Earth Balance® buttery spread (I use soy-free)

½ c. sugar

Egg replacer for 1 egg (prepared according to package directions) [alternatively, you may use 1 egg OR ¼ c. egg substitute]

½ t. vanilla extract

1 c. white rice flour

½ c. millet flour

½ c. sorghum flour

Filling :

3 T. Earth Balance® buttery spread (again, I use soy-free)

1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 c. confectioner’s sugar

Decorative sprinkles, if desired

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Blend the flours:

In a small mixing bowl, combine flours and whisk until well-blended; set aside.

Make the cookies:

In a separate mixing bowl, combine Earth Balance and sugar, stirring until smooth and creamy. Add prepared egg replacer (or egg) and vanilla, and stir. Add flour blend a little at a time, stirring between additions, until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and forms a smooth ball.

Divide the dough in half and place each portion on a separate sheet of wax paper. Shape each portion into a roll measuring approximately 14 inches long. Working through the wax paper, gently form each roll into a square (or block) shape. Wrap in the wax paper and freeze for 1 hour, or until firm.

Remove dough from freezer and unwrap. Slice ¼-inch slices of dough and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking tray. Bake for approximately 8 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.Note: you may freeze 1 roll of dough for up to 1 month and make a half-batch of cookies from the other roll if you do not need such a large batch of cookies at one time.]

Prepare the filling:

While the cookies are cooling, combine filling ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag with a large star tip (alternatively, you can spread the filling between the cookies).

Assemble:

Turn half of the cookies so that the bottom is turned up; reserve the other half of the cookies – these will be the tops and need no filling. Pipe approximately 1 teaspoon of the filling onto each upturned cookie in a circular pattern. Top with the remaining cookies, top sides facing up. Pipe a small amount of frosting in the center of each cookie sandwich. Top with sprinkles, if desired. You may also sprinkle with finely chopped nuts, if you prefer.

This recipe makes about 4 ½ dozen cookies.