Gluten Free Cat Cookies

Another recipe based on my cat, Lincoln. This is just a basic sugar cookie with some piped royal icing on top to give a festive flair to this adorable cookies. I have made this dough with only two colours to look like Lincoln, but it can be made with different patterns to perhaps represent your kitty cat, all you need is what ever colour they are in food colouring.

Royal Icing

Royal Icing is an icing which is characterised by how it hardens and shines once set. This happens from the use of egg whites in the mixture. If you are unsure about using raw egg whites, you can substitute them for egg white powder, which can be rehydrated with a couple of tablespoons of water. The egg white powder is pasteurised so can safely be used without cooking or baking. It can be found in the baking ingredient section of most large supermarkets! You may have seen royal icing before on gingerbread houses, or elegantly designed sugar cookies. The best this about royal icing is that you can change the consistency to suit your needs. It can easily be adapted for outlining or flooding, by changing the amount of water you mix in.

Making Different Colour Patterns

If you would like to make a different colour cat, no problem. Instead of only tearing out one small handful of dough, tear as many as colours you need. Add them to different bowls along with the food colouring you require. Make sure to wash your hands in between as it can get awfully messy. Carry on with the recipe as required, making sure you use all the colours when rolling out.

Cat Cookie Cutters

My I purchased my cat cookie cutter from amazon, here is the link if you would like to see them (not affiliated). If these are not available, there are several other types you can find on amazon or Etsy.

I N G R E D I E N T S

• 80 grams softened butter

• 70 grams caster sugar

• 1 Tbsp milk

• 2 drops vanilla essence

• 150 grams gluten free flour

• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your recipe already contains this)

• 1/8 tsp baking soda

• Pinch of salt

• Black food colouring

For the icing

• 220 grams icing sugar

• 1 egg white/equivalent of egg white powder

• 2 drops vanilla essence

• 2 tbsp of water (to make the icing runny)

• Red and black food colouring

M E T H O D

1. Preheat the oven to 180°Celsius/350° Fahrenheit on bake and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Tip in the milk and vanilla essence and beat again until combined.

4. Add in the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt and combine by hand until you have a smooth dough.

5. Tear away a handful of dough and place in another small bowl, put the remaining dough in the fridge to chill while you complete the next step.

6. Add several drops of black food colouring to the small dough and knead until the dough is evenly black throughout.

7. Remove the dough from the fridge and dust a flat surface with flour. Roll out the larger dough until a centimetre thick.

8. Tear the black dough into smaller pieces and place them randomly onto the rolled out dough, then roll the dough once again, merging the black dough into the plain dough leaving a random, patchy pattern.

9. Using a cat cookie cutter, cut out as many cats as possible and place on the lined baking tray.

10. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are starting to turn golden brown.

11. Once cooked, remove from the oven and let them cool completely.

12. Once cool, make the royal icing by combining the egg white/prepared egg white powder with the icing sugar, and vanilla essence.

13. Gently add in the water until you have a smooth but pipe-able consistency. Divide the icing into three bowls and add the respective colours into each bowl and mix until you have a smooth colour.

14. Pipe the cat cookies however you like, I choose a red scarf for the festive season! Keep in a sealed container for up to a week!