Vanilla Wafers Gluten Free

By tinathorn

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup superfine white rice flour
• 1/4 cup superfine brown rice flour
• 3 Tablespoon potato starch
• 1 Tablespoon tapioca starch
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (or guar gum, for corn-free)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3-1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (or Earth Balance spread), at room temperature
• 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar or (sugar-free substitute: birch derived xylitol, etc.)
• 1 large egg
• 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon milk (cow's, almond, GF rice, etc.)

Details

Adapted from glutenfreerecipebox.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour with the baking powder, and set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl once mixed.
Add the egg and blend just until incorporate, scraping bowl as needed.
Add the milk and vanilla; and blend just until incorporated.
Add the flour mixture a little bit at a time, scraping the bowl, if needed. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 25 minutes.
Scoop 1/2 tablespoon of the batter onto your oiled hands and roll into a ball. Add them to the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 1/2" to 1" apart. They don't spread. With oiled hands shape into desired form (round, oval, etc.) and press each piece of cookie dough to flatten to about 1 3/4 - 2" round or longer and narrower for oblong (rectangle or oval).

Bake for 15 minutes (or 17-18 minutes for browned edges and crispness ), rotating the pan halfway through the baking process for even browning.
Transfer the cookies, along with parchment paper, to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Tips

Variations:

Substitute some of the vanilla for either lemon extract, lemon juice, almond extract, or add lemon zest.

Bake them in bite size pieces by using 1 teaspoon instead of 1/2 tablespoon, and reduce the baking time.

If you only have regular rice flour on hand, to prevent some of the grittiness of rice flour, grind the flour in a coffee grinder. Superfine rice flours are not gritty at all.

You may shape them in any shape you desire, such as oval for use as milano cookies which you would fill them with firm/chilled Chocolate Ganache or Dairy-Free Raw Ganache. Just make them thinner and reduce cooking time.

They do not brown much, but darken upon cooling. If you should desire a more yellow cookie, use all white rice flour and some lemon juice, zest, food coloring (Select Tea makes a natural one), or add a couple dashes of turneric (not too much).