GLUTEN-FREE LEMON COOKIES

 Saturday afternoon found me as I am so often on Saturdays trying to find something I could take to church on Sunday for the Cafe Treats that would be either sugar-free and or gluten-free. I made some raisin bars using the gluten-free baking mix that I bought at Aldi that I really loved, but someone else was bringing sugar-free oatmeal raisin cookies (that I will be sharing later this week). I try to have as much of a variety as I can with the Cafe Treats on a Sunday. Nothing was clicking with me as I searched my recipes, my cookbooks, and even on-line.

I decided to see what I had in the pantry to snack on and saw a gluten-free yellow cake mix that I had also bought from Aldi that I had forgotten I had. That started me thinking of some of the quick cookies I make from a sugar-free cake mix, but I wanted to see if I could find something new. Of course I have no cookbooks for gluten-free recipes, so that left the internet.

I found a few but settled on a recipe for lemon cookies using a gluten-free yellow cake mix that caught my eye. I love just about anything that is lemon flavored. I had read one blog post using a G-F yellow cake mix that said the mixture was fairly crumbly but you could press to form a cookie ball so I wasn't totally surprised when my mixture was really dry. I just changed the recipe a little. 

I liked that my recipe was not just gluten-free, but also egg-free and dairy-free. Unfortunately gluten-free mix products usually contain much sugar so you can't have a sugar-free treat, too.

Even though we can have gluten, I'm sure I will make these Lemon Cookies again, because Wayne and I both really enjoyed the cookie. I did sprinkle some additional powdered sugar on the cookies when I sat them out for the Cafe Treats.

PRINT RECIPE.

G-F, E-F, & D-F LEMON COOKIES

1          (15 oz) box Gluten-free yellow cake mix

1/4 + 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh squeezed or concentrate in a bottle)

1-2       tablespoons lemon zest or dried lemon peel

1/3       cup oil

1          cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Empty the cake mix in a large bowl and add the juice, zest or peel, and oil.

Stir with a spoon until all of the cake mix has been moistened by the oil or juice. (If you need to add a little bit more juice, do so a little at a time. You are not trying to make the mixture your traditional cookie dough. You just want no dry cake mix left.

Mixture will be crumbly.)

Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out a level scoop of the mixture.

Release in your palm and

then press with your fingers to make a ball.

Drop the ball in the powdered sugar that is in a small bowl and roll to coat.

Place the coated balls 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookies were set. (14 minutes worked great for me. The cookie was not brown but the bottom was.)

Allow to cool for a minute or two before removing the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I made 26 yummy cookies. After I took this picture I remembered that I had brought some extra powdered sugar to shake over the cookies. Then I didn't think about taking another picture. They did look really pretty with the extra powdered sugar sprinkled on top.