Gluten Free Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

It's that time of year I love, baking Christmas cookies.  I love the smells and hominess of baking and cooking. Christmas is such a good excuse to bake up a storm.  The thought of having loved ones coming over. The chatter and excitement of children waiting in expectancy of what Christmas will bring! I love thinking about each person that I love, trying to find the perfect gift, the thing they've always longed for.  When in reality, all they long for is love.  So I'm creating a memory when I bake. I'm connecting home with warmth and smells and love.  

The kids are grown now.  My youngest still lives here but we rarely see him as he's with his friends and girlfriend, as it should be.  We raised them to grow up and become responsible adults and live their lives that God has given them.  That's what they're each doing and I couldn't be more proud.  

So I don't really know who I'm baking for, but I'm baking for the memories.  The warmth that fills me as I think of all those I love.  (Yes, my husbands here and we eat our fair share but we do not need those extra pounds!) I'll give a lot of cookies away and people will stop by, but mostly I love the dreams that are connected with those memories! 

These cookies are soft and chewy.  They are so easy to make and decorate.  I hope you enjoy them!  Merry Christmas and happy baking!


Gluten Free Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (softened)
3 cups sugar
1 T almond extract
4 eggs
1 envelop unflavored gelatin
1 t salt
2 t baking soda
5 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I used my flour blend, recipe Here)

In a large mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter and sugar. Cream until fluffy and smooth (3-5 min). Add extract, gelatin, salt, soda  and eggs and beat until smooth.  Slowly add gf flour and mix just until incorporated. Using a cookie scoop or spoon make balls and put on cookie sheet.  (I made mine really small so you can eat a lot of different kinds.)

Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 min (turning pan around after 5 min) or until golden brown around the edges. Cool cookies and a cooling rack and decorate as desired (or just eat them!)

Cream cheese frosting

8 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 t almond extract
4 cups powdered sugar
2 T cream or milk

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add extract and powdered sugar, then mix in cream.  At this point you can add more sugar or cream to your desired consistency.
I used this recipe for frosting the cookies and then cheated and used premade frosting for the flowers. (You could easily mix coloring into part of the frosting and pipe your own decorations from the cream cheese frosting.)