Monogrammed lunch boxes, monogrammed backpacks, monogrammed pencil cases. Why not monogrammed birthday cookies? This year for their April birthday’s I made my kids monogrammed sugar cookies to share with their classmates. It was especially a thrill for my son who has food allergies. His birthday is the one day a year when he can eat the same treat everyone else is having for the birthday celebration. His friends ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the way the letter “L” was arranged to look like a maze. My daughter also proudly passed out her personalized, pink creations to her pals. And since the recipe was dairy, egg, and nut free, all her friends (with food allergies or not) could eat them without worries.
As a life-long lover of sugar cookies and after spending years searching for the perfect recipe I have finally found it! My hero, and fellow food allergy mom, Kelly Rudnicki, has an amazing web site that shares delectable recipes she’s created called www.foodallergymama.com.
She has also published a new cook book titled “The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book”, which can be purchased on Amazon.com.
My favorite aspect of this recipe is how the dough rolls so smoothly, without extensive cracking or falling apart. The cookies keep their shape after baking and when using parchment paper, have just the right amount of crunch and color. Most importantly, these cookies taste fantastic! The applesauce and vanilla blend so sweetly together that it’s tough to eat just one.
Since vanilla is such an essential flavor for this cookie, it is worth it to buy the best available. I used what Kelly recommended (as well as a staple on the Martha Stewart Show): Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, made by Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc. It is a little pricey, but worth the purchase after you’ve tasted it’s exceptional flavor. I bought my bottle at Whole Foods, but William Sonoma offers it as well. Also, Kelly uses Crisco shortening for the recipe, but I used Spectrum’s Organic All Vegetable Shortening, which works well too. Since we avoid artificial colors (due to their link in causing hyperactivity) I used India Tree Natural Decorating Colors derived from vegetables (available at Whole Foods) for the icing. I found my alphabet cookie cutters in a large tin at William Sonoma years ago, but Sur la Table sells them now individually.
EGG, DAIRY, and NUT FREE
Kelly Rudnicki’s
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THANK YOU! I can't wait to try these :) How do you make the frosting?
ReplyDeleteThank you Kristy! Sorry for my delayed response... it's been a crazy summer! The frosting from the awesome "Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book" by Kelly Rudnicki is so simple (and delicious)... it's 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted), 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, 1-2 tablespoons of soy or rice milk, plus food coloring if using. I usually end up adjusting the powdered sugar and/or rice milk to make a spreadable, but not too fluid, consistency. Good luck and enjoy!
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