Introduction: Gluten Free Short Bread Cookies (Fruits of Labour)

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About: I would have to admit to having a creative and inquisitive nature, my mind is never really at rest. In 2000 I built my first High Voltage Device (Dimmer SW Ignition Coil / Then A Solid State Tesla Coil - My t…

How To Make Delicious Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies -

I would say I'm probably lucky, in many respects with regards to what I can eat. I am lucky because I can eat wheat & other Gluten containing foods, why am I lucky - well it's because they put it into almost everything. Even things that you think should not have it in do.

Why is it present in so many foods ------
?????? It's a good Binder, Thickener, Taste-enhancer & It helps things Brown things when cooked. Amongst other uses which I have probably missed.

Recipes are much more problematic without gluten - the reason is in it's name GLUE..... It binds and keeps structures together.

?Why would I be interested or bothered if I can eat Gluten - well I have a passion for cooking and I also have a colleague and a sister who has this Food Allergy & it's not a lot of fun 'Agony & Pain' are the most common with Bloated stomach.

Let's Do Some Baking ......

Step 1: Ingredients & Utensils & Preparation

Tools & ingredients:- Digital Scales ,Spoon, Butter knife, Folk, Bowl x2. Large Dish (Pyrex) 12"x12" baking tray (none-stick) or grease-proof paper.

Gluten Free Rice Flour (5.65) Oz ,Corn Flour (3.5) Oz, Butter (6.00) Oz. Sugar (3.5) Oz

Take your Rice Flour & Corn Flour and Mix thoroughly until (Combined) Rice Flour has a slight buff tint to it. Corn-Flour is finer, clumpy and white, It is easy to see when it's mixed the white flour is no longer visible. Sieving together is another option but I prefer my method. Less washing up :)

Now take your butter (Medium Softness) not hard. Slice into small pieces and combine with sugar in a bowl. Keep on mixing, as we progress the sugar and butter mixes. After a while the butter in the mix softens and then we are able to make a cream (Think Mash Potato).......when we have reached this stage we combine the flours & creamed butter.

Step 2: Combining Creamed Butter & Flours

We now pour the flour & creamed butter into our large Pyrex oven dish. Important note. Tricky Business Ahead :)
Imagine if we were making a crumble, the sugar is added directly to the flour, then the butter is rubbed into it with both hands - rubbing as you go, until bread-crumb consistency is reached.......Not With this recipe a very sticky consistency is reached. In my mind, it makes a mess and before you say it (Yes they invented the food processor about 100yrs ago) but I do not bake often enough to warrant a space for one.

Now Make the creamed butter into small chunks and distribute evenly amongst the flour. Then using a folk start to Mash the butter and flour, mixing all around the dish to combine as you go.
Amazingly after a short while we end up with large pieces of dough (like Play-Dough) Clay..........now kneed with one hand for a few seconds.

Once you have a ball of dough - place into refrigerator until firm. 45- 60 mins.

Step 3: Making the Cold Dough Into Balls

Once 3/4 to an hour has passed, take dough and a dessert spoon scoop, roll into a ball with both palms. Place onto baking tray (none stick) or Grease proof paper. Now flatten balls with a spoon. Once you have between 20-25 flattened dough balls, place into a pre- heated oven at 175-200 oC or gas mark 6 for 15-20 mins.

You need to be careful not to overcook I set my oven to 175 for 20mins as all cookers are different depending on age and condition of door seal. The cookies are a golden brown on the edges and bottom but off white on the top.

When they have cooled - store in air tight container.........What is the difference between a cake and a buscuit??? A biscuit goes soft a cake goes hard (Stale) :-) ........

Enjoy they are really moorish :-) Please Rate And Comment

Step 4: An Easier Dough Step

I have thought about this instructable and realised that there maybe an easier way to divide the dough into individual pieces. I have started making the dough in a rectangular Pyrex dish when I have consolidated all of the ingredients into a workable mass - I have found that if I flatten the dough to the thickness of 1/2", in the bottom of the dish, before I refrigerate it, it can then be divided like a bar of chocolate but obviously much bigger chunks. When cooled just lever out a piece at a time then roll in the palm of your hands.