Gluten-Free Halloween Cookies with Egg-Free Royal Icing

3.67 from 9 votes

Gluten-Free Halloween Cookies with Egg-Free Royal Icing

These spooky gluten-free Halloween cookies are soft and tender cookies that are also vegan, dairy-free, and topped with egg-free royal icing.

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Cooling Time30

Total Time48

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: frosted sugar cookies, gluten-free cookies, gluten-free Halloween recipes, halloween, halloween cookies

Servings: cookies (depending on the size of each cookie)

Calories: 228kcal

Author: Jenny Levine Finke

Equipment

Electric Mixer or standing mixer
mixing bowls and spatulas
Piping bags
Cookie cutters
2 Cookie sheets

Ingredients

For the Cookies

½ cup palm shortening or vegetable shortening
1 cup white sugar
egg substitute equal to 2 eggs I used Bob's Red Mill's Egg Replacer - see notes
¾ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 ¾ cups gluten-free flour I used Bob’s Red Mill’s 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour. If you use a flour blend that doesn’t contain xanthan gum, add 1 tsp of
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Egg-Free Royal Icing

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 Tsp pumpkin extract or vanilla extract
3-5 Tbsp water
Food coloring

Instructions

To Make the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the egg substitute and mix until light and fluffy. (When preparing the egg substitute, I recommend using three tablespoons of water instead of two to adjust for the extra moisture needed in gluten-free baking.) See notes.
Add the salt, baking powder, and salt, and mix thoroughly.
Add the vanilla extract and gluten-free flour (and xanthan gum, if needed) and mix until you have a smooth cookie and malleable dough.
Roll the dough about ¼ inch thick by placing it between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper.
Cut out your cookie shapes using Halloween cookie cutters, or cut out the cookies by hand, as noted below. (Skip the following suggestions if using cookie cutters.)
To make pumpkins or jack-o'-lantern cookies without a pumpkin cookie cutter, cut a round cookie with a round cookie cutter or use the rim of a drinking glass. Gently using your fingers, press an indent into the top and bottom of the round cookie to make a "pumpkin" shape. Pinch a small scrap of dough for the stem and gently press it into the top of the cookie. (See video for demonstration)
To make candy corn cookies, cut acute triangles out of the dough. The easiest way is to cut a rectangle about 2.5-3 inches tall. It can be as long as your rolled dough. Then, cut the rectangle into acute triangles with a base about 2 inches long. (See video for demonstration)
Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will still be soft to the touch but will set as they cool. Don't let them brown - that means they've overbaked!
Allow the cookies ample time to cool (30 min) before adding icing and decorating.

To Make the Egg-Free Royal Icing

Whisk together the powdered sugar, corn syrup, and pumpkin or vanilla extract together with the water until the mixture is smooth and thick.
Divide the frosting into several small bowls and tint with food coloring. Fill individual piping bags with the icing.
Ice your cookies, as desired, allowing time for the icing to set before piping additional colors next to or on top of one other.

Video

Notes

Nutrition Values: Nutrition values are estimated based on 20 cookies. The number of cookies will vary based on the size of your cookie cutter shapes.

Pumpkin Extract: If you don’t have access to pumpkin spice extract, you can use vanilla extract or cinnamon extract instead. Pumpkin spice extract smells and tastes incredible. I suggest ordering it on Amazon since many grocery stores don’t carry it.

For the Egg Substitute: I used two tablespoons of Bob's Red Mill's Egg Replacer mixed with three tablespoons of water instead of the two tablespoons of water, as noted in the directions on the packaging. I've found that two tablespoons of water isn’t enough hydration for gluten-free recipes.

Prefer to Use Eggs? You can use two room-temperature eggs instead of the egg substitute. The cookies may spread; use caution.

Prefer Real Butter? You can use 1/2 cup softened butter or vegan butter instead of the palm shortening. Again, this may cause your cookies to spread; use caution and consider chilling the dough before baking.

Nutrition