Gluten, dairy, egg-free Christmas cookie

Typically, we at the Sentinel make a concentrated effort to not step on each other's toes. If I have a tip and it involved cops or courts, I offer it to Jennifer, our cops and courts reporter. City goes to Megan, Blue Earth to Sarah. So when I decided to post the following, it was not without concern for hedging into Sarah's blog territory — the recipe. But this recipe is special, because it is gluten, dairy, and egg free, so my son can eat it with his allergies. It is also free of my daughter's seven often life-threatening allergies and my three. So you can image my delight at the prospect of only needing one cookie for the whole family! I tested them and they are delightful. The kids are eating them so fast they I will need to make more before the big day. Even for those of you not on a special diet, try these, they are good. The original recipe was published in Living Without magazine. I altered it to fit my family's dietary needs. Ideally, I would have posted a picture, but the pretty ones were eaten before I thought of it ;)

Allergy free shortbread cookies

2 sticks butter flavored Crisco

1½ cups granulated sugar

Egg replacer equal to 2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3¼ cups white rice flour + ½ cup for dusting counter

1½ cups cornstarch

1¼ cups potato starch

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a mixer, cream the shortening and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs replacer. Mix for 1 minute. Add the vanilla. Scrape the bowl. In a separate bowl, combine 3¼? cups flour, cornstarch, potato starch, salt and xanthan gum. Add ½ butter and sugar mixture and mix for 1 minute. Add the second half and mix until ingredients are combined. Divide the dough into 3 balls. Set 2 aside. Dust your counter or rolling board with flour. Press the ball flat with your hands first. Then roll dough out to just over ¼?-inch thick. You may find it is easier to simply press the dough to this thickness. The dough is crumbly, but the cookies will be firm after cooking. Using your favorite cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place them on prepared cookie sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake in preheated oven about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven. Cookies are done when they just start to get golden around the edges. Remove from oven and place them on a cooling rack.

You can frost these when cool or, when cutting them out, cut a hole in the center and add broken hard candies. They will melt in the oven and make a "stained-glass" effect.

My kids gobbled these up without the frosting, even my allergy-friendly-food avoiding husband likes these. Give them a try, they are worth it.