Gluten-free Melt-in-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies

1½  cups confectioner’s sugar

1  cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening

1  egg (or 1½ teaspoons egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons rice milk or water)

2  teaspoons vanilla extract

2½  cups gluten-free cookie flour mix

½  teaspoon xanthan gum

1  teaspoon baking soda

1  teaspoon cream of tartar

Icing

4  cups confectioner’s sugar

4  tablespoons dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening

2  egg whites

-  Pinch of salt

2  teaspoons vanilla extract

-   Food coloring and colored sugars, optional

1. To make cookie dough, place 1½ cups confectioner’s sugar and 1 cup shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and slightly fluffy.

2. Add egg (or egg replacer mixed with rice milk or water) and vanilla extract. Mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour mix, xanthan gum, baking soda and cream of tartar.

4. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating on low speed until thoroughly combined.

5. Gather up dough into a ball and chill it for 2 hours.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

7. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness and cut into shapes with your favorite cookie cutters. Using a thin spatula, transfer cookies to cookie sheets. Gather up remaining scraps of dough and roll out again, cutting and rolling until you’ve used it all.

8. Bake cookies in preheated oven on center rack for 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack.

9. To make icing, combine all icing ingredients and mix until smooth. For colored icing, add a few drops of food coloring.

10. Ice cookies while they’re still slightly warm. Then sprinkle immediately with decorative sugars. Cool completely to set.