Vanilla Bean Spice Cookies (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free)

Published on by Kim

Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, these amazing vanilla bean spice cookies are gluten free, egg free, and dairy free.  The vanilla bean glaze will knock your
socks off!

It is officially cookie baking season. Woo Hoo!  For this foodie, December food is all about cookies of all shapes, sizes, and flavors (all gluten free, of course).  So, let the sprinkles fly, toss about some flour, and enjoy the season’s best little treats with me.  All this month I will be sharing some new cookie recipes with you, along with some of my old favorites.

The Perfect Looking Cookie

First up is a simply incredible cookie.  Not only is this cookie gluten free, but it is also egg and dairy free as well.   When I first tested these cookies I was utterly amazed at how perfect they looked.  When my husband saw them he asked where I had purchased them from.  They look perfect…almost like they were factory produced (but in a good way).  All the crinkles and crevices were in just the right place.  No factory cookies here.

Vanilla Bean Spice Cookies (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free)

The Perfect Tasting Cookie

Now we all know that looks are not everything.  The same goes for a cookie.  A beautiful cookie better taste great too or, let’s face it, it’s a flop.  Well, these cookies don’t disappoint when it comes to taste.  In fact, I told my hubby that these cookies are my new favorite. Why?

First, the amount of spice is just right.  The ginger is not too overpowering or underwhelming.  The cookies are not too sweet, but sweet enough to satisfy.  The texture is spot on.  These cookies are perfectly crisp on the outside, with an amazing chew on the inside.  And finally, the vanilla bean paste adds that special something to each bite.  I tested the recipe both with and without vanilla bean paste.  While you can certainly make these cookies without the vanilla bean paste (they’ll still be amazing), I can honestly say that you will be missing out.  It enhances the flavor so very much!

All of this yumminess without gluten, dairy, or egg!  I love it!

The Perfect Finishing Touch

As perfect as these cookies were, I wanted to elevate them one more notch.  And for that I turned to my friends over at Rodelle.  Rodelle is home to the finest vanilla beans, extracts, and baking ingredients that I know.   Long before I was blogging, their products filled the shelves of my spice rack and baking cabinet.  The quality of every product in their line will be evident upon your first use, as it was for me.

To finish my cookies off, I opted to create a simple vanilla bean glaze for my cookies.  Using fresh vanilla beans within your recipes will produce flavor like no other extract can do.  After mixing the ingredients for my glaze together, I scrapped down the seeds from one vanilla bean and mixed them in.  I then heaped a generous amount of the glaze onto each cookie.

Vanilla Bean Spice Cookies (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free)

I’m telling you, there is something about those little vanilla bean flecks that tells you that you’re about to dive into something amazing.

The GLuten Free Gathering - Vanilla Bean Spice Cookies (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free)

The Perfect Collaboration

I am so happy to be able to collaborate with Rodelle this coming year as one of their brand ambassadors.   As I mentioned before, their products are superior to anything that you will find at your local grocery store.  They will take any ordinary recipe and make it extraordinary.    I can recommend them to you without reservation.

My relationship with Rodelle actually began several years ago before I was blogging.  In 2013 I had entered a contest sponsored by Rodelle.  I submitted a short story about my son and mother and their time in the kitchen.  That story wound up being a winner, and for the next year I would be treated to shipments of Rodelle’s products.  I tried just about every extract they made and used their cocoa and vanilla beans in so many of my baking recipes.

And while Rodelle’s products wowed me, the kindness of their staff really won my heart.  With each shipment that arrived, I received a hand written note from a member of the Rodelle staff.  Those notes spoke volumes to me.  It showed me that this company is concerned about the little details and cares about going the extra mile to make their customers feel like more than just customers.

For that reason, they won me over.  Ever since, I’ve been a Rodelle customer.  So you can see why this collaboration is perfect; it’s perfect because it’s genuine.  Once I finalized the details for being a brand ambassador, Rodelle sent me some complimentary products for me to use in my recipes.  And guess what showed up with my ingredients?  A hand written note.

 

Rodelle Brand Ambassador - The Gluten Free Gathering

 A Giveaway for You!

To celebrate my new relationship with Rodelle, we are bringing you a giveaway!  One winner will receive:

4 oz. Pure Vanilla Extract
2 count Vanilla Bean Jar
Organic Ground Ceylon Cinnamon
Vanilla Bean Paste

To enter, first leave a comment at the very end of this post telling me what your favorite holiday cookie is.  Your comment will give you one entry into the giveaway.  Next, for a bonus entry, head over to The Gluten Free Gathering’s Facebook page and like our page.   Contest runs from December 3, 2018 to December 8, 2018.  See complete rules at the bottom of this post.

Gluten Free Vanilla Bean Spice Cookies (Dairy Free & Egg Free)

Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, these amazing vanilla bean spice cookies are gluten free, egg free, and dairy free. The vanilla bean glaze will knock your socks off!

  • 1/2 cup Dairy Free Butter Spread (I used Melt)
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 teaspoon Rodelle Vanilla Bean Paste
  • 1 cup finely ground almond flour
  • 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum (see recipe notes below)***
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Vanilla Bean Glaze

  • 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped, pod set aside
  • 1 & 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond or cashew milk

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Line a stainless steel baking sheet with parchment paper.

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the dairy free spread, light brown sugar, spices, molasses, and vanilla bean paste until smooth.

  4. Add the almond flour, gluten free flour, and baking soda to the wet ingredients.  Mix until all of the ingredients are well combined.

  5. Using a 1 tablespoon sized spring loaded scoop, scoop out level tablespoons of dough.  Roll the dough between the palms of your hands to create a ball.  Place the ball onto the cookie sheet.  Cookies should be spaced 2″ from each other as these cookies do spread.

  6. Bake for 12 minutes.

  7. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.  Then, using a thin spatula, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.  Allow the cookies to cool completely.

  8. In a bowl stir together the sifted powdered sugar and almond/cashew milk until smooth.

  9. Place one vanilla bean on a cutting board.  Using a small knife, cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise.  Using the dull, backside of the knife, run the knife down both halves of the pod to remove the beans.  Place the scraped beans into the glaze and stir.

  10. Using a teaspoon spread the glaze onto the tops of each cookie.  Allow the glaze to set completely before serving.

RECIPE NOTES:   If dairy is not an issue for you, I would highly recommend making the cookie glaze with heavy whipping cream.  Mix 1/4 cup of cream with 1 & 1/2 cups of powdered sugar.  Stir in the vanilla beans.
.

***I tested this recipe with both Bob’s Red Mil 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour.  Both work so very well in this recipe.

 

The Gluten Free Gathering - Gluten Free Vanilla Bean Spice Cookies - Delicious crisp and chewy spice cookies filled with vanilla bean flavor. Perfect addition to your Christmas Cookies.

Almond Butter Raisin Spice Cookies
Sugar Cookies (No Chill No Roll)
Chocolate Gingerbread Snowball Cookies
Gluten Free Apple Butter Rugelach

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The GLuten Free Gathering - Vanilla Bean Spice Cookies (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free)

This post contains affiliate links through Amazon.  Should you choose to click on a link and make a purchase, I will be paid a small commission by Amazon.  This comes at NO additional cost to you and assists with the expenses associated with this blog.  Thank you for your support!

© The Gluten Free Gathering
 The images, content, and recipes found within are copyright protected. Do not use images and written content without first obtaining permission from The Gluten Free Gathering.  Looking to share or republish a recipe? Please link back directly to this post for the recipe.

Giveaway Rules

Contest runs from December 3, 2018, 12:00am to December 8, 2018, 11:59pm.  The time stamp from this website will determine eligible entries.  One comment entry and one bonus Facebook entry per person for the duration of the giveaway.   Winner will be determined by a random draw and notified by the method of entry by December 9, 2018.  Winner will have three days from the time of notification to provide their full name and mailing address to which their prize pack may be mailed to.  Should the winner not respond within 3 days, a new winner will be randomly selected.

The winner’s name and address will be made available to Rodelle for the sole purpose of shipping out the prize pack.  By entering this giveaway, you are agreeing to these terms.  Neither The Gluten Free Gathering or Rodelle will be responsible for lost or damaged shipments. No substitutions or cash equivalents available.

115 thoughts on “Vanilla Bean Spice Cookies (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free)”

  1. I know I can always come here and find delicious GF options for my friends, pair that with Rodelle vanilla and I know what I’m baking them for the holidays!

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  2. I love chocolate crinkles – but making festive sugar cut cookies with my child has to be one of the best holiday traditions.

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  5. Your cookies look delicious. My favorite holiday cookie is chocolate chip- there is a magic to that tradition of baking together and trying that first fresh from the oven warm cookie,

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  6. My neighbor is gluten intolerant and it’s very difficult to find a GREAT tasting cookie for him! Thanks to you, more GREAT cookies will be coming his way! This Vanilla Bean Spice Cookie looks wonderful!!!

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      2. You can try them with all gluten free flour, but I have not tried or tested it that way. If I can swing it, I’ll try to test it for you without almond flour.

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    1. I’d have to agree with you on the chocolate. I’m working on a version of this cookie with chocolate because chocolate makes everything better! 🙂

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  9. Congrats on your partnership with Rodelle! ❤️
    I’d love to have some of their products to use in my Christmas baking. I LOVE classic sugar cookies with buttercream frosting!

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  13. My favorite holiday cookie is speculoos or almond lace! I too was introduced to Roselle products thru a giveaway. I use nothing else now.

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  14. My favorite Christmas cookie is a tossup between soft baked gingerbread cookies, and snickerdoodles.

    These vanilla bean spice cookies look like they would make a pretty delicious holiday cookie, though! I will definitely be saving this recipe for later. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

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  15. I love a nutty coated thumbprint cookie filled with jam or chocolate. I also love the look of your glaze with all those vanilla seeds and have jumped on the vanilla bean paste express.

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  20. These cookies look delicious! My favorite holiday cookie is Chocolate Cookies covered in a Peppermint Cream Cheese Icing with crushed candy canes on top. Or peanut butter chocolate. But that is my favorite all year long.

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  21. I’m so very excited to try this recipe! Dairy free too! My new favorite Christmas cookie is a gluten free, dairy free chocolate sandwich cookie with a peppermint cream (along with candy cane bits in it) in between. Delicious! My vegan son and his girlfriend made them last year….multiple times. Yummy!

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  26. My favorite holiday cookies are chocolate crinkles (made with Rodelle Dutch Process cocoa) but these Vanilla Bean Spice Cookies just may be my new favorite. My niece has Celliac so the fact that they are Gluten Free is a big bonus for me. Thanks for a great recipe and a chance to win some fantastic Rodelle products.

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  27. My favorite holiday cookie is my hubby’s grandma’s finger cookies (based off of the Italian wedding cookie since they are Italian descent). I would love to try this recipe! Perfect for a holiday cookie exchange!

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  29. My favorite Christmas cookie is my Moms Butter Kifli. Since her passing in 2015, I’ve not baked these cookies. However baking strengthens the soul. I now have all her hand written recipes. This year I will bake these cookies and share with our family.

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  32. My family loves vanilla spice cookie, the recipe sounds amazing and I’m adding it to my cookie making list. (Also Like the Gluten Free Gathering Facebook page). Thank you Kim for this opportunity especially during the holidays. It would make a very welcome gift.

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  34. My favorite Christmas cookies to make are a 3-in-one recipe, using a 3-way butter cookie batter and makes plain but delicious butter cookies, Koulourakia cookies with almonds and Anisette shaped into cylinders, brushed with egg white and sprinkled with chopped almonds, and Linzer Thumbprint cookies filled with ground hazelnuts and Kirsch with Black Cherry preserves in the thumbprints. I’m sure that using Rodelle products in this recipe would bring it to new heights!!

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  36. Oatmeal scotchiies are my favorite, but that is because I eat handfuls of butterscotch chips while we are making them. I love the cookies too, but the mouthful of chips is where the money is!!

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    1. I can’t lie, whenever there are chocolate chips involved in the cookie process, an awful lot accidentally fall into my mouth. It’s a phenomenon I just can’t explain 😉

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  37. My favorite cookie has to be shortbread snowballs. My Grandma always made them and we changed them up to fit our vegan diet but these look amazing! I saw those flecks of vanilla bean and knew this would be one cookie to try!

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  41. My favorite holiday cookie is a shortbread thumbprint that my mom makes. She’s made them as long as I can remember, and now it’s not Christmas without them!

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  48. I love a good snickerdoodle cookie and a good vanilla bean is important to a good tasting cookie. Your products are super!

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  49. My favorite holiday cookie is a family recipe we call sponge cookies. They are loaded with vanilla and topped with icing. I started making them as a little girl with my grandma help

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