Spring Sugar Cookies: Yum-O!

The European Union has been considering a ban on food colorants because of a link between artificial dye and ADD/ADHD.

I certainly hope our great nation follows in their footsteps.  In the meantime, I will continue making our goodies in order to avoid over-processed, chemical laden foods.

Today we made sugar cookies for Easter.  We used naturally derived food colors (yellow from turmeric and orange from annatto), India Tree Nature’s colors decorating sugars and Lets Do Sprinkelz chocolate toppings.

This recipe (oh, so tasty) is gluten free, dairy free and vegan from Karen over at Only Sometimes Clever (we use an egg replacer like Ener-G or a flax egg and Earth Balance Buttery Spread). I especially enjoy the combination of whole grain flours (even better if you grind them fresh!).

I half the recipe because it is GIANT… so be warned to only make the full recipe if you are giving a lot away!  If you have a corn allergy or just want to avoid traditional powder sugar, you can make your own by placing evaporated cane sugar (we like Wholesome Sweetners- it’s fair trade, organic and vegan) into the food processor or blender, add a bit of starch (we use tapioca) and process until you have a fine powder.

For the glaze, I wanted the kind of frosting that hardens and has a shine… here is the simple recipe we used:

1 cup powder sugar

1 Tbs agave or brown rice syrup

2 Tbs water

colorant (add a drop or two at a time, until desired shade is achieved)

Mix the ingredients until smooth.  You will need to stir if it sits long so that your glaze doesn’t become lumpy.  We applied the glaze with spoons and topped with sprinkles.  An alternate way to glaze is to place the color in a shallow dish and dip the cookies in.  Be sure to add any decoration quickly before the glaze begins to harden.

Eat Well. Be Well.