Step 1

Mix shortening, sugar, vanilla, applesauce, and rice milk until smooth.

Step 2

Add in the salt, xanthan, baking powder and half of the gluten-free flour. Mix well.

Step 3

Add in the rest of the gluten-free flour and blend well.

Step 4

Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Step 5

Once the 30 minutes are up, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 6

Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Step 7

Sprinkle a clean surface with gluten-free flour and place your chilled dough on top of it. Sprinkle even more flour on top of the dough and sprinkle your rolling pin with flour. If your cookies are sticky still, it means you haven't dusted the dough with enough flour.

Step 8

Roll your dough until it's 1/4 of an inch thick.

Step 9

Dip your cookie cutter in the gluten-free flour, and then place it in the rolled dough. Wiggle your cookie cutter to make sure it's all of the way through.

Step 10

Fit as many as you can in your dough, and then remove the scraps.

Step 11

Carefully move the cut shapes onto the parchment paper.

Step 12

Bake for 7-9 minutes until just barely set. DO NOT OVER BAKE! These will not turn golden.

Step 13

Take the pan out of the oven, and allow the cookies to rest on the pan/finish cooking for 5 more minutes.

Step 14

Carefully lift them onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Cookies are fragile when warm.

Step 15

Make the buttercream.

Step 16

Decorate as desired. (See the FAQ for how I did mine.)

Step 17

Keep covered room temperature.