Soft Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies (Roll and Cut)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder/starch 
• 0.5 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 1 cup dairy-free margarine (see notes in post above)
• 0.3 cup dairy-free milk alternative plain
• 3 cups flour all-purpose
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 0.8 cup sorghum flour 
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar 
• 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 4 servings water as needed

Equipment

• bowl
• baking sheet
• baking paper
• oven
• mixing bowl
• cookie cutter
• stand mixer

Directions

1. Use your stand mixer to thoroughly cream the margarine and sugar together.In a separate bowl, sift the flour, sorghum flour, arrowroot, salt, and baking powder, stirring well to combine.
2. Add about half of these dry ingredients into the mixing bowl, processing it until fully incorporated.
3. Pour in the vanilla, followed by 1/4 cup of the non-dairy milk and the remaining flour mixture. Continue to mix until it forms smooth, homogeneous dough, slowly drizzling in additional non-dairy milk if necessary.Form the dough into two equal balls, flatten them out a bit into smooth disks, wrap separately in plastic and chill for at least one 1 hour before proceeding.After the dough has had time to rest in the refrigerator, start heating your oven to 350ºF.On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to about 1/8-inch thickness.Use cookie cutters of any shape you desire to cut the cookies, but try to keep them all approximately the same size so that they bake evenly.
4. Transfer the shapes to baking sheets lined with silpats or parchment paper. Gather up the scraps, re-roll the dough and repeat as necessary. Work with only one disk of dough at a time to keep it cool and easy to handle; allow the first batch to finish baking before rolling out the next.
5. Bake for about 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Keep a close eye on them and don’t let them turn brown. The edges should be firm, tops no longer glossy, and the centers soft and slightly puffed up when they’re done.Cool completely before decorating and/or storing in an air-tight container at room temperature.For the royal icing, simply combine the confectioner’s sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
6. Add in water, one teaspoon at a time, stirring thoroughly after each addition, until it reaches a pipe-able consistency. Be sure to take this process slowly, as just one drop too much liquid can make the icing runny.Allow a full 24 hours for the icing to completely harden.