I love to make cut-out cookies for special occasions. If it wasn’t so time consuming I’d make them more often. Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas wouldn’t be the same without them. I grew up spending many holidays with my dad’s family. His mom, Grandma Lou, is a goddess in the kitchen. Come to think of it, I can’t recall a single childhood memory that didn’t involve her being in the kitchen or sitting around with my cousins eating her yummy foods. One of which is her sugar cookies.
I’ve shared an allergy-friendly version of her recipe – Grandma Lou’s Famous Sugar Cookies. This is my go-to recipe for cut-out cookies. The original recipe calls for almond extract, which I’ve been told is safe for tree nut allergic kiddos, but I’d check with your allergist before you add that in. We’ve used it for years with no problems, but the recipe is still just as good without it. 🙂
Growing up we always decorated the cookies with sprinkles. However, this past Thanksgiving I decided to give icing the cookies a try as I’ve always loved a beautifully decorated cookie. When it comes to cookie decorating, everyone talks about Royal Icing. However, true Royal Icing calls for egg whites or meringue powder (contains egg) and milk. Since both of my little men have an egg allergy and my youngest has a dairy allergy, that wasn’t going to do. So I set out to create a recipe that would work for them. I’ve tried a few recipes that I found online and didn’t love them. So I reworked them a bit and the recipe that I’ve landed on is not only delicious, but it’s easy to use when decorating.
This recipe is free of 7 of the top-8 allergens: dairy, egg, wheat/gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, fish & shellfish. It could also be made soy-free if you substitute a soy-free milk.
- 1½ c. Powdered Sugar
- 1 TBS Vanilla Soy Milk
- 2 tsp. Light Corn Syrup
- ½ tsp. almond or vanilla extract (I use almond)
- Additional soy milk for thinning.
- Food Coloring
- In a large bowl, add the powdered sugar and soy milk. Mix on low until it is lump free.
- Add the corn syrup and extract. Continue to blend until all has been combined.
- Royal Icing should be able to hold it's shape for 8-10 seconds. Use the spoon or spatula to drizzle some icing into the bowl. If it melts back into the other icing before you've counted 8-10 seconds, then it's not thick enough. Or if it keeps it's shape for longer, it is too thick.
- If it's too thick, add a drop to two of soy milk. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- At this time, you can add food coloring if you'd like.
- Happy Decorating.
**Allergy Alert**
Be sure to read all of your labels. I have found many spices and other products (i.e. garlic powder) that include additional ingredients like soy.
Known Allergy Information (containing the major 8): Soy (could be replaced)
**Disclaimer: Please note that every child’s sensitivity to their given allergen(s) varies. Some of the items that I use do contain “natural flavoring” and “spices” which is hard to determine if it is 100% allergy free. You should always check with the manufacturer to confirm that your child can have their product(s). The products that I list are items that I’ve been using for awhile and have proven to be safe for my boys (their allergies are dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish and sesame).**