Gluten-free gingerbread men cookies

Ingredients:

Shortcrust pastry

• 2 cups white rice flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
• 0.5 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 0.5 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp pumpkin pie spices (nutmeg, allspice, cloves)
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 110 g softened butter
• 0.66 cups brown sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 0.5 cups blackstrap molasses
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• Royal icing
• Dragees, nuts and confectionery sprinkles for decoration

Royal icing

• 0.33 cups pasteurized egg whites
• 1 tbsp. orange juice
• 0.25 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar, plus more if needed
• Food coloring

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the rice flour, buckwheat flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, ginger, cinnamon, pie spice, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy and pale brown, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and continue beating on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the molasses and vanilla and beat for another minute.
   
   Add half of the dry mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add the remaining dry mixture and beat on low speed until the dough forms small clumps. If the dough is too runny and won't come together, add another tablespoon or two of rice flour.
3. Gather the dough with your hands and knead for 1 minute, or until it forms a smooth ball. Form the dough into a flat disk and place it in a resealable plastic bag, removing any excess air. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour. (If the dough will be in the refrigerator for much longer than an hour, let it come to room temperature for about 10 minutes before continuing.)
4. Position oven racks in the lower and upper thirds and preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. Refrigerate the dough you're not currently working with. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3 mm (1/8 in). (For gluten-free cookies, it's best to use parchment paper lightly dusted with rice flour, placing it under and over the dough as you roll it out. This way, you won't need to add a lot of extra flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface.) Use cookie cutters to cut out people. Each third of the dough should produce 5-6 people, each 8 cm (3 in) tall. Gather the scraps and roll out again.
6. Place the gingerbread men approximately 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake until the edges are just beginning to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. (For softer cookies, bake 1 to 2 minutes less.)
7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then remove them and let them cool completely. Let the baking sheet cool completely as well.
   
   Repeat with the remaining dough.
   
   Once the cookies have cooled completely, decorate them with royal icing, jelly beans, nuts, and sprinkles.
   
   

   Royal icing

   
   In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. Add the orange juice and vanilla and beat again. Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, then beat on low speed. After adding the third cup of sugar, continue beating until the icing is smooth, thick, and glossy, about 2 minutes. (Add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar if the icing seems too runny.) Divide into 2 or 3 portions, add the desired amount of food coloring, and mix well.
   
   Place a few tablespoons of icing in the corner of a plastic bag, snip off a corner, and draw a pattern on the cookies (thin with a drop or two of juice). Refrigerate the cookies for a few minutes to allow the icing to set.
   
   Note
   
   If you're not adding food coloring to the icing, use lemon juice instead of orange juice and omit the vanilla..