If you are a big cinnamon roll fan, then these cookies are a must for you to make.  They might look difficult but if you follow the steps that I laid out and used some of my recommendations then you will be whipping them up in no time.  My advice to all gluten free baking is to be patient and to not rush through steps.  Whenever I do that, I am bound to make a mistake and will have to start over so be patient and go slow until you really get the feel of what you are doing.  Let me know how yours turn out. I love to hear from you guys about all your baking adventures.

Sugar cookies are a must in my house during Christmas.  My kids look forward all year until they get to help me make the sugar cookies and then decorate them.  I was having a really hard time finding a good sugar cookie recipe that held it's shape. It seemed that no matter what I did the sugar cookies just spread and lost their shape too much and became a big blob. It was always so disappointing because we cut out these cute shapes and then after baking them, they just looked so ugly.  Well, no more! These sugar cookies are perfect and hold their shape with no problem and minimal chilling time.

Not only did they turn out perfect after baking but they tasted so good.  The sugar ratio is just right and they are not too sweet.  I am not a fan of super sweet sugar cookies because you always add frosting or icing to them so you don't want the cookie itself to be too sweet. These are just right and even without frosting, they are so good.  This is also coming from someone who really isn't a fan of sugar cookies. They just aren't my favorite but since my boys love to decorate them so much I put up with them but these cookies I found myself not being able to stop eating them!
So for the frosting part, I wanted to demonstrate how to make them look extra pretty.  My sister in law, Katie Pinson, went to culinary school and then worked as a pastry chef for a few years so she was the perfect person to come and help show how to decorate them properly. I didn't want her to do anything too fancy because I wanted the rest of us to be able to do them and she delivered.  Not only did they turn out beautiful but they were not hard! After I watched her do it, I was able to go and decorate some of them myself and they didn't turn out half bad.
She used the flooding technique and it was quite simple to do. You want to make sure that the frosting is the right consistency.  As you add the water keep checking on it to make sure that you don't add too much.  If you do, just add a bit more sugar.  You want the icing to melt back into itself a few seconds after its drizzled.  The video down below demonstrates what the right consistency should be. When you are done making it, they just add the colors that you want.  She showed how to use it in a piping bag as well as the squeeze bottles.  She said that you get more of a precise line with the piping bag but the squeeze bottles are so convenient, especially when doing this with children. I could see the benefit to using both but I will for sure be using the squeeze bottles when I decorate with my own children.  They are a lot easier to use.
You can also use sprinkles or any other decorations that you want with this icing to make them extra fun.  After you are done decorating them let them dry overnight before serving.  Another reason that I loved these so much was that they weren't very messy.  Regular frosted cookies turn  into a disaster with my kids but these were fairly tidy especially after they dried.  I also like that the frosting isn't too thick.  With a thin layer on top, it added just the right amount of sweetness.
I hope that you all give these a try because they are so fun and so good!  Also, don't be put off by the thought of doing royal icing because if I can do it, so can you! Decorating is not my strength but they turned out so cute and I bet Santa will be really happy to be eating these when he comes down our chimney.  Make sure to check out my YouTube channel for more great recipes and product reviews and make sure to watch the video down below to find out exactly how to make and frost these cookies.

Christmas is a time for treats, treats and treats! We seem to overindulge during this holiday season and just because you are gluten free, it shouldn't exclude you from acting just as everyone else.  Christmas cookies are a big deal in my house and even though I am the only one in my family that is gluten free, everything that I make is gluten free.  I wanted to find some fun cookies to make with my kids but the pinwheel cookies just seemed too far to reach.  Gluten free cookie dough can be super brittle and it is not easy to roll.  I just marked it down as it was never going to happen which is probably a good thing because I am not good at taking that.  I became determined to find a way to make these tasty treats and I did!
 Now, to be honest, they didn't work the first time.  It turned into a crumpled mess and me thinking that I was right before in that these really can't be made with gluten free flour. My seven year old was with me when I was making them and he encouraged me to keep going and try again.  I could not argue with that so I went back in with a different plan. Using plastic wrap while rolling it and chilling it after it has been rolled is a must.  The dough is so much easier to work with before it is chilled and the plastic wrap gives the dough support so it doesn't crumble.
After I rolled it, I must admit that I did a little dance to celebrate getting through the hardest part of these cookies! I conquered them and not only that but they turned out so cute! My kids loved them and well so did my husband.  These really are the perfect Christmas cookie.  They are so cute and I think I did hear that Santa was going gluten free so making them for him would be the perfect treat!
Don't be scared to try these because I really did all the work for you. I was able to figure out a way to make these that actually work and taste great. Watch the video down below so that you understand exactly how I was able to roll these up.  Make sure you read your labels and find a food dye that is gluten free.  A lot of food dyes can have cross contamination so just make sure you find one that is safe.  There is a link below of a food dye that is gluten free so pick that one up if you can't find another one.  Also, make sure to check out my YouTube channel for more great recipes and product reviews.