1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Line 1-2 baking sheets with Parchment Paper or baking mats; set aside.
3. Using a Stand Mixer, fitted with the Paddle Attachment, cream the Softened Butter, Powdered Sugar and Vanilla on the Medium setting (#4) for about 5 minutes, scraping down the inside of the bowl as needed; the mixture should be light in color and whipped.
4. Next, lower the speed of the Mixer to the lowest setting and gradually add the GF Flour, 1/2 cup at a time; Dough will be soft and smooth.
5. Place a large Star tip into a piping bag (or large plastic resealable bag) and transfer the dough to the piping bag.
6. Pipe the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets in Rosette or Circle designs/shapes. The dough does not spread very much, if at all, so you can pipe a lot of cookies per sheet – I usually pipe 20 – 2″ cookies per sheet.
7. Sprinkle each cookie with sprinkles/colored sugar, if desired.
8. Next, place the cookie sheets into the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes to chill the dough – this helps them maintain their shape while cooking.
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
10. Once the cookies are finished chilling, bake them for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges turn a light, golden brown.
11. Cool the cookies for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring them to wire cooling racks to cool completely.
12. Enjoy with a hot cup of cocoa, tea or coffee…or a glass of cold milk 😉

Making the Cookie Dough:

1. Gather all the ingredients needed for the cookies.
2. Using a Stand or Handheld Mixer, combine the Butter, Salt, Maple Sugar and Maple Extract; beat until creamy and smooth.
3. Add the Powdered Sugar to the Butter mixture and mix on the lowest setting, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until well-blended and smooth.
4. In a small bowl, measure out the 1 1/2 Cups Flour using the “spoon and scrape” method (using a spoon, scoop out the GF Flour into a Dry Measuring Cup, overfilling the cup; then scrape off the excess flour back into the flour bag/container using the back edge of a knife); gently pour the measured GF Flour into the small bowl.
5. Add the Xanthan Gum (if your GF Flour mix doesn’t contain it) to the GF Flour in the small bowl and mix well.
6. With the mixer set on the lowest setting, gradually add the GF Flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, to the Butter mixture; mix well and scrape sides of bowl as need between each addition of the Flour.
   Note: the cookie dough will be crumbly, but should hold together when squeezed into a ball; if the dough does not hold together, add 1/2-1 more Tablespoon of softened unsalted butter.
7. Form the cookie dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap; Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8. While the dough is in the refrigerator, line 1-2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or baking mats; set aside.
9. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
10. After 30 minutes, remove cookie dough from refrigerator and cut in half for a more manageable portion of dough to roll out.
    Note: if the dough is refrigerated for more than 30 minutes, set it out on your kitchen counter for about 15-20 minutes to soften up a little before trying to roll it out.
11. Once the dough is ready, roll it out onto a lightly floured surface to about 1/4″ thickness.
12. Using the desired cookie cutter/cutters, cut dough into shapes and place onto the prepared cookie sheet/sheets.
13. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until cookies are a light golden brown; cool on baking sheets. Enjoy as single Maple Shortbread Cookies or fill with the Maple Buttercream filling (recipe below).
    

The Maple Buttercream Filling:

1. If making sandwich cookies, gather the ingredients for the Maple Buttercream Filling.
2. Using a Stand or Handheld Mixer, combine all of the Filling ingredients, being sure to gradually add the Powdered Sugar, 1/2 cup at a time; adjust the Milk or Powdered Sugar as needed for the desired consistency (you want the filling to be thick and creamy).
   
3. Once the cookies are completely cooled, you are ready to fill :).
4. Using a small knife or the back of a spoon, spread the desired amount of filling onto the backside of one of the cookies; then gently press another cookie on top of the filling and scrape any excess filling from the sides of the cookies with the knife or spoon.
   
5. Serve with your a hot cup of tea or coffee and sit back and enjoy 🙂
   

Making the Cookies:

1. Line cookie sheet/sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.
2. Gather the ingredients.
3. In a Large mixing bowl, sift together the GF Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt and Spices; Mix well; Set aside.
4. In another Large mixing bowl, combine the Sugars, Oil, Pumpkin, Eggs and Vanilla Extract until completely blended.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients, one cup at a time, to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or dish cloth and let rest for 30 minutes. This allows the GF Flour to absorb the moisture from the wet ingredients which reduces (hopefully, eliminates!) the grainy texture.
7. When ready to bake the cookies, place oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Using a Small cookie scoop (or medium, if you want larger cookies) scoop out the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
9. Spray the back of a spoon with non-stick cooking spray and use the spoon to flatten the cookie mounds (re-apply spray as often as needed).
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
11. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Making the Frosting:

1. While the cookies are baking and cooling start making the frosting…
2. Using a Handheld or Stand Mixer, beat the softened Butter, Cream Cheese and Vanilla Extract until well-blended.
3. Gradually add the Powdered Sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until completely blended and creamy.
4. Add the Ground Cinnamon and Mix thoroughly.
5. You’re ready to frost the cookies and enjoy!

1. Gather all your ingredients.
   

The Flour Mixture

1. In a large bowl, combine the Flour, *Xanthan Gum (only if needed), Baking Soda and spices. Mix well and set aside.
   

The Shortening Mixture

1. In a small saucepan, melt the shortening, remove from heat and cool for about 10-15 minutes (this is so you don’t cook the eggs when you add it).
2. While the shortening is cooling, combine the Molasses, Sugar and egg using a Stand or Handheld Mixer. Add the cooled shortening and mix well.
   

Combining the Wet and Dry Ingredients

1. Slowly add the Flour Mixture to the wet mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, blending well after each addition.
   
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours – I find that chilling the dough overnight gets the best results.
3. When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. While the oven is preheating shape the dough into small 1″ balls (you can use a small cookie scoop to get more uniform cookies) and roll in a bowl of granulated sugar, coating well.
   
5. Space cookie balls at least 2″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper.
   
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until they are covered in “cracks.”
   
7. Let cool for about 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely…try one (or two) while they’re still warm!
   
8. Once they are completely cooled, you can package them in cellophane gift bags
9. Enjoy!