Ah, the Stevie Nicks of cookies—all spun around, precious, and ethereal! A couple tips for making this recipe all your own: Try cutting back on the flour sometimes and ramping up the sugar at other times. In doing so you’ll learn what proportions make a soft cookie and what proportions give you a chewy version. You’ll also perfect the fine art of the crispy edge. If you’re a brave soul—and surely by now you are—try to assemble a few cookie sandwiches with your favorite glaze or icing in the middle.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 36

　　1 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour

　　1 1/2 cups vegan sugar

　　1/4 cup arrowroot

　　1 teaspoon baking soda

　　1 teaspoon xanthan gum

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1 cup melted refined coconut oil or canola oil

　　1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

　　2 tablespoons vanilla extract

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

　　

Step 2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, arrowroot, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated.

　　

Step 3

Drop the dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 8 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake for 7 minutes more, or until the edges are browned and the center is cooked through. Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes before serving.

　　Reprinted December 9, 2011, with permission from Babycakes Covers the Classics by Erin McKenna, © 2011 Clarkson Potter. Buy the full book at Penguin Random House, Amazon, or Bookshop.