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1
In a medium bowl, sift together the rice, tapioca and buckwheat flours, the baking soda, xanthan gum, ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
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2
Whisk until well blended, and set aside.
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3
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream the butter with the brown sugar until the mixture is light, airy and pale tan, about 3 minutes.
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4
Add the egg and mix again on medium until incorporated, about 1 minute.
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5
Add the molasses and vanilla, and mix again at medium speed for another minute.
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6
Add half the dry ingredients and mix on low until incorporated.
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7
Add the second half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together in small clumps.
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8
(The dough will resemble thick brownie batter.)
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9
If the dough is too wet and not clumpy, add another tablespoon or two of rice flour.
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10
Using your hands, bring the dough together into a ball and knead for 1 minute, or until you can make a smooth ball of dough.
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11
Shape the dough into a disk and place in a resealable plastic bag, removing excess air.
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12
Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
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13
(If the dough chills much longer than an hour, let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften before proceeding.)
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14
When ready to make the cookies, adjust oven racks to the top and bottom thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
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15
Divide the dough in 3 equal portions.
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16
Refrigerate two portions while you work on the first.
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17
Roll the dough out to a 1/8-inch thickness.
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18
(Best method for GF cookies is to use parchment paper barely dusted with rice flour on the top and bottom of the dough - this avoids needing to use a lot of extra bench flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter).
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19
Use cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men.
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20
You should be able to cut out 5 to 6 gingerbread men from each third of the dough, assuming they are 3 inches tall.
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21
Gather and re-roll the scraps.
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22
(Don't worry about overworking the dough, there isn't any gluten.)
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23
Arrange the gingerbread men on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart and bake until the edges just begin to take on golden color, 8 to 10 minutes.
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24
(For softer cookies, cook a minute or 2 less.)
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25
Let the cookies cool for a minute on the cookie sheet, and then remove and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
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26
Let the baking sheets cool completely.
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27
Repeat the process for the remaining dough portions.
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28
Once completely cooled, decorate the cookies with colored Easy Royal Icing, along with candies, nuts and sprinkles.
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29
In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on low speed to mix the egg whites until frothy, about 2 minutes.
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30
Add the orange juice and vanilla and mix again until blended.
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31
Sift in the confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then mix on low speed until incorporated.
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32
After the third cup of sugar is added, keep mixing until the icing is smooth, thick and shiny, about 2 more minutes.
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33
(Add an extra tablespoon or 2 of confectioners' sugar if the icing seems runnier, like a glaze.)
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34
Divide into 2 or 3 portions, add desired amount of food coloring and mix well.
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35
Fill a few tablespoons of royal icing in the corner of a resealable plastic bag, snip the tip and draw (or spread the icing with a paintbrush) onto the cookies (thin with a drop or 2 of extra juice).
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36
Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden the icing.
