Gluten-Free Lemon Cookies

Ingredients

• 6 ounces white rice flour
• 2.5 ounces sweet rice flour
• 1 ounce tapioca starch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar plus one pound
• Zest of one lemon, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the dry ingredients until evenly blended, then put the bowl aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and lemon zest until the mixture becomes a thick paste, about 30 seconds. Use medium speed if you are working with a stand mixer, or medium-high with a handheld mixer. Pause to scrape the bowl, then beat again for 15 seconds.
3. Add the dry mixture and beat just until a dough comes together, about 20 seconds. Pour in the lemon juice and mix until it is incorporated. Chill the dough for 20 minutes.
4. Portion the dough into scoops of about 1 tablespoon each, then roll each scoop into a ball. Arrange the dough on the prepared baking sheet and gently flatten each ball. Put any dough you are not baking right away back in the refrigerator.
5. Bake the cookies until they are firmed up and lightly cracked on top, about 18-20 minutes. They will stay quite pale rather than browning much.
6. As the cookies bake, pour 1 pound powdered sugar into an 8x8-inch pan and set it nearby.
7. Take the cookies out of the oven and let them stand for 2 minutes. Using a spatula, gently move them into the powdered sugar. Cover the cookies completely with the sugar and leave them there to cool.
8. Use the same process with the rest of the dough. Once the cookies have cooled, lift them from the powdered sugar and gently shake away the extra.