Chamomile and Hibiscus Moon and Stars Sugar Cookies | Gluten Free and Vegan
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Being gluten free and plant based means A LOT of experimenting when it comes to the baking game. There have certainly been as many fails as there have been successes, but when you do get a success it feels like a victory for the ages!
And when you get the approval of those who are neither gluten free nor plant based (more accurately known as The Husband Test) , it means a great deal more on the success scale.
Well, these scrumptious and adorable moon cookies are both gluten free and entirely vegan AND passed The Husband Test, so you can go into the kitchen with confidence in this one.
They are very simple, quick, and easy to make but still so buttery soft with that perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture of sugar cookies we so dearly love. The dried hibiscus adds a sweet and fruity punch and the chamomile just balances it out so nicely.
Is this perhaps the best little cookie to pair with a steaming cup of tea and your favorite novel? I think yes.
Recipe Notes
Gluten Free Flour
My favorite gluten free flour to use is Bob Red Mill’s Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour. I’ve tried different ones on different recipes, but this one is by far the best I’ve used! Of course, you can use your choice of gluten free flour, just make sure it is a 1:1 blend and doesn’t contain additional xanthan gum (I’ve made that mistake before 😅). If it does contain xanthan gum, just leave it out of the recipe.
Vegan Butter
I used Earth Balance original vegan butter here, but you can use a soy free vegan butter or any other choice. I also love Miyoko's vegan butter, but it’s a bit more expensive and this recipe uses a lot of butter, so I saved that one for toast. If you do use Miyoko’s though, you may want to leave it out just a bit so the bars can soften and it will be easier to cream.
Where to buy dried hibiscus and chamomile flowers
I bought my dried hibiscus and dried chamomile in the bulk section at PCC Markets here in Seattle, but you can check health food stores near you. If you can’t find it in the bulk section, you can also check near the teas. Even if you can’t find hibiscus petals, you may be able to find loose leaf tea for both the chamomile and hibiscus and this should work equally well!
And, of course, you can always order ahead of time online, and buy in bulk:
Organic Dried Hibiscus Flowers
Organic Dried Chamomile Flowers
If you can’t find either of these, you can try other herbs or loose leaf tea blends. Feel free to experiment!
Ingredients
1 cup of vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
½ tsp of pure vanilla extract
2 ¼ to 2 ½ cups of gluten free flour (I use and love Bob Red Mill’s Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour)
1 cup of powdered sugar
¼ tsp of xanthan gum
Dried hibiscus flowers, chamomile flowers, or other dried flowers or herbs of your choice
Tools
Here are the cookie cutters I used.
Hand mixer or stand mixer (or a strong arm!)
Star shaped cookie cutter
Moon shaped cookie cutter OR 2 circle cookie cutters, one smaller than the other (see photos for how I created the moon shape)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the vegan butter until it’s creamy - a couple of minutes.
Add in the vanilla extract and mix well.
Add in the gluten free flour, powdered sugar, and xanthan gum. Use the lowest setting to mix until it’s well combined and starts to form a dough. Start with 2 ¼ cups of flour and add more as needed to get the right consistency of the dough. It shouldn’t be too dry or too sticky, just solid enough to form a ball and roll the dough.
Roll the dough between parchment paper. These cookies won’t rise too much so make them about the thickness you want the cookies to be. Use your cookie cutters to cut out the shapes.
Add a sprinkle of dried hibiscus and chamomile to the tops of the dough. I like to crumble the dried camomile between my fingers.
Transfer the cookies to a parchment paper lined or greased baking pan and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of your cookies. Keep an eye on them and remove them when the edges are very slightly golden. The middle may still feel slightly soft but they should harden up as they cool (10-15 minutes).