After cooking hearty meals the whole week, baking cookies is a treat in and of itself. And that’s before I’ve eaten them! Dinner is something that has to happen each day and can feel like a chore to me. Baking is for fun, something I get to do for myself. I like to make low FODMAP lemon cookies because a) I love anything lemon and b) they aren’t too dainty, meaning it doesn’t take a long period of dedicated attention to get them right. You just mix, rest, roll and bake. And then you eat eat eat. It’s a protocol I can get behind.
Ingredients for low FODMAP lemon cookies
This recipe yields about 24 cookies in one go, depending on size. Because it’s a larger batch, I like to share the my low FODMAP lemon cookies with my partner, friends and family.
Here are some pointers on the ingredients you’ll need.
All-purpose gluten-free flour – I used Schär Mix It Universal.
Xanthan gum – A hard-to-find ingredient, so I ordered it online. Xanthan gum is a thickening and binding agent, and a must-have for gluten-free baking. Of course, if it’s already added to your gf flour, skip this.
Butter – To make the cookies dairy-free, hard margarine can be used as a substitute for butter. Keep in mind that this will significantly affect flavor and texture. Real butter is naturally low in lactose and thus FODMAP safe. However, high amounts of fat can be an IBS trigger in some people.
Baking powder – If you need to eat gluten-free, check the ingredient list on your baking powder first. Some brands add wheat starch to their product.
Lemon – As you’ll be zesting it, use an unwaxed lemon. Lemon juice is low FODMAP up to 125 grams per serving.
How to keep your lemon cookies fresh
Let the cookies cool down completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Store them at room temperature. They stay fresh for about a week.
This recipe was adapted from Cook ‘n Share.
Low FODMAP lemon cookies
Ingredients
- 90 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 260 grams all-purpose gluten free flour
- 0.5 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 1 lemon
- yellow food coloring (optional)
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and mix again. Zest the lemon, cut it in half and squeeze juice from one half. Mix zest and juice into the batter, and add a little food coloring if you have it available.
- In another bowl, mix your gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. Gradually add this to the wet ingredients while mixing.
- Cover up the bowl and place it in the fridge. Let the cookie dough chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven at 180ºC (gas mark 4/fan 160ºC). Prepare a baking sheet with baking paper. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge.
- Put the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Scoop roughly a tablespoon of cookie dough from the bowl and roll it into a ball. Then gently roll the dough ball through the powdered sugar until they're lightly coated.
- Place the dough balls on the baking sheet, leaving roughly 7 cm in between. Bake for 15 minutes in the middle of the oven.
- Take the baking sheet out of the oven and let the cookies cool down for 10 minutes. Then gently lift them from the parchment paper, and allow to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
- Lemon juice is low FODMAP up to 125 grams per serving (after that, high in fructans). This recipe stays well under that limit.
- Sugar and butter are low FODMAP. However, eating these in high amounts may still trigger IBS symptoms.
Blogpost and recipe last revisited September 2022.
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