"Sugar" Cookies - With Maple & Agave Syrup

My 4-year old daughter saw some decorated sugar cookies at church today. Before we even went downstairs, I was prepared with my organic no-soy graham crackers and promised her we would make some cookies of our own at home. She was excited about making them ourselves and was satisfied with her graham crackers. Yes!

This is the adapted "Betty Crocker" recipe that we used.

1/2 c. organic blue agave syrup (by Wholesome Sweetners - there's a reasonably priced one at Trader Joe's)
1/2 c. maple syrup
1 c. shortening (I have been using Spectrum shortening as it is palm oil instead of soybean oil, but now Whole Foods brand 365 is making a cheaper version of palm oil shortening)
1 t. vanilla
1 large egg (or, 1 1/2 t. egg replacer mixed with 2 T. rice milk)
2 1/2 c. buckwheat flour (fine milled; I like Hodgson Mills)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1 t. xanthan gum (necessary to help the dough stick together, since it is gluten-free)

(1) Beat the syrups, oil, shortening, and egg with an electric mixer until combined.
(2) Add the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Stir with a wooden spoon.
(3) I skip chilling my dough because I think the shortening I use works better at room temperature.
(4) Roll out on a cutting board with lots of buckwheat flour (dough will be a little sticky, but with quite a bit of flour it should be easy to handle). Roll them fairly thick; I like about 1/2" thickness...I think it helps them taste more cake-like.
(5) Cut out shapes, bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.
(6) Cool, then frost if you wish.

We made our frosting using some of the palm-oil shortening, organic pure cane powdered sugar from Trader Joe's, vanilla, and a little rice milk.