Looking for a gluten free sugar cookies recipe that’s easy yet beautiful? With a few simple ingredients, these come together in no time for delicious gluten free cut out cookies. Paired with a superfood vanilla latte, it’s the perfect dessert.
Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe
I had a hard time coming up with a title for this one. These cookies are healthy, gluten free, and dairy free, but they’re also easy to make. I don’t like sugar cookie dough that has to hang out in the fridge for a few hours so I wanted a recipe that was no chill. I also wanted something that holds its shape when baked.
My mom’s sugar cookie recipe has been in the family for decades and is delicious, but it makes puffy cookies. The gingerbread man came out looking like the gingerbread monster.
Hence this recipe was born. It ticks all of the boxes
- gluten-free
- dairy-free
- no chill
- no spread
The dough didn’t even stick to the counter when I rolled it out. That to me spells success. It was easy enough to work with that even my preschooler was able to help without turning the cookies into a squishy disaster.
The Perfect Bake for Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe
I like my cookies soft and chewy, but I make an exception for these. A gluten free sugar cookies recipe that is too soft is crumbly and too hard to frost. Some gluten free doughs are difficult to work with because they don’t have the gluten to hold them together like wheat flour does.
With my oven, 8 minutes was just about perfect. You don’t want them in so long that they get crispy and start to brown on the edges. If they still look gooey in the center, then they won’t hold up as well. The final bake time will depend on your oven, but we’re going for firm, not crunchy, and no browning.
Can You Use Gluten-free Flour to Make Sugar Cookies?
Yes! there are a few tricks to getting it to work, but it can be done. Instead of creating a customized blend with several different flours (rice, arrowroot, etc.), it’s easier to just use a premade blend. If you want to come up with something yourself I’ve had good success with 3 parts almond flour and 1 part arrowroot powder as a flour substitute. I used Krusteaz for these, but I also like King Arthur gluten-free flour.
Why Are My Gluten Free Cookies Crumbling?
Like I said, without gluey gluten, cookies are more prone to crumbling. There are a few easy fixes though. I make my cookies small because they hold together better. And that way I tell myself it’s ok to eat more of them. Xanthan gum is also your friend when it comes to a gluten free sugar cookie recipe. It mimics gluten to help hold the gluten free flours together.
Another important tip: be sure to let them cool before removing them from the cookie tray! If they’re too warm they’ll fall apart.
How Do You Make Gluten Free Cookies Moist?
Most gluten free flour blends have a lot of starch in them (rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, etc.). While this makes for a good copycat of a regular sugar cookie, they lose moisture faster and can easily dry out. I’ve found that frosting them helps them stay more moist. It’s also really important to store them in an air-tight container.
Decorating Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
This has to be the best part of making a gluten free sugar cookies recipe. A naked sugar cookie is a sad sugar cookie. Cookie decorating is one of the few instances when I pull out the organic powdered sugar. Normally we use stevia or coconut sugar in our house, but I haven’t found a good dairy free, sugar free frosting substitute for cookies. I’ve included instructions for a cream cheese version if you want to skip the refined sugar and can tolerate dairy.
Keto Options
If you want to make this gluten free sugar cookies recipe keto, then substitute erythritol, allulose or stevia for the sugar, and a keto friendly flour blend for the gluten free flour. I’m not a fan of xylitol because of the aftertaste and erythritol doesn’t agree with me so I usually go for powdered stevia. Disclaimer: I haven’t tried a keto version so do so at your own risk!
How to Freeze Sugar Cookies
You can make the dough beforehand and freeze it if you like.
- Divide the dough in half and wrap each half tightly in parchment paper and then put it in a plastic, freezer-safe bag. It will keep for several months like this in the freezer. Just defrost before using.
- To freeze baked cookies allow them to cool completely. Store them in layers separated by parchment paper in a freezer-safe bag or container.
Cut Out Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup refined coconut oil or butter
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt or Real salt
- 2 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 TBSP water
- 3 cups gluten free flour blend
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 2 TBSP butter
- 3 TBSP raw honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Natural food coloring (optional)
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup grass-fed butter
- 1/2 cup refined coconut oil
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 TBSP milk (oat, almond, or canned coconut)
- Natural food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the coconut oil or butter and sugar together in a mixer and cream together.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the flour and mix until combined.
- Add the flour 1 cup at a time.
- Roll the dough out onto the countertop, 1/4 inch thick. Cut out the desired shapes and transfer them to a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes in a preheated 350 oven. Let cool completely before taking off the tray or frosting.
- To make the frosting, combine all of the ingredients together into a mixer and mix until well combined. Add food coloring if desired.
How are you going to decorate your gluten free sugar cookies? What cookie cutter shapes did you use? Leave us a comment and be sure to share this post with a friend!