Cooking and Serving: 28 minutes | 24 cookies
Ingredients
Why this recipe works | How to make gluten free sugar cookies | Ingredient substitutions
Description
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8 minutes | Total Time: 28 minutes | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
Why this recipe works
How to make gluten free sugar cookies
Expert Tips
Ingredient substitutions
Instructions
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Unlike other similar recipes you’ll find, the dough for this recipe for gluten.
free sugar cookies the dough is made in one bowl, with no chilling needed.
You’ll still get soft, tender cookies that are lightly sweet with lots of.
vanilla flavor. And they’ll hold any shape, from rounds and basic Christmas.
stars to Valentine Hearts, spring flowers and Easter bunnies, all without making.
the dough in advance.
These cookies melt-in-your-mouth, but they’re thick enough that they won’t.
break. I’ve even shipped them.
the U.S. (with icing, not frosting), and they arrived looking perfect!
COOKIE INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Here’s the role of each ingredient in this simple cookie recipe:.
Ingredients for the cookies in small bowls on marble surface with black block.
letters with name of each ingredient.
for the cookies in small bowls on marble surface with black block letters with.
name of each ingredient.
Gluten free flour: You need an all purpose gluten free flour blend that has.
enough structure for a cookie that holds its shape and isn’t fragile, with a.
smooth rice flour to avoid any grit. I recommend Better Batter’s original.
blend gluten free flour and Nicole’s Best multipurpose blend (with added.
xanthan gum). Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour in the blue bag.
also works, but be sure to add an extra 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to the dry.
ingredients to avoid crumbly cookies.
Baking powder – Helps the cookies puff out and spread a bit so they’re not.
Sugars – Granulated sugar sweetens and tenderizes the cookies and a touch of.
powdered or confectioners’ sugar help them hold their shape.
Butter – Adds tenderness, flavor, and moisture to bring the dough together.
Egg – Binds the cookie dough together, the white adds structure to hold the.
rise, and adds richness from the yolk.
Vanilla extract – Adds depth of flavor to these cookies with an otherwise.
pretty subtle flavor.
Salt – Enhances other flavors, and helps balance the sweetness.
Close up of round pale cookies with royal icing and star sprinkles on a dark.
up of round pale cookies with royal icing and star sprinkles on a dark surface.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE SUGAR COOKIES
These easy cookies are made in one mixing bowl then mixing in wet. Whisk together the gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum,.
baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, and confectioners’ sugar to ensure an.
even distribution of all dry ingredients, avoiding pockets of baking powder.
We use the reverse cream method to avoid incorporating any extra air into the.
cookie dough, so the cookies bake flat but still very tender. Do this by.
pressing the softened butter into the dry ingredients with the back of a spoon.
until it looks like coarse sand.
Add a beaten egg and vanilla extract to moisten all of the dry ingredients. Keep.
working until everything looks uniform, then knead together with clean, dry.
hands just until smooth without overworking the dough. That will overactivate.
the xanthan gum and could result in tougher cookies.
Large round metal mixing bowl with white flour mixture and large metal wire.
round metal mixing bowl with white flour mixture and large metal wire whisk.
Hand holding metal mixing spoon with sandy pale tan mixture of butter mixed with.
flour, and more of the mixture in the same mixing bowl.
holding metal mixing spoon with sandy pale tan mixture of butter mixed with.
flour, and more of the mixture in the same mixing bowl.
Hand pressing metal mixing spoon into sandy mixture in bowl with beaten egg.
added, pressing mixture into clumps.
pressing metal mixing spoon into sandy mixture in bowl with beaten egg added,.
pressing mixture into clumps.
Hand holding very pale yellow raw sugar cookie dough pressed into a large clump.
holding very pale yellow raw sugar cookie dough pressed into a large clump.
Sprinkle the cookie dough very lightly with more gluten free flour to keep it.
from sticking as you roll it out about 1/3-inch thick without drying out the.
Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes cookie cutter doesn’t have any cookie dough on the edge each time so you get.
clean edges for cookies that hold a well-defined shaped edge and rise up, not.
Pull away the rest of the dough to expose the shapes rather than pulling out the.
shapes, which might stretch them out of shape. Pick up the shapes and place them.
on a lined baking sheet. Gather the dough gently into another disk, reroll and.
Pale yellow disk of raw sugar cookie dough in center of round canvas covered.
yellow disk of raw sugar cookie dough in center of round canvas covered pastry.
Same raw dough rolled into 1/3-inch round with blond wood French rolling pin.
raw dough rolled into 1/3-inch round with blond wood French rolling pin.
Raw round of rolled out dough with 9 rounds cut and round metal cookie cutter.
round of rolled out dough with 9 rounds cut and round metal cookie cutter.
Rolled out raw dough with 5 star shapes cut out with red cookie cutter star.
out raw dough with 5 star shapes cut out with red cookie cutter star.
Bake at 350°F for less than 10 minutes, just until set, with little to no.
browning to ensure that the cookies stay very tender, without crisping. Let them.
cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes until stable enough to move to a wire.
rack to cool completely.
White paper lined gold rectangular baking sheet with 12 raw rounds of sugar.
paper lined gold rectangular baking sheet with 12 raw rounds of sugar cookie.
White paper lined gold rectangular baking sheet with 12 raw stars of sugar.
paper lined gold rectangular baking sheet with 12 raw stars of sugar cookie.
Same baking sheet with 12 baked cookie rounds.
baking sheet with 12 baked cookie rounds.
Same baking sheet with 12 baked cookie stars.
baking sheet with 12 baked cookie stars.
Frost with the meringue buttercream frosting or royal icing, or leave plain.
Store in a sealed glass container at room temperature, and they will keep their.
texture for about 1 week since glass doesn’t retain any moisture.
A large glass jar full of round pale cookies with white frosting.
large glass jar full of round pale cookies with white frosting.
MEASURE YOUR INGREDIENTS
You’ll find that the dough resembles moist crumbs and clumps, and you might be.
tempted to add more moisture. Make sure you’re measuring your ingredients.
(especially the gluten free flour) If you add too much moisture, your cookies will spread out, instead of just up,.
creating distorted shapes.
USE COOL ROOM TEMPERATURE BUTTER
The term “room temperature” for butter, eggs, and other baking ingredients.
usually means about 68°F. Here, if the butter is below about 70°F, it may be.
difficult to work into the dry ingredients evenly.
To soften cold butter, chop it into small pieces and let it sit on the counter.
for about 20 minutes. Be sure your eggs are at room temperature (gloat them in.
very warm water during that time, too if not), or they’ll make the butter clump.
KNEAD THE DOUGH UNTIL SMOOTH
Once you reach a uniform mixture that resembles moist crumbs and clusters, knead.
the dough with clean hands just enough to bring it together before rolling it.
out. You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make smooth.
dough easily, but avoid a handheld mixer with beater attachments or your cookies.
will have too much air.
DECORATION TIPS
Spoon a generous amount of frosting on the top of a cookie in a mound. Moisten a.
small spoon, insert it into the center of the frosting at an angle and swirl.
For classic Lofthouse-style frosting, use a small moistened offset spatula or a.
simple wide butter knife to flatten a mound of frosting into a disk.
Always let the frosting to set at room temperature until it becomes semi-hard so.
For a truly hard surface, use royal icing.
frosting. To decorate sugar cookies.
, I use a #4 piping tip to.
outline and then “flood” the center, sprinkling decorations immediately before.
STORE IN GLASS CONTAINERS
To maintain the texture of the cooled cookies, with or without frosting or.
icing, store them in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. They won’t.
absorb moisture or odors from the environment.
Eight round sugar cookies with white frosting in a vertical stack.
round sugar cookies with white frosting in a vertical stack.
DAIRY FREE
I’ve used block-style vegan butter like Melt or Miyoko’s Creamery brand in the.
cookie dough before with success. The edges of the gf sugar cookies aren’t quite.
as clean as they are when you use butter, but the recipe tastes and looks great.
Try replacing the butter in the frosting recipe with Spectrum brand.
butter-flavored nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening. For the milk in the.
frosting, use any unsweetened unflavored nondairy milk (I like almond milk).
EGG FREE
You should be able to replace the egg with a “chia egg,” Bob’s Red Mill egg.
replacer, or “Just Egg” liquid refrigerated plant egg.
MERINGUE POWDER
Meringue powder is made of egg white powder, sugar, a starch, and some.
stabilizers. If you can’t have eggs, I’d just eliminate meringue powder as an.
ingredient altogether. The frosting will just be a bit softer.
GLUTEN FREE SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins.
Cook Time: 8 minutes mins.
Resting time if using royal icing instead of frosting: 12 hours hrs.
6 gluten free sugar cookies with frosting on wire rack.
gluten free sugar cookies with frosting on wire rack.
These soft cutout gluten free sugar cookies are made with gluten free flour,.
sugar, baking powder, butter, egg & vanilla. No dough chilling!
EQUIPMENT
Stand mixer or handheld mixer.
FOR THE COOKIES
2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend.
FOR THE COOKIES
2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend.
Notes
* ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
* ¾ teaspoon baking powder
* ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
* ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
* 3 tablespoons (22 g) confectioners’ sugar, or powdered sugar
* 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at soft room temperature (about
* 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* ¼ cup (2 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature
* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
* 2 teaspoons meringue powder, LorAnn and AmeriColor brands are gluten free
* 4 cups (460 g) confectioners’ sugar
* Seeds from one vanilla bean, optional
* Sprinkles, optional
* Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached
parchment paper and set them aside.
* In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt,
granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar and whisk to combine well.
* Add the butter, and mix to moisten the dry ingredients with the butter, until
the mixture looks sandy, pressing down on the butter with the back of the
* Add the egg and vanilla, and mix to combine, until the dry ingredients are
all moistened with the wet.
* With clean, dry hands, knead the mixture together to form a cohesive dough.
It will be thick and relatively stiff, but not dry.
* Place the dough on a clean, flat surface, and roll it into a round a bit less
than 1/3-inch thick, sprinkling very lightly with flour to prevent the
rolling pin from sticking.
* Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter (or whatever shape you like), cut out
shapes from the dough and place them about 1-inch apart on the prepared
* It can be helpful to remove the surrounding dough from the cutouts, and then
peel the shapes off. Gather and reroll the scraps and repeat the process
until you’ve used all the dough.
* Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the
cookies are just set on top, about 8 minutes, depending upon size and shape.
The edges of some cookies may brown slightly.
* Remove them from the oven before there is any significant browning, and allow
them to cool on the baking sheet until set before transferring them to a wire
rack to cool completely.
* In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large
bowl with a handheld mixer, place the butter, milk and vanilla, and mix on
medium speed until combined. Increase the mixer speed to high and mix until
creamy (about 5 minutes).
* Add the salt, meringue powder and about 3 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar.
Mix slowly until the sugar is incorporated. Turn the mixer up to high and
beat until it becomes uniformly thick.
* Add the optional vanilla seeds and as much of the rest of the confectioners’
sugar as necessary to thicken the frosting, and beat to combine well.
* Once the cookies are completely cool, pipe or spoon a generous amount of
frosting onto the top of each, and spread into an even layer with a wide
knife or offset spatula. Scatter sprinkles, if desired.
* Allow the cookies to set at room temperature until the frosting hardens a bit
before stacking them. Store any leftovers in an airtight glass container at
room temperature. Freeze any plain cookies for longer storage.
My favorite gluten free flour blends are Better Batter’s original blend gluten
free flour and Nicole’s Best multipurpose blend (with added xanthan gum). Bob’s
Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour should also work, but add an additional
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to the dry ingredients or the cookies will be crumbly.
Cup4Cup changed its formula and doesn’t seem to work as well as it has in the
past, so I don’t recommend it. To make your own blend using one of my “mock”
recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends
Substitution suggestions.
Dairy-free: In place of butter, try vegan butter in the block. My favorite
brands are Melt and Miyoko’s Creamery. Avoid Earth Balance buttery sticks or
anything else that is very soft at room temperature, as it contains a lot more
moisture and the cookies won’t really hold their shape.
Egg-free: I recommend trying a “chia egg,” Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer, or “Just
Egg” liquid refrigerated plant egg.
Alternative to frosting: royal icing
glaze . This will take 12
to 24 hours to set completely.
Note about nutrition information
Nutritional information is approximate, per cookie, and is for the cookies only
and does not include frosting or icing of any kind at all.
Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 48mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 1g
| Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 117IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.02mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an
Store plain cookies in a sealed glass container at room temperature for at least
1 week. If you’ve used royal icing and allowed it to set fully, they’ll last up
With the buttercream meringue frosting, once it’s set, you can stack them and
store them in a sealed glass container for up to 2 days.
Freeze frosted cookies in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet for 2 hours,
then pile them into a freezer-safe zip top bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost at room temperature. Don’t heat cookies with icing or frosting or the
You can also freeze the raw cookie dough. Roll out the dough, cut out shapes,
and freeze the rounds in stacks with a light dusting of gluten free flour
between them. Wrap them tightly and freeze. When you’re ready to bake, place the
rounds on prepared baking sheets and let them defrost before baking as usual.
Why is my cookie dough crumbly?
Your dough may resemble moist crumbs and clumps when mixed with a spoon, but
that doesn’t mean it’s too dry. Try pressing it into a disk. If it doesn’t hold
together well, you can try adding water dough until you reach the right consistency. Go slowly, though, since you don’t
want a drop more water than absolutely essential, or your cookies won’t keep
their shape in the oven.
Why are some of my cookies hard and others soft?
You may have rolled out your sugar cookie dough a bit unevenly. That means some
cookies came out thinner, baking faster and becoming crispier, while others
Can I make these cookies as a drop cookie?
For best results, try my gluten free drop sugar cookies recipe
But if you change your mind mid-recipe, you can use this recipe. Just portion
the cookie dough into equal-sized pieces, roll each in your palms into a ball,
place it on the baking sheet, and flatten it using the palm of your hand. Bake
at 350°F until the cookies appear set all the way to the center. Depending on
how thick your cookies are, you may have to increase the baking time.
Do I have to chill the raw dough first?
No, there’s no need to chill this cookie dough for it to hold its shape when
made as written. This recipe is balanced just right to avoid needing time to
chill the dough or let the flour absorb moisture for the cookies to hold their
If your butter was too soft and the cookie dough feels greasy, wrap it tightly
in plastic wrap and chill the dough just until it doesn’t feel greasy any more,
then proceed with the recipe as written.
Can I use King Arthur Flour’s Measure for Measure blend?
I recommend avoiding KAF’s Measure for Measure gluten free flour blend, as it’s
too high in starch so it tends to absorb lots of extra moisture which can make
dry cookies. It also tends to have a slightly gritty rice flour. If you only
want to use that blend, try letting the dough sit at room temperature to soften
the rice flour and consider adding a few drops of lukewarm water to the cookies,
but go slowly so you don’t add too much.
Can I skip the confectioners’ sugar in the dough?
You can use 2 1/2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, which doesn’t contain added
starch and 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) cornstarch instead. Or try 1 1/2
tablespoons more granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
Can I make the dough in advance?
Yes! Even though this unique dough shouldn’t be chilled before baking, you can
make the dough, roll it out and cut out shapes, then freeze the raw cut out
shapes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Then, pile them into a freezer-safe
ziptop bag for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, place them on a baking
sheet and let them come to cool room temperature before baking as usual.