My Favorite Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
These gluten free sugar cookies are soft, buttery, and fun to decorate. The dough rolls easily, cuts into clean shapes, and bakes into tender, festive holiday cookies. Decorating them has become one of my favorite holiday rituals with the kids, and I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you've ever made gluten free sugar cookies that spread or turned gritty, this recipe will feel like a relief. Rolling the dough between parchment keeps it smooth and easy to handle, and freezing the cut-out shapes before baking helps them hold their shape in the oven. These small steps came from my own testing and have become the foundation of my holiday baking.
Nicki's Tip: I have to admit that I don't love the precision of cookie making, but I do love decorating cookies with my kids. This recipe supports both careful decorators and freeform bakers. You can use cookie cutters in any shape, color the icing with natural dyes, and top them however you like. The process is relaxed and creative, which is the spirit I love to bring to the kitchen.
If you enjoy seasonal desserts, try my gingerbread trifle for a festive treat. You can also check out my vegan chocolate turtles or my pavlova for more gluten free inspiration.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Gluten free measure for measure flour: A 1-to-1 gluten free blend gives the cookies a soft texture without grit. Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur both work well.
- Baking powder and salt: A small amount helps the cookies rise slightly and keeps the flavor balanced.
- Butter: Softened butter creates a tender cookie. Use dairy free if needed.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar gives the cookies the classic sugar cookie flavor.
- Egg: The egg helps the dough come together and gives the cookies structure.
- Vanilla paste: Vanilla paste brings strong vanilla flavor and is one of my favorite baking ingredients.
- Almond extract: A small amount adds depth without overpowering the cookie.
- Powdered sugar icing: Just powdered sugar, milk, almond extract, and optional food coloring.
- Toppings: Sprinkles, colored sugar, or crushed candy all add fun.
How to Make Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. In a bowl, whisk the gluten free flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2: Beat the wet ingredients. Beat the softened butter and sugar until creamy and lighter in color. Add the egg, vanilla paste, and almond extract. Mix until smooth.
Step 3: Finish the dough. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low until the dough forms a rough ball.
Step 4: Roll the dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment. Press it into a flat disk. Sprinkle the top lightly with flour and place another piece of parchment over it. Roll the dough between the sheets to about one quarter inch thick.
Step 5: Cut out shapes. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps and repeat as needed.
Step 6: Freeze briefly. Place the trays in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. This keeps the cookies from spreading and helps the edges stay clean.
Step 7: Bake. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The cookies should look set and dry on top but not browned. Let them cool fully.
Step 8: Make the icing. Mix the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth. Adjust with a touch more milk if needed. Color the icing in small bowls if you like.
Step 9: Decorate. Spread the icing on the cooled cookies using the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula. Add sprinkles or toppings. Let the icing harden before storing.
Recipe Tips
- I recommend using Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour.
- Vanilla paste gives the cookies a more pronounced vanilla flavor than extract (at a fraction of the cost of fresh vanilla beans). It's my secret ingredient when baking and lasts forever in the pantry.
- As always when baking, I highly recommend investing in an inexpensive kitchen scale, which ensures consistent results (and is easier than measuring cups!).
- These pre-cut sheets of parchment paper are one of my favorite kitchen hacks (no curling!). I store them on top of our fridge.
- These are cute cookie cutters and can be used for biscuits as well.
- I use this brand or this brand of natural food coloring.
- A small off-set spatula makes it easy to spread the icing.
Troubleshooting Tips
- Prevent dough cracks while rolling: Roll between parchment. This keeps the surface smooth and prevents tearing.
- Spreading Cookies: Freeze the shapes before baking. This step was a game-changer in testing.
- Gritty Texture: Stick with a high quality measure for measure gluten free flour. Low-quality blends can taste sandy.
- Preventing Dry Cookies: Do not overbake. Pull them from the oven when the tops look dry but pale.
Recipe FAQs
A measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend works best. Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur are both reliable and give the cookies a soft texture.
Either the dough was too warm or the flour blend was too low in starch. A short freeze before baking keeps the shapes clean.
Yes. Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for up to two days or freeze it for up to two months. Let it soften slightly before rolling.
Most measure-for-measure flour blends already include xanthan gum. If yours does, you do not need to add extra.
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My Favorite Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (259g) gluten free flour (I recommend Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure), plus more for dusting
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Wet ingredients
- 1 stick (½ cup/113g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (155g) organic cane sugar (or regular granulated sugar)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Icing
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 3 tablespoons milk (you can use any milk you drink, regular or dairy free)
- Food coloring (optional)
- Toppings such as sprinkles colored sugar, crushed hard candies, etc (optional)
Instructions
Whisk the dry ingredients
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat the wet ingredients
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or you can use hand beaters), combine the softened butter and sugar. Beat on high speed until creamy and much lighter in color, 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides. Add the egg, vanilla paste, and almond extract, and beat until creamy, 30 seconds.
Finish the batter
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and beat on low until the dough comes together and forms a rough ball.
Roll and cut the dough
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured piece of parchment paper and form it into a flat disk. Sprinkle the top lightly with flour, then place another piece of parchment on top. Roll the dough (between the parchment sheets) into a ¼-inch thick oval.
- Using cookie cutters, cut out shapes, and transfer the cookies to the prepared parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Form the dough scraps into another disk, roll it out, and cut out more cookies (repeat as needed).
- Freeze the cookies on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes (you can bake them right away if you prefer, but the edges won't be as defined).
Bake
- Bake the cookies, rotating the pans halfway through, until they're slightly risen and dry to the touch, about 8-9 minutes (the cookies shouldn't have any color; be careful not to overbake them). Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.
Make the icing and decorate the cookies
- In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract and milk. Stir until no lumps remain. The icing should be thick but pourable-if it's too thick drizzle in a touch more milk. If you're adding food coloring, divide the icing among small bowls (as many bowls as colors you want), and stir a few drops of food coloring into each.
- Frost the cookies with the icing and add sprinkles or toppings, if using. Have fun! There's no right or wrong way to do this! Let the icing harden before serving.
Notes
- I recommend using Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour.
- Vanilla paste gives the cookies a more pronounced vanilla flavor than extract (at a fraction of the cost of fresh vanilla beans). It's my secret ingredient when baking and lasts forever in the pantry.
- As always when baking, I highly recommend investing in an inexpensive kitchen scale, which ensures consistent results (and is easier than measuring cups!).
- These pre-cut sheets of parchment paper are one of my favorite kitchen hacks (no curling!). I store them on top of our fridge.
- These are cute cookie cutters and can be used for biscuits as well.
- I use this brand or this brand of natural food coloring.
-
A small off-set spatula makes it easy to spread the icing.
