BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (2024)

Published by Sheena Strain, last updated

Recipe

If you’ve been looking for a tasty easy gluten free sugar cookies recipe but didn’t know where to start then we’ve got you covered! This recipe is simple enough for those who are new to gluten free baking to try complete with a step by step guide and some gluten free baking tips you can’t go wrong!

BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (1)

Ingredients and Equipment for Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies are very easy to make and a great cookie for those of you who are new to gluten free baking and for veteran gluten free bakers alike.

You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to make them, though I do love my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer for all my gluten free baking, but you can make them with a hand held mixer too.

This is a list of the equipment you’ll need and some of the ingredients, the full ingredients list and recipe directions are at the end of the post: (This post contains affiliate links)

How to make Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

This recipe is very easy to make so here’s my step by step guide for baking gluten free sugar cookies. You’ll find the complete printable recipe at the end of the post.

Step 1 – Cream the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy, this will help aerate the cookie dough.

BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (2)

Step 2 – Then, add egg, vanilla, almond extract to the butter and sugar mixture and and whisk to combine.

BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (3)

Step 3 – In another bowl mix thegluten free flour, xanthan gum, and baking powder and whisk it a little to mix them properly. Now you just need to add the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and mix together until it’s combined well.

BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (4)

Step 4 – Use a cookie scoop to drop tablespoons of cookie dough into a little bowl of sugar, then place them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet or sheet pan and flatten the cookies a little with your fingertips.

BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (5)

Step 5 – Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until done, they will get a little crunchier the longer you cook them.

BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (6)

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Finally a gluten free sugar cookie you’ll love! Rolled in sugar, they are soft and crisp all at the same time!

Total Carbs: 15 g

Protein: 1 g

Servings: 22 cookies

BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (7)

5 from 8 votes

Print

Ingredients

  • 1/2cupunsalted butter, or dairy free margarine 110g
  • 1cupsugar , 225g + more to roll cookie dough in
  • 1large egg
  • 1/4tspsalt , omit if your butter or margarine has added salt
  • 1tspvanilla extract
  • 1/2tspalmond extract optional
  • 1.5cupsall purpose gluten free flour, 225g
  • 1/2teaspoonxanthan gum , omit if your flour has gum
  • 1/2tspgluten free baking powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 325F

  2. Cream butter and sugar together and beat for 5 minutes until soft and fluffy. This will help incorporate air into the cookies so don’t skip this step

  3. Add egg, salt,(omit salt if your butter/margarine has salt added) vanilla, almond extract, to the mixture and mix briefly to combine.

  4. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and mix to make sure the gum is evenly distributed.

  5. Add the flour slowly to the butter and sugar and mix well, don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and make sure it’s all incorporated.

  6. Chill cookie dough for at least 30 minutes or until it firms up.

  7. Use a cookie scoop to drop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough into a small bowl of sugar and roll it to coat, then put the cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

  8. Flatten each cookie with your hand to about 1/4th to 1/2 inch thick.

  9. Bake the gluten free sugar cookies for 12 -15 minutes.

  10. Allow the gluten free sugar cookies to cool a little on the cookie sheet before transferring onto a cooling rack.

  11. These Cookies are best eaten fresh within a day or two, you can freeze them.

Recipe Notes

BAKE BY WEIGHT

I bake by weight with a digital kitchen scale as I find that gives the most consistent results for gluten free baking, not all gluten free flour blends weigh the same due to the different flours. I also have cup measure for those that don’t yet have a scale.

GLUTEN FREE FLOUR

I prefer to use my own homemade gluten free flour blend as it’s cheaper and I get really great results over using ready mixed blends.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 103Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 18mg6%

Sodium 32mg1%

Potassium 14mg0%

Carbohydrates 15g5%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 140IU3%

Calcium 13mg1%

Iron 0.3mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information on Noshtastic is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.

Author: Sheena Strain

Course:Dessert

Cuisine:American

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About Sheena Strain

Sheena Strain is the proud owner of Noshtastic, a gluten free website that specializes in easy family meals including Low Carb, Keto, Paleo, Whole30, and many pressure cooker recipes.

Reader Interactions

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  1. Dawn P says

    Love this cookie but they cooled very hard. Adjusted time on batches. Any idea why?

    Reply

    • Sheena Strain says

      I’m not sure, it could be that they were cooked too long or it could be the flour blend you used.

      Reply

  2. Senekah Clarke says

    Thank you so much for your recipe

    Reply

  3. Stacey says

    BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (8)
    Could I use this recipe for a sugar cookie crust for a banana cream pie?

    Reply

    • Sheena Strain says

      Hi Stacy,
      I think the cookies as a crust will get soggy pretty fast as soon as you put any cream or anything like that on top. You could maybe try my cut out cookies recipe instead as those cookies are much firmer in texture, but I have never made a crust with them either so my fear would be that the whole thing would get soft unless you serve it right away. That said if you try it do let me know if it works! Here’s the cut out cookies: https://www.noshtastic.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-perfect-cut-cookies/

      Reply

  4. Sandee says

    Hi Sheena, I am so excited to have found your site and this recipe. My daughter just became gluten-intolerant this year and I’ve been doing a lot of recipe experiments. I didn’t know what I was going to do about Christmas cookies. These are fabulous and I’m looking forward to trying the cut-out cookies that look like a great replacement for our traditional rich roll cookies. Thank you for sharing your talents 🙂

    Reply

    • Sheena Strain says

      Hi Sandee! I sure hope they work well for you, let me know how they turn out! Did you also see I have a recipe for gluten free cut out cookies? They are perfect for decorating at this time of year, and I have a royal icing recipe too that’s linked in that post: (Also, if you go to my ‘gluten free’ tab at the top of the website, in the menu options there choose the “Christmas” checkbox, it’s nested right at the end of the menu list under ‘Seasonal’ and it will bring up all my cookie recipes)

      Here’s the cut out cookie recipe: https://www.noshtastic.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-perfect-cut-cookies/

      Reply

  5. Ellen says

    BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (9)
    This recipe was really easy to make, my daughter loved it!

    Reply

BEST Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep gluten-free cookies from falling apart? ›

Chilling helps the flours and xanthan gum absorb liquid, which makes the dough sturdier and easier to handle. Without a proper rest, your cookies are likely to crumble. Think of mix-ins as the Spanx of the cookie world. They are a sly way to ensure that your cookies look like cookies, not misshapen gluten-free blobs.

What happens if you don't put enough flour in sugar cookies? ›

It's so easy to over add on flour which will make a dry cookie. Not enough flour though won't allow the cookie to hold its super crisp shape. The dough will be ready when it pulls away from the side of the bowl when mixing, is a cohesive dough (not super crumbly), and is soft and squishy.

What is the trick to baking with gluten free flour? ›

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.

What can you substitute for flour in sugar cookies? ›

In fact, you can substitute almost any flour in a sugar cookie recipe. It will affect the texture a little but it's a very simple dough. I've used the same basic sugar cookie recipe with whole wheat, oat, and almond flour and gotten good results.

How do you keep gluten free sugar cookies from spreading? ›

6- If your cookies still insist on spreading, add an extra 1/4 cup of my gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour to the remaining dough to help hold them together (also helps at high altitude!).

Should I add xanthan gum to gluten-free cookies? ›

Using xanthan gum helps provide some of the stickiness that gluten free goods lack, replacing some elasticity. Xanthan gum mimics some of gluten's most essential properties by sticking to flour and its moisture. This helps create moist goods that hold their shape after being baked.

Should I use baking powder or baking soda for cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

What does cornstarch do for sugar cookies? ›

1. Cookies. Cornstarch does kind of incredible things to cookies. I mean not only does it give them soft centers, prevents them from spreading, and makes them somewhat thick (in a good way), but it also contributes to the chewiness factor, which, in my opinion, is the most important cookie attribute.

What gluten free flour is best for cookies? ›

Almond flour is a grain-free, protein-rich flour that lends well to cookies, cakes, and more! Almond flour is made from blanched almonds, meaning without skins (as opposed to almond meal, which is made from raw almonds with skins). This is why it has a fluffy, light texture and pale golden color.

What is the closest gluten free flour to all purpose flour? ›

In contrast to tapioca flour, which is made from a starchy liquid extracted from the cassava root, cassava flour is made by grating and drying the whole root. This flour is gluten-, grain- and nut-free. It's most similar to white flour and can easily be used in recipes calling for all-purpose flour.

How to perfect gluten-free baking? ›

Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture. However, it's very important to drive off this extra moisture during baking, or you'll wind up with a gummy texture. The best way to do this? Longer baking times.

Can I use baking soda instead of baking powder for sugar cookies? ›

"Quick and easy sugar cookies that taste like grandma's homemade holiday cookies but are as simple as slice and bake. This recipe evolved because friends were craving dessert but I only had pantry ingredients and NO baking powder. I used more baking soda as a substitution and they worked like a charm.

Can I use powdered sugar instead of granulated in sugar cookies? ›

You can also use powdered sugar to replace up to 2 cups of granulated sugar, using 1 3/4 cup unsifted powdered sugar for each cup of sugar.

What if I use powdered sugar instead of granulated in cookies? ›

It is not recommended to substitute powdered sugar for granulated sugar. Since powdered sugar has a much finer texture, and it contains a small percentage of cornstarch to prevent caking, substituting can give you unexpected results. Q.

What holds gluten-free cookies together? ›

As with gluten, this could stop a cookie from spreading too much as it bakes. So I've decided to try adding a hydrocolloid to my gluten-free dough. Some grocery stores sell xanthan gum and guar gum, especially if the stores have a gluten-free aisle. Many gluten-free recipes call for xanthan gum.

Why are my gluten-free cookies crumbling? ›

Another reason is that gluten-free flours, such as almond flour or coconut flour, can behave differently than wheat flour in baking. They may absorb more liquid, for example, which can result in dry or crumbly cookies.

How do you make gluten-free cookies less dry and crumbly? ›

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

Why is gluten-free baking crumbly? ›

This might be due to the lack of gluten but can be for many other reasons. Lots of gluten free flour is rice based and this can result in a dry and slightly gritty texture. The Juvela gluten free White and Fibre Mix have been developed to be as comparable to gluten containing flour as possible.

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