Learn how to make the best gluten free cut-out cookies from scratch! They couldn’t be easier to make and are great for making with little ones!
These have got to be the best gluten free sugar cookies I have ever had.
They may not be the prettiest cookies out there (my decorating skills are practically nonexistent), but they still taste amazing! Despite the fact that these are cookies, I tried to make them as healthy as possible, using unbleached pure cane sugar as a sweetener and uncolored icing to decorate with.
I’ll admit, the sprinkles were a compromise, but the way I saw it, I had two choices. Either make a few small bowls of icing and dye them with food coloring or just make one large bowl of uncolored icing and decorate with sprinkles.
Obviously, I went with the latter. Because sometimes we make exceptions so we don’t go crazy.
This was my first time experimenting with gluten free cookies. And at first, I totally thought I was going to botch it. I mean, the dough looked REALLY crumbly! So I added 2 tablespoons of milk (if you’re vegan, simply use a non-dairy milk) which toned down the crumbliness a bit and made it easier to bring into a cohesive ball.
I figured I would show you guys exactly how to make these delicious cookies to clear up any recipe confusion. But if you have any questions, be sure to ask them in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
So let’s get started!
To start, combine the baking powder and gluten free flour blend in a medium bowl. I use and recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour because you don’t have to worry about adding xanthan gum and you get perfect results every time!
Get that all mixed up and set it aside. You should also probably start preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
Now cut the butter into cubes. This recipe uses cold butter so you don’t have to worry about chilling the dough. How awesome is that?!
I have yet to try this with coconut oil, but if you try it, please let me know how it works out for you!
Combine the cubed butter and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. This might take a little longer than if you had used softened butter, so just keep mixing.
Add in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add in the milk and mix again until that’s fully incorporated.
Be sure to scrape down the sides every once in a while to ensure that everything gets combined.
Roll out the dough until it’s about 1/2-inch thick. Using the cookie cutters of your choice, cut out cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Let the kids help with this part—I swear, nothing is cuter than a bunch of kids crowded around a table cutting out cookies, licking their fingers, and singing along to Christmas songs playing in the background.
Nothing.
Once you’ve got them all rolled out, place them in the freezer for 5 minutes. I know, I know, I said they didn’t have to chill—but this step ensures that they won’t spread while they’re baking. This is just a little insurance, pinky promise. But this step is totally optional, if you’re short on time.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. The cookies won’t exactly be golden brown, nor will they pass the toothpick test, so you’ll just have to trust your better judgement on this one.
Once the cookies are done, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool for 10-20 minutes.
Then decorate as you’d like! I made a simple icing (1 cup homemade powdered sugar + 1-2 tablespoons milk mixed together with a fork) and tossed a few sprinkles on top. Because I’m a pro cookie decorator like that.
Ahem.
I also drizzled the icing over a few of the cookies instead of piping it and using sprinkles. I actually really liked the way these turned out and they were equally yummy (because sugar is sugar).
You guys are sure to love these homemade gluten free cut-out sugar cookies! They take so little time to make, are a great activity to do with the littles, and they taste so good! AND they stay soft, so you don’t have to worry about bringing rock-hard cookies to the Christmas party.
Here’s the recipe:
- 3 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup unbleached pure cane sugar
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, chilled
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Mix until combined and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in the milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture until a crumbly mixture forms. The dough should come together when pressed with your fingers. Turn the dough out onto a floured work-surface and knead with your hands until a smooth dough ball forms.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a ½-inch thick. Cut out shapes and place them on a parchment paper (or silpat) lined baking sheet. Now, you can optionally place the cookies in the freezer for 5 minutes before baking to help prevent them from spreading, or you can just pop them in the oven. Either way, bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 10-20 minutes before decorating.
You can buy Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour on Amazon or at health food stores like Whole Foods and Earth Fare.
These look delicious but does it really only make 16 cookies?? I don’t see how that’s right if there’s 3 cups of flour + a cup of butter and sugar it just seems like it would make a lot more than that, so I’m just wondering if this is correct. Thanks!
I love how easy these are to make and they look delicious! Your icing and sprinkles is so cute, too. These would be perfect for a family-friendly holiday party. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Yes! These are the best sugar cookies I have ever made. They are soft, delicate but hold together well and they are not dry. I added a few drops of almond flavoring which made them taste like wedding cookies. Super easy recipe to make. This is a keeper! Thanks for sharing this.
I added almond thanks to your suggestion and they’re delicious! Thanks for the tip!
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! My daughter is gluten and dairy free since this past summer and when it came to baking cookies for Christmas this year I was a bit worried we were going to have to give up our traditional spritz cookies which have been handed down 5 generations! Well they have been modified a little but we were able to do all the traditional shapes and even had fun decorating them like we have every year since I’m a kid. Oh yeah, I said dairy free too, I just subbed earth’s balance butter & rice milk for the milk with no problems. She’s not vegan so I kept the egg but I’m sure an egg substitute would work just fine too. Thanks for helping us keep our Christmas tradition in tact.
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe!!! I never thought my kids and I would be able to have a traditional, cookie-cutout & decorating Christmas, since we have to eat gluten-free. These were absolutely perfect. I made them twice already. Excellent texture. Excellent to work with (after overnight refrigeration). Perfect, perfect cookies. The taste was incredible (I use a very buttery-flavored butter). Indistinguishable from the gluten kind, and — in my opinion — FAR BETTER-tasting than any sugar cookie I’ve ever had. This recipe is a keeper!!! Thank you so much for this recipe AND for the experience my children and I will have year after year.
(I used my own flour mix that I keep in the cupboard on hand: 1-24oz bag of white rice flour, 1.5 cups of potato starch, 3/4 cup of tapioca starch) plus I think about a teaspoon of xanthan gum.
These are ridiculously delicious. I quality controlled 5 of them…. they were small egg shapes – don’t judge! But seriously, this is one of the best sugar cookie recipes I’ve tried gluten or non. Thank you so much! I will have some happy friends this Easter!
What would be a good sugar substitute for this recipe? Would Stevia work? If so how much? Thx! (I know, a sugar cookie w/ no sugar! LOL)
So delicious! I got 6 dozen out of these!!! Some thicker than others but so happy about that! This is a keeper
Has anyone tried this recipe with an egg substitute? I have Bob’s gf egg replacer, flax, coconut oil, applesauce, oil, and bananas on hand. Would any of these work well with this recipe??
Put them under a broiler for just a few minutes until they browned nd look awesome!!!