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.

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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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Join the Conversation

  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

What is the best gluten-free flour to use in cookies? ›

What's the best gluten-free flour for baking? Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking mix is my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for baking. It has a mild texture and plenty of "stick" thanks to a blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, and sorghum flour, plus some starches and xanthan gum.

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

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

How can I improve my gluten-free cookie texture? ›

You need a binding agent in your gluten-free cookies recipe; otherwise, your cookies will fall apart. Some flour blends may already contain a binding agent, so double-check the list of ingredients. If it doesn't, you can add flaxseeds, xanthan gum, or guar gum.

How do you keep gluten-free cookies soft? ›

Eggs: help keep our cookies soft and chewy. I have used Bob's Red Mill Powdered Egg Replacer with good results. The texture is a bit different than when the dough is made with regular chicken eggs, but still very delicious. Vanilla extract: adds cozy flavor to each cookie.

Do I need to add xanthan gum to gluten free flour for cookies? ›

Xanthan Gum adds thickness and viscosity to gluten-free breads and other baked goods. Without xanthan gum, your gluten-free baked goods would be dry, crumbly and flat. Because xanthan gum is gluten-free and vegan, it's the preferred thickener for those home bakers with food allergies.

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

Brown rice flour is about as close to a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour as it gets since it provides structure and a “wheat-like” flavor.

How to make gluten-free cookies rise? ›

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 to avoid for gluten-free baking? ›

Some baking ingredients that contain gluten (and thus are not suitable for a gluten-free diet) include:
  • Wheat.
  • Semolina.
  • Spelt.
  • Durum.
  • Emmer.
  • Einkorn.
  • Rye, sometimes referred to as pumpernickel.
  • Barley.
Mar 29, 2021

What to use instead of xanthan gum? ›

9 Substitutes for Xanthan Gum
  • Psyllium husk. Psyllium husk is made from the husks of Plantago ovata seeds and is sold ground for baking purposes. ...
  • Chia seeds and water. When soaked, chia seeds form a gel much like xanthan gum. ...
  • Ground flax seeds and water. ...
  • Cornstarch. ...
  • Unflavored gelatin. ...
  • Egg whites. ...
  • Agar agar. ...
  • Guar gum.
May 13, 2020

Should you chill gluten free cookie dough before baking? ›

5- Chill your dough well before baking.

But it's a good idea in warm kitchens, if you're working with browned or warmed butter, or if you're rolling the dough. It reduces stickiness of gluten free doughs and also can enhance the flavor, but again, it's not necessary with gfJules Flour or Cookie Mixes.

What makes gluten-free cookies grainy? ›

Gluten-free baked goods have earned the reputation of being dry and gritty. That grit—that evil grit! —is the result of gluten-free flours that are often high in starches and rice flour, which take longer to absorb moisture than regular “gluten” flour.

Why are my gluten-free cookies dry and crumbly? ›

Let Your Dough Chill Out

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.

Which gluten-free flour is best for cookies? ›

Sweet Rice Flour: Made from ground glutinous rice (does NOT contain gluten). It is sticky with a high starch quality, and works great in gluten-free baking because it helps bind things together.

How to tell when gluten-free cookies are done? ›

Timing is Key

While visual cues like the toothpick test and pressing the top of the cake will still help, the best way to determine if your baked goods are perfectly done is with a timer and oven thermometer. This is because gluten-free treats often look underdone and slightly wet inside after baking.

Why are my gluten-free cookies always flat? ›

The Problem: Your Oven Is Too Hot

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure.

What flour do professional bakers use for cookies? ›

All-Purpose Flour: The Versatile Choice

This balanced protein level makes it versatile enough to produce both soft and chewy cookies as well as slightly crisp ones. If you're looking for a safe bet or are new to cookie baking, all-purpose flour is your go-to option.

Which gluten-free flour works best with yeast? ›

If you want to buy just one gluten-free flour, we highly recommend the Pillsbury all-purpose gluten-free flour. Not only is it our favorite gluten-free flour, and easy to use in gluten-free recipes, but it's also one of the few gluten-free flours currently on the market that is recommended for baking with yeast.

What is the best gluten-free substitute for plain flour? ›

So now you've got the basics sorted, without further ado, here are my top 9 picks for the best gluten-free flour alternatives:
  1. Almond flour (also known as almond meal) ...
  2. Coconut flour. ...
  3. Buckwheat flour. ...
  4. Brown and white rice flour. ...
  5. Oat flour. ...
  6. Tapioca flour. ...
  7. Millet flour. ...
  8. Quinoa flour.
Oct 29, 2020

What is the ratio of Lupin flour to almond flour? ›

Most find that a 1:2 lupin to almond flour ratio is a good place to start. If you have a recipe that calls for 2 cups of almond flour, try 1 cup of lupin flour and 1 cup of almond flour.

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