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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  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 make gluten-free cookies less gritty? ›

—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. Letting your cookie dough sit for 60 minutes can make the difference between a cookie with a gritty mouthfeel and one that you would never guess is gluten-free.

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.

Do gluten-free cookies taste different than regular cookies? ›

They may absorb more liquid, for example, which can result in dry or crumbly cookies. Finally, some people find that gluten-free baked goods lack the flavor and taste of traditional baked goods.

How do you 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 is the best flour for gluten-free cookies? ›

Oat Flour. With its creamy, earthy flavor and delicate texture, gluten-free oat flour is a staple of my gluten-free baking recipes. It bakes up soft and smooth, adding necessary starch to many GF baked goods and keeping them moist and tender due to its high fat content and stable protein structure.

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

Use a Binder. Binders like xanthan gum and guar gum provide structure in gluten-free baking to make up for the missing gluten. This prevents cookies from being too crumbly plus it also helps with freshness.

Should you refrigerate gluten free cookie dough before baking? ›

5. And refrigerate the dough if it's too sticky. Gluten-free cookie dough is stickier than standard cookie dough, but chilling it can help. This is because cold dough is less sticky, and it doesn't spread as easily, too.

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 you chill gluten free cookie dough before baking? ›

— resting the dough makes SUCH a difference in the final cookie. You will not regret this extra step! ALL THAT SAID, if you simply don't have the time or patience to wait 24-48 hours, chill the dough for at least 2 hours in the fridge before scooping and baking.

What happens when you use gluten-free flour in cookies? ›

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.

Should you let gluten free cookie dough rest? ›

Instead of proceeding directly to baking, let the gluten-free cookie dough rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. This resting period is crucial for hydration, not leavening. During this time, gluten-free flours absorb moisture from the wet ingredients, altering the dough's texture and consistency.

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 is the secret to gluten-free baking? ›

Keys to Successful GF Baking
  • Gluten-Free Flours Require Special Measuring Techniques.
  • Mixing Batters Longer Provides Structure.
  • Resting Batters and Doughs Has Multiple Benefits.
  • Visual Cues are Not Reliable; Use an Oven Thermometer and a Timer.
  • Bake, Then Bake Some More.

What does cream of tartar do in gluten-free baking? ›

A: Yes, cream of tartar can be used in gluten-free bread recipes to improve dough stability and rise.

How do you fix gritty cookies? ›

Let the dough sit overnight. The granulated sugar will 'dissolve' in the dough and the cookies won't have that granulated texture. Cause of gritty sugar texture: Baking immediately after mixing dough instead of wrapping/covering it chilling and waiting at least 1 hour, 2 hours for best results.

How do you fix grainy cookies? ›

There are a few things you can do to add liquid to your cookie dough if it is too dry and crumbly. One option is to add milk, water, or another liquid until the dough is the right consistency. You can also try adding melted butter or shortening. If your dough is still too dry, you may need to add more flour.

Why is gluten-free so grainy? ›

Gluten-free bread can have a gritty texture because it often lacks the gluten that helps give regular bread its soft, chewy texture. Gluten-free bread can be made with a variety of ingredients, including rice flour, tapioca flour, and almond flour, which can give the bread a more coarse texture than regular bread.

How can you improve the texture of gluten-free baked goods? ›

Besides eggs, which are protein-based, two starch-based products often used to bind and thicken gluten-free baked products are guar gum and xanthan gum. These products are largely interchangeable and are used in small amounts (1/2 to 1 teaspoon per cup of flour) to add volume and texture to baked goods.

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