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    Home » Recipes » Gluten Free Cookies & Bars

    Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

    Modified: Dec 9, 2024 · Published: Dec 6, 2021 by Nicole Spiridakis ·

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Easy gluten free sugar cookies feature a tender, sweet dough that works perfectly for holiday cut-out cookies and more. Top with your favorite festive decorations (like crushed candy canes!) or try some of my variation ideas below.

    A plate of gluten free sugar cookies and cookies on a counter.

    I absolutely adore these crisp-tender gluten free sugar cookies! Like my super delicious oat flour sugar cookies, gluten-free sugar cookies are a fabulous gluten free version of a classic sugar cookie. (I promise you won't be able to tell they're made with gluten free flour!) An easy to roll out base for all sorts of flavors and toppings, these make wonderful cut outs and you can decorate them to your heart's content. Gluten free sugar cookies join my recipes for gluten free shortbread and oat flour shortbread cookies as being holiday-worthy yet also versatile enough to serve year-round. Enjoy!

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love These Cookies
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Sugar Cookie Variation Ideas
    • How to Make Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
    • Baking Tip: Use Room Temperature Butter
    • Tips and Substitution Suggestions
    • Decorating Suggestions
    • Can I Make Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Ahead?
    • Proper Storage
    • More Easy Gluten Free Cookie Recipes
    • Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

    Why You'll Love These Cookies

    I love a simple, classic cookie and these gluten free sugar cookies more than fit the bill. I add them to my yearly platter of gluten free Christmas cookies, but I also make them around Halloween and Thanksgiving (using pumpkin and turkey cookie cutters!). You can serve them plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or topped with a vanilla icing and sprinkles. Here's why you'll love this recipe:

    • Great for beginners. This is a one-bowl recipe made with minimal ingredients - it's so easy that even the most novice of bakers can achieve gluten-free baking success.
    • Kid-friendly. Get the little ones involved in every step of the process, from making the dough to rolling it out to cutting the cookies. My younger daughter had so much fun making these.
    • Easily gluten free. Like that sugar cookie recipe you've been making for years - but super easily made gluten free with gluten free flour and a little time to rest the dough so that it hydrates and bakes up perfectly.

    Ingredient Notes

    The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

    Ingredients for gluten free sugar cookies are text labeled.
    • Butter - I used unsalted butter, softened to room temperature. You can use salted butter but you may then wish to adjust the amount of added salt.
    • Granulated sugar
    • Egg - A large egg brought to room temperature so it blends easily into the dough.
    • Vanilla
    • Gluten free flour - I always use my homemade gluten free flour blend. You can use your favorite blend in these cookies.
    • Baking powder - Check to make sure its fresh!
    • Salt - I use a hefty pinch of fine sea salt (table salt works, too). Add more salt for a sweet-salty flavor contrast.

    Sugar Cookie Variation Ideas

    • Brown sugar sugar cookies - Swap light or dark brown sugar for the granulated sugar (note that the color of the cookies may be a bit darker).
    • Add a hint of spice - For holiday-spiced cookies, add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, cardamom, or nutmeg or a combination. Or try 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice!
    • Citrus zest - Rub some citrus zest like lime, orange, or lemon zest into the sugar to release their oils before creaming it with the butter!
    • Chocolate - You can add chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips to the dough. I love semisweet chocolate.
    • Nuts - Fold in ½ cup of chopped almonds, walnuts, or pecans.
    • Candy canes - My girls love crushed candy canes added to the dough for a festive touch!
    • Maple sugar cookies - Add 2 tablespoons maple syrup to the dough.
    Gluten free sugar cookies stars.

    How to Make Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

    Here's an overview in photos of how you'll quickly make, form, and bake these gluten free sugar cookies!

    Butter and sugar creamed in a bowl.
    Cream butter and sugar.
    Gluten free sugar cookie dough in a bowl.
    Add dry ingredients.
    Rolled out gluten free sugar cookie dough.
    Roll out dough.
    A kid's hands press out sugar cookies.
    Use a cookie cutter to make shapes.
    Gluten free sugar cookie dough cut outs.
    Cut out cookies.
    Sugar cookies on a baking sheet.
    Bake and cool.
    1. Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl using an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and mix until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
    2. Add dry ingredients: Beat in the gluten free flour, baking powder, and salt until thick. Rest the batter in the fridge.
    3. Roll the dough: Line a work surface with a large piece of parchment paper, dust it with gf flour, then roll out the dough to ¼-inch.
    4. Cut out cookies: Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes and place them on lined cookie sheets.
    5. Bake: Place in the oven and bake at 350F for about 8-10 minutes depending on how crisp you wish the cookies to be.
    6. Cool: Cool cookies completely before serving.

    Baking Tip: Use Room Temperature Butter

    This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's essential to use room temperature/softened butter as the base to gluten-free sugar cookies. Why? If your butter is cold it won't cream well with the sugar, leading to denser cookies. When the butter blends seamlessly with the sugar, more air is able to be whipped into it, leading to more tender, lighter baked cookies.

    A few gluten free sugar cookies.

    Tips and Substitution Suggestions

    • Rest the dough: Let the dough rest and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before baking, or up to 3 days in advance of baking. Oat flour, like all gluten-free flours, benefits from a rest to let it absorb liquids. This
    • Use room temperature ingredients: Bring ingredients to room temperature before using. This is particularly important for the butter - if it's nice and soft, it will incorporate better into the batter, making for a smoother and more uniform cookie.
    • Don't worry if the dough is crumbly. When you're combining the dough, it may seem a bit dry and crumbly. Don't worry! Keep beating the ingredients until they come together. If needed, you can use your hands to squeeze and knead the dough together a few times.
    • Make them dairy-free: You can easily make these oat flour cookies dairy-free. Swap a non-dairy butter or slightly softened coconut oil for the butter.
    • Make them refined sugar-free: I love to use maple sugar when I make sugar cookies. The subtle, natural sweetness of the maple sugar take them over the top (and, make them refined sugar-free!).
    • Use a single-origin flour. You can easily make these into sorghum, brown rice, or oat flour sugar cookies by substituting 300 grams of a single gluten free flour of your choice.
    Sprinkles surround a gluten free sugar cookie.

    Decorating Suggestions

    • Sprinkles - Any kind of sprinkles or decorating sugar will do! You can add the sprinkles to the tops of the cookies before baking, or add them after the come out of the oven. Let the cookies cool a bit, then lightly brush them with milk or water to help the sprinkles stick, then sprinkle away.
    • Chopped nuts - Toasted, chopped nuts or candied, chopped nuts are SO good sprinkled over the tops of the cookies.
    • Sugar glaze or icing - Add an easy light glaze or a thicker white icing made from vanilla whisked with a little powdered sugar or milk (adjust the sugar and milk until it reaches your desired consistency).
    • Buttercream - Any kind of buttercream is delightful on top of gluten free sugar cookies. Try my chocolate buttercream recipe!
    • Candy - Chopped candy, M&Ms, or your favorite chopped chocolate bar added to the tops of the cookies right when the come out of the oven gives a flavor boost (and who doesn't love candy?). Press in the candy lightly so that it sticks to the cookies.
    Icing sugar on top of gluten free sugar cookies.

    Can I Make Gluten Free Sugar Cookies Ahead?

    You can definitely prepare sugar cookie dough ahead of time and/or bake the cookies and freeze them for later gift-giving. Here's how:

    • Dough - You can prepare the dough and hold it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze the dough for up to 3 months. In either case, form the dough into a ball, place it on a piece of plastic wrap, gently press the dough down flat to form a disc, and wrap it in plastic. If you freeze the dough, defrost it in the fridge before rolling it out.
    • Baked cookies - Place the cooled, baked cookies in a freezer-safe container or sealable bag with the air pressed out and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookies in the fridge before decorating or serving.

    Proper Storage

    • Counter - Store gluten-free sugar cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
    • Fridge - Place the container of cookies in the fridge and keep it for up to 7 days.
    • Freezer - Store the cookies in freezer-safe container or bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.

    More Easy Gluten Free Cookie Recipes

    • Plates of oat flour sugar cookies and a cup of tea on a white background.
      Oat Flour Sugar Cookies
    • Plates of oat flour shortbread along with cups of tea.
      Oat Flour Shortbread
    • A plate of maple shortbread and a cup of coffee.
      Maple Shortbread
    • A plate holds triangles of gluten free shortbread.
      Gluten Free Shortbread

    If you tried these gluten free sugar cookies or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below! And I always appreciate a star rating if you loved it ❤️

    A plate of gluten free sugar cookies.
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    Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

    Nicole Spiridakis
    Easy gluten free sugar cookies feature a tender and sweet dough that works perfectly for holiday cut-out cookies and more.
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 2 hours hrs
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24 cookies
    Calories 89 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 2 ¾ cups gluten free flour , 300 grams
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

    Instructions
     

    • Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
    • In a large bowl using an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and mix until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
    • Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
    • Beat in the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well, until the dough looks thick and uniform. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and place in in the fridge to chill for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
    • When ready to roll out cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and let the dough rest a few minutes at room temperature to soften. Then line a work surface with a large piece of parchment paper. Place the cookie dough in the center and sprinkle with gluten-free flour. Flour a rolling pin and roll out the dough into a ¼-inch thick sheet. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes and place them on the cookie sheet. Decorate with sprinkles if you wish!
    • Place in the oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes depending on how crisp you wish the cookies to be. I found 9 minutes to be perfect.
    • Remove cookies from oven and cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Notes

    • Rest the dough: Let the dough rest and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before baking, or up to 3 days in advance of baking. Oat flour, like all gluten-free flours, benefits from a rest to let it absorb liquids. This
    • Use room temperature ingredients: Bring ingredients to room temperature before using. This is particularly important for the butter - if it's nice and soft, it will incorporate better into the batter, making for a smoother and more uniform cookie.
    • Don't worry if the dough is crumbly. When you're combining the dough, it may seem a bit dry and crumbly. Don't worry! Keep beating the ingredients until they come together. If needed, you can use your hands to squeeze and knead the dough together a few times.
    • Make them dairy-free: You can easily make these oat flour cookies dairy-free. Swap a non-dairy butter or slightly softened coconut oil for the butter.
    • Make them refined sugar-free: I love to use maple sugar when I make sugar cookies. The subtle, natural sweetness of the maple sugar take them over the top (and, make them refined sugar-free!).
    • Use a single-origin flour. You can easily make these into sorghum, brown rice, or oat flour sugar cookies by substituting 300 grams of a single gluten free flour of your choice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 89kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 34mgPotassium: 54mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.02gVitamin A: 118IUCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg
    Disclaimer: Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is an estimate (I'm not a nutritionist and can't guarantee accuracy!). Even when not specified, be sure to check that all the ingredients you use are gluten free if you need them to be by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer.
    Did you make this recipe?Let me know in the comments how it went!

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      Chocolate Chip and Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
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      Gluten Free Oatmeal Walnut Cookies
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      Gluten Free Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
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      Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

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    Welcome!

    Cucina Nicolina is your home for easy gluten free baking recipes made with simple, wholesome ingredients. I'm a writer, recipe developer, and cookbook author who loves to share all things yummy and gluten free. Learn more about me.

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