Gluten Free Halloween Cut Out Cookies

Fall is in the air, so it's the perfect time to make a batch of these delicious Gluten Free Halloween Cut Out Cookies! The secret is that eating these soft Halloween Sugar cookies is only half the fun! Decorating them is the really exciting part. 

Many holidays are spent decorating gluten-free cut-out cookies at my house. It's something that is relaxing and gives us time to hang out as a family. You can use any cookie cutters you like, and this recipe is also great for any holiday!

If you are looking for a creative way to have some fun, this is the cookie recipe to make. Plus, delivering a batch to friends or the kids' classmates is fun. It's impossible to eat one of these Halloween cookies without a smile on your face. 

If you love to bake, be sure to check out my Gluten Free Baking Tips so that your baked goods turn out great.

Why These Gluten Free Halloween Cookies Are Great:

1. This cut-out sugar cookie recipe is easy to work with and tastes scrumptious.
2. These cookies are perfect for Halloween parties, class parties, and cookie exchange parties.
3. I have many photos of every step of decorating cookies with royal icing so that you can decorate them easily.

If you love cookies as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my incredible gluten free cookie recipes! These Gluten Free Halloween Cookie Mix Jars are also perfect as hostess gifts.

Ingredient Notes:

• Gluten Free Flour Blend - I tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours, and I can not guarantee the recipe will work if you use other mixes.
• Xanthan Gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add one teaspoon.
• Cream of Tartar - This is important to use in royal icing.
• Sugar - Be sure to use regular white sugar and not coarse sugar.
• Powdered Sugar - This is for the royal icing.
• Butter - Use unsalted butter. To make these gluten free Halloween cookies dairy-free, use vegan butter.
• Egg - Use size large.
• Pure Vanilla Extract - This is a recipe where you want to use real vanilla extract and not imitation.
• Food coloring - You can use regular or more natural food coloring. Use liquid or gel food coloring.

Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:

Are you ready to make these delicious gluten free soft Halloween cookies? First, grab some awesome Halloween cookie cutters. I used this 5 piece Halloween Cookie Cutter Set. Next, gather the ingredients you need.

I will walk you through both the gluten free sugar cookie recipe used to make these cut-out cookies. Then I will show you how to make the royal icing and use it to decorate these gluten free Halloween cookies.

Step 1: Add the gluten free flour blend, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to blend.

Step 2: Mix your softened butter, vanilla, and egg together in a smaller bowl, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix well into a thick cookie dough. (It should not be crumbly, though!)

Step 3: Here is where I tell you I am a bit remiss and didn't get photos of the rolled-out cookie dough. I am going to list out the steps:

1. Take the sugar cookie batter and wrap it in plastic wrap. 
2. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 45 minutes until cool. This will also help to remove any grittiness from the flour blend.
3. Remove the gluten free Halloween cut out cookie dough from the refrigerator. Place on wax paper and place another piece of wax paper on top.
4. Use a rolling pin to flatten and spread the gluten-free sugar cookie dough. Roll to ½ inch thickness.
5. Grab your Halloween cookie cutters and press the cookie cutters down into the cookie dough. 
6. Place the cut out cookie dough shapes onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350º F for 9-10 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

How To Decorate Cookies With Royal Icing:

Step 1: First, you want to trace the areas you will use the royal icing and the areas where you will use different colors. Use an edible cookie marker to trace your designs out on the cut-out cookies. (That marker will be the best $2.89 you have ever spent if you love to decorate with royal icing!)

Step 2: Add the royal icing ingredients to a standing mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip up your homemade royal icing by starting on low speed. Gradually increase the speed. You want your royal icing to be firm and not runny to hold its shape well.

Step 3: Grab some of these ramekins. I use them to make lots of colors of royal icing.

Put a small amount of royal icing into a bunch of different containers. Add the food coloring you want to each and mix.

Step 4: Add each colored icing into a piping bag. You do not need a frosting tip. You only want to snip a tiny bit off the corner, so a small amount comes out.

HINT: Do not cut too much off the end of the piping bag, or your royal icing will come out too thick and fast.

Step 5: This is where those lines you drew on the cookies come in handy. Pipe the icing onto a section of the cookie. Use a toothpick to spread the icing to fill a section. The lines help you know where to put the royal icing.

Step 6: Allow the icing to dry. Royal icing dries pretty quickly. Then you can start the next section. This gives you textured areas like the sections of the pumpkin.

Use your colors to decorate each cookie. My daughter is making a green icing leaf for her pumpkin cut-out cookie here.

Here is a close-up to see how icing in sections works.

Adding more layers of royal icing of decoration to the Halloween cut-out cookies.

Someone had a little too much fun decorating the cat-shaped Halloween cookies :-). I love decorating cookies. Check out how cute these Gluten Free St. Patrick's Day Cookies turned out.

Cut Out Cookies Baking Tips:

There are many reasons why gingerbread cookies spread. There are a few things you can do to remedy this issue. Take a look at these tips to prevent this from happening:

• Use room-temperature butter and eggs. I know that it sounds crazy to use butter and eggs at room temperature, but it dramatically helps how your cookies will turn out. You'll thank yourself later if you try it.
• Take special care to measure correctly. If you add in too much gluten free flour or other ingredients, it can mess with the cookies as they bake. If they don't have the proper ratios of ingredients, you may end up with a disaster.
• Chill the dough when possible. I know you are probably ready to eat your cookies right now, but taking a few minutes to chill the batter makes them less likely to spread.
• Your oven temperature may be off. Periodically, check your oven temperature to make sure it's right. Otherwise, the cookies will, for sure, spread if it's not accurate.
• Use a cooled cookie sheet when baking. Don't take a hot cookie sheet and put the batter on it, or I promise the cookies won't turn out. They start baking immediately, and it messes with their shape of them. Use a couple of sheets and rotate them out when making large batches of cookies.
• Don't let the cookies sit on the pan too long. After they have baked, only let them sit on the baking sheet for up to 5 minutes. The pan will still be hot, and continue baking them otherwise.

I also have a post where I detail how to make decorated royal icing on these Gluten Free Valentine's Cookies.

Tips and Recipe FAQ:

You may also enjoy these Gluten Free Easter Cookies. They are the perfect sugar cookies.

More Gluten Free Halloween Recipes:

• Fall Time Gluten Free Pumpkin Madeleines
• Halloween Candy Gluten Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake
• Gluten Free Black Velvet Cupcakes
• Gluten Free Mummy Wrapped Hot Dogs

📖 Recipe

Gluten Free Halloween Cut Out Cookies

Sandi Gaertner

Easy gluten free Halloween cut out sugar cookies. Grab your favorite cookie cutters and have fun. Decorate with royal icing

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 9 minutes mins

Additional Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 54 minutes mins

Course Gluten Free Dessert Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 155 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Cookies

• ▢ 2 cups gluten free flour blend
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free!
• ▢ ½ cup sugar
• ▢ ⅔ cup butter softened a lot
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Royal Icing

• ▢ 3 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 2 egg whites
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ▢ pinch salt
• ▢ Food coloring

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350º F.
• In a bowl, add your dry cookie ingredients and whisk to blend.
• Put the wet ingredients into a smaller bowl and whisk to blend.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate the cookie dough for 45 minutes.
• Remove from the refrigerator and place the dough on wax paper. Place another piece of wax paper on top.
• Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it is ½ inch thick.
• Take your favorite cookie cutters and cut out cookies.
• Place the cut out cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
• Make the icing!
• Using a standing mixer, add powdered sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. 
• Turn the mixer on SLOW. (If you turn it on too fast, it will explode sugar everywhere!)
• Slowly mix the icing for 9 minutes until it becomes somewhat fluffy and thick.
• Decorate your cookies, don't forget to let each color icing dry before adding another color, otherwise, the colors can run together.

Notes

1. I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF, Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend in this recipe. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
2. If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
3. To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
4. These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 155kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 50mgPotassium: 16mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 158IUCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg

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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

This post was updated from an older October 2019 post with more detailed directions.