These Gluten free sugar cookies are a delicious treat at any time. This simple gluten free sugar cookie recipe makes delicious soft buttery cookies with crisp edges, just as a cookie should be!! These cookies start in your
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Drop sugar cookies are one of my favorites because they have all that famous sugar cookie taste with half the work. No cookie cutters are needed; you get yummy cookies. If you prefer to use cookie cutters, you will want to try my Gluten Free Cut-Out Cookies recipe!
These gluten free sugar cookies are so good you can even use them for ice cream sandwiches! I will keep nibbling on these delicious, soft gluten free sugar cookies until summer comes.
What makes these gluten free sugar cookies so good:
- Crispy edges. This gluten free sugar cookie recipe makes cookies with those perfect crisp edges. They hold together beautifully.
- You can freeze these delicious cookies to enjoy anytime.
- They are made drop style, so they are easy to make
- I include a dairy-free option, too!
They are easy to decorate with gluten free sprinkles to make them fancy! I believe this is the best gluten free sugar cookie recipe I’ve made.
I made some yesterday and didn’t tell my husband they were gf. Just told him they were sugar cookies. He’s still eating them.”
sharon G., Facebook Comment
Allergen Information:
These homemade sugar cookies are gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and oat-free. Make them dairy-free by using dairy-free butter.
Okay, I know we talked about the crispy edges…and the rich, buttery taste. Let’s talk about how to make this simple gluten free sugar cookie recipe. First, gather your ingredients.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten free flour blend – II 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.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, you must add it so your cookies hold together.
- Vanilla – please make sure you use pure vanilla extract and not imitation.
- Butter – use dairy-free butter if you want this recipe to be dairy-free too!
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
You are going to love these cookies!! It is so easy to make these cookies from scratch!
Step 1: Pulse the flour mixture and butter in a food processor until it looks “grainy” and crumbly.
To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using the spoon method or leveling method. In a perfect world, people weigh their flour, but most do not own a kitchen scale. Every gluten-free flour blend has a different weight, making a scale even trickier. Put the measuring scoop into the flour and fill. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour. You can also use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour.
Step 2: In a small bowl, add your wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Your dough should form a stiff ball. So far, everything is going according to plan! Wrap the gluten free sugar cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. If your cake batter is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
Step 4: Take the dough from the refrigerator and then preheat the oven to 350º F. Line your
Use a cookie scoop to drop cold dough balls onto a parchment-lined cookie baking sheet. Press down in the middle of each sugar cookie and add thick baker’s sugar to each middle.
Bake the cookies at 350º F for 8-10 minutes.
Cookie Troubleshooting:
Why are my cookies flat, aka spread too much?
This is one of the most common questions I get from my readers. There are several reasons for flat cookies, including:
- Check to see how long you chilled your cookie dough. If you use partially melted or softened butter, you must chill it to prevent spreading.
- How did you measure your flour? Measuring your flour accurately is important. I don’t often weigh my ingredients because every flour blend has a different weight, and my readers all use different gluten-free flour blends. I recommend using either the Spoon Method by using a spoon to add flour to the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour. Leveling Method by putting the measuring scoop into the flour and filling it with flour. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour.
- Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. This can affect the moisture levels in your cookie dough, resulting in flatter cookies. In this situation, you would need to add more flour.
Why do my gluten-free cookies taste gritty?
This grit you experience is from the rice flour in the gluten-free flour blend. Not all companies mill their flour extra fine. To eliminate the grit, I recommend letting the cookie dough rest for 15 minutes. This extra time will allow the rice flour to soften, eliminating the grit.
How do you make cookies the same size?
The best way to ensure your cookies are the same size and look uniform is to use a
For more cookie troubleshooting, read my Gluten-Free Cookie Troubleshooting Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You don’t have to refrigerate the dough, but it definitely makes the cookies better if you do. I refrigerated these for 1-2 hours.
I do not recommend using powdered sugar in this recipe. Your cookies will not turn out well.
These cookies will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
You may also love these Gluten Free Cinnamon Sugar Cookies. They are perfect for using cookie cutters!
Fun Variations:
- Add frosting and sprinkles
- Colored icings are a pretty way to decorate these gluten free cookies.
- Add sprinkles to the actual cookie dough for funfetti cookies
More Holiday Cookie Recipes:
- Gluten Free Vanillekipferl Cookies
- Gluten Free Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
- Gluten Free Pfeffernusse Cookies
- Fun Halloween Cut Out Cookies
- Here is a roundup of the most popular cookie recipes on my blog!
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
The Best Gluten Free Sugar Cookie recipe
Equipment
- Food processor
- Cookie sheet
- Cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- dash of salt
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 10 tablespoons butter * see note
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons course baking sugar optional
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Add dry ingredients to a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
- Pour flour mixture into a bowl and add eggs, vanilla and water and mix well.
- Wrap the dough ball in plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop balls of dough onto the cookie sheet.
- Press down in the middle of each. Add a little of the course sugar to each center.
- Bake for 12 minutes until done.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
- Feel free to decorate these cookies with sprinkles. You can sprinkle the dough balls, or mix sprinkles into the cookie dough before mixing. Make sure to use gluten free sprinkles brands.
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
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.
Do you have to use a food processor? Can you mix by hand?
Hi, you can definitely mix these by hand. Enjoy.
I would love to use this recipe as the base for a fruit pizza (12″ pan). Do you think that will work? Thank you!
Hi Joan, I think this would work nicely :-).
I doubled the recipe, used half vanilla, half almond flavor. I added 1/3 cup cocoa powder, and used 1/3 cup total water. They were lovely cookies and went wonderful with my tiramisu dip.
Oooh, I never thought to use them as dippers. Thank you so much for the delicious idea!
I AM GOING TO TRY MAKING THIS, SINCE I HAVE ALL PURPOSE FLOUR, DOES IT WORK TO USE ALL PURPOSE FLOUR? THANKS.
Hi Debbie, when you say all purpose flour, do you mean non-gluten free flour, or a gluten free flour blend?
Yes, gluten free. cassava flour and it is called all purpose flour.
Hi Debbie, Cassava flour behaves differently and is not really an all purpose flour in context. It is mostly starch, which would behave differently in this recipe. Cassava is considered paleo and sometimes it can be substituted for a gluten free flour blend, but it absorbs more liquid and isn’t a one to one substitution measure. I haven’t tried it in this recipe, I am sorry I can’t advise better on this.
My gf girlfriend said these were the best cookies I’ve made. Nice simple base and I used 1:1 gf baking flour with xantham gum and they came out perfectly soft and not too sweet. I’m going to try a slight variation with peppermint oil for a holiday spin. Thanks!
I am so glad she liked them. You are a pretty awesome guy to make cookies for her. My husband just gave a thumbs up 🙂