Gluten-free Sugar Cookies + Video

The most tender roll-out sugar cookies I’ve ever baked! And, the best tasting too thanks to a secret ingredient that I’ve never seen anyone else use. Perfect for decorating for any holiday or occasion. Soy, fish, shellfish, peanut, tree nut and sesame free too, with a dairy-free option. 

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WHY THIS GLUTEN-FREE SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE IS FAB

These sugar cookies are so tender they practically MELT IN YOUR MOUTH. I gave them to regular eating friends and they wanted seconds and said they had zero indication these were gluten-free!

Two things that make my sugar cookies really stand out: I use powdered sugar IN the recipe. This not only makes the dough sweeter, but it gives it more starch to help soften the gluten-free flour ratio.

Then my secret ingredient: cake batter extract. Gluten-free flour just doesn’t have the same taste as regular flour and it can make it taste off. While vanilla extract helps, the cake batter extract really gives it the most delectable hint of je ne sais quoi that will make yours stand out and will be leaving people asking: what is it about those cookies I can’t get enough of??!!

Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter…sugar cookies are great because they can take on any shape, so you can adapt them to fit any holiday or celebration. This sweet treat will be welcomed at any gathering. I’ve also heard on good authority that Santa loves these sugar cookies left out for him on Christmas Eve. 😉

TIPS FOR MAKING GLUTEN-FREE ROLL OUT SUGAR COOKIES

• Make sure your butter is soft, not melted. You should be able to make an indent on it when you push on it with your finger.
• Make sure you beat the butter and sugar for three minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.
• Refrigerate the dough, for at least a half an hour, up to several hours. It will be too hard to roll when you initially take it out, let it sit room temperature for a few minutes until it’s soft enough again to manipulate. Chilling it helps it hold its shape better.
• Make sure you spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it with a knife, do not compact the flour when measuring it, or you’ll inadvertently use too much making the cookies stiff.
• Use powdered sugar to dust the counter top and your rolling pin so the dough doesn’t stick instead of flour. More flour can dry out the cookies and this just makes them sweeter.
• Do NOT overbake. Don’t even wait for them to look browned. The middle should still seem unset when you take them out of the oven. Leave the cookies on the hot cookie sheet for five minutes before removing them to a wire wrack to finish cooling.
• Don’t frost the sugar cookies until they’re cooled.

CAN I MAKE THESE DAIRY FREE?

If you wanted to make these gluten-free AND dairy-free sugar cookies, I would swap in Country Crock Plant Butter Olive Oil. That is the only ingredient you’ll need to swap out! If you need a dairy-free buttercream to top them with, I’d recommend my Dairy Free Vanilla Frosting.

If you need sugar cookies that are also free of eggs and the top 8 allergies, then check out my allergy friendly sugar cookies or my sugar cookie bars. In fact, all of my cookies on my website have no gluten, so be sure to check out all of my gluten-free cookies for all your variation needs!

WHAT FROSTING TO USE?

These cookies go great with typical buttercream frosting, especially if you want a thicker, more creamy topping. As filmed here, I used a royal icing, because I like how sleek it makes them look, makes them stackable and it can make fun patterns. Either is great, so you can’t go wrong. Sprinkles and sanding sugar are also a fun and festive way to decorate them.

If you need an egg-free royal icing (either because of egg allergies, veganism, or you just don’t want to have to hunt down meringue powder) use my recipe!

WHAT GLUTEN FREE FLOUR DO I NEED?

With inflation as crazy as it is, I wanted to make these as accessible as possible. So, I created this recipe using just Walmart’s brand: Great Value’s All Purpose Gluten-free flour.

The ingredients are actually quite similar to King Arthur’s Measure for Measure, so I’m sure you could swap that in too.

If you want to try your own preferred brand, make sure it includes xanthan gum. Be sure to let me know in the comments what other flours you enjoy with it, to help future readers. I love hearing your tweaks!

Note that all brands use slightly different grains and ratios, so by swapping in a different brand, you may have different results.

CAN I FREEZE THESE Gluten Free Sugar Cookies?

Yes! Because sugar cookies have the extra steps of chilling, rolling and shaping you may want to make these ahead of time, to break the steps apart.

To do so, make the cookies, cool them, and then wrap them in saran wrap. Then, put them in an air tight container. These can last in the freezer up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, leave them room temperature, loosely covered, until they’ve thawed. Then, you can decorate, frost and enjoy!

If you want, you can also make the dough, cover it and chill it for up to two days ahead of time, then roll and finish baking and frosting.

WHAT TOOLS DO YOU NEED?

• Stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl and handheld electric beaters
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Rubber spatula
• Rolling pin
• Desired cookie cutters (or even just a glass cup, or biscuit cutters will do if you just want basic round shapes)
• Half-sheet rimmed cookie pan
• Silicone baking mat, or unbleached parchment paper
• Spatula
• Wire cooling wrack

WHAT INGREDIENTS YOU NEED for gluten-free sugar cookies

• Salted butter 
• Granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar
• Large eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Cake batter extract
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Gluten-free all purpose flour that includes xanthan

DO YOU HAVE OTHER HOLIDAY COOKIES?

Sugar cookies are great, because they can be used at just about any holiday. But, if you’re looking for more holiday specific cookies, here are some classics you’ll love: my gluten-free sugar cookies, my gluten-free peanut butter cookies that would turn into great peanut butter blossom cookies by just adding a Hershey’s kiss, melted snowman cookies, white chocolate dipped peppermint cookies, my chocolate orange cookies, and my gluten-free gingerbread cookies.

IS THERE A TUTORIAL VIDEO?

Yes, there is! See how to make these roll out sugar cookies from start to finish. The video should auto populate, and if not, it is embedded into the bottom of the recipe card. If all else fails, you can view it on my YouTube Channel.

DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT, SO YOU DON’T LOSE IT. WHILE YOU’RE THERE, BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER GLUTEN-FREE PINS.