Soft and Chewy Gluten Free Sugar Cookies (Cut Out and Drop Options)

If you’re a long time reader you may remember that I used to decorate sugar cookies for baby showers, bridal showers, etc. (WHOSE LIFE WAS THAT?)

The sugar cookie recipe I used back then was on the crisp side to accommodate intricate designs, but what I truly love is a soft and chewy sugar cookie — and this Gluten Free Sugar Cookie recipe is the BEST!

Soft and Chewy Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Soft and Chewy Gluten Free Sugar Cookies from scratch have a tissue paper-thinness of crackle-crisp on top which gives way to a soft and chewy texture with a perfectly sweet taste on the inside. You would never in a million years guess these cookies are gluten free — in fact, I’ve had several readers leave a comment to say that their family’s prefer this gluten free recipe to their “regular” sugar cookie recipe.

In short, they are incredible!

Best of all? You can bake then frost them as regular drop cookies, or you can roll the dough out and cut into shapes using cookie cutters. Kids LOVE making these gluten-free Christmas cookies!

Main Ingredients Needed

I love that this gluten free sugar cookie recipe is made with everyday “normal” ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Softened butter: I prefer baking with salted butter. You can also use your favorite vegan butter instead.
• Sugar: can’t have sugar cookies without granulated sugar!
• Eggs: help keep our cookies soft and chewy. I have used Bob’s Red Mill Powdered Egg Replacer with good results. The texture is a bit different than when the dough is made with regular chicken eggs, but still very delicious.
• Vanilla extract: adds cozy flavor to each cookie.
• Gluten Free Baking Flour Blend: you’ll want to use a baking blend that includes xanthan gum. More on my favorite brands below.
• Baking powder: ensures we have nice, puffy cookies.

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Best Gluten-Free Flour for Sugar Cookies

As I mentioned, you’ll need a 1-to-1 / measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend to make this gluten free sugar cookie recipe. When you see the term “1-to-1” or “measure-for-measure” it indicates that the flour contains a binder such as xanthan gum to keep your baked goods from falling apart. That said, be sure to read the label and locate “xanthan gum” before purchasing.

This recipe will not work with single flours and/or starches like almond flour, coconut flour, or tapioca starch. These ingredients don’t contain binders and can be more or less “thirsty” than gluten free flour blends. For example, coconut flour requires a ton of liquid/moisture when added to gluten free baking recipes.

This recipe is specifically formulated to work with a gluten free baking flour blend — here are my favorites:

• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• King Arthur Baking Gluten Free Measure-for-Measure Flour

Tips for Making Perfect Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

1. If your dough is sticky: You may have a sticky dough if you’re baking at high altitude. Incorporate 2-3 Tablespoons more flour into the dough then refrigerate until firm and bake.
2. Leave time to chill: If you plan on rolling out the dough to cut with cookie cutters, plan on leaving enough time to chill the dough for several hours or, better yet, overnight.
3. Don’t roll too thin: this cookie dough is a bit softer than standard sugar cookie dough so, if you plan on rolling the dough out to cut into shapes using a cookie cutter, don’t roll thinner than 1/4 inch. Rolling pin guides are super helpful for this!
4. Let them cool: gluten free cookies can be more fragile than regular cookies when they’re hot. Be sure to let your cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a full 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Where Can I Find Gluten Free Sprinkles and Frosting?

What are gluten free Christmas cookies without a flourish of frosting and sprinkles?!

• Frosting: Nothing beats homemade buttercream frosting, but for cookies, store-bought frosting is fine too. Pillsbury White Frosting is both gluten and dairy free.
• Sprinkles: While many sprinkles don’t contain gluten, many are manufactured on shared lines with products containing wheat. Be sure to check labels before adding to your cookies! Sweetapolita, Supernatural, Watkins, and Kate’s Safe and Sweet all offer gluten free sprinkles.

Watch How to Make Them

How to Make the Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Step 1: Combine the wet ingredients.

Add salted butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large glass bowl if using a hand held mixer. Cream until pale yellow, about 1 minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add 2 eggs one at a time, mixing until the egg is just combined before adding the next one, then add vanilla extract and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Step 2: Mix then add the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: gluten-free baking flour WITH added binder, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch.

How to Turn the Dough into Drop Cookies

If you want to turn the sugar cookie dough into drop cookies (aka, round cookies) scoop out 2 Tablespoons worth of dough then roll into balls and place onto a parchment paper or silicone mat-lined half sheet pan leaving room for the cookies to spread.

Gently press down on the dough balls with your fingers to slightly flatten then bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees or until the centers of the cookies have just barely set.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Finally, frost with a knife then embellish to your heart’s desire!

How to Make Gluten Free Cut Out Sugar Cookies

If you’d like to make cut out cookies using cookie cutters, divide the dough in half then wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled – a couple hours or overnight.

Once chilled, remove one dough disc from the fridge then place it onto a sheet of parchment paper. Working quickly, cover with another sheet of parchment paper then roll 1/4″ thick.

Press cookie cutters into the dough then wiggle a bit to make sure they’re completely separated from the surrounding dough. Transfer the cookies to half sheet pans lined with silpat mats or parchment paper then bake for 7-9 minutes at 375 degrees (NOTE: this is a higher temperature then the drop cookies!) or until the edges are barely golden brown. Freeze scraps for 5 minutes before re-rolling and cutting.

Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, frost and decorate.

Can I Freeze Gluten Free Cookies?

Yes! Both the dough and baked gluten free sugar cookies freeze beautifully.

• To freeze the dough: Divide the dough in half then wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap. Place inside a Ziplock freezer bag then freeze. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours then bake per recipe instructions.
• To freeze the baked cookies: Cool cookies completely then layer in a Ziplock freezer bag and freeze. Eat or frost directly from the freezer – they thaw quickly.

I hope you LOVE these sweet and chewy, best gluten-free sugar cookies. Take it from me — the girl who always loses count of how many she devours every time she bakes them — they’re super fun to make, but even more fun to eat. Enjoy!

More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes

• Gluten Free Shortbread
• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Soft Batch Ginger Molasses Cookies
• Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Bars
• Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
• Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 10 Gluten Free Christmas Cookies and Treats

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Soft and Chewy Gluten Free Sugar Cookies (Cut Out and Drop Options)

4.7 from 57 votes

by Kristin Porter

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 24

GFGluten FreeVMeatless

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You'd never guess soft & chewy gluten free sugar cookies are made with gluten free flour! Bake as drop cookies or roll and cut into shapes.

Equipment

• Half sheet pan
• Silpat
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup salted butter, 1-1/2 sticks, softened to room temperature (NOT MELTED)
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-3/4 cups gluten free baking flour blend WITH binder, see notes
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 slightly heaping teaspoon salt

Directions 

• Add butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer, or to a large glass bowl if using a hand-held mixer, then cream until pale yellow, scraping down the sides of the bowl once. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated before adding the next egg. Add vanilla then mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• In a separate bowl, stir together gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three batches, mixing on low speed until just incorporated before adding the next batch. Dough should be soft but not sticky – if sticky, place bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up.

To make drop cookies:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees then line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside. Scoop dough into 2 Tablespoon-sized portions then roll between your hands to form a ball and place onto prepared baking sheet at least 2” apart. Press down gently with your fingers to flatten the balls slightly then bake for 8-10 minutes or until the centers of the cookies are set. NOTE: cookies will NOT be golden brown around the edges! Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make cut out cookies:

• Divide dough between two sheets of saran wrap then shape into flat discs, cover, and refrigerate until completely chilled. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. NOTE: this is a higher temperature than the drop cookies. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper then set aside.
• Unwrap one disc then place onto a sheet of parchment paper. Working quickly, cover with another sheet of parchment paper then roll 1/4” thick. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes (it helps to wiggle the cookie cutter once pressed to separate the cut out from the surrounding dough) then carefully transfer cut outs to the prepared baking sheet. If cutouts are too soft to transfer, refrigerate or freeze parchment paper with cut outs for 5-10 minutes then try again. Freeze scraps for 5 minutes before re-rolling and cutting.
• Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes or until cookies are barely golden brown around the edges. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Frost cookies with your favorite frosting, icing, and/or embellishments. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days or freeze unfrosted cookies for several months.

Notes

• I recommend King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour to make these cookies.
• To freeze the dough: Divide dough in half then wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap. Place inside a Ziplock freezer bag then freeze. Thaw dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours then bake per recipe instructions.
• To freeze the baked cookies: Cool cookies completely then layer in a Ziplock freezer bag and freeze. Eat or frost directly from the freezer – they thaw quickly.
• Royal Icing Recipe: add 2 large eggs whites of pasteurized liquid egg white product to a large mixing bowl with 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice then beat with a mixer to combine. Add 3 cups powdered sugar then mix on low until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if too thin, or a little water or milk if too thick. Add gel food coloring then mix until color is even. Transfer icing into piping bags then ice. Transfer icing to an airtight container if not using immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 29mg, Sodium: 88mg, Potassium: 7mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 197IU, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.

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Photos by Ashley McLaughlin

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