TL;DR: Gluten free sugar cookies are easiest to make from a certified gluten free mix. You cream butter into the dry mix, add an egg or flax egg, scoop or roll the dough, and bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes. A mix like the West Food Brands Banana Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Mix or Apple Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Mix skips the multi-flour blending and gives you soft, sweet cookies with no wheat in about 20 minutes.
Sugar cookies are the hardest classic to get right without gluten, because the dough needs to hold a shape and stay tender at the same time. From scratch that means juggling several flours and a binder. A mix solves both. Here is the method, how to make cut-out cookies that keep their edges, vegan swaps, and how to fix spreading or crumbling.
How do you make gluten free sugar cookies from a mix?
You cream softened butter into the dry mix, add an egg, shape the dough, and bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes. The mix already contains the gluten free flour blend and the binder, so the dough comes together like a classic sugar cookie dough.
A typical pouch of our sugar cookie mix calls for:
· 1/2 cup softened butter, or vegan butter or coconut oil
· 1 large egg, or 1 flax egg for a vegan batch
· 1 teaspoon vanilla, optional
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Beat the softened butter until smooth, then mix in the egg and vanilla.
3. Add the cookie mix and stir until a soft dough forms. Stop as soon as it comes together, since overmixing toughens gluten free dough.
4. Scoop tablespoon-sized balls onto the sheet, spaced 2 inches apart, or roll and cut out shapes.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just set. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, since they firm up as they cool.
One pouch makes about 18 to 24 cookies. Always check the back of your pouch, since exact amounts can vary by mix.
How do you make gluten free cut-out sugar cookies that keep their shape?
Chill the dough before you cut it, and bake the shapes cold. Chilling firms the butter so the cookies hold their edges instead of spreading. This is the key step for decorated cut-outs.
· Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to about a quarter inch thick.
· Chill the rolled dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting.
· Cut your shapes, then chill the cut cookies on the sheet for another 10 minutes before baking.
· Bake at 350°F for 9 to 11 minutes, pulling them while the edges are pale for crisp shapes.
Cold dough plus a short bake gives you clean edges that hold icing well.
How do you make vegan gluten free sugar cookies?
You swap two ingredients. Use vegan butter or coconut oil in place of dairy butter, and use 1 flax egg in place of the egg by stirring 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed into 2.5 tablespoons of water and letting it sit for 5 minutes. The dough is a little softer, so chill it for 30 minutes before scooping or rolling. Everything else stays the same, and the cookies bake up just as soft.
Why are my gluten free sugar cookies spreading, crumbly, or dry?
Three common issues cause most sugar cookie problems, and each has a simple fix:
|
Problem |
Usual cause |
Fix |
|
Cookies spread too thin |
Butter too warm |
Chill the dough 30 minutes before baking |
|
Cookies are crumbly |
Dough too dry or overmixed |
Add 1 tablespoon milk, mix just until combined |
|
Cookies are dry or hard |
Overbaked |
Pull at 10 minutes while edges just set |
Gluten free cookies firm up as they cool, so take them out when the centers still look slightly soft.
Can you decorate gluten free sugar cookies with icing?
Yes, and they hold icing just like classic sugar cookies. For a simple royal-style icing, whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk or plant milk until smooth, then tint with food color. Let the base cookies cool completely first, decorate, and give the icing a few hours to set. Cut-out shapes that were chilled before baking give you the flat, clean surface that decorating needs.
Are gluten free sugar cookies safe for celiac disease?
They are when the mix is certified gluten free and you avoid cross contamination. Certified means the product is tested to contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten, the threshold the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets for that label. Baking at home from a certified mix is the safest route, since you control the bowls, sheets, and counters. Our cookie mixes are certified gluten free, non GMO, and made with no preservatives or artificial sweeteners. For the full ingredient list, see what is in our mixes.
Frequently asked questions about gluten free sugar cookies
Why are regular sugar cookies not gluten free?
Classic sugar cookies are made with wheat flour, which contains gluten. They are gluten free only when the wheat flour is replaced with a gluten free blend, which a certified mix does for you.
Do gluten free sugar cookies taste different?
The flavor is the same buttery, sweet cookie. The texture can be slightly more tender, which most people prefer, especially when the mix uses a soft flour blend.
How long do gluten free sugar cookies last?
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Undecorated cookies keep best.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Yes. Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray, then bag them. Bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the time.
How many cookies does one mix make?
One pouch makes about 18 to 24 cookies, depending on size.
Do I need xanthan gum for gluten free sugar cookies?
Not if you use a mix, since the binder is already included. From scratch, gluten free sugar cookies usually need xanthan gum or a flax binder to hold together.
Key takeaways
· Gluten free sugar cookies are easiest from a certified mix, baked at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
· Chill the dough 30 minutes so cut-out cookies keep their shape instead of spreading.
· Make them vegan with vegan butter or coconut oil and a flax egg.
· Pull the cookies while the centers look soft, since they firm up as they cool.
· Choose certified gluten free for celiac disease, and bake at home to avoid cross contamination.
Ready to bake a batch? Try the Banana Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Mix or the Apple Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Mix, or browse all our gluten free recipes.
Trusted sources
· U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Gluten-Free Labeling of Foods
· Celiac Disease Foundation: Sources of Gluten
· National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Celiac Disease
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Celiac Disease and the Gluten Free Diet
