The Best Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

I love creating joyful holiday memories, and making these fun, festive gluten-free sugar cookies is one of my favorite holiday traditions! The sugar cookie dough rolls out easily, bakes soft and to perfection, and pairs beautifully with my simple white icing that pipes neatly around the edges of each cookie (no special frosting equipment needed). Cutting them into shapes like snowflakes, Christmas trees, stockings, and stars adds a classic and timeless touch. Whether it’s a fun holiday project with my kids, a festive gift for others, or a cookie exchange, these cut-out cookies are sure to bring the holiday cheer!

Pantry Staples To Have On Hand

• Gluten-free flour: Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour are my top gluten-free flour go-tos for these cookies. If I decide I want to make a non-gluten-free version of these cookies, I can use unbleached all-purpose flour.
• Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter for this recipe (and for most baked goods) so that I have control over the amount of salt. If I have to use salted butter, though, I make sure to omit the added salt my recipe calls for. 
• Sugar: I use pure cane sugar for this recipe. 
• Vanilla extract: I use pure vanilla extract, such as this one from Thrive Market.
• Powdered sugar: 1 cup of powdered sugar is needed for the frosting. I prefer the Wholesome Organic brand, which is available at Thrive Market.
• Coarse sugar: Also known as sanding sugar, I’ll sprinkle this over the piped frosting to create a sparkling effect for my beautiful and festive cut-out cookies.

Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Four Easy Steps 

1. Mix the dough: In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, egg, teaspoon vanilla extract, and sugar. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well until the dough ball forms.
2. Chill the dough: Cover the dough with a towel or plastic wrap and chill. Chill time should be 1-2 hours.
3. Roll out the dough & cut the shapes: Sprinkle the counter with flour, place chilled dough on a floured surface, and press down into a disc using hands. Sprinkle dough with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to ¼” thickness. Cut out cookie shapes, remove excess dough, and carefully slide a metal spatula under the cookie shapes. Lift up and place each cookie cut out on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Continue rolling and cutting out cookies until all the dough has been used.
4. Bake cookies: Bake the cookies at 350 degrees until light golden brown on the bottoms, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing from the baking sheet and placing on a cooling rack to fully cool. 

For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.

Make These Dairy-Free

To make these cookies dairy-free, I use plant-based or vegan stick butter in place of the regular unsalted butter. Additionally, I opt for coconut cream (the thick white cream at the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk) in place of the heavy cream.

Make The Piping Frosting

1. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, softened butter, heavy cream, and vanilla. 
2. Using a spoon or a hand mixer on the lowest setting, gently begin to whip the frosting until it’s creamy.

Pro Tip: If the frosting is too thin for piping, I add more powdered sugar (2 tablespoons at a time) until the right consistency is reached. If the frosting is too thick and difficult to pipe from the bag, I add more cream (1 teaspoon at a time) until the right consistency is reached.

Time To Decorate!

Once the cookies are done baking and have cooled, it’s time to add the frosting and decorate them! I usually use a piping bag with a small tip, but a zip-top bag works just as well. I just spoon the frosting in, press out the air, seal the bag, and snip a tiny corner off with scissors. From there, I pipe the frosting by gently squeezing the bag of icing around the edges of each cookie. I also love to finish with a sprinkle of coarse sanding sugar before the icing sets. Once the icing firms up, I give each cookie a light shake to remove any excess sugar.

Store At Room Temperature Or Freeze

I store cooled, unfrosted cookies in an airtight container, with parchment paper laid between each layer of cookies. If the cookies are already frosted, I’ll store them in a single layer instead so that the piped icing stays intact. They’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days at room temperature. These gluten-free cookies are also freezer-friendly. For longer storage, I place fully cooled, unfrosted cookies in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. I’ll then make the icing and frost them after they’ve thawed.

Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.

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