Home Meal Type Dessert Cookies Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies (Cut-Out Cookies)

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies (Cut-Out Cookies)

By Brittany Mullins

4.16

36

Published Dec 09, 2019, Updated Dec 07, 2022

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These grain-free, gluten-free sugar cookies are made with coconut flour. They have a delicious, buttery flavor and the perfect texture for making cut-out cookies!

How have I not shared a recipe for sugar cookies yet?! I’m honestly not sure, because sugar cookies are a staple in my kitchen every year around the holidays. I love finding new cookie cutters and thinking of new frosting designs. This year, I used these adorable star and snowflake cookie cutters. I like these cookie cutters because they can be used for Christmas or Hanukkah.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

For this particular recipe we’re making gluten-free cut-out cookies using one of my favorite healthy alternative flours, coconut flour! I already have a basic coconut flour cookie recipe, but I thought it would be fun to try making coconut flour sugar cookies as well. Turns out, coconut flour lends itself well to cut-out cookies and worked like a charm.

Don’t be intimidated by gluten-free baking, I’m here to hold your hand through this process and it’s really quite easy! However, if you don’t need a gluten-free recipe, try my healthy sugar cookie recipe instead!

Here’s What You Need

• butter – you can also use ghee!
• cane sugar – using coconut or brown sugar will give these a darker, more carmely color so I definitely recommend using white cane sugar.
• egg – a binding ingredient.
• baking powder – a levening agent.
• vanilla extract – gives the perfect hint of vanilla flavoring to these cookies.
• sea salt – brings out the vanilla flavor.
• coconut flour – the base of our cookies! Coconut flour is naturally gluten free and works wonderfully in these cookies. I often use Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour brand.
• arrowroot powder – this helps with the consistency of the cookie. You can also use tapioca flour in its place.

Vanilla Icing

• powdered sugar – when making icing, make sure you are using powdered sugar. Regular sugar will not provide the right consistency that powdered sugar does.
• vanilla extract – you don’t need much to make this vanilla icing.
• almond milk – the base of your icing. You can use store bought or homemade almond milk. You can also use whatever non-dairy milk you prefer.
• sprinkles – these won’t be mixed into the icing, but sprinkled on top. Look for ones that are naturally colored.

How to Make Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

Combine ingredients: For this recipe, you’ll simply mix the butter, sugar, egg, baking powder, vanilla extract and sea salt together and then slowly add in the coconut flour until the mixture is well combined. Coconut flour absorbs a ton of liquid so let the dough sit for about five minutes so the flour can work its magic.

Add arrowroot: After the dough has sat for a bit, you’ll sprinkle arrowroot powder and knead it into the dough. Arrowroot powder acts as a binding agent for the dough. If you’re finding the dough is too sticky or wet, feel free to add in more arrowroot.

Bake: On to the fun part, my personal fave: cutting the cookies! Roll out the dough on parchment paper until it’s about 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shapes and place them on a cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are golden.

Decorate: Let cookies cool completely before decorating. Make some hot chocolate to sip on while you’re waiting!

How to Store Sugar Cookies

If you won’t be eating the cookies right after making them, you want to make sure you store them properly so they don’t get stale! Let them cool completely and then you have two options: frost them or store them unfrosted! You really can’t go wrong either way. If you choose to frost them first, let the icing set/solidify before storing. Lay parchment paper underneath the layers of cookies in an airtight container. If you want to frost right before eating, simply store the sugar cookies in an airtight container.

Can You Freeze Sugar Cookies?

You better believe it! I remember going to my grandparent’s house for Christmas and there were SO MANY Christmas cookies. I always wondered how she baked that many but now I’m wondering if she prepped in advance and froze her cookies?!

For sugar cookies or cut-out cookies, I recommend freezing them unfrosted. Let them thaw and frost the cookies right before serving.

More Healthy Christmas Cookie Recipes

• Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles
• Almond Flour Crescent Cookies
• Peanut Butter Blossoms
• Almond Butter Espresso Cookies
• Chocolate Avocado Truffles
• Gluten-Free Gingersnap Cookies
• Healthy No Bake Cookies
• Almond Cookies
• Lemon Ricotta Cookies
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Oatmeal Scotchies

Be sure to check out all my dessert recipes on EBF!

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4.16 from 32 votes

Gluten Free Coconut Flour Sugar Cookies

By: Brittany Mullins

These grain-free, gluten-free sugar cookies are made with coconut flour. They have a delicious, buttery flavor and the perfect texture for making cut-out cookies!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 cookies

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ ¼ cup softened butter or ghee
• ▢ ½ cup organic cane sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ½ cup coconut flour
• ▢ 1–2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder or tapioca flour

Vanilla Icing

• ▢ ½ cup powdered sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons almond milk
• ▢ Sprinkles, look for ones that are naturally colored

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• In a medium mixing bowl stir together butter or ghee, sugar, egg, baking powder, vanilla extract and sea salt. Add coconut flour and mix until combined. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes at room temperature.
  
• After 5 minutes, sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of arrowroot powder over dough and knead, using your hands until firm. If it is sticky or too wet, add another Tablespoon of arrowroot.
• Dust a clean rolling surface (or a parchment lined surface) with arrowroot and roll out dough, using a rolling pin, until it's about 1/4-1/3″ thick.
• Cut dough: Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes and place on cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are golden. Let cool for a few minutes on the sheet before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 
• Once cookies are cool you can frost and decorate them. To make homemade icing, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and almond milk (start with 1 teaspoon) in a small bowl. Whisk until all lumps of sugar have dissolved and icing is the thickness you desire. You don't want it to be super thick, but also don't want it to be too runny where it melts off the cookies. Frost cookies with icing and add sprinkles right away, before the icing has a chance to set.
• Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Video

Notes

• Adapted from my coconut flour cookies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie with icing | Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 144mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: coconut flour sugar cookies

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