Gluten-Free Cut Out Sugar Cookies. Buttery, fluffy and lightly sweet. Perfect for Christmas cookies and other holiday shapes. The recipe also has a dairy-free option.
Gluten-Free Cut Out Sugar Cookies
I love making Christmas cookies with my kids! Every year we try a new cookie that will be fun for them to decorate. We have a Christmas cookie decorating party every year. My kids love to decorate Christmas cookies!
This year I decided I would try to make gluten-free cut-out sugar cookies. They are nice and fluffy but firm enough to firm so you can decorate them with icing without them falling apart on you. They are very much like the pre-made, refrigerated Pillsbury sugar cookie shapes you see in the grocery stores.
They are buttery, fluffy and lightly sweet. This gluten-free cookie dough holds its shape and does not spread out when you bake it. It’s perfect for Christmas cookies and other holiday shapes.
How To Make Gluten-Free Cut Out Sugar Cookies In A Few Easy Steps
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter, brown sugar and sugar together with a mixer. (photo 1)
- Beat in the egg, pure vanilla, and pure almond extract. (photo 2)
- In a medium bowl, add the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (leave out if your flour already has it), baking powder and stir to blend ingredients.
- Slowly pour flour mixture into the batter and mix until fully combined. The cookie dough will be like soft playdough. (photo 3)
- Cover cookie dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Do not skip this step! (photo 4)
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Sprinkle a tablespoon of powdered sugar on top of parchment paper. Roll one of the dough balls onto to about ¼″ thickness. While you are cutting out the first set of sugar cookies, place the second dough ball in the refrigerator. Cut the cookies out using a cookie cutter and place the shapes carefully on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Roll out the second dough ball and repeat the steps from above so you will have two cookie sheets of cutouts. (photo 5)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. If you like your cookies a little crunchier, bake for the full 12 minutes. Please watch your cookies because all ovens are different. (photo 6)
- Allow the cookies fully cool before icing them. If you just want to use sprinkles and not frost the cookies, add the sprinkles to the cookies before you bake them.
- Store in an air-tight container. Enjoy!
Pro Tips For Making Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- Make sure the butter is softened and mix the dough really well. Butter must be softened, but not melty. If there are pockets of butter, you’ll find them to melt during baking and cause the cookies to spread.
- Do not skip the step of refrigerating the dough, waiting for the dough to chill helps the sugar cookies keep their shape.
Gluten-Free Flour
These gluten-free cut out sugar cookies are made with a rice flour cup for cup blend. A cup for cup all-purpose gluten-free flour blend is one that already has xanthan gum it.
Most gluten-free all-purpose flour blends have xanthan gum already in them. The xanthan gum helps replace the elasticity and texture of gluten.
Make sure to check to see if the brand of gluten-free flour you are using has xanthan gum in it. If it does, do not add extra xanthan gum to the recipe or you will get gummy sugar cookies!
I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
Tip For Measuring Gluten-Free Flour
Gluten-free flour is different than traditional wheat flour. The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method.
I use a spoon to scoop the flour out of the bag and into the measuring cup. Then I use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.
Please do not scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup. If you do, you could end up with more flour than is called for in the recipe.
Also, use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (not a pyrex liquid measuring cup).
Dairy-Free Baking
I have also included a dairy-free option for the gluten-free sugar cookies. My husband, myself and youngest son are all dairy-free as well. I used Smart Balance butter for the dairy-free option.
So, now you too can enjoy a gluten-free and dairy-free sugar cookie. I promise that it is just as delicious dairy-free butter.
Some of my favorite dairy-free alternatives that I like to bake with are almond, cashew or coconut milk. I also like baking with coconut oil or Earth Balance or Smart Balance butter.
Sugar Cookie Icing
This sugar cookie recipe would work well with several types of frostings. You can decorate them with buttercream, royal icing, or even pre-made cookie icing (like me)! Just make sure your cookies are completely cooled before icing them.
I used the pre-made Wilton’s cookie icing that I bought at Walmart. It was super easy to use, and I just added food coloring to it.
If you wanted to just use sprinkles to decorate the cookies, just make sure you add the sprinkles before you bake them.
Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies
These gluten-free cut-out sugar cookies are a fun gluten-free Christmas recipe. It’s a classic cookie that everyone loves to decorate and eat!
More Gluten-Free Christmas Cookie Recipes For You To Try!
- Almond Spritz Cookies {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}
- Gluten-Free White Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies {Dairy-Free Option}
- Gluten-Free Christmas Sugar Blossom Cookies {Dairy-Free Option}
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Gluten-Free Cut Out Sugar Cookies {Dairy-Free Option}
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (butter must be softened, but not melty) dairy-free use Smart Balance butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar ,packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (leave out if your flour already has it)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour ,for rolling
- gluten-free cookie icing I used Wilton's cookie icing.
Instructions
- In a large bowl cream the butter, brown sugar and sugar together with a mixer.
- Beat in the egg, pure vanilla, and pure almond extract
- In a medium bowl add the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (leave out if your flour already has it) baking powder and stir to blend ingredients.
- Slowly pour flour mixture into the batter and mix until fully combined. The cookie dough will be like soft playdough.
- Cover cookie dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Sprinkle a tablespoon of gluten-free flour on top of parchment paper. Roll one of the dough balls onto to about ¼″ thickness. While you are cutting out the first set of sugar cookies place the second dough ball in the refrigerator. Cut the cookies out using a cookie cutter and place the shapes carefully on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Roll out the second dough ball and repeat the steps from above so you will have two cookie sheets of cutouts.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. If you like your cookies a little crispy bake for the full 12 minutes. Please watch your cookies because all ovens are different.
- Allow cookies to completely cool before icing. Enjoy!
- Store in an air-tight container.
Notes
- I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- I used Smart Balance butter for the dairy-free option.
- Make sure your cookies are completely cooled before icing them.
- I used Wilton's Cookie Icing.
- Store in an air-tight container.
Bee says
A great recipe! Used this for my NYE party and everyone loved it! Made so many scrumptious cookies my friends couldn’t believe they were GF. Thank you!
Katie says
Cookies were delicious! My kids enjoyed baking and decorating the Christmas cookies! We did the dairy free option and used plant butter. We plan to make more soon. Thank you for sharing.
Erika says
This dough is phenomenal! Even my nay-saying Mom who despises all things GF really enjoyed them!! My two substitutes (because that’s all I had) were Miyoko’s vegan plant-based butter and Marie’s Guilt free Bakery GF flour. I even rolled this dough into balls and dented to make thimble cookies and the dough held its own! Love, love, love this recipe!!!
Tiffany Bridgeman says
OMG perfect recipe! I used King Arthur flour because my story didn’t have Pillsbury. Substituted the almond extract with anise extract (because that’s what my grandmother used). So goood! Thank you!
Deb says
Truly unbelievably delicious! I’d have never known these were gluten- and dairy- free, but I made them so I know it to be! I couldn’t add the almond extract bc of a nut allergy as well, and I know that would have made them taste exactly as my typical recipe. “Mama” has done it again! You are a baking sensei!! Thank you for allowing my family to have delicious cookies on Christmas!
Rosette Rutman says
I’m in Canada and can’t get the Pillsbury GF flour – what other brand do you recommend? I can find Bob’s GF 1:1 easily but in my last cake substitution it came out very dry & usually it was a very moist cake. So looking forward to trying these for Hannukah beginning on DEc. 18th.
Audrey says
Hi Rosette! A lot of my Canadian readers use Robing Hood gluten-free flour successfully with my recipes. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour also works with my recipes.
lacey says
what can I used to substitute the egg?
Audrey says
Hi Lacey! I use Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer for egg-free baking.
Yvonne L Chapman says
Excellent cookie! Perfect for our gluten free family. Thank you!
Michelle says
These are great! They were easy to cut out and baked up well. Thank you so much!
Lelah Beckerle says
Perfect cookies!!! The first time I made them I followed recipe and brands to the tee and they turned out awesome. They were tasty and easy to cut out with kids no flour needed while doing so (not sticky dough after chilling). Warning * the second round of cookies I made a few days later ( the first cookies did not last long in this house ) I used a different butter and flour brand. It made a huge difference. Mama Knows what she is doing. Thanks you Mama Knows for helping our 2021 Christmas celebrations so tasty. We have had a slot of diets restrictions that last couple of years in our family and finding good recipes that compare to what we were used to is extremely hard. These cookies and your lasagna were huge hits this year at our house.
Sofia says
Easy and delicious. Made them for Christmas Eve cookie decorating with the family. Lots of compliments. I used Better Batter flour, lowered my oven to 370 because I think it runs hot. Tips: Move each cookie to the baking sheet as soon as it cut them out, When I tried to move them after cutting the whole batch, they were warm and soft enough to distort and get a little messed up. Don’t try to take them off the parchment when they are hot, even if you are in a hurry, or they will break.
Kristy says
These were easy to make and the cut out cookies turned out perfectly! I couldn’t believe it. They literally taste like regular, delicious sugar cookies – you’d never know they’re gluten free. This recipe is a keeper!
Sherrie says
Thank you! Easy to make and delicious. We’ve tried different recipes over the years but finally have a keeper. We used Miyoko’s vegan butter (expensive but worth it) and coconut sugar (didn’t have brown on hand)
Erica says
Just made these for the first time, dairy free version. I was looking for a cookie that wouldn’t change shape as it baked and this was exactly what I wanted. Flavor is good, shape held, overall it’s a win! Thanks for another great recipe!
Christina says
You just made me a superstar in my kids and husband eyes with this recipe and I can’t thank you enough. I have tried everything without any success and this year they get to enjoy cookies just like everyone else without paying the price or feeling dissapoint it. I trully appreciate the education on the flour differences as well….thank you, thank you! Merry Christmas 2021!!!
Audrey says
You just made my day Christina! Thank you so much. Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas as well!
Kathy says
Love this recipe! Always rolls out easy and tastes great. My husband, daughter and granddaughter are celiac and this is their favorite rollout sugar cookie. One of your many recipes I consistently use over and over again! Thank you!
Martha says
Great recipe! I loved the tip to roll out the dough between parchment paper sheets. Delicious cookies!
Sandra says
Made these gf and df.cut out sugar cookues and they turned out great. Put the cookie sheet with the unbaked cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking and they baked up great. Thank you for this great recipe.
Vicki Irwin says
I just tried this recipe for the first time and I have to say that these cookies taste even better than a non-gluten free recipe I’ve been using for years. They are so light, a little crispy/crunchy with a delicious flavor. Thank you so much!
LG says
I can ALWAYS count on your recipes. My daughter (celiac) had a school Halloween party with cookie decorating, and I was committed to making her fun and delicious GF cut-out cookies. These 100% fit the bill. They were sturdy enough to hold up to decorations, and wow were they tasty. Thank you for another winner!
Mary says
My daughter had to go gluten-free to help reduce seizures. Our family gets together once a month to decorate sugar cookies with royal icing. Your sugar cookie recipe is the best one we’ve found. I shared the link to your site with my family. Thank you for sharing and we are going to purchase your book.
Samantha says
I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure flour to make some Halfway to Halloween cookies with superb results! I thought the dough was going to be a tad dry, but the cookies are truly perfect. Didn’t have a whole tbsp of vanilla (maybe about a teaspoon) but with all of the butter (I used regular unsalted) and sugar (used light brown sugar), you don’t even notice. I may gobble up all these little tasty ghosts before I share them. 👻 Definitely will use this recipe in the future! Thank you!
Suzie Burkhart says
By far one of the best GF cookie recipes I’ve tried! Absolutely delicious!!! Thank you so much for sharing all your recipes! Have loved them all, but I think this is my favorite! I switched out the sugars for Monk Fruit and made them even lower calorie which is a win/win!!
Shawna says
I can finally use a cutout recipe that works every time.
Donna Zimmerman says
I have tried all the cookie recipes. Peanut butter cookies, peanut butter blossoms, sugar cut outs, chic. chip, snowballs. they are very delicious. My husband is celiac so my style of baking has changed.
Robin says
For a gluten/dairy free option was the egg completely eliminated?
Audrey says
Hi Robin. Eggs are not dairy products. Dairy products are made from the milk of mammals (like cows). Eggs are a product of chickens which are birds. I hope that clarifies the dairy-free option in my recipe. I have not tried my recipe egg-free.
Becca says
Loved these cookies! I’ve tried other gluten free cut out sugar cookie recipes before, but this is my favorite! We made these cookies at the same time as the gingerbread cookies, and I can say – these recipes will be the ones we use every year!
Jacque says
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, it reminds me so much of the one my mom used to make. My whole family, even gluten ones, like these and they aren’t even frosted yet!!
Kristina says
Perfect recipe, followed it exactly. Thank you!
Bonnie Lochry says
This recipe was flavorful and easy to make. The dough was easy to roll out and rolling them 1/4″ or more is important to prevent breakage. Be sure to let them cool before removing them from the cookie sheet. If they break royal icing acts like glue to fix them. I tried icing them using a cookie brush and sprinkling with sanding sugar which gave a pretty effect.
Kia says
Thank you, thank you! These are a crazy, ridiculous sugar cookies and my allergy sensitive family can enjoy them too!! Tthese are one of the BEST sugar cookies my family and I have every had and I still can’t believe they’re gluten free! I wanted to recognize this recipe because I so appreciate others reviews and I want to confirm that people looking for an epic sugar cookie recipe look no further you have found it! 🙂
My only question is can you freeze the dough or freeze the baked cookies?? Thanks again
Audrey says
Thank you so much for the awesome 5-star recipe review! Yes, you can easily freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies. I am so happy that your family enjoyed teh cookies!
Wendy says
Great roll out gluten Free sugar cookies Easy and very simple ingredients!!!Thanks
Beth Strot says
Fabulous recipe ! I needed to make cookies for a friend. Did a trial run, then the cookies for friend they turned out beautifully. I may have baked a minute too long, but the cookies held together and kept their shape. Thank you for sharing!!
Bo says
I have celiac, and live in New Zealand. We make visits to the U.S. periodically to see our family. One of my grandsons requested that he and I make gf cut out cookies. This is the recipe I decided to use after a search on the internet. They were a big hit with all of us. Rolled out nicely and tasted delicious! Thank you! Me thinks we will be making them again on another visit. 🙂
Audrey says
Thank you so much Bo for the wonderful 5-star recipe review, it really made my night! It really made my heart happy to hear that you could make cookies with your grandson and used my recipe. I am so happy that your whole family enjoyed the cookies and that you will be making them again. Thanks again!
Ashley says
I haven’t had sugar cookies in over 8 years. These are absolutely amazing! I shared then with friends who can eat gluten and dairy and they had no idea they were gluten and dairy free. Thanks for this awesome recipe.
Audrey says
Thank you so much Ashley for the awesome 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that the cookies were amazing and you can now enjoy sugar cookies again. Eight years is a long time to go with sugar cookies. I am glad to hear that your friends had no ideas they were gluten and dairy-free. You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family. Thanks again!
Elizabeth says
Have you tried freezing the dough? Thinking about saving some for a quick Christmas Eve cookie decorating. It’s so hard to find a good dairy and gluten free recipe that doesn’t have a ton of ingredients and that tastes good. Thank you!
Audrey says
Hi Elizabeth! I have not tried freezing the dough, but I have made the dough ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I hope you enjoy the sugar cookies!
Stephanie says
The best gf sugar cookie recipe I’ve made-and I’ve tried a lot. I always bake gf now since we learned 7 years ago that my daughter has an allergy. I used this recipe for baby shower cookies and they were delicious. Everyone thought they tasted like the regular cookies that I used to make.
Audrey says
Thank you so much for the amazing 5-star recipe review Stephanie! I am so happy that everyone enjoyed the sugar cookies and they are the best sugar cookie recipe. Especially since everyone thought they tasted like the regular cookies that you used to make. Thanks again, this really made my day!
Dawn Bambrick says
Very yummy and easy to make. My family LOVED them! My daughter was over yesterday looking around my kitchen and “innocently” asks, “Are you going to make more sugar cookies?” LOL When I told her today that I was making them to take on our Thanksgiving road trip her response was, “You’re the best, Mom.” Thanks for making me a star. 🙂
Audrey says
Thank you so much Dawn for the awesome 5-star recipe review, you really made my day! I am so happy that everyone LOVED the sugar cookies. You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family and helping others. I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks again!
Beth says
These were by FAR the tastiest and easiest gf/df roll out cookies Ive made!!! So simple and they taste AMAZING. they even held together and kept their shape while baking and decorating! They are definitely delicate (as is any gf baked good) but bravo to the author and thanks for the new family tradition!
Audrey says
Than you so much Beth for the awesome 5-star recipe review Beth, I am so happy that you enjoyed the sugar cookies and that they were amazing! I am so glad that they were easy to roll out and kept their shape when baking. It makes my heart so happy to hear here my recipe is a new family tradition. You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family. Thanks again!
Samantha says
These are the best Gluten Free sugar cookies! We use them for Christmas, birthdays, and fruit pizza! Yum
Audrey says
Thank you so much Samantha for the awesome 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoy the sugar cookies and that are the best gluten-free sugar cookies. I need to try to make fruit pizza, my kids would love that! Thanks again!
Kelly McGregor says
Hands down…best sugar cookie recipe I’ve ever made. Not just gf either, best ever! They were for my daughter’s class. She is gf so I try to be the one to bring the treat because then she can eat like everyone else. The Betty Crocker boded sugar cookies are good, but frail. These were perfect, delicious and held their share like none other! A class of first graders decorated them and they held up! You can’t ask for more than that. I printed this to make sure I can make them every year!!!
Audrey says
Thank you so much Kelly for the amazing recipe review! I can’t tell you how happy this makes my heart! I know how important it is to have your kids feel included, as I am also always having to bring the treats, not just for myself, but for little boys too. I am so happy to hear that everyone had fun decorating the cookie and enjoyed them. This really blessed me and made my night! Thank you again for kind words and encouragement.
Lisa says
These were delicious! We have a dairy allergy and nut allergy (we left out the almond extract) in our family, and we also do gluten free! This was a safe cookie for all of us to eat and it tastes just like the sugar cookies we made when I was growing up!
Audrey says
Thank you so much Lisa for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! This makes my heart so happy to hear! It means so much to me that your family enjoyed the cookies and could enjoy a safe cookie. This really made my day! Thank you again for sharing this with me.
Taraleigh says
Thank you for this great recipe. I am not a baker, so was hesitant to make these with my daughter, but I thought I would give it a whirl and hope for the best. The last sugar cookie’s I made just ran all over the cooking sheet and looked wretched, so I wasn’t really looking forward to the process. However, I was very pleasantly surprised and have bookmarked this recipe for future cookie making! The dough held together well. I used Namaste Organic Perfect Flour Blend as that’s what I had in the cupboard. It rolled well and held together well. Thank you so much for these great cookies and Merry Christmas!
Audrey says
Hi Tracy thank you so much for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! It makes my heart so happy to hear that you and your daughter enjoyed the sugar cookies. I have never tired Namaste Organic Perfect Flour Blend, but I will have to look for it. You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family. Wishing you a blessed Christmas. Thanks again!
McKenzie Balderrama says
Love this recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing! The flavors and texture were perfect!
Audrey says
Thank you so much McKenzie for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the sugar cookies. Thank you again!
Damenika Murdock says
I have tried more gluten free sugar cookie recipes than I care to mention, but suffice it to say that after ten years of failed cookies and disappointment I have finally found the perfect recipe!! These cookies are so wonderful I almost cried when I shared them with my kids. They have never had sugar cookies that tastes as they should. Thank you so much for this recipe!! You have fixed Christmas for our family!!
Audrey says
Thank you so much Damenika for the amazing 5-star recipe review, it really made my day! It makes my heart so happy that you and your kids enjoyed the sugar cookies and that you can enjoy them for Christmas. This is the whole reason I started my blog, was to help others by sharing the recipes I make for my family. Thank you for blessing me!
Nicole says
Sugar cookies are a “must make” over Christmas and yours are just too cute!
Audrey says
Thank you so much, Nicole! My kids had a lot of fun decorating and eating them.