These classic gluten-free sugar cookies are the BEST and easiest to make! They are vegan, sweetened with maple syrup, and are fun cut out cookies to enjoy plain or with icing! The perfect holiday cookie!
Why these gluten-free sugar cookies work
These easy sugar cookies are made with healthy ingredients and cater to most food allergies. They contain no gluten, no dairy, and no egg, and are made with coconut oil and natural sugar – perfect for anyone with Celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity.
Vegan gf sugar cookies are great for children to make because they can eat the edible cookie dough! Since they are egg-free, there is no worries about your little ones eating the raw cookie dough! I don’t know about you, but my children and I adore making vegan cookies because everyone can take nibbles of the dough without worrying about harmful bacteria from uncooked eggs. These gluten-free sugar cookies, along with this edible cookie dough recipe, are great for those memorable moments eating cookie dough batter together 😊.
Classic for the holidays! Make this cookie recipe with or without royal icing. This recipe includes a fantastic royal icing recipe used on my yogurt gluten-free cut out cookies, only without food coloring.
These gluten-free cookies are a great dessert to make for a cookie exchange or holiday party! Check out an example of a cookie party for kids here using this exact recipe. Just make them into your favorite fun holiday shapes!
What ingredients go into these cookies
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- coconut oil melted
- gluten-free flour
- tapioca flour
- baking powder
- Himalayan salt
- Icing and decorations (not shown)
How to make these sugar cookies from scratch
First measure the coconut oil in a 1 cup measuring cup (learn about measuring butter and coconut oil melted in ounces and cups here), then put it in a microwave safe glass bowl to melt. Melt the coconut oil and whisk it together with the maple syrup and vanilla. Then add the gluten-free flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and salt and mix to form a dough. The tapioca flour helps to bind the cookies and the coconut oil gives these gluten-free sugar cookies a buttery taste. If the coconut oil is too warm, chill the dough wrapped in plastic for 15-30 minutes until it hardens slightly and is able to roll out.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to form about ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough into fun shapes and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until set and let cool about 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
If adding icing, let these gluten-free sugar cookies cool completely before icing and decorating. To make the icing, in a small bowl whisk together the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of milk. If it is still to hard to mix, add up to 1 more tablespoon of milk. Transfer the icing to a sealable bag and with scissors, snip one of the corners to make a very small hole. Squeeze out the icing and add sprinkles for decorating. Let the icing set for about 20 minutes to harden.
Ways to use this recipe
- Dip half of a gluten-free sugar cookie in melted chocolate and sprinkle with pyramid salt.
- Turn the sugar cookie wafers into peanut butter sandwiches! Mix peanut butter with a drop of honey and spread in-between two cookies.
- Decorate the sugar cookies with royal icing.
- Add caramel in the center of two cookies then dip in melted white or milk chocolate and turn them into a chocolate covered caramel cookie!
TIPS
What if my gluten-free cookie dough is dry?
If the dough is dry, which can depend on what type of gluten-free flour mix/blend is used, add 1 tablespoon at a time of water. The dough should be more on the soft and moist side from the melted coconut oil. Chill slightly if needed to roll out without sticking. Chilling helps the coconut oil to harden slightly making the dough able to form into cut out shapes.
What is the best gluten-free flour to use in cookies?
I suggest using Bob’s Red Mil 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Mix or Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free Flour. It works best with the ratio of these ingredients. Often times, using a gluten-free mix that has a combination of quinoa flour, sorghum flour and flax meal lends a softer dough that becomes too liquid and not tough enough to roll out. Also make sure your gluten-free flour has xanthan gum in it which helps gluten-free cookies bind. If it does not have it, then add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the recipe.
Are these gluten-free sugar cookies soft or crispy?
Baking these gluten-free cookies 8 minutes lends a fluffier and softer cookie, and baking them for 10 minutes makes them more crispy.
Storing gluten-free cookies
Store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They are best enjoyed within 1-3 days.
If you make these gluten-free sugar cookies from Delightful Mom Food I would love to see your creations! Follow along with me on INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE and TWITTER to be featured and for more recipe inspiration! And don’t forget to rate the recipe in the recipe area and leave a comment below!
