The Best Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies (with Dairy-Free Option)

Create joyful holiday memories by making these fun and festive Gluten-Free Sugar Cut-Out Cookies. We’ll show you how to make easy gluten-free sugar cookie dough that’s simple to roll out, bakes to soft cookie perfection, and includes a simple white icing to pipe around the edges. Whether it’s a fun holiday project with the kids, a festive gift for others, or a cookie exchange, these classic, timeless cookies will bring the holiday cheer!

Sugar cookies made gluten-free

We’re so happy to be sharing our holiday cookie recipe for Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies with you. We’ve tested and re-tested this recipe to ensure it will be fail-proof and delicious every time! Using an easy-to-find one-to-one gluten-free flour blend mixed with a few other pantry staples, you’ll have these roll out cookies ready for baking in no time. A beautiful addition to any holiday cookie tray.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies for the cookie tray

Sugar Cookies cut into simple shapes like snowflakes, Christmas trees, stockings, and stars add a classic touch to your holiday cookie tray. To make them nice and simple (no special icing equipment needed), we’ve included an easy homemade frosting that you pipe around the edges of each cut out. This simple piping effect on our Gluten-Free Sugar Cut-Out Cookies will may look like you’ve spent hours decorating, but the truth is that it takes just minutes to decorate a whole batch.

Ingredients for Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

With a few simple pantry staples, these soft and delicious sugar cookies will be baking in no time. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Butter – we recommended using unsalted butter for this recipe (and for most baked goods, so you can control the amount of salt). If using salted butter, omit the added salt. For dairy-free cookies, use plant-based or vegan stick butter
• Egg
• Vanilla extract – use pure vanilla extract, such as this one from Thrive Market
• Sugar – we recommend using pure cane sugar for this recipe
• Gluten-free flour – we recommend using Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour; you can also use unbleached all-purpose flour if you don’t need apple pie that’s gluten free
• Baking powder
• Fine salt

Ingredients for piping Frosting:

• Powdered sugar – 1 cup of powdered sugar is needed for the frosting, we like the Wholesome Organic brand, available at Thrive Market
• Butter – unsalted butter or, for dairy-free cookies, choose a plant-based stick butter
• Heavy whipping cream – or, for dairy-free, use coconut cream (the thick cream at the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk)
• Vanilla extract – use pure vanilla extract, such as this one from Thrive Market
• Coarse sugar or sanding sugar – if desired, sprinkle coarse sugar over the piped frosting to create a sparkling effect

How to make Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

Here are the four basic steps it takes to make gluten-free sugar cut-out cookies.

1. Mix the dough: In a mixing bowl cream together the butter, egg, vanilla, 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 for 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 your hands. Sprinkle dough with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll 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 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.

How to make the Piping frosting

This piping frosting is a simple powdered sugar frosting that’s easy to make.

1. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, softened butter, heavy cream, and vanilla. Using a spoon or a hand mixer on the lowest setting, gently begin to whip the frosting until it’s creamy.
2. If the frosting is too thin for piping, 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, add more cream (1 teaspoon at a time) until the right consistency is reached.

Tips to pipe frosting onto sugar cookies

If you have a piping bag and tip, add the frosting to the bag and begin piping. If you don’t have a piping bag, don’t fret. Instead, spoon the whipped frosting into a zip-top disposable bag, press all air from the bag, and close the top. Using a pair of scissors to snip one small corner off the bottom corner of the bag. Pipe the frosting by slowly squeezing the bag of frosting onto each cookie. If desired, sprinkle coarse sugar (also called sanding sugar) over the icing before it hardens. Gently shake each cookie to remove excess sugar.

How to store Baked Sugar Cookie Cut outs

Store the cooled and unfrosted cookies in a covered container stacked with parchment between the layers of cookies. Keep them at room temperature for up to 5 days for optimal freshness. If the cookies are already frosted, it helps to store them in a single layer (not stacked) to maintain the look of the piped frosting.

Can I freeze Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies?

Yes! These Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies are freezer-friendly. Place the fully cooled and unfrosted cookies in a freezer container or bag and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Frost after thawing.

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

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