Gluten-Free Holiday Sugar Cookies Recipe

Gluten-free sugar cookies are classic, vanilla-infused holiday sugar cookies made with gluten-free flour for a traditional treat sans wheat. These cookies can be baked into rounds or cut out into festive seasonal shapes and decorated with colorful toppings for holiday celebrations ranging from Valentine’s Day to Christmas. With a slightly crispy outside and soft, chewy center, these wheat-free cookies are a sweet treat people of all dietary preferences will enjoy.

While there is no shortage of gluten-free flour options available at any modern grocery store, for sugar cookies it’s best to utilize an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend or baking flour that has the words “measure for measure” or “one-to-one” in the name.

These gluten-free flour mixtures are made with a combination of alternative flours and binding ingredients such as tapioca flour, potato starch, rice flour, sorghum flour, and xanthan gum, and are specifically designed to replace traditional all-purpose flour in baked goods. Utilizing a single-ingredient flour, like coconut flour or almond flour, in these cookies is unlikely to provide proper binding for your dough.

This simple cookie recipe is one that bakers of all skill levels can pull off. These tips will help you create the best possible gluten-free cookies.

1. 1. Adjust for crumbliness. Depending on the type and brand of gluten-free flour used in this recipe, the dough has the potential to become extra crumbly. If you’re finding it difficult to form the dough or roll it out, add a tablespoon of water at a time until the dough is pliable enough to work with.
2. 2. Always chill the dough. Without proper time to chill, this crumbly cookie dough will be difficult to roll out and cut, and is likely to stick to the board and crack as you shape the cookies. Refrigerating the dough for a minimum of two hours will allow it to firm up, making for easier handling.
3. 3. Go gluten- and dairy-free. For a cookie that’s both gluten-free and vegan, substitute vegan butter and dairy-free milk (like almond milk or oat milk) for the unsalted butter and milk in this recipe, and replace the egg with a quarter cup of applesauce.
4. 4. Play around with ingredients. This simple cookie recipe is the perfect jumping-off point for a number of flavor combinations. Incorporate warm spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice for a fall-friendly cookie. Add extracts like almond extract, lemon extract, or peppermint extract to change the overall flavor of this classic confection. Or, swap a portion of the white sugar for brown sugar for a richer, more molasses-forward flavor.
5. 5. Have fun with decorations. These cookies make the perfect canvas for a slate of fun, festive holiday decorations. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into fun shapes, dress up the cookies with icing in a variety of colors, and garnish with sprinkles, edible glitter, candies, or crushed nuts.
6. 6. Make ahead and freeze. Raw sugar cookie dough will keep for up to two months when stored in a freezer-proof bag. Roll out the dough into slightly flattened disks and wrap them in plastic wrap before stacking and storing them in an airtight container in the freezer. When you’re ready to bake, allow the frozen dough to thaw at room temperature before rolling it out and shaping the cookies.