Soft & Tender Gluten-Free Cut-Out Cookies |Perfect for Decorating|
These Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies are soft, tender, and genuinely melt-in-your-mouth, exactly what a good cut-out cookie should be. They roll out beautifully, hold their shape in the oven, and don’t have the dry, gritty texture that so many gluten-free cookies struggle with.
THE SECRET TO SOFT, TENDER GLUTEN-FREE COOKIES
- Easy measure-for-measure flour blend – I use ready-to-use King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour mix straight from the bag. No need to combine individual flours or starches.
- No gritty texture – I want your cookies to have a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and so please don’t skip this step – let the dough rest. Chilling the dough for several hours allows the gluten-free flour and starch to fully hydrate, resulting in a smoother dough and more delicate cookies.
- Keep the dough moist – I use a small amount of honey, agave, or invert sugar in the recipe. They are all hygroscopic and help keep the cookies soft and tender without adding noticeable flavor.
- Cookies hold their shape beautifully – Using starch in the dough and proper dough hydration makes the dough easy to roll out, cut cleanly, and keep their shape during baking, making them perfect for decorated cookies
INGREDIENTS
To keep things simple and approachable, I use a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend. From there, it really comes down to a few key techniques: proper hydration of dry ingredients, gentle mixing, and a small amount of honey or invert sugar syrup – to keep the cookies soft, moist, and free of that sandy, crumbly texture.
GLUTEN-FREE COOKIE DOUGH
Gather all the ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, honey, vanilla, and almond extract. If you don’t have almond extract or you don’t like it, use vanilla or lemon extract instead. Into a medium-sized bowl, sift Gluten-Free Flour Mix, starch, baking powder, and salt.
Cream room-temperature butter with sugar until fluffy. It takes about 2-3 minutes. Gradually beat in egg mixture-honey mixture. Beat until well combined, another 1-2 minutes. Then, at low speed, in 3 additions, beat in the flour mixture. Once the dough is moist throughout, continue beating for another 20 seconds.
REST THE DOUGH
Gather the dough for the best gluten-free cookies into a ball. Flatten it into a disk and wrap it in clear plastic wrap. Be sure to chill the dough for at least 4 hours. I prefer to let it rest overnight, even for up to 2 days. Resting gluten-free cookie dough is very important for achieving tender cookies without a gritty feel.
ROLL – CUT OUT – CHILL – BAKE
Lightly dust your work surface with potato starch or corn starch. Roll the cookie dough ¼ inch thick and cut out desired shapes. I used a medium-sized cutter, about 2.5-3 inches. Transfer cookies onto a baking sheet and chill for 10 minutes to help avoid excessive spreading during baking.
Bake cookies in the preheated oven at 335°F (170°C) for 10 minutes. Bottoms should be lightly browned and the edges a little crispy. Cookies, when hot, are delicate to handle, so let cookies cool for 5 minutes on a baking sheet. And then I always use a cookie spatula to transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack to let them cool completely.
SUCCESS BAKING TIPS
- dry and gritty cookies
- why are my cookies crumbly the next day?
- how big can I make gluten-free cut out cookies?
- my cookies are spreading
- why gluten-free cookie dough turns tough or gummy
- cookie dough is falling apart; it is crumbly. How to fix it?
- what flour to use for gluten-free cut-out cookies
- how to make these cookies vegan and gluten-free
Dry and gritty cookies
- Rest the dough – I always let the dough rest so the gluten-free flour and starch has time to fully hydrate and the flavors can meld together, yielding cookies with a smooth texture.
- The moisture trick – I also like to add a small amount of honey or invert sugar syrup. These ingredients naturally attract and retain moisture, helping keep the cookies soft for longer.
Why are my cookies crumbly the next day?
Gluten-free cookies tend to dry out very quickly. Use honey or inverted sugar syrup to help you extend their shelf life.
How big can make gluten-free cut out cookies?
I prefer to stick with standard size 3-4 inches or smaller. Since gluten-free cookies lack structural stability, cookies larger than 4 inches can easily break when handled.
My cookies are spreading
Using starch in the cookie dough and letting the cut-out chill before baking helps prevent cookies from spreading.
Why gluten-free cookie dough turns tough or gummy
Don’t overmix cookie dough. Most gluten-free mixes contain Xanthan Gum. Cookie dough made with a flour blend containing xanthan gum, when over-mixed, will become very tough and elastic-like. Overmixed gluten-free cookie dough will stretch when pulled apart.
Cookie dough is falling apart; it is crumbly. How to fix it?
If the dough is falling apart, it needs more moisture. Start by adjusting the moisture gradually.
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk.
- For a richer option, mix in an extra egg yolk, or even just half a yolk to begin with.
- Add extra extract or baking emulsion.
- Or use 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice; it helps to tenderize the flour.
What flour to use for gluten-free cut-out cookies
I use Gluten-Free measure-for-measure flour. If you can’t find a ready-to-use flour blend, you can also make your own Gluten-Free Flour Blend via Minimalist Baker.
How to make these cookies vegan and gluten-free
I suggest using a gluten-free flour blend in my Vegan Sugar Cookie Recipe.
DECORATE WITH ROYAL ICING
I also wanted to show you an easy dipping method for decorating the cookies. This simple yet effective technique creates beautifully smooth cookies in just minutes. You can use royal icing, vegan icing (eggless), or a simple glaze (eggless, with corn syrup) to achieve a clean, glossy finish.
Things you need
- My Favorite Cookie Decorating Tools
- Cookie Cutters
- Food Colors
- Needle Tool
- Spray Bottle – to thin royal icing
How to dip cookies in icing
- Thin royal icing to 10-second consistency royal icing. Divide the icing into bowls.
- Color icing with gel food colors. I mixed two shades of pink and white icing.
- Cover the icing with a damp kitchen towel and sit for 10 minutes. This time allows air bubbles formed during mixing to float to the surface.
- Use a toothpick to pop the air bubbles.
- Or bang the bowl with the icing on the counter and watch the bubbles pop.
- Be sure to cover the bowl with a damp towel to prevent the icing from crusting.
- To white 10-second consistency royal icing, add contrasting colors. I used light and deep pink.
- Use a toothpick to swirl the colors.
- Hold the cookie by the edges, turn it upside down, and let the cookie touch the icing.
- Gently wobble the cookie or turn it gently. This ensures that icing touches the edges and covers the whole surface of the cookie.
- Carefully lift the cookie from the icing. At first, there is a slight resistance; this is normal.
- Move the cookie above the icing surface, and let the icing drip off the cookie for a few moments.
- Then, turn it over, place it on a flat, firm surface, and shake it gently to smooth the icing.
- If you see any bubbles on the surface, pop them with a needle tool.
- Let the icing dry.
Gluten-Free Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup Gluten-Free King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure 150 grams
- 1/4 cup potato starch or gluten-free cornstarch 30 grams
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 6 tbsp room temperature unsalted butter 85 grams
- ½ cup sugar 100 grams
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Whisk together GF flour(1 ¼ cup, 150 grams ), potato starch(1/4cup, 30 grams), baking powder(1/4tsp) and salt(1/8tsp). Set aside.
- In a small dish, whisk together egg (1), honey (1 tablespoon), vanilla extract(1 ½ teaspoons ), and almond extract (1/2 teaspoon).
- In a bowl, cream room-temperature butter (6 tablespoons, 85 grams) and sugar(1/2 cup, 100 grams) until pale in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Gradually beat wet ingredients into the butter mixture. Beat well. About 2 minutes.
- In 3 additions beat in dry ingredients. Once dough is moisten through, beat for an additional 20 seconds.
Chill – Important
- Gather the dough into a ball and flatten it into a disk. Wrap in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 8 hours. (minimum 4 hours and up to overnight)
Cut Out Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 335°F (170℃). Roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment or use a Silicone Mat.Dust your work surface with a little bit of potato starch. Using ¼ inch rolling guides, roll out the dough. Cut out shapes and transfer them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake
- Chill the cookies for 10 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer cookies onto a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Decorate with icing as desired.
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Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
Do high altitude adjustments work in your gluten free recipe?
In your standard recipe I add 2tsp beaten egg, no baking powder, and bake at 25 degrees hotter and they come out perfect at 7,000 feet.
Hi Bronwen,
thank you so much for your recommendations. It’s much appreciated.
Happy Fall!
Hi! Can I freeze the cookies once baked?
Hi Jessica,
yes, you can freeze the cookies.
Can I freeze this dough in a roll, and then slice and bake instead of rolling out? Thank you!
Hi Joan,
I don’t see why not, though I haven’t tried it myself.
It’s something I need to try and test to be 100 % sure.
Hani
Hi Hani,
I watch your lives all the time.
I recently made gluten free by just changing out the flour the dough was very easy to work with and baked nicely, but as they cooled became flaky on top and seemed very fragile. Does the resting and /honey help with this? I decided decorate the smooth bottom side. And put some royal icing on the other side to lend support, but it will be extra sweet.
Hi Tonya,
Resting allows for proper flour hydration resulting in more desirable texture, usually gluten-free cookies have sand like texture, not very
appetizing, proper hydration helps with this. Honey is naturally hygroscopic ( you can also use invert sugar syrup) it draws moisture from air, keeping the cookies moist for a little longer.
Can you freeze this dough? If so, for how many days or weeks?
Apologies if this is a question you’ve answered before. I am unable to find it.
Hi Carla,
I suggest rolling it out into small sheets, freezing it on a tray, and then wrapping in food wrap and freezing it in Ziploc bags for up to 2-3 months.
Is it necessary to use honey in this recipe? I’m not a fan of honey.
You can use agave.
Hello! I am planning to make these for use in a cookie decorating class, but some of the cookies are larger like 5″ across and maybe 3″ wide rectangular shape. Is there a reason it says not to do over 3.25″ size? I have read on other blogs that gluten free browns faster and cooks through more slowly so you use lower temp & longer cooking time. Would that work here as well you think? Or do they simply not bake through if they are too large? For example if I dropped it to 325 or 315 and baked it longer? Thanks for any thoughts!
Hi Lora,
I think at the time of my testing larger cookies were too dry when I made them larger. Maybe it’s just my own. You can definitely experiment with a different temperature and bake them for a a little longer.
Can you use a flax egg in place of a regular egg if you have an allergy to eggs?
Hi Kate,
I haven’t tried it with this recipe but if you look at my Vegan Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe, one
of the commenters mentioned they used the Vegan Cut-Out Recipe with Pamela’s Artisan GF flour successfully to make a vegan and gluten-free version.
Would Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour work? Or Namaste gluten free? Those are the only ones I have.
Hi Jody, I think Bob’s Red Mill should work just fine. Thank you.
Hi Haniela,
Can I substitute the sugar for something else, like coconut sugar?
Hi Joanna,
I haven’t tried it myself, so it’s hard for me to say if the results will be the same. Cookies might be slightly different.
BEST gluten free sugar cookies I’ve ever baked. They came out soft and chewy and possibly better than the regular sugar cookies I made using gluten. Will use this recipe forever!
Hi Briana,
so happy to hear you like them. It made my day. THank you so much. Enjoy your day.