Easy Gluten-free Cut Out Sugar Cookies

These easy-to-make gluten-free cutout sugar cookies have perfectly crisp edges and soft centers and hold up perfectly to decorate any way you like. Whether you're baking for a special occasion or want a delicious treat, these cookies are sure to impress.

These gluten-free cutout sugar cookies are some of my favorite types of cookies to make. Okay, besides gingerbread cookies around the holidays. However, I love these classic gluten-free sugar cookies because they can be made for any holiday, which makes them even more incredible in my book.

I have lost count of how many times I have made these cookies since I went gluten-free. Not to mention how many times it took to try until I got the recipe right. Don't worry; I did all the work for you now, so all you have to do is bake a batch and enjoy!

This is the gluten-free sugar cookie recipe everyone will love and won't even care if they are gluten-free, just like my chewy drop sugar cookies and molasses cookies.

Jump to:

• Why You'll LOVE These Cut-Out Sugar Cookies!
• Ingredients for Gluten-Free Cut-Out Cookies
• Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies
• Baking Tools For The Perfect Sugar Cookies
• How to Make Gluten-Free Christmas Sugar Cookies?
• How Thick Do You Roll the Sugar Cookies?
• Sugar Cookie Icing
• My Easy Royal Icing
• Soft and Fluffy Cookie Frosting
• Tips for Perfect Cut-Out Cookies
• When to Make These Cutout Sugar Cookies?
• How to Store & Freeze Sugar Cookies?
• More Gluten-free Cookies You'll Love
• 📖 Recipe

Why You'll LOVE These Cut-Out Sugar Cookies!

• Crisp edges and soft, thick centers.
• They have a sweet vanilla flavor, or you can mix it up. I love adding lemon extract when making them in the spring.
• They hold their shape when baked.
• The tops stay flat, so you can decorate them however you want to.
• They stay soft for days, that is, if you don't eat them all right away.
• The dough and the cookies freeze well, making it even easier to have them on hand for the perfect occasion.
• These cut-out sugar cookies are also grain-free!

Ingredients for Gluten-Free Cut-Out Cookies

• Cassava Flour: It is a versatile gluten-free alternative that adds a light and tender texture to the cookies.
•  Arrowroot Starch: It acts as a thickening agent and helps to bind the dough together, resulting in cookies that hold their shape well. 
•  Butter: Adds a rich and creamy flavor to your cookies.
•  Sugar: Gives the perfect amount of sweetness to balance out the flavors. 
•  Baking Soda: Helps the cookies to rise and gives them a slightly crisp texture.
•  Vanilla: Vanilla extract is a flavor booster that makes these gluten-free sugar cookies taste even better!
•  Egg: The egg is like the superhero that keeps your cookies from falling apart. It also makes them rich and moist, so every bite is yummy!
•  Salt: Brings out the flavors and balances the sweetness.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies

Instead of regular butter, use Earth Balance, which has no dairy. It's like a magical swap that makes the cookies taste just as delicious.

So, if you can't have gluten or dairy or want a tasty treat, try making these cookies with Earth Balance. They're easy to make, and everyone can enjoy them!

Baking Tools For The Perfect Sugar Cookies

• Mixer or Hand Mixer- It helps ensure the butter and sugar are creamed properly.
• Cookie Sheets
• Parchment Paper - For both rolling out the dough and baking.
• Decorating Supplies
  • Food Coloring - I like to use natural vegetable dyes.
  • Piping Bags/ Piping Tips - If you don't have these, don't worry. You can use a ziplock back and just cut the corner off.

How to Make Gluten-Free Christmas Sugar Cookies?

• Mix the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until it becomes light and fluffy.
• Add egg into the mix and pour in the vanilla extract. Blend them in to make the cookie dough.

• In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients - cassava flour, arrowroot starch, baking soda, and a pinch of salt.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and keep mixing until everything becomes smooth.
• Roll the dough into a big ball.

• Flatten the gluten-free sugar cookie dough with a rolling pin to your desired thickness. Then, pop it in the fridge to chill. This step helps your cookies keep their shape and taste amazing.
• Take out the chilled dough and have fun cutting it into various shapes using cookie cutters.

• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the cutout shapes to the baking sheet.
• Before baking, put your shaped cookies in the freezer for a bit.

• Time to bake these Christmas cookies!
• Once out of the oven, let the cookies cool completely. You can transfer them to a wire rack for cooling.
• Only once they are completely cooled, decorate them.

How Thick Do You Roll the Sugar Cookies?

Good sugar cookies are soft in the middle, which has much to do with how they are rolled out. I like to roll the dough until it is about ¼ inch thick or slightly under that. They are thicker, don't hold up to icing well without breaking, and tend to get more crispy.

Sugar Cookie Icing

My favorite icing on sugar cookies will always depend on what I do with them. I will use royal icing if I want to do detailed designs. I love using it because it dries fast and makes the cookies look fancy. I'll use my cookie frosting if I make icing for the kids to help decorate them. It still forms a shell on the top of the frosting, but it doesn't hold its shape as cleanly as royal icing. Either way, you can't go wrong.

My Easy Royal Icing

• 1 ½ cups powdered Sugar (I use Wholesome Brand as it's corn-free.)
• 1 Egg White
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
• Food Dyes, optional

1. Sift the powdered sugar and set aside.
2. Separate your egg and place the white into a separate bowl with the lemon juice.
3. Slowly add the powdered sugar to the mixture and slowly mix it.
4. Once the powdered sugar and egg mixture are thoroughly combined, you can decide on the texture.
5. If you want your icing thicker (piping, decorating), leave it thicker. If you want it thinner for flooding the cookies, add 1 teaspoon of water to the mixture until the desired consistency is reached. Don't worry if it gets thinner than you want. Add more powdered sugar, 1 TBS at a time, until you get it back.

Store the icing covered completely to keep it from drying until you can use it.

Soft and Fluffy Cookie Frosting

• ¼ Cup soft butter
• ¼ Cup Vegetable Shortening
• 3 ½ Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Vanilla
• Milk to desired consistency, starting with 1 ½ tablespoons.

1. Combine all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk till it comes together.
2. You can adjust the powdered sugar and milk amounts until you've reached your desired consistency.

Tips for Perfect Cut-Out Cookies

Creaming your butter and sugar: I know many recipes say it, but the butter and sugar must be creamed entirely, and the mixture must be fluffy before you continue to add the remaining ingredients.

Keep the dough cold: This dough freezes perfectly, and doing so at specific points improves the final product. This dough is soft, and therefore, it helps make it easier to handle without cracking your cookies.

Roll the dough and chill in rolled out: This is probably backward from most recipes, but there is a reason for this. When you roll the dough and then chill, you can get a cleaner cut on the cutters.

Chill the cut dough again before you bake the cookies: You're probably thinking, but we just chilled the dough to cut them. Trust me; if you want these cookies to bake perfectly into the shapes, you want to freeze the shapes again. Ensure they are hard before putting them directly into the oven to bake. I like to let mine sit 30 -45 minutes in the freezer before baking them.

Do NOT overbake the cookies: Even from frozen, these cookies bake no more than 10-12 minutes (depending on size). I always start to check on my cookies about 8 minutes into baking. You want to look for a very slight bit of color on the bottom edges of the cookies, and the dough should look matte.

When to Make These Cutout Sugar Cookies?

Is there a wrong time to have an excuse to make cutout sugar cookies? I make them for all the holidays, birthdays, and every occasion that calls for a pretty and delicious cookie!

How to Store & Freeze Sugar Cookies?

• Plain or decorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Ensure the icing is completely dry and set before freezing, and layer them between parchment paper layers in a freezer-friendly container.
• Freeze raw dough (in a disc) for up to 3 months. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, allow the dough to sit in the fridge or at room temperature until you can easily roll it out, and then treat it as if it was fresh.
• If eating, you can leave them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

More Gluten-free Cookies You'll Love

📖 Recipe