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These easy-to-make gluten-free cutout sugar cookies have perfectly crisp edges, and soft centers and hold up perfectly for you to decorate any way you like.
These gluten-free cutout sugar cookies are probably 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!
These are the sugar cookies that everyone will love and won't even care they are gluten-free.
Why You'll LOVE These Sugar Cookies!
- Crisp edges and soft, thick centers.
- They have a sweet vanilla flavor, or you can mix it up. I love to add lemon extract when I am 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 both freeze well, making it even easier to have them on hand for the perfect occasion.
Shopping List
- Cassava Flour
- Arrowroot Starch
- Butter
- Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Vanilla
- Egg
- Salt
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Tips and Tricks
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.
This dough freezes perfectly, and doing so at specific points actually improves the final product. This dough is soft, and therefore it helps make it easier to handle without cracking your cookies.
This is probably backward from most recipes, but there is a reason for this. When you roll the dough first and then chill, you can get a cleaner cut on the cutters.
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. Make sure they are hard before putting them directly into the oven to bake. I like to let mine sit about 30 -45 minutes in the freezer before baking them.
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.
Let's get baking!
- Cream the butter and sugar.
- Add the egg and vanilla.
- Mix in the remaining dry ingredients.
- Form a ball of dough.
- Roll out and chill the dough.
- Cut the cookies into desired shapes.
- Chill the shapes.
- Bake the cookies.
- Let cool, decorate and enjoy!
How Thick Do You Roll the Sugar Cookies?
Good sugar cookies are soft in the middle, which has a lot to do with how they are rolled out. I Like to roll the dough till about ¼ inch thick or just slightly under that. Any thicker, and they don't hold up to icing well without breaking, and any less, and they tend to get more crispy.
Sugar Cookie Icing
My favorite icing to use on sugar cookies will always depend on what I am doing 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 a bit fancy. I'll use my cookie frosting if I just 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 does. Either way, you can't go wrong.
My Easy Royal Icing
- 1 ½ Cup Powdered Sugar (I use Wholesome Brand as it's corn free.)
- 1 Egg White
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
- Food Dyes, optional
- Sift the powdered sugar and set aside.
- Separate your egg and place the white into a separate bowl with the lemon juice.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar to the mixture and slowly start to mix it.
- Once the powdered sugar and egg mixture are thoroughly combined, you can decide on the texture.
- If you want your icing thicker (piping, decorating), leave it thicker. If you want it thinner for flooding the cookies, then add 1 teaspoon of water at a time to the mixture until the desired consistency is reached. Don't worry if it gets thinner than you want. Just add more powdered sugar 1 TBS at a time till you get it back.
Store the icing covered completely to keep it from drying out until you are ready to use it.
Soft and Fluffy Cookie Frosting
- ¼ Cup Butter Soft
- ¼ Cup Vegetable Shortening
- 3 ½ Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Vanilla
- Milk to desired consistency starting with 1 ½ tablespoons.
- Combine all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk till it comes together.
- You can adjust the amounts of powdered sugar and milk until you've reached your desired consistency.
Baking Tools For The Perfect Sugar Cookies
- Mixer or Hand Mixer - It helps to make sure 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 like these when I buy them.
- 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.
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!
Storage Tips
- 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 in between layers of parchment paper 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 Cookies You Might Love
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies (Copycat Thin Mints)
Easy 5 Ingredient Meringue Cookies
Gluten-free Oatmeal Cream Pies
Gluten-free Chewy Sugar Cookies
Easy Cutout Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 C Butter soft
- 1 C Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 C Cassava Flour 240 G
- ⅔ C Arrowroot Starch
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Cream the butter and the sugar until thoroughly combined and the mixture is light and fluffy.1 C Butter, 1 C Sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix just until combined.1 Large Egg, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Measure and sift the flours with the baking soda and salt, and then add them to mixture.2 C Cassava Flour, ⅔ C Arrowroot Starch, ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Divide the dough into two pieces and then place half of the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it is about ¼ inch thick. Repeat with the other half.
- Freeze the rolled out dough (covered) for about 20-30 munites or up to 2 days.
- Once the dough has been chilled, remove it from the freezer and cut into desired shapes.
- Place the cut cookies back onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place them back into the freezer to harden again about 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake the cookies for about 8-12 minutes, depending on size. (see note above).
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the tray.
- Once cooled, decorate as desired and enjoy!
Notes
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #grainfreetable or @grainfreetable on Instagram. I'd love to see what you come up with!
Originally Posted 04/4/2020
Kaitlin says
Thanks for all the great tips! They came out wonderful.
Sara Vaughn says
So glad you liked them!
Jere Cassidy says
I bought cassava flour on a whim but have never used it so I am glad to find your cookie recipe so I can give this flour a try. I love how you decorated the cookies, so cute and simple.
Sara Vaughn says
The trick is to weigh the cassava flour (why the weight is listed). It settles. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Brianna says
Made these cookies for a few friends who are gluten free and they loved them! Such great flavor.
Addie says
These cookies are so fun to make and decorate! They have a great texture!
Agnieszka says
I love this recipe - the mix of cassava and arrowroot is really a winning combo.