The Best Sugar Cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A gluten-free sugar cookie never tasted so good! Crispy edges, chewy center, rolled in sugar and perfect anytime! Easy, Gluten-Free, Egg-Free and Dairy Free optional and YUMMY! Recipe from America's Test Kitchen with adaptions for dairy free and egg free. The version we make most often is with flax egg, dairy free butter and regular cream cheese. Prep Time includes 30 minutes resting the dough. Active Prep Time:15 minutes
Author: Healthy Gluten-Free Family
Recipe type: Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Egg Free Optional
Serves: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup all purpose gluten-free flour with xanthum gum (we used GF Jules - affiliate link)
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cup cane sugar (plus ⅓ cup or less for rolling)
- 3 ounces cream cheese or dairy free cream cheese, softened and cut into 8 pieces
- 8 tablespoons butter or dairy free butter, melted and still warm
- 1 large egg or flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal and 2½ tablespoon water)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Colored sugar for decorating, optional
Instructions
- If using flax egg and you haven't already made it, mix 1 tablespoon flax meal with 2½ tablespoon water and let sit 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1¼ cup sugar and cream cheese. Pour melted butter over the sugar and cream cheese and using the whisk attachment, whisk to combine. (some lumps in cream cheese may remain but will smooth out later).
- Whisk in egg or flax egg and vanilla and combine until smooth.
- Add flour mixture and using the paddle attachment or stirring by hand, mix dry and wet ingredients together until a soft dough forms.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, Preheat oven to 350 degree F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place ⅓ cup sugar into a shallow bowl.
- Divide dough into 24* equal parts(about 1½ tablespoon each). *NOTE: if decorating with letters, you may have to make cookies bigger depending on the size of your letters. I made 18 cookies when decorating with letters.
- Roll each portion into a ball.
- One at a time, roll each ball in the bowl of sugar then place back on baking sheet.
- Using the bottom of a measuring cup, gently press down each ball to be about ½ inch thick.
- Sprinkle with the remaining sugar if desired.
If adding letters with colored sugar
- Create a letter cutout using a piece of paper, stencils or pre made letters from an art shop.(we purchased ours at Michaels a while back). See photo in blog post above.
- Place Letter cut out over the flattened and sugared cookie. Sprinkle the colored sugar into the cut out letter. Carefully remove cut out and fill in with additional sprinkles as needed.
Bake on the middle rack, one at a time if you have that option, for 10-12 minutes.
- Cool and Enjoy!
- Store in air tight container.
- TIP: If decorating with colored sprinkles for lettering, be careful when transporting so sprinkles to fall off.
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Help!! I really want to try these delicious looking cookies, but I hate cream cheese. Yes, I can taste it in any recipe. Can I substitute something else for the cream cheese? Thank you!
Hi! Great question… no, you can’t taste the cream cheese at all… there is just 3 tablespoons for the 24 cookies so the cream cheese just give it a richness in texture and flavor but you don’t taste the cream cheese. I’ve never made it with anything else so I don’t have a good substitution at this time. Let me know if you try.