The Best Sugar Cookies
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
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose gluten-free flour with xanthum gum we used GF Jules - affiliate link
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup cane sugar plus 1/3 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 2 1/2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Colored sugar for decorating optional
Instructions
Make dough
- If using flax egg and you haven't already made it, mix 1 tablespoon flax meal with 2 1/2 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 1 1/4 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.
Roll, Decorate and Bake
- After 30 minutes, Preheat oven to 350 degree F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place 1/3 cup sugar into a shallow bowl.
- Divide dough into 24* equal parts(about 1 1/2 tablespoon each).
- 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 1/2 inch thick.
- Sprinkle with colored sprinkles if using. And gently use the back of the measuring cup to tap down on sprinkles once or twice. This will help them set into the cookie.
- 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.
- Cookies freeze well.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!
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.
These cookies are SO GOOD! My non-gluten free household members devoured them. They were easy to make and can be decorated so many ways.
Thank you!! So happy you love them as much as we do! And we too love that switching up the sprinkles makes them perfect for any holiday or occasion!
We just made these for Easter cookies. So good! Thank you!
Great! So happy you love them too!
Soo happy with these! They will be added into my cookie rotation!
Great! They are a good one all year round! And they freeze well too!
These cookies are amazing! You can’t even tell they are gluten free. They taste great and have a nice texture! Will definitely be making these often.
Thanks Nicolle! So happy you love them!
Do you think these would work as cut out cookies for decorating or do you happen to have a recipe for some? I’m a huge GF Jules flour fan and love to find how others are cooking/baking with it!?
Great question! I love this dough and the cookie flavor so much, but I’m not sure it will roll… you could probably play with it and make some small shapes after pressing it down with the measuring cup though… Attaching the link to our roll out sugar cookie dough. These are a labor of love because the dough makes so many cookies, so you may want to cut in half… https://www.healthygffamily.com/recipe/sugar-cookies/
My daughter and I have been searching for a GF sugar cookie recipe and this recipe will be on repeat in our house! A perfect combination of crispy and chewy and we love that we will be able to change up the sugar sprinkles for different holidays and events.
DELICIOUS! My son who isn’t gluten free asked me to make these sugar cookies over the regular sugar cookies. Simple to make. Too easy to finish off in one sitting!
Aw, love it! Happy you love them too! And they are easy to finish off — luckily they are easy to make too!
My grandkids and I made these sugar cookies today and they came out amazing. Kids love them, my husband and son loved them. No one knew they were gluten free and so easy to make. We had a blast baking them.
Happy you loved them and found the recipe easy! Thank you!
I love these sugar cookies and have made them several times. Any idea if they can be made without almond flour? I just had a request for gluten and NUT free cookies for a school event.
First, happy you love them! I haven’t made them without the almond flour but it should work fine — the texture might be a little more cake-y but still good! Let me know if you try it.