A few months ago I started receiving requests for decorated gluten free sugar cookies. I looked up recipes and tried a few but the taste varied too far from my own regular vanilla bean sugar cookie and they all required different types of Gluten Free flour. I wanted to create a gluten free sugar cookie that I could call my own, one that didn’t call for two or three types of flour and one that my customers would love. According to my customers, I have succeeded. Given that those who have tasted this recipe have given me feedback like *delicious*, *addictive* and *you can’t even tell it’s gluten free*, I thought that I would share my recipe with all of you.
I hope anyone who suffers from Celiac Disease but loves a good sugar cookie every once in awhile will try this recipe and perhaps even bake some cookies for family and friends. For those cookie bakers/decorators who have been asked by their customers for free cookies, feel free to bake a batch using this recipe and see what your clients think. Oh, and by the way…you don’t have to be gluten intolerant to enjoy these cookies.
As always, I use cold butter so I don’t chill my dough. If you are more comfortable rolling chilled dough, then by all means put it in the fridge for a little while. I always roll my dough between sheets of parchment paper and if you are going to flour your rolling surface, be sure to use gluten free flour.
Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
1 cup of cold butter cut into cubes
1 cup of Organic Cane Sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon of pure almond extract (McCormick’s/Club House is Gluten Free)
3 cups of Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon of Gluten Free Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum (helps add volume and viscosity to GF baked goods, rule of thumb, 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum per 1 cup of gluten free flour)
Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder and xanthan gum in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Add beaten egg, vanilla bean paste, pure almond extract and mix until well combined. With mixer set on low (2nd speed) gradually add flour mixture, one cup at a time until combined. Continue with mixer on lower speed until batter begins to come away from sides of bowl. Scrape down bowl and gather batter to form into a ball. Divide for rolling as per your preference and roll between two sheets of parchment paper with bottom sheet lightly floured with Gluten Free Flour. Dip cookie cutters into Gluten Free Flour prior to cutting through dough.
Place cut cookies on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 350° until edges turn golden. Let cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Decorate with royal icing made with Gluten Free Icing Sugar when completely cooled. (note: Redpath brand icing sugar is gluten free)
A Few Tips When Preparing Gluten Free Baked Goods:
- When baking Gluten Free products, it is very important that no cross-contamination occurs between your regular baking ingredients and your GF ingredients.
- It is best to keep all your GF ingredients stored separately and away from your regular baking ingredients. Giving them their own cupboard (not just their own shelf) is a good idea.
- If you don’t have cookie sheets, cutters, beaters and utensils dedicated for GF baking only, be sure to wash all thoroughly prior to preparing your GF baked goods. Soaking all sheets, cutters, utensils etc., in boiling water prior to using for GF baking is an extra precaution but a good one.
- Some bakers reuse their parchment sheets for more than one batch of cookies. If your parchment sheets have been used to bake regular non-GF cookies on them, remember to use new parchment sheets for your GF cookies.
So, how do the Gluten Free Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies stand up to being decorated with royal icing?
Very Well!
And the taste? We’ll here’s a shot of a comment I received from Jen who recently ordered them for her sister.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
These sound great…I’ve been asked by would-be customers about a gluten free cookie, and so I’m very excited about trying yours.(would be better for me and the fam, too) Thanks very much for sharing with us!!
Sharon @ the Plaid Cookie
I will most definitely give these a try, Paula! Extremely generous of you to share your recipe with.
Thank you so much for this recipe! My daughter has been gluten free since July and I have yet to find a sugar cookie recipe that holds it shape and actually looks like a sugar cookie. These cook perfect!!!
Fantastic! I use Cup4Cup gluten free flour. I can’t wait to try your recipe.
I’ve never done any gluten-free baking, but I have heard it is quite the challenge! It sounds like you have created the perfect gluten-free sugar cookie!
Great Work!! I’m pinning this for later, I know lots of people who would love to have some sugar cookies but have gluten allergies.
Awesome, Paula! Thanks so much for sharing this gluten free recipe with us!
that is great, I had to make a gluten free cake once and it was so hard to find a good recipe, but man it tasted great so I know it can be done:)
Wow! I never knew about that shop! Do they have an actual store front in Perth? I know a couple of people who can’t do gluten. Thanks for pointing me to them. The cookies look great.
Nice that you shared your recipe here. When I was doing cookies, I started getting requests for GF cookies but had to tell people that I couldn’t make a good one. I’m sure you put a lot of work into your recipe to make them taste just as good as your regular sugar cookies. From your picture, it looks like they cut and bake perfectly too
It’s great to have a good GF recipe from you, Paula. I ‘ve never looked for GF recipes, but is good to know that you have it. Thank you.
Now I know where to go when I need a gluten free sugar cookie; they look fantastic, Paula! Great job!
Gluten free baking is in my to do list this year. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe Paula.
That’s fabulous – thanks for sharing Paula!
Thank you so much for this recipes. I’m going to give a go I have friend who always looks for gluten free recipes.
how big is the cookie cutter and how many does the recipe make? I’m hosting a 50+ party and many of the guests are gluten free.