Name: Soft Gluten-Free Christmas Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 88 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup sugar; ½ cup butter (room temperature); ½ cup butter-flavor shortening; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 egg (room temperature); 2 cups Gluten-Free 1-to-1 replacement flour containing xanthan gum; ¾ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; gluten-free Christmas sprinkles; Gluten-Free Cookie Icing (Betty Crocker Cookie Icing is labeled gluten-free) (or make Easy Icing Recipe below); 2 cups powdered sugar; 3-4 tablespoons milk; gel food coloring

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It’s the time of year when we gather our cookie cutters, festive sprinkles, and loved ones to make traditional Christmas sugar cookies. You’ll be happy to know that this easy gluten-free sugar cookie recipe will help you create soft sugar cookies that are every bit as delicious as the gluten-filled version.

My daughter and I were both diagnosed with celiac disease when she was three years old. Ever since our diagnoses, I have been on a mission to recreate all of our important family traditions.

It is my privilege to share this recipe with your family, so you too can enjoy the best gluten-free sugar cookies and all of the Christmas magic!

Miss E with pigtails, rolling out sugar cookie dough on a white counter.

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Equipment

Hand Mixer (recommended): You can mix by hand, but a hand mixer makes this recipe a breeze.

Rolling Pin

Wax Paper (optional): Roll out the dough between two sheets of inexpensive wax paper to prevent sticking when rolling out the dough. Or use a dusting of gluten-free flour.

Christmas Cookie Cutters: If you are new to gluten-free due to celiac disease, I recommend purchasing new cookie cutters this year if your old ones have difficult-to-clean crevices. Gift the old ones to a friend or a young adult who needs to build kitchen inventory!

Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mats

Decorating Bottles (optional) to pipe homemade icing if not using store-bought Cookie Icing

Ingredients

White package of King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour.

Gluten-Free Flour Blend: I recommend using a one-to-one replacement flour, created to replace regular flour in baked goods. King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour is my personal favorite baking flour for sweet, unyeasted recipes. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 and Cup4Cup Gluten-Free Multipurpose Flour are other good options.

The above flours contain xanthan gum. If yours does not, add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum when mixing the dry ingredients.

Room temperature butter & eggs: We’ve all been there. You didn’t set out your butter & eggs. It takes about 30 minutes or so to get them to room temp, and you’re ready to bake now. No worries! Place the egg in a cup of lukewarm water and cut the butter up into tablespoon-size pats. Both will be ready to go in about 10 minutes!

Shortening (Butter-Flavor): Cristco Butter Flavor Shortening Sticks are pre-marked and easy to measure, like a stick of butter. Using shortening for half the fat in this recipe creates cookies that rise more and hold their shape better than when using butter alone. It’s an ideal ingredient for cut-out cookies.

Vanilla Extract: I prefer the flavor of vanilla extract, but if your grandma used almond extract in her cookies, you can add it to create that nostalgic taste. Simply swap almond extract for one of the teaspoons of vanilla extract in the recipe.

Remaining Dough Ingredients:

Sugar
Baking Powder
Salt

Decorations

Ready-Made Option: Betty Crocker Cookie Icing and Betty Crocker Christmas Sprinkles: I use the Betty Crocker brand because the company will label the products gluten-free if they are. The cookie icing and most sprinkles are labeled gluten-free. Plus, there is a wide variety of holiday shapes and colors, from pearls to gold gems.

or Easy Homemade Icing: You’ll just need powdered sugar, milk, and (optional) gel food coloring.

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar, butter, and butter-flavor shortening with a hand mixer on medium speed until well-blended.

Unmixed sugar, shortening, and butter with the beaters of an aqua hand mixer sitting in the ingredients.

A creamy, slightly yellowish mixture with beaters spinning in the mix.

Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed, so the ingredients are evenly blended. Add the vanilla and egg and beat until smooth. Your batter will be the texture of thick frosting.

A teal spatula scraping the batter in the bowl. A teaspoon of vanilla in focus above the bowl of batter.

Two beaters resting in batter that looks like thick frosting.

Mix in gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly mixed. To accurately measure your gluten-free flour, scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon, then level off the excess with the back edge of a knife.

After mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, the gluten-free mixture will appear crumbly. Don’t worry, it will hold together perfectly when pressed together.

Gluten-Free dough being mixed by beaters. It is starting to look crumbly and some unmixed flour is still visible on the right side. — The dough will be crumbly after mixing in the dry ingredients. This is the perfect texture!

Gluten-Free dough that is crumbly. — The dough will be crumbly after mixing in the dry ingredients. This is the perfect texture!

Press the dough together to form a ball. Then, cut the ball in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. I use a large bowl with a lid.

Ball of beige gluten-free dough. — Form the dough into a ball.

A knife cutting a ball of beige gluten-free dough in half. — Form the dough into a ball.

Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. Refrigerating the dough serves two purposes. For any sugar cookie dough recipe (gluten-free or otherwise), chilling the dough prevents the cookies from spreading and allows them to maintain their cutout shape. For gluten-free cookie dough in particular, the chill time allows the gluten-free flour to hydrate, creating a softer cookie.

You can leave the cookie dough in the fridge for up to two days or in the freezer for up to two months. Just a reminder, this cookie dough contains raw egg, so it is unsafe to eat raw.

Preheat oven to 375℉. This hot temp is also key to preventing the cookies from spreading, maintaining the cut-out shapes, and giving you a softer finished cookie. Yum!

Prepare 2 cookie sheets. For easy cleanup, cover the cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.

Leave half the dough in the fridge to keep chilled.

Roll out the other half of dough to 1/4 inch thick. To prevent the dough from sticking to your work surface and rolling pin, roll the dough out between two sheets of wax paper or parchment paper. You can also lightly flour the work surface with a dusting of gluten-free flour.

Rolling pin on top of wax paper with cookie dough underneath. — Keeping the dough between two sheets of wax paper makes it so easy to roll out without sticking!

Cookie dough between two sheets of parchment paper. — Keeping the dough between two sheets of wax paper makes it so easy to roll out without sticking!

Tell Alexa to play Christmas music!

Use your favorite cookie cutters (approximately 2-3 inches in size) to cut out seasonal shapes, from Christmas trees to snowflakes.

A green Christmas tree cookie cutter and red stocking cookie cutter on rolled out dough.

The outline of a cut Christmas tree cookie shape on dough, with a red stocking cookie cutter on the side and the corners of blue cookie cutters partially showing

Place the cut-out cookies approximately 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Cookie cut outs: Christmas tree, stocking, star, and holly, on a well-used silicone baking mat.

Try this tip if you are having difficulty lifting the cookie cutouts to place on the cookie sheets. Cut out the Christmas shapes. Then, remove the extra dough from in between the shapes. Gently peel the wax paper or parchment paper from the back of the cut-out dough and place the cookies on the baking sheet.

If you are on a roll and the cookie sheets are filling up faster than you can bake them, store the ready-to-go baking sheets in the fridge. This will keep the dough chilled so you’ll get softer cookies with well-formed shapes.

Bake the cookies at 375℉ for approximately 7-8 minutes until the edges are barely golden. Keep an eye on the cookies, as you don’t want to overcook them. We’re going for soft cookies!

Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for two minutes before moving, to prevent breaking. If a cookie breaks, I highly recommend you give it a taste test! You practically have no other option;)

Use a wide-based turner spatula to carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack. Let them cool completely, approximately 12 minutes, before decorating.

Unfrosted, baked, Gluten-Free sugar cookie cut outs on a cooling rack. Shapes include mittens, holly, Santa, and a candy cane.

Repeat the above steps with the second half of the dough.

Decorate with cookie icing and gluten-free sprinkles. Most (not all) Betty Crocker sprinkles are labeled gluten-free. Always check the package.

Child's hands using store-bought red icing to decorate mitten-shaped cookies, that already have green frosting piped on. — Betty Crocker Cookie Icing is labeled gluten-free and easy for kids to use.

I have to admit, in the last couple of years, I have bought ready-made icing more often than not. My local grocery store has the icing and sprinkles on sale before Christmas, so I pick up several packages at a decent discount. The Betty Crocker Cookie Icing packages (labeled gluten-free) have icing tips, so you (or a gaggle of kids) can pipe directly onto the cookies.

That said, the homemade icing is really easy to make! This is the simple recipe my mom used to stir up when we made Christmas cookies and I have made it countless times over the years. Use a fork or very small whisk to mix powdered sugar and milk until there are no lumps. So easy!

Divide the icing into as many small bowls as you want colors. You can leave one white and make two bowls of red and green icing. Be as colorful or monochromatic as you wish!

You can spoon the homemade icing directly on the cookies, but I prefer to put them in decorating bottles for easy dispensing.

Ideally, let the icing harden for approximately 30 minutes before serving or storing. But we all know waiting is not always possible, especially if you have little hands doing the cookie decorating!

A plate of decorated gluten-free sugar cookies with part of a pile of gingerbread cookies showing in the background.

Storage

Gluten-free cookies dry out faster than those made with traditional all-purpose flour. To keep your cookies fresh, store them in an air-tight container at room temperature. They will be the softest if eaten within two days.

If making ahead, store unfrosted cookies in the freezer for up to three months. Remove from the freezer at least two hours before serving. Frost and enjoy within two days.

Do not store the cookies in the fridge, as will dry them out faster.

You can also freeze the cookie for up to three months, and defrost in the fridge 24 hours prior to making cookies.

A plate with snowflake and holly gluten-free sugar cookies with parts of a couple of gingerbread cookies showing.

More Gluten-Free Christmas Sweets:

Merry Christmas!