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These soft gluten free cut out sugar cookies with a meringue-type frosting are in a class by themselves. They’ll hold any shape you like, and they’re absolutely scrumptious with that thick layer of buttercream frosting.

You know those soft frosted sugar cookies at the store? I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve basically got a Lofthouse copycat recipe here — except better! No one will know these gluten free sugar cookies aren’t the “real thing”!

Gluten free cut out cookies with clean edges

Every holiday and every season needs its own cookie: St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Spring celebrations, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day… need I go on? We all need gluten free cookies that can hold their shape so we can use whatever cookie cutter we please.

These gluten free sugar cut out cookies are seriously so easy to make from scratch. The dough has very few ingredients so it comes together very quickly.

It’s super simple to roll out, and it’s stable enough that it’s even simple to cut out shapes and transfer them to the baking sheet. There is nothing fragile about the dough, but once you bake the gluten free sugar cookies, they’re tender and light as could be.

Remember Lofthouse cookies?

Whenever I go into the grocery store, those soft frosted sugar cookies in the bakery catch my eye, the little vixens. They’re in a plastic clamshell case, stacked in that half-overlap manner, thick (usually pink) frosting above a pillow-soft, light, and sweet cookie.

I might just be there for some bananas, lettuce and maybe an avocado, some spices, and say, some rice and beans. You know, exciting stuff. But those soft frosted sugar cookies are right there, right as you walk in.

I know what sort of foods are good for me and my family. I know those sugar cookies do not qualify as healthy. But there’s just something about biting into that impossibly soft sugar cookie with the thick icing that says celebrate!

The best gluten free flour blends for this sugar cookie recipe

I’ve perfected this gluten free sugar cookies recipe using Better Batter all purpose flour. It’s the gluten free flour blend I use most often for baking because it’s always produced amazing results.

If you’re looking for an alternative, you can also try Cup4Cup, or one of my “mock” all purpose gluten free flour blends that are just as good as the brand-name gluten free flour blends.

Both of these gluten free flour blends already contain xanthan gum, so you can leave that ingredient out of the gluten free cookie recipe below.

I haven’t tried any other gluten free flours for these sugar cookies, so I can’t vouch for any other methods. I highly recommend that you use Better Batter, but if you don’t have access to it, you’ll need to experiment with others on your own.

Whatever you do, be sure you’re using a flour blend — single flours like almond flour or coconut flour don’t have binders and will require totally different moisture ratios.

Tips for making the best gluten free sugar cookies

No matter for what occasion you’re making these gluten free roll out cookies, they’re sure to be a hit. To ensure you achieve the perfect soft frosted sugar cookies, follow my tips below.

Measure your ingredients by weight for the perfect sugar cookie dough

This cookie dough can be made, rolled out, cut out, and baked without any change in temperature (no chilling the cookie dough!) because the moisture balance is just right.

You’ll find that the dough resembles moist crumbs and clumps, and you might be tempted to add more moisture.

Please don’t add anything extra — but do make sure you’re measuring your ingredients by weight, not volume, since the right balance of ingredients is essential to this simple recipe.

Knead your sugar cookie dough by hand or machine

Once you reach a uniform mixture that resembles moist crumbs and clusters, knead the dough with clean hands to bring it together before rolling it out.

If you’re planning to make a double recipe, you may want to use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment instead of a bowl and spoon. A stand mixer will make quick work of bringing the dough together into a cohesive whole, ready to be rolled out.

Don’t frost your gluten free sugar cookies until they’re cool

To keep your frosting from becoming a melty, runny mess, be sure your gluten free sugar cookies are completely cooled before you start decorating.

I recommend you use the buttercream frosting that I share below, but if you have something else you’d like to try, experiment and let me know in the comments how it went.

Buttercream frosting for easy gluten free sugar cookies

This frosting recipe is super thick, and unlike what I would generally use to frost cupcakes. It’s very stable because we add a touch of meringue powder to the mixture.

Like Lofthouse cookies, these gluten free cut out sugar cookies can travel. If you don’t have meringue powder, you can leave it out, and the frosting will be softer.

How to decorate sugar cookies

To pipe frosting, you can do it in a classic cupcake-style swirl, which is easy enough using a medium-sized open piping tip.

You can also begin with a simple mound of dough piped onto the cookie with the same medium-sized open piping tip.

I also use the swoop, which is one of my favorites. It’s made with a moistened teaspoon that is inserted into the center of the frosting at an angle and then swirled lightly in a circle.

The classic Lofthouse-style shape is the flattened top, made using a small moistened offset spatula or a simple wide butter knife. Simply use the spatula or knife to flatten the mound of frosting into a disk and smooth the top as evenly as possible.

For all these shapes, allow the frosting to set at room temperature until it becomes semi-hard. That will allow you to transport the cookies if needed. You can even layer them if you place a sheet of waxed or parchment paper gently between layers.

For a truly hard surface, use royal icing in place of frosting. Simply click the link in the previous sentence for a royal icing recipe with complete instructions.

I used a #4 piping tip to outline and then “flood” the center, sprinkling decorations immediately before the icing has dried at all.

Coloring the frosting for gluten free sugar cookies

You can, of course, add some food coloring to the frosting or to the royal icing. I recommend gel coloring because liquid food coloring will alter the moisture balance and make the frosting soft and weepy.

AmeriColor brand gel food colorings are reliably gluten free, and the colors are super vibrant.

I left out the coloring here because the anti-food-coloring people seem to expect more from a gluten free recipe than I think they would of a conventional recipe. If you want to speak out against food coloring, feel free to do so elsewhere on the Internet!

Easy gluten free sugar cookies for every holiday

Seriously, there is no time of year when these gluten free cookies wouldn’t be a good idea.

Valentine’s Day? Check.

Fourth of July? Yes, please!

Gluten free Christmas cut out cookies in the shapes of Santa, snowmen, stockings, stars, and more? Of course!

This recipe yields the perfect gluten free holiday sugar cookies, but if you’re looking for more meals and desserts to round out the menu on your special occasion, check out my archive of gluten free holiday recipes for more ideas.

Gluten free sugar cookies ingredients and substitutions

If you or a loved one suffers from food allergies, check out my suggestions below to eliminate dairy and eggs from my gluten sugar cookies recipe.

Gluten free dairy free sugar cookies

There is butter in both the gluten free sugar cookie recipe and in the frosting recipe. I have successfully replaced the butter in the cookie dough with Melt brand vegan butter.

The edges of the gf sugar cookies aren’t quite as blunt and clean as they are when you make the recipe exactly as written, but the recipe still turns out and tastes great.

The butter in the frosting recipe can be replaced most effectively with Spectrum brand butter-flavored nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening. It has quite a lot less moisture than butter, though, so you might not need as much confectioners’ sugar to reach the proper consistency.

For the milk in the frosting, you can use any unsweetened nondairy milk. My favorite is unsweetened almond milk, but nearly any will do here.

Gluten free egg free sugar cookies

There is only one egg in the cookie recipe, so you should be able to replace it with a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel).

In such pale cookies, you may see some flecks of chia in the cookies. Cover them with frosting and no one will even know!

About the meringue powder in this gluten free sugar cookie frosting

Meringue powder is made of egg white powder, sugar, a starch, and some stabilizers. You can try using egg white powder in its place, but it won’t work exactly the same way.

If you can’t have eggs, I’d just eliminate meringue powder as an ingredient altogether. The frosting will just be a bit softer. I don’t know of any egg free alternative to meringue powder for making royal icing.

Gluten free nut free sugar cookies

There are no nut products in my gluten free sugar cookie recipe, so if you have an allergy, these treats are safe to enjoy.

If you deviate from my recipe by using a different flour blend or other ingredients, be sure to check product packaging and ingredients lists to be sure the substitutions are also nut free.

Storing your gluten free sugar cookies

Whether you’ve got some leftovers or you’ve made gluten free cookies for gift giving, proper storage will ensure they can be enjoyed for days to come.

The secret to maintaining fresh-tasting cookies is to keep them away from air and moisture. That means waiting until your cookies are completely cooled before storing them and then keeping them in an airtight container.

You can use an airtight cookie jar or other food storage container if you have it. But in a pinch, throwing cookies in a ziptop bag also works.

If you’re giving away the cookies, put them in a ziptop bag and then place that bag inside of a decorative plastic airtight container for a more finished presentation.

If you need to store your cookies for longer than a few days, you can pop them into the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, just snack straight from the container or let your cookies sit on the counter for a few minutes to defrost.

FAQs

Why is my sugar cookie dough so crumbly?

If you’ve got the right ratio of ingredients, you’ll find that your dough resembles moist crumbs and clumps. However, if you’re off in your measurements or have you used a different kind of gluten free flour, your dough may come out excessively crumbly.

I don’t like recommending that you mess with the ratios in the sugar cookie recipe, but you can try adding one to two tablespoons of water and kneading again to achieve the right consistency.

Why is my sugar cookie dough so sticky?

On the other side of the spectrum, a sugar cookie dough that’s too sticky to roll out is the result of too much moisture.

To fix this issue, you can try one of two things. First, place your dough in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to help it firm up.

If that doesn’t help enough, add a tablespoon of your gluten free flour blend and knead again.

Why are some of my gluten free sugar cookies hard and others soft?

Most likely, you rolled out your sugar cookie dough a bit unevenly. That means some cookies came out thinner, cooking faster and becoming crispier, while others didn’t cook as much, resulting in a softer gf sugar cookie.

To achieve a more consistent result, just be more careful with your rolling. Your goal is to roll the gluten free cookie dough to about 1/3-inches thick.

Can you freeze these gluten free sugar cookies?

You can definitely freeze this gluten free sugar cookie dough so that you always have some on hand.

Prepare the sugar cookie recipe as instructed, making sure that you can roll it out. Once you’ve achieved the perfect consistency, shape the dough into a ball or a log.

Wrap your sugar cookie dough in three layers of plastic to create an airtight seal. The dough will last two to three months in the freezer.

When you’re ready to make cookies, defrost the dough by leaving it on the counter for about an hour or keeping it in the refrigerator overnight. Once it’s pliable, roll it out and get to baking!

The Best Gluten Free Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

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Best Gluten Free Sugar Cookie | Cut Out Cookies for Celebrations!

Skip the Lofthouse sugar cookies at the store, and make these delicious gluten free sugar cookies instead. These cut out cookies are perfect for holidays and more!

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Yield: 24 cookies

Author: Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Stand mixer or handheld mixer

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter), plus more for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons (22 g) confectioners’ sugar
• 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the frosting (see recipe notes for alternative)

• 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• ¼ cup (2 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons meringue powder LorAnn and AmeriColor brands are gluten free
• 4 cups (460 g) confectioners’ sugar
• Seeds from one vanilla bean optional
• Sprinkles optional

Instructions

Make the cookies

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar and whisk to combine well.
• Add the butter, and mix to moisten the dry ingredients with the butter, until the mixture looks sandy, pressing down on the butter with the back of the mixing spoon.
• Add the egg and vanilla, and mix to combine, until the dry ingredients are all moistened with the wet.
• With clean, dry hands, knead the mixture together to form a cohesive dough. It will be thick and relatively stiff.
• Place the dough on a clean, flat surface, and roll it into a round a bit less than 1/3-inch thick, sprinkling very lightly with flour to prevent the rolling pin from sticking.
• Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter (or whatever shape you like), cut out shapes from the dough and place them about 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• It can be helpful to remove the surrounding dough from the cutouts, and then peel the shapes off. Gather and reroll the scraps and repeat the process until you’ve used all the dough.
• Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cookies are just set on top, 6 to 8 minutes, depending upon size and shape. The edges of some cookies may brown slightly.
• Remove them from the oven before there is any significant browning, and allow them to cool on the baking sheet until set before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting.

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the butter, milk and vanilla, and mix on medium speed until combined. Increase the mixer speed to high and mix until creamy.
• Add the salt, meringue powder and about 3 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Mix slowly until the sugar is incorporated. Turn the mixer up to high and beat until it becomes uniformly thick.
• Add the optional vanilla seeds and as much of the rest of the confectioners’ sugar as necessary to thicken the frosting, and beat to combine well.
• Once the cookies are completely cool, pipe or spoon a generous amount of frosting onto the top of each, and spread into an even layer with a wide knife or offset spatula. Scatter sprinkles, if desired.
• Allow the cookies to set at room temperature until the frosting hardens a bit. Store any leftovers in an airtight glass container at room temperature. Freeze any plain cookies for longer storage.

Notes

Alternative to frosting: royal icing 

Originally posted on the blog in 2012. Recipe unchanged, photos mostly original, video new.

These soft, chewy gluten free chocolate cookies have all the richness of brownies, in an easy to make slice-and-bake cookie. With bittersweet or semisweet chocolate melted right into the cookie dough, these cookies taste like they came from your favorite bakery.

They’re made without chocolate chips because they don’t need them. For chocolate lovers only!

What makes these the very best gluten free chocolate cookies?

To start, these aren’t a chocolate version of gluten free chocolate chip cookies. Those are “double chocolate chip cookies,” and they’re absolutely delicious—but they’re not nearly as rich and brownie-like as these gf cookies.

The best way to make any chocolate recipe as rich as can be is by adding both cocoa powder and melted chocolate to the batter. Together, they add deep chocolate flavor, and with the right balance of other ingredients, the perfect texture.

That’s just what we’ve done here. It’s not like you can’t make gf brownies, of course.

But a bar isn’t a cookie, and a cookie is what you make for a big holiday (Christmas!), or a small holiday (first day of school?).

A rich chocolate cookie is what you pile into a Kraft box with a pretty ribbon and drop on someone’s doorstep. It’s the perfect mood lifter!

More than just holiday cookies: perfect for ice cream sandwiches

When the weather is warm, we don’t tend to think of making cookies as often. But these, or really any soft and chewy cookies, have the perfect texture for making ice cream sandwiches.

These gluten free chocolate cookies are soft, thin & chewy, and taste like the very center of a brownie. Ever try to bite into an ice cream sandwich made with crunchy cookies?

The cookie splinters and, well, you look like a dork. Once you have the proper cookie, just be sure that the cookies and the ice cream are at the same temperature during assembly.

How to work with this gluten free chocolate cookie dough

The dough for these cookies is very, very soft when you first make it. You can pull off pieces of dough, roll them into rounds and then press into disks. The dough shouldn’t be cold before baking, and can even be baked right away.

I prefer to make the dough sliceable by chilling it in a cylinder. That way you get nice, even circular cookies. 

You’ll want nice, big slices, each about 1/2-inch or less. Just rock the cylinder back and forth a bit on the counter before slicing if you think the dough isn’t nicely round.

To make smaller gf brownie-like cookies

If you’d like smaller cookies, just make the cylinder longer and thinner. Then, slice the dough the same.

When I intend to share these cookies in a gift box, I tend to make them smaller. That way, I can fit lots of different types of beautiful, delicious cookies in the box.

How to add some sugary crunch to the outside of these gf chocolate cookies

If you’re thinking of using them to make Little Debbie-style fudge round sandwiches, or you’re just planning to serve them alone, try dipping the raw, shaped cookie dough in a little extra granulated sugar. It will give them a slight sugary crunch on the outside of the cookies.

The extra sugar won’t make the cookies sparkle in an obvious way like decorating with nonpareils or coarse sugar would. It just adds some texture and sweetness, and makes them a bit sturdier.

Frequently asked questions about these gf chocolate cookies

Can I freeze these chocolate brownie cookies?

Yes! In fact, I recommend that you make a double batch and stock your freezer with these cookies.

They begin somewhat soft, so place them in a single, flat layer on a rimmed baking sheet to freeze. Once they’re frozen, pile them into a freezer-safe container for longer storage.

What’s the best chocolate to use for these brownie cookies?

This recipe calls for “bittersweet chocolate,” which refers to chocolate that has more cacao butter and less sugar than semi-sweet chocolate. It’s richer and less sweet, and makes a really rich chocolate cookie recipe.

If you only have semi-sweet chocolate, you can use that. Your cookies will be sweeter and a bit less rich, but they’ll still taste amazing.

Why are my chocolate cookies flat?

If you don’t chill the cookie dough in the cylinder until it’s firm, your raw cookies will be too warm. Warm cookies spread much more than chilled cookies.

Why are my cookies sticky?

Did you make any ingredient substitutions, particularly in your gluten free flour blend? I find that many of the flour blends that I don’t recommend, like Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour, make wetter, stickier cookie dough. That’s one of the many reasons I don’t recommend them.

Did you measure your ingredients by weight, instead of by volume? You may have measured one component, or more, wrong.

Did you chill the cookie dough before trying to slice it into rounds? It starts out a bit sticky, since we’re making soft cookies, but firms up a lot in the refrigerator.

Substitutions and Allergy-Friendly Alternatives for GF Chocolate Cookies

How to make gluten free dairy free chocolate cookies

The essential dairy in these cookies comes from the butter. To replace that, try vegan butter (Melt and Miyoko’s Kitchen brands are best.

If you can’t find vegan butter, try Spectrum brand butter-flavored nonhydrogenated shortening. 

And make sure the bittersweet chocolate you use is dairy-free, too! The darker the chocolate, the more likely it is to be dairy free, but always check.

How to make gluten free egg free chocolate cookies (vegan option)

If you replace the egg in this this recipe, and the dairy, your cookies will be vegan.

To replace the egg, I’d go with my standard “chia egg” substitution (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel) here.

Since there’s only 1 egg, almost any egg substitution should work. Even something like a flax egg, which tends to have a strong color and flavor, should be fine since the chocolate flavor is quite strong.

Why is there unsulphured molasses in this gf chocolate cookies recipe?

Unsulphured molasses is a sticky, brown liquid that’s made from mature sugar cane, without the use of sulphur dioxide. It’s a rich, clean-tasting sugar that turns white granulated sugar into brown sugar.

This recipe calls for unsulphured molasses because it deepens and enriches the flavor of the chocolate. The liquid sugar also helps make the cookies tender.

If you’d like to replace the molasses, you can try using honey or Lyle’s Golden Syrup in its place. Instead of light brown sugar, though, I’d recommend using dark brown sugar.

 

How to make this gluten free chocolate cookies recipe, step by step

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Soft Gluten Free Brownie Cookies

Soft, chewy gluten free chocolate cookies, with all the richness of brownies, are super simple—but taste like they came from your favorite bakery.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Yield: 16 cookies

Author: Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter chopped
• 2 tablespoons (42 g) unsulphured molasses
• 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
• ⅔ cup (145 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 ¼ cups (175 g) all purpose gluten-free flour blend (I like Batter Batter here; use one of my recommended blends)
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 2 tablespoons (10 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, for coating (optional)

Instructions

• In a medium-size bowl, place the chopped chocolate and chopped butter. Melt in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring until smooth.
• Allow the mixture to cool briefly, and then add the molasses, egg, and sugar. Mix to combine, and set the bowl aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda, and whisk to combine well. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the chocolate mixture. Mix to combine.
• The dough will be very soft. Transfer the dough to a large piece of unbleached parchment paper. Shape into a cylinder about 2-inches in diameter along the length of the parchment paper and roll the paper tightly, cinching the ends to seal. Place the cylinder of dough in the refrigerator until firm enough to slice (at least 1 hour).
• Once the dough has chilled enough to be sliced, preheat your oven to 325°F. Line large rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
• Remove the chilled cylinder of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and slice into 1/2-inch thick disks. You should get about 16 cookies, but you can make them smaller and get closer to 24.
• Place the (optional) granulated sugar in a small bowl, and dip each of the raw cookie disks in the sugar, pressing gently to coat on all sides. Place the pieces of dough about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the center of the preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are spread about 3 inches in diameter and are set in the center.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving. If you attempt to move the cookies before they are cool, they will fall apart.

Notes

Originally published on the blog in 2013. Recipe unchanged, some photos and video new, text mostly new.

This easy gluten free peanut butter cookies recipe, made in the classic crosshatch style, is rich with tons of peanut butter flavor. For peanut butter lovers only!

And these cookies are made with simple GF ingredients you have on hand, including a simple all purpose gluten free flour blend. Just a few ingredients, a bowl, and a mixing spoon, and your whole house will smell like heaven!

After much trial and error, this is the perfect crunchy gluten free pb cookie. They have more peanut butter flavor than you’d think were possible in anything other than a peanut itself!

How to make crunchy gf peanut butter cookies

Proper crunchy peanut butter cookies are made with a dense cookie dough that has more peanut butter than anything else. Every batch has almost a full pound of smooth peanut butter!

The original purpose of the crosshatch pattern in the top of the cookie was to ensure that the cookies are pressed properly, so they cook evenly.

I also like the little crispy bits on the top of each gluten free peanut butter cookie that the crosshatch creates during baking.

Briefly wet the tines of the fork each time you look to press them into the cookie. For some more sweetness and a beautiful look, dip the tines in sugar first—or just sprinkle some sugar on top.

How are gf peanut butter cookies different from flourless peanut butter cookies?

This is a recipe for gluten free peanut butter cookies made with gluten free flour. Flourless peanut butter cookies are made without anything ground into a flour.

Flourless peanut butter cookies are naturally gluten free, since conventional flour is the main gluten-containing ingredient in most cookie recipes. In this recipe, you can use any of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends.

Flourless peanut butter cookies also have a different texture than these classic cookies. They’re crisp on the outside, but chewy in the center.

These gf peanut butter cookies are crispy and crunchy all the way through. If you under bake them a bit, these cookies can also be softer in the center.

But the outside of these cookies made with flour will always be crispier than a flourless cookie.

Is peanut butter gluten free?

Yes, in its purest form, peanut butter is made of peanuts and salt and is naturally gluten free. If you place peanuts (roasted or raw) in a high-speed blender, you’ll have peanut butter when you’re done.

The main ingredients in natural peanut butter, peanuts and salt, are gluten free. Most potential additives, like sugars and oil, are also naturally gluten free.

But commercially prepared peanut butter can be unsafe on a gluten free diet if it’s become contaminated at any point during the manufacturing process. So be sure to read product labels—and know your brands.

Some brands, like Jif, will label its peanut butter (and other products) “gluten free” if it fits the U.S. definition of “gluten free.” But it may have been prepared on manufacturing equipment it shares with gluten-containing products. 

Most types of Skippy peanut butter are gluten free, except for those that contain mix-ins.

The safest peanut butter brands only make gluten free varieties, like Peanut Butter & Co, but they tend to be very expensive.

What is “natural peanut butter,” and can I use it here?

There are two types of peanut butter that are called “natural peanut butter.” The first natural kind you can’t use here; the second you can.

Don’t use drippy natural peanut butter

The first kind of natural peanut butter is the kind that is made of only peanuts and salt. Most of the oil separates out and sits on top of the jar.

The nut butter in this kind drips off the spoon at room temperature. You can’t use that here.

If you use the drippy kind of natural nut butter, your cookie dough will be very greasy. That will make the dough very crumbly and nothing will look or bake like the dough you see here.

Use the no-stir type of peanut butter

To bake these gf peanut butter cookies, and virtually any other peanut butter recipe on this website, you’ll need the “no-stir” type of peanut butter.

This second type of peanut butter, which is also sometimes labeled “natural,” is the no-stir kind of nut butter. It’s usually blended with shortening and some sugar.

When you open a jar of no-stir peanut butter, you may find a little pool of oil on top. But there won’t be much separated oil, and the nut butter will be fluffier and creamier.

Substitutions for gluten free peanut butter cookie ingredients

Gluten free dairy free peanut butter cookies

To make these gf pb cookies dairy free, too, you must replace the butter. My favorite nondairy butter replacement is vegan butter (Miyoko’s Kitchen or Melt brand is best).

Since there are only 4 tablespoons butter in the whole batch, you might even be able to use Earth Balance buttery sticks. Skip the salt, though, and expect your cookie dough to be softer, though, and the cookies to spread more.

Gluten free egg free peanut butter cookies

There are 2 eggs in this recipe. You can try replacing each of them with 1 “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel).

If you make these cookies both dairy free and egg free, they will also be gluten free vegan peanut butter cookies.

Gluten free peanut butter cookies without peanut butter

If you can’t have peanuts, you can have actual gf peanut butter cookies. But you can still have gluten free nut butter cookies.

This recipe works well with no-stir almond butter. I really love Barney Butter brand—but it is ridiculously expensive.

Just like it won’t work with the drip-off-the-spoon peanut butter, the recipe won’t work with that sort of almond butter.

I do not recommend trying this recipe with Sunbutter, which is by its nature very drippy.

If you’d like to make a cookie with Sunbutter, try using one of my Nutella recipes. Here are some Nutella recipes that might work with Sunbutter:

• 3-ingredient Nutella cookies
• Chewy gluten free Nutella cookies
• Nutella monster cookies

How to make gluten free peanut butter cookies step by step

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BEST Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies Ever

This easy gluten free peanut butter cookies recipe, made in the classic crosshatch style, is rich with tons of peanut butter flavor.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Yield: 24 cookies

Author: Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (385 g) smooth no-stir peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, chopped
• 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click for details)
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Granulated sugar for dipping or sprinkling optional

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line large rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
• In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan or a microwave-safe bowl, place the peanut butter and chopped butter. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat (or in the microwave for about 45 seconds on high) and stir until melted and smooth (about 2 minutes). Set aside to cool briefly.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the light brown sugar, and whisk again to combine, working out any lumps.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the melted peanut butter and butter mixture. Mix to combine.
• Add the beaten eggs and vanilla, and mix again to combine well. The cookie dough will be soft and sticky.
• If the cookie dough is too sticky or soft to handle, or it feels particularly greasy, cover it and refrigerate it for 10 minutes or less. If you refrigerate it for too long, the dough will become crumbly.
• Pull or scoop off pieces of dough, each about 2 tablespoons in volume. Roll each piece of dough into a round between your palms.
• Press the ball into a disk about 1/2-inch thick and place about 1 1/2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Wet the tines of a salad fork, dip in the optional extra sugar, and press the tines firmly into the top of each cookie. (See Recipe Notes)
• Wet the tines again, and press them again into the top of the same cookies in the opposite direction to make a crosshatch pattern.
• Place the cookies, one baking sheet at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake.
• For less crunchy cookies, bake until pale golden all over (about 15 minutes). For very crunchy cookies, bake until uniformly golden brown all over (about 18 minutes).
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet until set (at least 5 minutes) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• The cookies will be very fragile when they first come out of the oven, so it is very important to let them sit on the baking sheet until they are set. They will crisp as they cool.

Notes

About dipping the fork in sugar: When you dip the fork in sugar, it sticks mostly to the top of the fork. Instead, I often prefer to sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the additional sugar after shaping. Republished: Recipe originally published on the blog in 2013; modified again in 2016, and once more in 2021. Method tweaked, added photos, video, and text; recipe ingredients unchanged.

This is the simplest recipe for tender gluten free lemon cookies that literally melt in your mouth. Make them as drop cookies, or cutout cookies. They’ll hold any shape you like!

Ice them or leave them plain, since you’ll still see beautiful flecks of lemon zest!

What makes this the best recipe for gluten free lemon cookies?

These light, tender and simple cookies really do melt in your mouth. They’re like a cross between shortbread and sugar cookies.

Rather than a whole egg, they’re made with just an egg white. The only sugar in the whole lemon cookies recipe is 2/3 cup of confectioners’ sugar.

They get their richness from butter, and their fine texture from the higher starch of confectioners’ sugar—plus added cornstarch to the gluten free flour blend.

Meltaway cookies like these are even a total winner for the cook. The dough is not only simple to throw together, but incredibly easy to handle and requires no chilling before baking.

Do these taste like gluten free lemon sugar cookies?

Not exactly! This recipe makes cookies with a more delicate texture and a less sweet taste than our recipe for gluten free lemon sugar cookies.

This recipe is made with confectioners’ sugar and just an egg white, plus much more butter. The sugar cookie recipe is made with a whole egg and granulated sugar—overall less starch.

Finally, this recipe can be made as drop cookies or as shaped cutout cookies. You’ll need to add more all purpose gluten free to the cookie dough to roll it out so it rolls cleanly.

Tips for making the best lemon meltaway cookies

This is a truly simple recipe for light and bright lemon cookies. And the simpler the recipe, the more closely you need to follow the recipe for success.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you read through and begin making the cookie dough.

What gluten free flour blend makes the best lemon meltaway cookies

Meltaway cookies come by their name honestly. They really do melt in your mouth!

This lemon cookies recipe calls for quite a bit of starch, which helps create that extra tender texture. I like making it with (mock) Better Batter, which I lighten up by adding cornstarch as a separate ingredient.

That makes Better Batter, one of my favorite all purpose gluten free flour blends, into something like a cake flour. There’s also cornstarch in the confectioners’ sugar.

If you’re using a higher-starch all purpose gluten free flour blend, like Cup4Cup, do not add more cornstarch.

Instead, replace that ingredient with 48 grams more Cup4Cup. You may also need some more liquid in the recipe to bring the dough together, though.

How to tell when your gf lemon cookies are done baking

The cookies will barely brown around the edges when they’re done baking. They’re done when they no longer glisten at all in the center.

Be careful not to over-bake the cookies. If you do, they’ll go from tender shortbread-style homemade lemon cookies to crumbly and dry.

Over-baking the cookies could happen if your oven is too hot. Use a simple oven thermometer that hangs from the wire rack in your oven, as most ovens aren’t properly calibrated.

Be sure not to make your cookies too thin, as they’ll bake too quickly. This is especially a risk if you’re making the rolled, cutout cookies.

And don’t touch the cookies on the tray until they’re cool. Otherwise, they may crumble.

Can I freeze these gluten free lemon cookies?

Yes! Whether you’re making the drop cookies or the cutout cookies, you can freeze them.

Be sure that they’re completely cool to room temperature first. Freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then pile them into a freezer-safe bag or container.

I recommend freezing them without the glaze, though. You can always glaze them after you defrost them, or serve them plain.

Do you have to chill this gluten free lemon cookie dough?

No! Even the lemon cutout cookie variation of this recipe will keep its shape during baking without being chilled.

You can see above that the cookies don’t spread or become misshapen at all. The top photo is the raw cutout cookie rounds; the bottom is the baked cookies, which look almost exactly the same!

Substitutions for gluten free lemon cookies ingredients

How to make gluten free dairy free lemon cookies

There is quite a lot of butter in these cookies, and I would not recommend using Earth Balance buttery sticks. They have too much moisture, and I don’t think the cookies would hold their shape.

I think Melt brand or Miyoko’s Kitchen brand vegan butter might work in place of the butter, though. You could also try butter-flavored nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, but you’ll likely need more moisture as it has nearly none.

How to make gluten free egg free lemon cookies

There is no whole egg in this recipe, and only one egg white, which helps provide structure.

You may be able to replace it with aquafaba, which is just the brine from a can of chickpeas. I recommend beating it until foamy, and using the same amount, by weight (25 grams).

How to make gluten free corn free lemon cookies

The cornstarch in this recipe can be replaced easily with arrowroot, or even potato starch. If you’re using a higher-starch all purpose gluten free flour blend, like Cup4Cup, do not add more cornstarch.

Instead, if you’re using Cup4Cup as your all purpose GF flour blend, replace the cornstarch with more Cup4Cup. You may also need some more liquid in the recipe to bring the dough together.

How to make gluten free lemon cookies, step by step

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Easy Gluten Free Lemon Cookies Recipe: They Melt in Your Mouth

This is the simplest recipe for tender gluten free lemon cookies that literally melt in your mouth. Make them as drop cookies, or cutout cookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Yield: 18 cookies

Author: Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I recommend Better Batter), plus more for sprinkling for cutout cookies
• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• ⅓ cup (48 g) cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅔ cup (77 g) confectioners’ sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon about 1 tablespoon
• 12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 (25 g) egg white at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons (1 fluid ounce) freshly-squeezed lemon juice plus more as necessary
• granulated sugar for dipping drop cookies

For the (optional) glaze

• 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 to 4 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• Yellow gel food coloring optional

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and confectioners’ sugar, and whisk to combine well.
• Add the lemon zest and mix to combine, breaking up any clumps of zest. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, egg white, and 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, mixing to combine after each addition.
• The dough will be thick and smooth. Add more lemon juice by the half-teaspoonful and knead it in with clean, dry hands as necessary to bring the dough together.

To make drop cookies

• Scoop the dough by the heaping tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2-inches between pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a round between the palms of your hands, and press down slightly into a thick disk.
• Press with the moistened tines of a fork into a small bowl of granulated sugar, then press down on the top of each piece of dough until the tines leave an impression about 1/4-inch deep.

To make cutout cookies

• Lightly flour a flat surface with all purpose gluten free flour. Place the cookie dough on top, and flour the top.
• Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle that’s about 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thick. Sprinkle with more all purpose gluten free flour as necessary to prevent the rolling pin from sticking to the dough.
• Lightly flour a round cookie cutter that’s about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Cut out rounds from the dough.
• Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet, placing them about 1 1/2 inches apart from one another.

For both cookie shapes

• Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cookies are lightly golden brown on the edges and firm to the touch (about 12 minutes).
• Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet. If you try to move them before they’ve cooled, they may be fragile.

For the (optional) glaze

• When the cookies are cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and mix well.
• Add more lemon juice by the half-teaspoon, stirring to combine after each addition until you have a smooth but very thickly pourable glaze. Add the optional yellow food coloring, if using.
• Drizzle the glaze in a zigzag pattern on top of each cooled cookie or spread on the tops of the cutout cookies. Allow to set at room temperature.

Notes

Originally published on the blog in 2015. Cutout cookie variation added, some photos and most text new in 2021.