Gluten Free Drop Sugar Cookies

These gluten free drop sugar cookies are simple, sweet and buttery, plus they're stable enough for mailing clear across the country if that's your holiday thing! You'll be amazed at just how easy it is to make this gluten free drop sugar cookie recipe.

A few simple ingredients, quick and easy prep, a few minutes in the oven, and your choice of topping is all you need to create drop cookies for the whole family.

Dress them up in lots of different ways. Turn them into gluten free sprinkle cookies with your favorite type of gluten free sprinkles. Or double-down on the gluten free sugar cookies theme and dress them up with sweet coarse sugar, instead.

Why I love these gluten free drop sugar cookies

When someone is new to baking, or new to gluten free baking, they often ask me where they should begin. My answer is always the same: gf drop cookies.

Drop cookies are so-named because there's nothing to roll out (unlike our cutout gluten free sugar cookies). Like gluten free chocolate chip cookies, you simply drop the dough on the baking sheet and let the oven do its job. Hence the name drop cookies.

These gluten free drop sugar cookies are your basic soft-inside vanilla cookies. They're the kind that you would love to send to your friends and family for the holidays because they're simple but sturdy enough to survive a trip by mail and special enough to show how much you care.

Best gluten free flour for drop cookies

There are loads of gluten free flours available. You'll find a rice-based gluten free flour mix, oat flour, almond flour, coconut flour, and more. There's an awful lot of choice when it comes to gluten free flour, and I've been known to experiment and even use my own all purpose flour blend. But for this recipe, I like a reliable all purpose flour blend like Better Batter.

Yes, you can experiment with a different gf flour, but remember that different flours have different properties. Coconut flour, for example, is exceptionally thirsty and will make your cookies dry and crumbly. So, if you're not experienced with making your own flour blends or making flour substitutions, stick with a tried-and-tested measure for measure gluten free flour blend like Better Batter.

Top tips for perfect gluten free sugar cookies every time

Yes, these gluten free drop sugar cookies are easy to make, and if you follow the recipe, they should turn out beautifully. But to get you consistently closer to perfection, I've put together some of my top tips for when you make gluten free sugar cookies.

Wet the dough before you dress them

Yes, I said wet the dough! If you're decorating them as soon as you've placed them on the baking trays, you can skip this step. But if you get called away or distracted between making the dough and putting the decorations on top, this tip is for you!

Wet the surface of the cookies with a finger bowl of luke warm water. This makes the gluten free sugar cookie dough tacky again, which helps the decorations to stick to the surface before you bake. Note that wetting the surface of the cookie dough won't impact the baking at all. The sugar cookies will still turn out beautifully.

Use a high-quality vanilla extract

Choose a high-quality vanilla extract for a rich, intensely vanilla flavor. Go for real vanilla over vanilla flavoring, as there's just no comparison between the two. Madagascan or bourbon vanilla are both excellent choices, and a little goes a long way, and if you use a gluten free vanilla bean paste, you'll even end up with vanilla flecks, which are beautiful and delicious.

Don't forget the parchment paper

Parchment paper is crucial for turning out beautiful sugar cookies that don't stick. Otherwise, even if you grease the tray well, your sugar cookies will likely stick—and the grease on the baking sheet may cause them to darken on the bottom.

What to do if your dough is crumbly

If you find your gluten free sugar cookie dough is too crumbly, you can rescue it by adding a little water 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until you get back to that soft, tacky consistency. But, if you've followed the recipe exactly, including using the right flour blend and measuring by weight, this shouldn't be an issue.

What to do if your dough is too wet

Again, if you've followed the recipe carefully, your dough shouldn't be too sticky, but if it is, you can add a little more gluten free flour, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until you get that tacky texture back.

How to store gluten free sugar cookies

You can store your gluten free sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, and they'll still be delicious. Just make sure you use an airtight container, or they'll harden up and go stale pretty fast. And don't put them in the fridge, either, as it tends to be drying.

Can you freeze gluten free drop cookies?

Yes, you can freeze the raw cookie dough. It's best to do it before you shape and decorate the individual cookies. Simply wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Then, when you're getting ready to bake, remove from the freezer and leave at room temperature for a couple of hours to thaw, then just proceed with the recipe.

Make sure the decorations for your drop cookies are gluten free

Yes, you'd think all tiny sugary confections would be gluten free, but actually, many of them use wheat as a filler and to stop them sticking together. And you don't want to ruin your gluten free sugar cookies by using decorations that contain gluten. So make sure you read the label, even if you're fairly certain you're safe.

Recommendations for gluten free sprinkles, nonpareils, and edible confetti

Signature Brands makes both Cake Mate and Betty Crocker brand sprinkles and nonpareils, and at least in the U.S. as of this writing, those products are gluten free. I can usually find their products in my regular grocery store.

If you can't find them in a grocery store, you can certainly find them online. I really like ordering baking supplies like those from the online site GlobalSugarArt.com.

Global Sugar Art carries CK Brand sprinkles and nonpareils, and those tend to be gluten free. Always check the product label and manufacturer's website for current information, though. 

For rainbow confetti, which I find impossibly adorable, I love Americolor brand since it's reliably gluten free. It can be difficult to find, though. Sometimes I can find it on Amazon, sometimes not. When I do find it, I buy a few tubs of the stuff. 

Gluten free coarse sugar

I have had some serious difficulty finding coarse sugar crystals that are true white in color and reliably gluten free. It seems like such a simple thing, but it's been difficult to find.

For years, I used Sugar in the Raw brand, which is readily available and tastes great. But the crystals aren't white. They have a natural yellowish-brown color. Natural is great—but sometimes you just want artificially pretty! Extra festivity points if you use some white, some brightly colored coarse sugar, too!

The brand I've found online that I love is Chef's Select Granulated Sugar Crystals (that's an affiliate link, but shop around!). Chef's Select also makes a similar container of gluten free rainbow sprinkles (or jimmies, if you're from Philly ?). 

Gluten free drop sugar cookies: Ingredients and substitutions

My recipe for drop gluten free sugar cookies is perfect, just the way it is. But sometimes, when you want to experiment with flavors or need to make more modifications for dietary restrictions, you need to be able to make substitutions easily.

Gluten free dairy free drop cookies

To replace the butter in this recipe, I'd try Melt brand or Miyoko's Kitchen brand vegan butter alternative. If you use virgin coconut oil, the cookie dough will be too soft and the cookies won't hold their shape properly. I like a vegan butter block as the cookies still hold their shape well, and the texture doesn't change.

Egg free gluten free sugar cookies

Since there is only one egg in this recipe, I'd recommend trying one “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel) to make the recipe egg-free. 

Corn free gluten free sugar cookies

At first glance, this recipe doesn't have any corn, but confectioners' sugar is typically made with cornstarch to keep it from clumping. Look for a corn-free confectioners' sugar if you can't have corn.

One option is to make your own confectioners sugar by blending granulated sugar in a high-powered appliance like a NutriBullet, coffee grinder, spice grinder, or Vitamix, with a touch of arrowroot or even potato starch. You can literally just pulse the sugar until it turns into a powder. The proper ratio of starch to sugar is 1 tablespoon of arrowroot to 1 cup of granulated sugar.

Do you have to use shortening in this gluten free cookie recipe?

Yes! You need a mix of butter and shortening (Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening is not the unhealthy mess that Crisco is) to get the texture and shape of these cookies just right. If you use all butter, the cookies will spread way too much.

FAQs

Do you have to chill gluten free drop cookie dough?

No, you don't need to chill this gluten free cookie dough. Unlike other gluten free sugar cookie dough, you don't need to rest it because we're not rolling it. Remember, this isn't cut out sugar cookie dough, it's drop cookie dough.

Can I add almond extract to gluten free drop cookies?

Yes, you can add a small amount of almond extract without changing the texture of the cookie, but you'll significantly change the flavor. The base recipe I've given you here is for vanilla gluten free sugar cookies. If you add almond extract, be careful and only use a tiny amount because it's an intense flavor that can be overpowering if you add too much.

Can I make a cut out gluten free sugar cookie from this recipe?

No, because the dough stays a little too tacky, so it doesn't make a good cut out sugar cookie dough. If you use this recipe, keep it as a drop cookie recipe. If you really want to try out those fancy new cutters, use this cut out gluten free sugar cookies recipe, instead.