Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Cutouts
/I am suh-lightly freaking out about these sugar cookies.
Not only are they A) gluten-free B) refined sugar free C) dairy free D) only require 2 flours + 8 total ingredients …… they’re also ……
E) TOTALLY delicious and devourable
Trust me, I’ve eaten at least 17. If only I was kidding.
And by some crazy miracle they only took TWO trials before I was completely happy with them. But this of course didn’t spare me from a massive kitchen explosion in the process.
I obviously had to try making a vegan version (it’s |THIS| close, guys!) and also a version with butter instead of coconut oil…
In case:
A) you don’t like coconut oil (that’s plain cray-cray)
B) you don’t have any coconut oil (I know it may not be a staple in your kitch)
C) you just love you some butt-uh (I get it)
So I realize these don’t look exactly like traditional sugar cookies (color-wise), but I assure you you’ll get past this dilemma once you take a bite. And not to worry, this is not a “healthy” cookie. You know, the ones that leave you asking yourself, “why did I just eat that?”
However, this is a “healthier” cookie.
Like with all of my baking, I strive to use healthier, unrefined, whole-food ingredients whenever possible. I’m not opposed to using white sugar, starches, etc. but if it’s possible to avoid them while still creating something completely delicious, them I’m all for it. I do understand and respect staying true to baking traditions around the holidays, but since I don’t have any gluten-free cookies in my grandma’s cookie box, I decided I have free rein with these.
- I use unrefined coconut sugar to sweeten the cookies and used less sugar than typical sugar cookie recipes call for. (I powdered the sugar to make sure the texture was not at all gritty.)
- I used whole-grain oat flour and fat + protein rich almond flour. The almond flour helps give this cookie a buttery, flaky texture. The oat flour lends a nutty flavor and a bit of binding power.
- I used coconut oil to make these dairy free. (I’m not dairy free myself but know many readers are!)
I’m always looking for ways to make little adjustments like these. It takes a bit of experimentation, but that’s the part I love the most.
The cookie dough comes together extremely easily. It takes just minutes! After chilling the dough you’ll roll it out like any standard sugar cookie recipe.
The key is to work quickly with the dough, as the coconut oil softens fast. I found you can roll the dough out twice before having to pop it back in the fridge to firm up again. The dough stayed together extremely well but sometimes cracks when transferring to the baking sheet (especially with the snowflake cookie shape). I solved this problem by transferring with a floured metal spatula. Worked like a charm!
Also, rolling out between two pieces of parchment made things move faster and prevented the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. I highly recommend it.
After baking for just about 10 minutes you’re left with light, perfectly crispy, buttery, flaky, sugar cookies that hold together extremely well. They have a slight hint of coconut but more of an overall nutty flavor form the coconut oil, almond flour, and oat flour.
And now a little about the butter version. Oh man. Oh man. They have slight edge up on the coconut oil version, in my honest opinion. They’re a bit easier to roll out and have, well, a more buttery flavor. The coconut oil definitely lends a buttery-crisp texture, but the butter adds an extra oomph of richness.
I’m 98% positive you wouldn’t notice a difference if you ate one and then the other, if you were unaware of the ingredients. So I say, make whichever recipe works best for your lifestyle!
I’ll happily take some of both.
They are absolutely perfect all on their own but can definitely be frosted or dipped in chocolate.
highly adapted from: here + here
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Cutouts
gluten-free, refined sugar free // yields 30-40 cookies
dairy-free coconut oil version: (butter version to follow)
- 1/2 cup softened unrefined coconut oil, packed
- 2/3 cup powdered coconut sugar*
- 2 large egg yolks, no whites
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups finely ground blanched almond flour
- 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Place coconut oil and coconut sugar in a mixing bowl and cream together, about 1 minute. Add in the yolks and extracts and beat again until fully incorporated. Scrape sides and beat again. Add in both flours and salt and mix starting on low and working to medium for about 30 seconds - 1 minute, until a thick and stiff dough forms (refer photo 3).
Scrape contents from the bowl and roll into a large ball. Wrap the ball tightly in plastic wrap and set in the fridge for about 45 minutes (or overnight).
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and tear 2 extra pieces for rolling the dough.
Preheat oven to 325° F.
Remove half of the dough (leave half wrapped in the fridge) and pack into a ball to soften it up a bit. Dust bottom piece of parchment with oat flour. Place dough on top. Working quickly, flatten with the palm of your hand and dust the top with oat flour. Place second piece of parchment over top and roll out. I find it’s easiest to roll if you put even pressure on the drum of the roller and not the handles (helps keep things from sliding) and gently roll back and forth. Roll out the dough out just under 1/4-inch thick.
Working quickly, cut shapes with cookie cutters. Lightly flour a metal spatula and transfer to your baking sheet. Re-flour if cookies start to stick.
Roll excess dough into a ball, flour lightly, and roll out again. Transfer cookies to the baking sheet and place on the center rack of your oven for 9-12 minutes, until the edges are barely starting to brown. Refrigerate excess dough. Let cookies cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool.
Repeat process with the second half of the dough in the fridge. Roll out and cut shapes twice, bake, then refrigerate excess dough.
Repeat process again with any of the excess dough.
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TIPS FOR SUCCESS: (I promise they’re easy!)
- Once you remove the dough from the fridge it needs 2-3 minutes to warm back up so it can be rolled without cracking. Packing into a ball helps speed this up.
- Sub flours at your own risk.
- Do not pack flour into the cups. Spoon the flour in and level off.
- The key is to work quickly with this dough. I found you can roll it twice and then you need to put the excess dough in the fridge to chill for about 10-15 minutes just to stiffen up a bit.
- If the dough cracks (or sticks to the rolling pin – if you’re rolling right on the dough) simply press it back together. I found using the double layer of parchment was easiest and made the process move more quickly.
- If you make your own almond flour be sure to sift it to avoid any gritty pieces. I don’t recommend using almond meal.
- Feel free to sub sucanat or pure cane sugar instead of coconut sugar if desired.
- Using straight coconut sugar leaves small granules in the cookies. I preferred the texture using powdered coconut sugar.
- *To make coconut powdered sugar: Place 1 cup coconut sugar and 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (or cornstarch) in your blender and blend until soft.
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butter version:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon powdered coconut sugar
- 2 large egg yolks, no whites
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups finely ground blanched almond flour
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Follow directions as stated above. Once the dough is fully mixed it will have a slightly softer texture than the coconut oil dough but it firms up well in the fridge.
Another gluten-free baking goal accomplished!
This week I teamed up with the amazing due, Sonja + Alex, to bring you two new “healthier” cookie recipes for the holidays. They made adorable Soft Gingerbread Cookies that were tested to perfection, I’m sure. Sonja also shared her tips for healthier baking! If you’re on the lookout for more cookie recipes, check our list below!
- Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pistachios – Edible Perspective (gf)
- Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies – Edible Perspective (gf)
- 1-Bowl Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – Edible Perspective (gf/vegan)
- 1-Bowl Soft-Batch Pumpkin Spice Cookies – Edible Perspective (gf/vegan)
- Chocolate Dipped Buckeyes – Edible Perspective (gf/vegan)
- 1-Bowl Lemon Cornbread Cookies – Edible Perspective (gf/vegan)
- Soft Gingerbread Cookies – A Couple Cooks
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeyes – A Couple Cooks (gf/vegan)
- Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cranberry Clusters – A Couple Cooks (gf/vegan)
- Mint Chocolate Brownie Bites – A Couple Cooks (gf/vegan)
- Gingerbread Dough Truffles – A Couple Cooks (gf/vegan)
Happy weekending!!
Ashley
