Description
These gluten-free Christmas sugar cookies are easy to make and are perfect for gifting during the holiday season. Plus, they’re totally dairy-free too! Go bake a batch today!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted dairy-free butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your gluten-free flour blend already has it)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 6 to 7 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 drop green gel food coloring
- 1 drop blue gel food coloring
Instructions
- Beat Butter and Sugar: Beat butter and sugar until combined (approximately 2 minutes).
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat for a couple more minutes.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the gluten-free measure-for-measure flour with salt and baking powder.
- Add Dry Ingredients to Wet Ingredients: Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients. You should get a slightly sticky dough.
- Cover with Plastic Wrap and Chill: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour to chill the dough.
- Preheat and Line: Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- Roll Out Dough: Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of about 5 mm (1/5 inch). For convenience, you can divide the dough into two parts and roll them out one at a time.
- Cut Out Cookie Dough: Cut out the dough using cookie cutters of your choice.
- Place Dough on Prepared Baking Sheet: Place the cut out cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes.
- Let Cool: Remove the finished cookies from the oven and let cool.
- Prepare the Icing: Mix the lemon juice and powdered sugar with a whisk. The cookie icing should not be too runny. Divide the glaze into three parts. Add a drop of green to one part, a drop of blue food coloring to another part, and leave the final part white.
- Decorate Cookies: Decorate the cookies as desired and let them sit for 30-60 minutes until the icing has set.
- Store: You can store the cookies in a container with a lid.
Notes
Butter: I used dairy-free butter to keep this recipe dairy-free. However, if you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use regular unsalted butter instead.
Sugar: I used granulated white sugar, but you may also use cane sugar or light brown sugar if you prefer. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I recommend using granulated monkfruit sweetener (1:1 sugar substitute that is zero glycemic index).
Vanilla Extract: I like adding a bit of vanilla extract for extra flavor, and I recommend adding it in. However, if you don’t have it on hand, or are not a fan of vanilla, feel free to leave it out.
Egg: The egg is necessary for binding the ingredients together, so make sure you add it in.
Gluten-Free Flour Blend: I recommend using a good-quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend (a 1:1 gluten-free substitute for regular all-purpose flour) that is made up of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch or potato starch). I do NOT recommend using gluten-free flour blends that use heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour).
Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is the replacement for gluten in gluten-free flours and helps to better bind the ingredients together. If your gluten-free flour blend does not already include it, make sure to add it in.
Baking Powder:Â Baking powder is the only leavening agent used in this sugar cookie recipe, so definitely add it in. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure to use gluten-free baking powder.
Lemon Juice: For the best flavor I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice. However, if you don’t have fresh lemons, bottled lemon juice will work just as well.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar (also known as icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar), is sugar that has been processed to a very fine powder and can easily dissolve. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I recommend using powdered monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 powdered sugar substitute that is zero glycemic index).
Coloring: I used blue and green food coloring, but feel free to use whichever colors you prefer. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure to use gluten-free food coloring.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Chilling + Cooling Time: 60 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
