Forget all other sugar cookies because this Gluten Free Soft and Fluffy Cutout Sugar Cookies recipe is all you will ever need. These soft, yet sturdy, vanilla flavored sugar cookies will excite the kid in you.
ME BEFORE THE RECIPE…
Apparently Ben and I don’t quite know each other as well as I thought after 13 years of marriage.
Let me rephrase that: Ben doesn’t quite know me after 13 years of marriage, and I highly doubt he will ever figure me out. I, on the other hand, know Ben better than he knows himself and am always just one step ahead of him figuring out what he really wants/needs in life.
It’s true.
There have Ben times where I have bought clothes, accessories, cologne, and other knick knacks for Ben. He thinks he doesn’t like them at first, but then he soon realizes (after handfuls of compliments from others) that they really are awesome. I bought him a brushed gold watch (fake of course) one time that he just shrugged at. Turns out now he thinks it’s a pretty fly watch and wears it all the time.
On the flip side, he ends up buying himself things he thinks he likes and then realizes they are not so cool. Take, for example, the dozens of baggy golf shirts he’s bought over the years that he thought he would wear for work but they just end up taking space in our closet. He even tried to buy another one last night and I put my foot down knowing that he wouldn’t ever wear it since it wasn’t slim fit.
Or what about the alligator wallet he bought while vacationing in Mexico that looked like a full on shiny, bedazzled coin purse??? I told him not to buy it, but he did anyway. After a few laughs from his friends and coworkers, he ditched the wallet and went for something more masculine.
Anyway, even if Ben doesn’t like my gifts initially, I’m usually pretty confident he’ll come around within a day or two.
But some of the gifts he gives me???
It doesn’t matter how long you stare at them, they don’t get any better.
One Christmas he went on a full on shopping spree at a boutique store. He purchased complete outfits, including leggings, jewelry, and shirts. He was so giddy and excited to give them to me thinking that he had hit the gift giving jack pot.
The only thing his gift was good for was a load of laughter and a horrendously hilarious fashion show. Let’s just say every article of clothing was returned to the racks the next day.
And then there was the Minnie Mouse shirt he recently brought back from a trip to California. He lovingly presented me with an unexpected gift upon returning from a vacation with his parents. I thought it was so sweet that he would think of me while he was gone. I opened the bag and yep, it was a Minnie Mouse tank top. I have NEVER nor will I EVER wear a character article of clothing. So that went to the Goodwill the next day.
Oh, a classic gift was for my birthday right before we got engaged. He kept talking about how much I would love my birthday gift that year and how special it was going to be. He kept saying how happy it would make me. In front of a restaurant table full of family and friends, he handed me a small little bag just big enough to fit a jewelry box. I prepped myself for opening the most gorgeous engagement ring and seeing Ben kneeling on one knee ready to ask for my hand in marriage.
It was perfume.
The same perfume his mom wears.
I HATE perfume.
He made up for it about a week later with an actual proposal. Good job Benny boy!
And most recently he bought me a necklace for our anniversary that he even had to talk Braelyn into wearing after I politely declined wanting to wear it. I tried, you guys. I really tried!!! I wore it for the entire dinner on our date night, and then I saw myself in the mirror and I just couldn’t anymore.
But I guess that’s what keeps marriage interesting; continuing to find out more and more about your spouse: their likes, dislikes, interests, and hobbies. I mean who ever knew that Ben would turn into such a Crossfit buff from that scrawny little boy I married so many years ago?
HERE COMES THE RECIPE…
And who knew that Ben LOVES sugar cookies to the point that I almost had to ration his intake. Seriously, he wanted to inhale these Gluten Free Soft and Fluffy Cutout Sugar Cookies like there was no tomorrow.
But hey, I can’t blame the dude. These cookies are L-E-G-I-T!
I am currently making my fourth batch of them…well fifth if you count the fact that it is a double batch. The dough is literally chilling in my fridge as I type and I just sent Ben on a wild goose chase for holiday sprinkles, which apparently no store has. What’s up with that???!
I first made these cookies because Emry found my holiday cookie cutters and had been begging me for weeks to make cutout cookies. That first batch didn’t turn out too great. They spread like crazy and resembled nothing close to the shapes they started as.
The second batch I nailed. And thus came the third batch to pass out to Braelyn’s class for her birthday. And now we wait for batch 4 and 5 to pass out to neighbors and serve to friends on Christmas day. Sugar cookie mania over here!!!
These cookies have the most perfect consistency. I rarely claim that you can’t tell the difference between gluten free goods and their gluten filled counterparts, but these cookies really are the real deal. Ben said he would never have even known they were gluten free. Major win!
The texture is soft and fluffy, yet sturdy enough that they hold up to decorating and have a slight chew when you bite into them. That’s just how I like a sugar cookie; not too soft and not too crispy, right in between.
And the flavor of these cookies is outstanding!!! They are full of vanilla and I added a splash of almond extract which just sends them over the edge delicious.
Plus, can I just say that most people do not add enough salt to their baked goods??? It really is important to add salt to your sweets. It enhances the flavor. Do not, and I mean DO NOT, add any less than the teaspoon of salt that this recipe calls for. Your baking life will forever be changed once you taste these cookies and realize that salt is your friend.
Now this glaze is also my new best friend. It is so much easier than trying to spread frosting. And it is easier than making royal frosting. I adapted the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction’s easy glaze style icing.
You can whip this glaze up in minutes, transfer it to a squeeze bottle, and decorate these cookies in no time. You first outline the edges of the cookies and allow that to set. Once the outline has set, you can fill the remaining part of the cookie with more glaze and shake some sprinkles on top.
Again, just like the cookie dough, I added almond extract to the glaze as well as vanilla for a little extra flavor. It really works. Kinda like how Ben and I really work. Two very different flavors that compliment each other oh so well. Awww, how corny is that?!
And so there you have it. A no fail gluten free sugar cookie recipe that will make you happy year round. There is always an excuse to make sugar cookies…and eat them too!
What time of year do you find yourself making sugar cookies?
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY…
- Gluten Free Holiday Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
- Gluten Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Simply Sugar Cookies with Perfect Vanilla Frosting
- Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Hershey’s Kisses Cookies
- Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Chocolate Cupcakes
- For the cookies:
- 1½ sticks butter, room temperature (12 tablespoons or ¾ cup)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (215 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2⅓-2½ cups (315-330 g) high quality gluten free all purpose flour (I've used Cup 4 Cup and Pamela's All Purpose Flour with good results), plus more for rolling*
- For the icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- dash of salt
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- Begin making cookie dough by creaming together butter, sugar, and egg with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, scraping down the sides as needed. Add vanilla and almond extract and mix until incorporated. Add baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
- Add 2 cups of flour and mix until well incorporated. Add remaining ⅓ cup flour and mix until dough begins to pull away from sides of the bowl. This should happen after about a minute of mixing. If it does not come together, add another 2-3 tablespoons of flour.
- Divide dough into two balls. Flatten each ball into about an 1" thick disc on top of a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap plastic wrap around dough and chill for at least an hour up to overnight until solid.
- Remove dough from fridge, one disc at a time, 10 minutes prior to baking. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mat. Set aside.
- Generously dust counter top with flour and set disc on top. Dust top of dough with flour. Or you may roll dough in between parchment paper for easier cleanup, and you don't have to add extra flour. Gently roll dough out to ¼" thickness. Cut out desired shapes and transfer them with a thin spatula to baking sheet, placing cookies about 1½" apart. Reuse and reshape dough, flouring surface as needed until you have filled the baking sheet with cookies.
- Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until edges are just turning golden brown. Remove and slide parchment paper with cookies onto a cooling rack to completely cool.** Repeat with remaining dough.
- Once cookies have completely cooled, make the glaze. To make the glaze, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Pour into a plastic squeeze bottle (like one you would use for homemade ketchup) and line the edges of the cookies, making sure to leave a little space around the edge so frosting doesn't drip off the sides as it hardens.
- Once edges have set, after about 5 minutes, fill the rest of the cookie with glaze, spreading with a toothpick as needed. Decorate as desired. Let frosting completely harden before stacking or transferring to containers.
- Store in an airtight container, with plastic wrap or wax paper between each layer, at room temperature for up to 3 days, in fridge for up to a week, or in freezer for up to 3 months.
**Once cookies are set, after about 5 minutes, you may transfer cookies from parchment paper to just the cooling rack and reuse the parchment paper for another batch.
