Gluten Free Small Batch Sugar Cookies
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Gluten free small batch sugar cookies that hold their shape and are perfect for decorating! The cookies are delicately sweet and made with an almond flour blend to make the cookies soft, yet sturdy. This is an easy sugar cookie recipe that also includes an easy cookie icing!

Gluten Free Cut Out Sugar Cookies
The gluten free sugar cookies are new to hit the blog and just in time for Christmas! These little gems join a popular group of sugar cookies – the marshmallow sugar cookies and the pumpkin spice sugar cookies. And just like those recipes, these cookies can easily take on any flavor extract or spice for a little variety!
We use an almond flour blend to make these gluten free small batch sugar cookies. The almond flour makes the cookies soft and tender, and the other blend of flours will make sure the cookies hold their shape.

Why You’ll Love These Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
- Great for cut-out cookies – These sugar cookies hold their shape when baked! No indiscernible shapes here! But, if you’re looking for a softer drop sugar cookie, check out the gluten free soft sugar cookies.
- Perfect to decorate with royal icing – These cookies will stay flat when they are baked. Which means easier to show off your royal icing skills!
- Soft yet sturdy – The almond flour is what makes these cookies soft, not crunchy or crumbly. And the other flours yield a cookie that is sturdy, breaks cleanly, and can take on copious amounts of icing!
- Delicately sweet – We don’t use a heavy hand when adding sugar to these cookies. Plus, the almond flour adds a hint of sweetness.
- Roll the cookies thick or thin – How thick you roll the cookies is entirely up to you.
- Cut into any shape or size – The cookie dough is extremely versatile in that it can take on any cookie cutter shape. Or, make the cookies bite size with these chocolate chip gluten free sugar cookie bites!


Pro Cookie tips
- Use blanched almond flour – Blanched almond flour is ground finer and it does not have flecks of almond skins.
- Room temperature butter – Room temperature butter does not equal soft, melting butter. Room temperature butter is still ‘cool’ to the touch and will only make a slight indentation when pressed with your finger
- Add the dry ingredients in increments – This allows the dough time to mix and incorporate, and it avoids a floury mess!
- Chill the dough – The dough needs time in the refrigerator to chill firm up and set. Which makes the cookie dough easier to roll and cut out.
- Roll to your desired thickness – I roll my cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thick. You can certainly roll your cookies thicker or thinner. Just keep an eye on the bake time, as they may take a minute longer or less to bake.

More Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
- Sparkle Sugar Cookie Blossoms
- Pecan Brown Sugar Cookies
- Molasses Crinkle Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (Small Batch)
- Small Batch Snickerdoodles

Gluten Free Small Batch Sugar Cookies
by Erin Cernich
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
- ¾ cup, plus 2 tablespoons blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons organic cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Royal Icing
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and salt.3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons blanched almond flour, 1/4 cup arrowroot flour, 2 tablespoons tapioca flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon salt
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and creamy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and continue to beat until fully incorporated.2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, 5 tablespoons organic cane sugar, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sprinkle about half of the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. The dough starts crumbly and may seem too dry. Continue to mix, and a dough will eventually form. This may take a couple minutes.
- Pour the cookie dough into the center of a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a disc. Wrap the dough tightly in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or even overnight.
- When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Very lightly flour your work surface with arrowroot flour. Roll the chilled dough to your desired cookie thickness. I roll my cookies to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out the cookies using cookie cutters and place on the baking sheet. Repeat as necessary.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges start to turn a light golden brown. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet set on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate the cookies with my simple royal icing recipe.
Notes
- Mixing the Cookie Dough – If you prefer to mix the dough with your stand mixer, I recommend a smaller mixing bowl to mix the ingredients evenly. A regular size mixing bowl is more likely to push all of the ingredients to the side of the bowl. I use a 3 quart mixing bowl on my tilt-head stand mixer, and it works with the regular size attachments.
- Freezing the Cookie Dough – After chilling the dough, put the disc in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Freezing Baked Cookies – Gently place baked and decorated cookies in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition Estimates
TRY THESE SMALL BATCH RECIPES NEXT!

About the Author …
Hi, I’m Erin! With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers. I’ve tested, written, and photographed every one of the 300+ recipes on my website. And even had some of my desserts featured on Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats, ELLE, Parade, and more! From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you.
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Can you use gluten free 1:1 flour instead of almond, arrowroot and tapioca flours?
Hi Kathleen – I have not tested it, and my concern is almond flour, especially, behaves a bit different than the other flours ususally in those blends. Maybe try my small batch of traditional sugar cookies and swap in the 1:1 flour on that recipe. It has a bit more butter, which I think would be needed for the 1:1 blends. I’d love to hear how the cookies turn out! https://butterandbliss.net/small-batch-classic-sugar-cookies/