This small batch of chocolate chip gluten free sugar cookie bites is adapted from my gluten free cut-out sugar cookies – with the sweet addition of chocolate chips. An almond flour blend makes the sugar cookies soft and tender, while mini chocolate chips and the festive chocolate decoration make the cookies great for Christmas!
Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies
It’s December and Christmas cookie season has officially begun! Chocolate crinkle cookies, decorated gingerbread cookies, and vibrant sparkle blossom cookies are among the few cookie staples for the holidays.
And the latest addition to the cookie lineup are these sweet little gluten free sugar cookie bites. But we take it one step further than your traditional sugar cookie and add mini chocolate chips for taste and texture.
These chocolate chip sugar cookies feature everything you love about sugar cookies, and just cookies in general!
- Gluten Free – But you would never know it. That is always my goal with my gluten free recipes – to make them taste like their wheat-flour counterpart.
- Tender Cookies – The almond flour blend makes the cookies a perfect mix of soft and crisp. The bite is soft, but the cookies won’t crumble under the pressure!
- Buttery Flavor – The butter and vanilla combo adds that distinct sugar cookie flavor.
- Bite-Size Delights – You don’t have to think twice about about popping a handful of these flavor bombs – their petite size requires it!
- Chocolate Decoration – I love any cookie where chocolate is the decoration – just check out the thin mints and peanut butter ice cream sandwiches to see what I mean!
Everything You Need To Make Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Bites
Ingredients
- Almond Flour – The almond flour adds protein, structure, and makes the cookie tender. I recommend blanched almond flour because it is ground finer without the almond skins.
- Arrowroot Flour – I love how arrowroot flour blends with almond flour to create a sturdy cookie. The arrowroot is another gluten free flour that provides structure.
- Tapioca Flour – I use tapioca flour to give the cookies a little chew, and it contributes to the golden baked exterior.
- Baking Powder – Just a little to help give the gluten free sugar cookie bites a little rise.
- Salt – A must for balancing and enhancing flavor.
- Unsalted Butter – We use unsalted butter because we add our own salt.
- Sugar – I use organic cane sugar for a slightly healthier sugar option. It is not as processed as granulated sugar and provides a richer flavor.
- Egg Yolk – The egg yolk makes the cookies soft and rich.
- Vanilla – For flavor!
- Chocolate Chips – I recommend semi-sweet mini chocolate chips because the small cookies need a small chip! You can use the same chips for the chocolate coating as well.
- Coconut Oil – The coconut oil helps the chocolate for the coating to melt smooth and provides a little shine.
Baking Equipment
- Hand Held Mixer – I provide notes in the recipe card for using a stand mixer if you prefer.
- Mixing Bowls
- Baking Sheet with Parchment Paper
- Small Cookie Cutter – Feel free to use a square, round, or any other shape you prefer. Make the cookies as big as you like!
Gluten Free Christmas Cookies
Christmas cookies seem to have the requirement that they come out once a year. However, think about taking any cookie and adding a little holiday cheer to make it worthy of your Christmas cookie box. These chocolate chip gluten free sugar cookie bites are a perfect example of that.
But to give you some more ideas on turning a traditional gluten free into a Christmas cookie:
- Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies – Add a little peppermint extract or holiday spices.
- Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Cookies – The standard chocolate chip cookie can get dipped in chocolate and sprinkles too.
- Gluten Free Soft Sugar Cookies – These cookies make adding red and green sprinkles an easy holiday transition.
- Flourless Chocolate Cookies – another where peppermint is a wonderful flavor add. Or sandwich two together with a little schmear of caramel dairy free frosting.
- Almond and Maple Cookies – These cookies may not require any additional help – the maple already screams holiday!
Tips For Successful Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
- Room temperature butter and egg yolk – Mixing room temperature butter is just easier. And all refrigerated ingredients brought to room temp will mix and bake evenly.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together first – It is tempting (trust me!) to just throw all of the dry ingredients on top of the butter. But because we use a few gluten free flours, I want to make sure they are mixed well.
- Use mini chips – For two reasons: these are small cookies, and the smaller chips make the cookie cut-out easier. No big chips to cut through.
- Chill the dough – The cookie dough does need to be chilled so the butter can firm back up – just like we do for the pecan gluten free snowball cookies. And this is especially true for rolled and cut-out cookie dough. Plus, it gives the dough time to hydrate and the flavors develop.
- Roll and cut the dough to your desired size and shape – I rolled the dough to about 1/4 inch thick and used a small 1.5 inch cookie cutter. But you can certainly roll thicker or thinner, and use any cookie cutter shape you like!
- Watch the bake time – The little cookies will bake fast, so keep an eye out for the light golden edges.
- Don’t overheat the chocolate for the dip – Chocolate can seize up if heated too long.
faq’s: How To Make Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Bites
Can this recipe be doubled?
I have not tested it, but I think it would be fine.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
You can! Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and a Ziploc and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Do these gluten free cut-out sugar cookies hold their shape when baked?
Yes they do!
I like a crispy cookie. Can I bake the cookies longer?
You can. I recommend about 10 to 11 minutes for a crispy cookie.
Can I add chopped nuts or other cookie mix-in’s?
Yes! You can even add sprinkles into the dough.
How do I store the cookies?
The cookies store great at room temperature – in a baggie or cookie jar.
Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Bites
Yield: 22 Small Cookies
GF
A small batch of Gluten Free Cut Out 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!
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Small Cookie Cutter
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Bites
- 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
- 2 and 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar (I use organic cane sugar)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Coating
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 teaspoon cold pressed refined coconut oil
- sprinkles
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Bites
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Using a hand held mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light a creamy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Note – See Notes below on using a stand mixer.
- 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. Note – The dough starts off crumbly and may seem too dry. Continue to mix and a dough will eventually for – this may take a couple minutes.
- Mix the chocolate chips into the dough with a spatula or wooden spoon. I used semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.
- 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 a small cookie cutter and place on the baking sheet. Repeat as necessary. Note – The number of cookies you yield from the recipe will depend on how thick you roll the dough and the size of cookie cutter you use. I used a 1.5 inch square cookie cutter and got 22 small cookies.
- 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.
Chocolate Coating
- In a small heat-proof bowl, add the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave in 30 second increments – stirring the chocolate after each increment – until the chocolate chips have mostly melted. Any small bits will melt with the residual heat. Do not overheat or the chocolate will seize up. Note – I used regular size semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can also use the mini chocolate chips used in the cookies.
- Dip the cooled cookie bites into the chocolate, place back on the wire rack, and decorate with sprinkles. Allow the cookies to set for at least 15 minutes for the chocolate to set up. You can also place the dipped cookies in the refrigerator to speed up the process. Enjoy!
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RECIPE NOTES
- Mixing the Cookie Dough – If you prefer to mix the dough with your stand mixer, I recommend a small 3 quart mixing bowl on my tilt-head stand mixer. It works with the regular size attachments.
- Flavoring the Cookie Dough – The sugar cookies are a great base to add different spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice!
- Freezing the Cookie Dough – The cookie dough can be frozen – for up to 3 months. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap generously in plastic wrap, and place in a Ziploc bag to freeze. Defrost the cookie dough in the refrigerator.
- Freezing Baked Cookies – Baked and decorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Either in a Tupperware, or gently placed in a Ziploc bag. Defrost the cookies at room temperature – this may take 1 to 3 hours.
Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch gluten free and traditional desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you!
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