Easy Gluten Free Drop Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

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If you need easy gluten free drop sugar cookies, look no further! This gluten free drop sugar cookie recipe requires no rolling cookie dough, and no chilling. Ultra chewy gluten free drop sugar cookies will quickly become your go-to recipe!

Easy Gluten Free Drop Sugar Cookie Recipe (1)

How do you make Easy Gluten Free drop Sugar Cookies?

I'm famous for my gluten free sugar cookies.

They are cakey and lightly sweet (just like those Lofthouse cookies in the plastic clam-shells at the grocery store.)

These super easy, chewy cookies are like my frosted sugar cookies sparkly cousin. (Sparkly because of all the sugar they are rolled in.)

They have all of the same ingredients, but the ratios have changed slightly so that your gluten free drop sugar cookies will gently spread in the oven into chewy, sparkly rounds.

  • More sugar to butter equals a chewy gluten free drop sugar cookie with crisp edges.
  • Less flour equals an easy gluten free drop sugar cookie that will spread on its own (which means no rolling pin or chilling required. Hurrah!)

Perfect with a glass of milk, or get fancy and add some frosting on top.

How do you make gluten free drop sugar cookies from scratch?

This gluten free sugar drop cookie dough couldn't be easier!

It requires no chilling.

Simply mix the dough together, scoop into a small bowl of sugar, roll to coat, and place on your baking sheet.

What do you need to make gluten free sugar cookie dough?

To make gluten free drop sugar cookie dough you'll need:

  • Butter- You can use dairy-free/vegan butter or palm shortening, or you can use softened dairy butter.
  • White (Granulated) Sugar- I haven't tried many granulated sugar substitutes but I suspect they'll work fine.
  • Eggs- You can use regular chicken eggs, or an egg substitute. Bob's
    Red Mill's Egg Replacer is my favorite, but it should also work with Ener-G or a flax egg.
  • Baking Soda- Helps your cookies to spread.
  • Xanthan gum- Replace the structure that gluten gives traditional cookie. If you are using a gluten-free flour blend that already has xanthan gum, go ahead and omit the xanthan gum the recipe calls for.
  • Vanilla extract- For flavor! You can also use lemon extract, almond extract, or any extract your heart desires for a different flavor twist.
  • Gluten Free Flour- I use my own gluten free flour blend, but another blend may work well.IF you are substituting a different gluten-free four, please read the section down below with essential tips for swapping gluten-free flours, they don't all work the same

To mix the dough, first you'll need butter and sugar.

Cream them together until fluffy and then beat in the egg.

(I like using my stand mixer or my electric handheld mixer, however you can make this dough using just a bowl, spoon, and a lot of elbow grease.)

Next, add the baking soda, xanthan gum, and vanilla and mix until combined.

I add these ingredients before the gluten free flour to ensure they get evenly distributed.

Last but not least, add the gluten free flour.

(Keep reading, I've got some important gluten free flour notes below that are crucial to your gluten free chewy drop sugar cookie success!)

Here come the sparkles!

Scoop your gluten free drop sugar cookie dough using a cookie scoop, and give it a quick dip in granulated sugar.

Or you can be super lazy, like I normally am.

Scoop your gluten free drop sugar cookie dough and drop it directly onto your cookie sheet, then sprinkle the top liberally with granulated sugar.

These easy gluten free drop sugar cookies are also super easy to dress up for holidays or parties.

Instead of using white granulated sugar, give them a dip or sprinkle in a bright colored sanding sugar.

You can also dip your gluten free drop sugar cookies in melted chocolate and top with sprinkles or candies.

Easy Gluten Free Drop Sugar Cookie Recipe (2)

How do you measure gluten free flour?

When baking with gluten free flour is it essential to measure your gluten free flour very carefully.

  • Whisking your gluten free flour (or if it is in a container, give it a good shake.) This ensures the flour is well combined and it is aerated.
  • Carefully scoop your gluten free flour into a measuring cup USING A SPOON. Don't scoop the flour directly with the cup. You'll inadvertently get too much gluten free flour.
  • Level your measuring cup off with a knife, or using the handle of the spoon. I have some self-leveling measuring cups that I love. If I'm using them, I never forget to level off my gluten free flour.

What gluten free flour do you use for drop sugar cookies?

I tested this recipe with my gluten free flour blend.

You can certainly use another gluten free flour, but you may need a little less flour depending on the absorption rate.

I've discovered that both Bob's Red Mill's 1 to 1 gluten free flour and Ryze's Blue Bag Gluten Free Flour need a little less gluten free flour than what I use in my recipes.

You can always add more flour but you can't take it away.

So do yourself a favor and if you are using any gluten free flour than mine, start with 1 cup of gluten free flour.

Bake a single cookie to test how it spreads.If it comes out too thin and crispy, add more flour to get a thicker cookie.

Easy Gluten Free Drop Sugar Cookie Recipe (3)

How do you make gluten free drop sugar cookies vegan?

I've made this easy gluten free drop sugar cookie recipe vegan many times! All you need are a few easy substitutions and you'll be set.

What do you use instead of butter to make gluten free drop sugar cookies vegan?

Instead of the butter, use your favorite vegan butter or palm shortening.

I've found best results when I use half vegan butter and half palm shorting (take the total amount of butter and divide it in half and use that measurement for each).

The reason I like using half vegan butter and half palm shortening is that sometimes vegan butter can make the cookies have a "fake butter" taste.

The vegan butter can also melt too quickly, resulting in oily cookies.

The palm shortening melts slower, helping the cookie to spread not to much and not too little, but just the right amount.

The palm shortening is also unflavored, and when combined with the vegan butter I feel like I get the perfect taste.

What do you use instead of eggs to make gluten free drop sugar cookies vegan?

Now that the dairy is out of the way, you just need an egg substitute.

My go-to is a flax egg (for each egg, 1 tablespoon flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water and let sit for 5 minutes to gel) and I also really love Bob's Red Mill's Egg Replacer.

I haven't tested, but have heard great things about Ener-G Egg Replacer, and aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas).

Can I make sugar cookies without sugar?

Great question! This recipe may work with a sugar substitute, but I haven't tested any.

If you are looking for a low-sugar recipe, I'd recommend my friend Taylor's Low Sugar Healthy Sugar Cookies .

Easy Gluten Free Drop Sugar Cookie Recipe (4)

Want more cookie recipes like this one?

Check out my cookbook, Gluten-Free Cookies All Year Round, for more than 60 gluten-free & allergy friendly cookie recipes for every occasion.

Check it out!

📖 Recipe

Easy Gluten Free Drop Sugar Cookie Recipe (5)

Gluten Free Drop Sugar Cookies Recipe

Yield: 1 ½ dozen gluten free sugar cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Easy gluten free sugar cookies with no chilling or rolling required! Easy drop cookies that make perfectly chewy gluten free sugar cookies.

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix until smooth.
  3. Add the vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and gluten-free flour and mix until combined.
  4. Scoop the dough using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, roll in additional sugar or colored sanding sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheet. You may also sprinkle each cookie with a little sugar instead of dipping or rolling each cookie dough ball.
  5. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Notes

If you like your sugar cookies thinner with golden crispy edges and a chewy center, decrease the flour to 1 cup.

I used Earth Balance as my vegan butter in this recipe. I have the best dairy free results using 4 tablespoons vegan butter with 2 tablespoons palm shortening. Or you can use 6 tablespoons of softened butter if you can do dairy.

Nutrition Information

Yield 18Serving Size 1 cookie
Amount Per ServingCalories 149Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 21mgSodium 126mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 1gSugar 10gProtein 2g

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Easy Gluten Free Drop Sugar Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep gluten-free cookies from falling apart? ›

Use a Binder

Binders like xanthan gum and guar gum provide structure in gluten-free baking to make up for the missing gluten. This prevents cookies from being too crumbly plus it also helps with freshness.

Does using gluten-free flour affect cookies? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

Why are my gluten-free cookies so dry? ›

Add more fat or liquid: It might just be that you need a bit more moisture in your recipe, especially if you're converting a regular “gluten-ful” recipe to gluten-free. Try adding anywhere from ¼ to ½ cup of liquid or fat to the recipe and see if that helps.

What makes gluten-free cookies rise? ›

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.

Should you refrigerate gluten free cookie dough before baking? ›

And refrigerate the dough if it's too sticky.

This is because cold dough is less sticky, and it doesn't spread as easily, too. If you're making a gluten-free cookie recipe that you don't want to spread too much (like crinkle cookies), make sure to chill the dough before baking it.

Should I add xanthan gum to gluten-free cookies? ›

Using xanthan gum helps provide some of the stickiness that gluten free goods lack, replacing some elasticity. Xanthan gum mimics some of gluten's most essential properties by sticking to flour and its moisture. This helps create moist goods that hold their shape after being baked.

Which gluten free flour works best in cookies? ›

Almond flour is a grain-free, protein-rich flour that lends well to cookies, cakes, and more! Almond flour is made from blanched almonds, meaning without skins (as opposed to almond meal, which is made from raw almonds with skins). This is why it has a fluffy, light texture and pale golden color.

What is the trick to baking with gluten free flour? ›

Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture.

What is the best gluten free flour for cookies? ›

What's the best gluten-free flour for baking? Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking mix is my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for baking. It has a mild texture and plenty of "stick" thanks to a blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, and sorghum flour, plus some starches and xanthan gum.

What is the secret to moist gluten-free baking? ›

Moisture – for some reason gluten-free cakes tend to get a little dry. Any gluten-free cake will dry out super-fast and get hard on the outside if it's not properly refrigerated and covered. I swear by always using buttermilk and adding a little more fat into the batter to compensate for the dryness.

What holds gluten-free cookies together? ›

It might sound scary, but xanthan gum is key for successful gluten-free baking. It helps bind together the ingredients, preventing your cookies from falling to pieces.

Should you let gluten free cookie dough rest? ›

Instead of proceeding directly to baking, let the gluten-free cookie dough rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. This resting period is crucial for hydration, not leavening. During this time, gluten-free flours absorb moisture from the wet ingredients, altering the dough's texture and consistency.

What does cream of tartar do in gluten-free baking? ›

When combined with baking soda, it becomes a leavening agent (the stuff that makes baked goods puff up in the oven) by producing carbon dioxide gas. If you ever run out of baking powder, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar for 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Why do you chill gluten-free cookie dough? ›

It prevents the cookies from sticking to the sheet (and then breaking apart when removed), doesn't leave a greasy aftertaste on the bottoms of the cookies, and helps you spend less time in the kitchen doing clean-up duty when you're done – BONUS! What is this? 4- Chill your dough well before baking!

What does baking soda do in gluten-free baking? ›

Texture and Rise: Gluten-free baking often requires a bit of finesse to achieve the desired rise and texture. Baking soda's reaction with an acid can help achieve that necessary lift, while baking powder provides an extra boost when the batter or dough is exposed to heat.

How to make gluten-free cookies less dry and crumbly? ›

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

Why is gluten-free baking crumbly? ›

Dry, crumbly loaf- you may need more liquid (see above), fat or binder. Gluten free bread dough needs more fat than wheat bread dough whether it's oil, butter or something else. So if your bread is dry, simply add more fat to get a better crumb.

How do you keep cookies from crumbling? ›

How to Keep Cookies on a Baking Sheet from Crumbling and Sticking
  1. Follow Your Recipe. Cookie and bar recipes are generally more forgiving than cakes, but all baking is based on chemistry. ...
  2. Grease Your Pan. Jason Donnelly. ...
  3. Line Your Pan or Cookie Sheet. ...
  4. Give Your Cookies Time to Cool. ...
  5. Cut the Bars and Remove Cookies from Sheet.
Oct 31, 2022

How to bind gluten-free cookies? ›

If your blend doesn't have a binder a good rule of thumb is to add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum for every 1 cup of gluten free flour. This changes depending on the type of recipe you're making so it's simply a guide.

References

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