If you're looking for gluten free dessert recipes for Christmas, look no further! These gluten-free Christmas cookies are what holiday dreams are made of. They're chewy with crispy edges and perfect for gifts. Plus, 14 more Christmas cookie recipes to add to your cookie platter!
Gluten-free cookies can be a little tricky compared to traditional cookies, especially if you're new to gluten-free baking. Here are some tips for success in your kitchen:
- Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. When ingredients are cold, or at different temperatures, it doesn't combine properly. You want all ingredients to be at room temperature so you can get a smooth cookie dough, which will lead you to delicious baked cookies.
- Make sure your gluten-free flour blend includes xanthan gum. When choosing a 1-to-1 blend, make sure xanthan gum is listed as one of the ingredients. Xanthan gum helps give your cookies structure.
- Scrape the bowl. It's so important to make sure that all of the ingredients are properly mixed through. Sometimes, ingredients like flour like to hide at the bottom of the bowl, so make sure you give the sides and bottoms of your bowl a thorough mix.
- Chill your dough. Just like gluten-free cake batter, your gluten-free cookie dough needs to rest so the flour can properly hydrate and avoid a gritty texture. Cookie dough also needs to be chilled so they don't spread too much in the oven.
- Use parchment paper. We don't want any of your delicious cookies to get stuck onto the baking sheet, so make sure you're lining your baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Preheat your oven. If your oven is too cold or too hot, your cookies won't bake properly. Make sure you're preheating your oven for about 15 minutes before you put your cookie dough in.
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies. Gluten-free cookies may look underbaked when they come out of the oven, but they will continue to cook on the baking sheet. If you leave them in the oven for too long, you can end up with dry, crumbly cookies.
Before I share my recipe for the BEST gluten free Christmas cookies, here are some other gluten free Christmas cookie recipes!
- Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies - These gluten-free thumbprint cookies are like buttery shortbread cookies with jammy cranberry sauce centers! It's also dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan.
- Gingerbread Cookies - These gluten-free gingerbread cookies are so easy to make and are perfect for Christmas baking! They're topped with a simple and delicious royal icing that comes together in just 2 minutes.
- Almond Crescent Cookies - This nutty recipe is a nostalgic holiday recipe made with a healthy plant-based twist. These soft, crumbly cookies are made with almond flour and almond butter with a hint of fresh orange flavor.
- Chewy Ginger Cookies - These gluten-free ginger cookies are soft and chewy with a crunchy exterior. Drizzled with a simple maple glaze for an extra delicious punch!
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies - These gluten-free chocolate peppermint cookies are simple to prepare, fudgy and so delicious. Combining the classic combination of chocolate and peppermint, they are perfect for your festive baking and for the chocolate lover in your life!
- Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies - These cookies are pure perfection! Chewy, chocolatey, tasty and also gluten-free, and easy to make.
- No-Bake Christmas Date Cookies - Christmas date cookies have a pillowy texture and a strong, rich chocolate flavor, making them an easy, no-bake perfect little holiday treat.
- Marshmallow-Stuffed Chocolate Cookies - Fudgy gluten-free chocolate cookies are stuffed with marshmallows. A delicious must-have in your cookie box!
- Crispy Butter Cookies - These gluten-free Danish butter cookies make wonderful gifts. They taste like those Danish cookies you buy in the blue tin!
- Candy Cane Cookies - Festive candy cane cookies are the perfect treat to add to your gluten-free Christmas cookie platter! Lightly flavored with peppermint and a slight crunch pairs perfectly with a warm mug of hot cocoa.
- Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Meringue Kisses - If you are in the mood to make holiday meringue cookies, you can’t go wrong with these dipped meringue kisses. You will love the flavor combination of meringue, chocolate, and candy cane.
- Norwegian Almond Cookies (Kransekakestenger) - Kransekakestenger have all the deliciousness of a traditional kransekake without the need for a special set of cake rings. Dipped in dark chocolate, these simple Scandinavian almond cookies are the perfect addition to your Christmas cookie line-up.
- Hot Cocoa Cookies - These hot cocoa cookies are soft, rich, and extra fudgy. Plus, they're grain and gluten-free with easy adaptions to keep it dairy-free. Full of chocolate flavor and great for a cookie swap, holiday gift, or Christmas dessert!
- The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies - You can't have a holiday cookie platter without classic chocolate chip cookies! These cookies are truly the best, with crispy edges and soft, chewy centers!
These gluten-free drop-style sugar cookies are one of my favorites for Christmas! The flavor combination of vanilla and peppermint is so festive, and the texture is superb!
Oh my goodness. If you love cookies that are crispy on the edges but soft and chewy in the center, these cookies will be right up your alley!
If you're looking for gluten free cut out Christmas cookies, you can make these cookies using Christmas cookie cutters!
Here are some reasons why you're going to adore these cookies:
- Simple ingredients - This recipe only calls for 9 ingredients and 2 optional ingredients!
- Nut free - These are nut free Christmas cookies, making them great for anyone with a nut allergy.
- Easy to make - It's just mix, chill, scoop, and bake!
- Kid-friendly - Get your kids in the kitchen to make these cookies with you! It's easy enough for them to be involved, which is always great.
- DELICIOUS - The best part about these cookies, let's be honest, is the flavor. They're buttery and sweet, and the combination of vanilla and peppermint is fantastic!
- Versatile - This cookie recipe is super versatile so you can switch up the sprinkles or mix-ins and make it your own!
Ingredients you'll need
- Gluten-free flour. Use a measure-for-measure flour blend that includes xanthan gum. I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
- Salt. This recipe uses fine salt.
- Baking soda & baking powder. You'll need a combination of the two leavening agents for this recipe.
- Butter. Make sure the butter's been softened at room temperature. If using dairy-free butter, add a little refined coconut oil.
- Granulated sugar. I highly recommend using white granulated sugar in this recipe because it gives the cookies a clean sweetness.
- Egg. Use a large egg, as it provides more moisture.
- Honey. Honey adds a depth of flavor as well as a nice chew to the cookies.
- Vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste.
- Peppermint flavor. Although optional, I recommend adding peppermint flavor to make it more festive! I used Simply Organic peppermint flavor.
- Sprinkles. Again, optional, but they do add a festive touch to the cookies! I bought red, green, and white sprinkles separately and mixed them myself to make Christmas sprinkles.
Substitutions
- Peppermint flavor. You can leave it out completely if you like, or swap it out for ¼ teaspoon of almond extract.
- Granulated sugar. You can use organic cane sugar, or light brown to make this gluten free sugar cookies recipe. Both will make a darker cookie and the light brown sugar give the cookies a slight molasses flavor.
- Honey. You can use maple syrup or agave syrup instead.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until creamy, fluffy, and white in color.
- Scrape the bowl, add the egg and beat it again until fully combined. Scrape the bowl again, add the honey, vanilla extract, and peppermint flavor, and beat again.
- In a separate bowl, add the gluten-free flour blend, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix together.
- Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat it at medium speed. Scrape the bowl to make sure all the flour has been incorporated, and mix again.
- Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop (mine holds 4 teaspoons of dough), scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper.
- Roll each scoop of dough in between your hands to make a ball. Dip one side of the ball into the sprinkles, and place it on the parchment paper.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe pro-tips
- Cream the butter and sugar really well. Creaming room temperature butter and sugar aerates the cookie dough. Without creaming the butter properly, you'll end up with dense cookies.
- Bake a test batch. Because all ovens are different, your oven may run hotter or cooler than mine. I highly recommend baking just one or two cookies to see if the cookies bake up perfectly before baking the rest of the batch, so you can see if you need to adjust the baking temperature or baking times.
- Let the cookies cool completely. Just like any gluten-free baked dessert, you want to let your cookies cool completely before eating them. They can be too soft while they're still warm.
- Use a large round cookie cutter for perfectly circular cookies. Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven, take a large round cookie cutter and place it on the parchment paper so that the baked cookie fits inside the cookie cutter. Swirl the cookie cutter around until your soft-baked cookie is a perfect circle.
If you want to make these gluten free holiday cookies dairy-free, replace the unsalted butter with a combination of vegan butter and refined coconut oil. Vegan butter is often lower in fat compared to dairy butter, so by combining it with refined coconut oil, we're getting it closer to the fat content of dairy butter.
For a cup of dairy butter, use ⅔ cup vegan butter and ⅓ cup refined coconut oil.
Make sure to use refined coconut oil, and not virgin coconut oil, which has a coconut flavor to it. If you don't like coconut oil, you can also use shortening.
Here are some ideas to switch up these easy gluten-free Christmas cookies:
- Mix sprinkles into the dough
- Use colored sugar instead of sprinkles
- Color the dough with food coloring
- Mix in or top with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies before baking
- Add chocolate chips
- Top with your favorite frosting
You can store these gluten free sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you're storing them for longer, I highly recommend you freeze the cookies.
You can freeze both the baked cookies and the cookie dough. To freeze baked cookies, tightly wrap each cookie with plastic and put them in a freezer bag. You can defrost them in the fridge overnight or on the countertop for an hour at room temperature.
To freeze the cookie dough, scoop out the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and put it in the freezer. Once it's frozen, put them in a freezer bag, label the bag, and keep it in your freezer.
When you're ready to bake them, take out the frozen cookie dough and place them on your parchment-lined baking sheet while you preheat the oven. Bake them for a minute longer than you normally would.
Both the cookies and cookie dough will last in your fridge for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
In order to keep your gluten-free cookies moist and not dry, it's best to underbake the cookies. Start with the shortest baking time suggested in the recipe, and if they seem too wet, put them back in the oven for another minute.
If your cookies are overly soft and are falling apart, you may not have baked them long enough. Put them in the oven that's turned off but still warm, and let them dry out for a few minutes. Make sure to bake your next batch a minute or two longer!
Tools needed to make this recipe
For this recipe, you will need the following tools:
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Bowls
- Baking sheet
- Parchment sheet
- Cookie scoop
Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter See Notes for dairy-free option
- 1½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint flavor (optional)
- 2½ cup gluten-free measure for measure flour
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup sprinkles, to garnish
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium high speed until fluffy and white in color. Add the egg and beat it again until fully combined. Add the honey, vanilla extract, and peppermint flavor, and beat again.
- In a separate bowl, add the gluten-free flour blend, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix together.
- Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat it at medium speed until all the flour has been incorporated. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop (mine holds 4 teaspoons of dough), scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper, placing them 2 inches (5cm) apart. Roll each scoop of dough in between your hands to make a ball. Dip one side of the ball into the sprinkles, and place it back on the parchment paper.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Chelsea says
These are so delicious and easy to make! Love changing out the sprinkles for different colors and textures. Festive and fun!
Ai says
Thank you so much Chelsea!!
Luke says
Do you know if these would be good with almond flour? I also have regular gluten-free flour
Ai says
Hi Luke! I don't know how they would turn out with almond flour, as I haven't tried it. I highly recommend a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum and is meant to be used as a measure for measure substitute for traditional all-purpose flour, like the Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, Cup4Cup, or King Arthure Measure For Measure Flour.