These Gluten Free Christmas Cookies are a nostalgic treat the whole family will love. Made using almond flour & tapioca flour, they're also completely grain free and make the perfect sugar cookie dough for Christmas cutout cookies. Don't forget to decorate them with frosting & sprinkles for the ultimate festive treat!
This Gluten Free Christmas Cookies recipe holds a special place in my heart, as it's been adapted from my Grandmother's original Christmas cut out cookie recipe. I tested this recipe time and time again to ensure it lived up to the original and was as delicious as possible, so it's safe to say I'm very proud of it!
I make these gluten free cookies every Christmas, along with these Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies and these Gluten Free Italian Rainbow Cookies.
Why You'll Love These Gluten Free Christmas Cookies
- They’re easy. This is such an easy recipe, you’ll feel like a professional baker without actually needing any of the enhanced gluten-free baking skills.
- They’re nostalgic. Sweet, chewy yet crunchy Christmas cutout cookies are the perfect recipe to add a little nostalgia to your holiday season.
- They’re paleo diet friendly. In addition to being a gluten free Christmas cookie recipe, these tasty holiday cookies are also grain free and paleo diet friendly.
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Gluten Free Christmas Cookie Ingredients
- Almond Flour & Tapioca Starch. Instead of using a gluten free all purpose flour with xanthan gum that tends to make for a more dense cookie, I like to use a gluten-free flour blend of almond flour & tapioca starch. I find that Bob’s Red Mill flours offer the best results.
- Egg. Be sure to use room temperature eggs so they blend into the cookie batter better. If you forgot to take your egg out of the fridge ahead of time, I have a pro tip for you! Place the egg in a bowl of warm water for 3-5 minutes before using.
- Honey. Use locally sourced honey if that is accessible to you.
- Grass-fed Unsalted Butter. I prefer to use unsalted butter when baking as I don’t want an overly salty Christmas cookie, but you’re welcome to use salted butter if your tastebuds prefer. If you are following a paleo diet, be sure to opt for grass fed butter. You can also use vegan butter for gluten free dairy free cookies.
- Vanilla Extract. Use a high quality vanilla extract for best results.
- Sugar. Traditional white cane sugar can be used or you may also use granulated monkfruit instead if you’re on a paleo diet or looking to reduce the amount of refined sugar in your diet.
- Baking Powder. Be sure to use the freshest possible baking powder. If yours is older than 6 months, it may be time to restock.
- Salt. I recommend using kosher or sea salt.
- Icing & Sprinkles. If you're looking for cleaner versions of cookie decorations, I love this plant based holiday icing mix as well as this plant based natural food coloring. These natural, plant based sprinkles are great, too.
Equipment & Tools Needed for Gluten Free Christmas Cookies
- Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer
- Christmas Cookie Cutters
- Rolling Pin
- Baking Mat - this is optional, but a great baking tool to have when rolling out dough for cookies or pies.
- Cookie Sheet & Cooling Rack
- Parchment Sheets or Silicone Baking Mat
Gluten Free Christmas Cookies Step by Step Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, sift almond flour and tapioca flour. Mix in baking powder and salt using a fork to fully incorporate.
- Mix the wet ingredients & sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, cream together butter, honey, monkfruit or sugar, vanilla extract and egg until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Create the cookie dough. Slowly begin adding dry mixture to wet and beat on medium low until fully incorporated. The mixture will start to form a dough and may be easier to finish mixing with a fork or even by hand. Roll the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Prepare to bake. Once dough is chilled, remove the dough from the fridge. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough on well floured surface until dough is approximately ¼" thick. Be careful not to roll the dough too thin or the cookies will burn.
- Shape cookies. Cut out cookies using the Christmas cookie cutters and arrange on baking sheet, making sure to leave space between as the cookies will expand very slightly while baking. Continue rolling out dough as necessary until all dough has been used.
- Bake & decorate. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Once cookies are baked, cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. While cookies cool, prepare icing according to package instructions and decorate as desired.
Gluten Free Christmas Cookies FAQs
Can I make these gluten free dairy free cookies?
You can use vegan butter to make these dairy free cookies. Note that certain brands work better than others, for example Miyokos Creamery vegan butter behaves more closely to dairy butter and is easier to substitute. I’ve found that Earth Balance is too oily and is not a perfect 1 to 1 substitute for butter. If you only have Earth Balance available, you can use it, but you will likely have to add more almond flour into the batter in order for a dough to form. Start by adding ¼ cup of almond flour and graduate up from there if needed.
Can I substitute coconut oil for butter?
No, you can not use coconut oil instead of butter. It makes for a crumbly cookie dough and this recipe will not work correctly.
What if the dough is too wet & won't roll out?
If your Christmas cookie dough is a bit too wet or sticky you can remedy that by adding a small amount of almond flour and tapioca flour a tablespoon each at a time until the dough is no longer sticky.
How to store gluten free Christmas cookies
Store your gluten free cookies in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days or at room temperature up to 3 days.
If you enjoyed this recipe you might also like:
- Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Gluten Free Italian Rainbow Cookies
- Gluten Free Christmas Brownies
- Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blossoms
Did you have a chance to make this recipe? If so, please leave me a 5 star rating and review below. I always love and appreciate hearing from you!
Paleo Christmas Cut Out Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 ¼ cup almond flour sifted
- 1 ¾ cup tapioca flour sifted
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup grass fed butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup monkfruit or white sugar
- royal icing/cookie icing for decorating
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, sift almond flour and tapioca flour. Mix in baking powder and salt using a fork to fully incorporate.
- Mix the wet ingredients & sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, cream together butter, honey, monkfruit or sugar, vanilla extract and egg until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Create the cookie dough. Slowly begin adding dry mixture to wet and beat on medium low until fully incorporated. The mixture will start to form a dough and may be easier to finish mixing with a fork or even by hand. Roll the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Prepare to bake. Once dough is chilled, remove the dough from the fridge. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough on well floured surface until dough is approximately ¼" thick. Be careful not to roll the dough too thin or the cookies will burn.
- Shape cookies. Cut out cookies using the Christmas cookie cutters and arrange on baking sheet, making sure to leave space between as the cookies will expand very slightly while baking. Continue rolling out dough as necessary until all dough has been used.
- Bake & decorate. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Once cookies are baked, cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. While cookies cool, prepare icing according to package instructions and decorate as desired.
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