Holiday baking just isn’t complete without the classic sugar cookie. As a kid, I can remember my mom making stacks of sugar cookies for my siblings and I to decorate. We would sit at the table for hours, covered in frosting and sprinkles. Sugar cookies are just the perfect blank canvas for being creative. I think that’s why kids love them so much. They can “create” their very own cookie masterpiece!
The road to discovering the perfect gluten free sugar cookie has not been easy. It’s been somewhat of a nightmare for me. Every recipe would come out too hard or way too crumbly. It’s like you couldn’t even frost it or it would fall apart. Totally depressing. So many trials, so many errors. Once I took out eggs and dairy, I thought it was even more of a lost cause.
I am here to save the day with the recipe for the PERFECT sugar cookie! I could have cried when I made these the first time. Tears of joy. The use of organic powdered sugar, as oppose to regular cane sugar, makes for a lighter cookie crumb. This was the game changer for my cookies. It made the texture so much better! I also used just the right amount of coconut oil. Too much oil makes them too crispy. These cookies are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The next day they are even softer, especially if they’ve been frosted. Enjoy, my friends, this simple recipe for gluten free vegan sugar cookies. May these cookies make your holidays just a little bit brighter!
- 2 1/3 cups Sarah's gluten free flour blend*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, soft**
- 1/3 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In medium bowl, sift together flour blend, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer, beat together powdered sugar, coconut oil, coconut milk and vanilla until creamy. Add flour mixture and continue to mix until combined, 1-2 minutes (add an additional tablespoon of coconut milk if needed).
- Form into patty and wrap in plastic wrap. Let dough rest in refridgerator for 10-15 minutes. If you would like to make this dough in advance, store wrapped in refrigerator. Let rest on counter for 1-2 hours before ready to use.
- On counter, lay out large piece of plastic wrap. Place cookie dough in the center and top with another piece of plastic wrap. Roll with rolling pin until dough is about 1/4" thick.
- Cut dough into circles or desired shapes. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes. Do NOT over bake, as they won't turn much of a golden brown.
- Remove cookies from oven and place on cooling rack to cool completely. Store in air-tight container.
**Use refined coconut oil for less of a coconut flavor.
These look delish! Do you think I would be able to use almond milk instead of the coconut milk in this recipe?
I haven't tried them with almond milk, but it should work just fine!
The almond milk worked great. Fantastic recipe! Thank you.
I did and they are amazing.
So excited about the dough, the genius of rolling between plastic wrap, it even tastes buttery and I am shocked if these last the hour once out of the oven. So excited I had to thank you now … thank you!!!!
You're so very welcome! Enjoy!
So excited to try these! Have you perfected an icing recipe yet? My pre-vegan standby has meringue powder, and I haven't been able to successfully duplicate it.
I did a nice royal icing with aquafabba instead of merengue and it turned out perfect! Piped nicely and watered down for flooding well too! These cookies were a hit and no one thought they were “different”! Making them a second time today. The dough is a bit sticky to work with and the room temp can’t be too hot or they don’t cut well. I just popped them in and out of the freezer to keep cool during the process and they were beautiful -I live in the hot tropics though!
We have recently converted to a gluten, dairy, and egg free diet due to my son's allergies. I was a little bummed about no sugar cookies for his first real Christmas, but now I can't wait to give these a try! Thank you!
I was thinking of using earth balance (vegan butter) instead of coconut oil. Do you think that would work? I know it softens more quickly at room temperature, so I may want to use it just out of the fridge. What are your thought about this option?
I have never tried this recipe with earth balance. It is a much different type of fat. I worry that they would spread and not keep their shape.
I can't use coconut either, my daughter is allergic. I am going to use organic shortening in place of the coconut oil, and hemp milk in place of the coconut milk. Hope it works!
I tried it with earth balance and it worked perfect in regards to keeping shape and no spreading. I struggle with the crumbling.
Want to add lemon, maybe zest and tablespoon of juice, any thoughts…will try regular recipe today.
Thanks for sharing your efforts.
My dough was like playdough, soft but not sticky and lots of structure, can you share what the dough should feel like. Thanks
i'm kinda sad and freaking out right now because my dough is super crumbly. will it firm up in the fridge? i've never made sugar cookies before, so i don't know what to expect. everything else i've made from your site has worked out beautifully, so i don't know what i've done wrong here!
Oh no! I would try kneading the dough with your hands. Sometimes the heat of your hands will warm the coconut oil and mix it a bit better. You can also add a teaspoon of coconut milk at a time, until it comes together.
Mine turned out crumbs as well. Kneaded by hand, it didn't make a difference. Put them on a baking sheet, warmed it up a minute, patted together the best I could, baked them and they do taste delish! Not sure what I did wrong. I would love your input because like I said they taste great. Thank you!
Mine came out crumbly too. I added more coconut milk, a tsp at a time, and really worked the dough with my hands. Make sure your coconut oil is liquid not just soft. I do believe the recipe should call for more milk. They came out wonderful with a little bit of TLC. I'm so thankful that my three year old can have a typical and safe holiday experience at school!
I had the crumbles issue too. Nothing that adding more milk a little at a time didn't solve. There are coconut allergies in our house so we went non-vegan and used raw dairy milk and ghee for the fat. These are so good! Thank you for this no-egg gluten-free version of a classic.
Can I use honey instead of sugar. Sugar is not allowed in my son's diet. awaiting ur reply. Thanks
Honey would give these cookies a much different texture, as it is a liquid sweetener. I have only tried this recipe with powdered sugar, but you could try to blend coconut sugar in the blender, until it is powdered form. Again, I have not tried it, but it is worth a try!
I tried these replacing the coconut oils with earth balance and the coconut milk with almond milk (what I had on hand). The dough is pretty soft. I have it firming in the refrigerator but I am worried the dough will be sticky still.
So delicious!! Thank you for sharing 🙂
can i use bob mills gluten free for this recipe?
These are perfect. We have a coconut allergy in our house so I used palm oil instead of coconut oil and almond milk instead of coconut milk. My in-laws loved them too and they are used to non allergy friendly baked goods.
I’m so glad to hear everyone enjoyed them!
I must admit, I was sceptical that these would hold their shape, but they’ve turned out beautifully! Even with a detailed shape cutter. I used soy milk instead of coconut milk, since that’s what I had available, and it worked fine (though had to add a little more flour, but that could be because of the warm weather).
Thanks so much!
I’m so glad to hear they turned out so well for you. Love making these cookies for so many occasions!
Um, could I use Bob mills gluten free flour, instead of your gluten-free flour mix?
If it already has xanthan gum added to the mix, it should work just fine 🙂
would the batch be fine to freeze?
Yep!
Hi,
I tried this recipe this evening and the cookie just doesn’t taste sweet. I’m assuming it’s because I used hemp milk since that’s all I had on hand. Any suggestions on what I could add to it? Coconut milk isn’t aiming I typically stock in my pantry.
These cookies aren’t meant to be super sweet. They are much better frosted with a simple powdered sugar frosting 🙂 Think of the cookie like a blank canvas!
Do these cookies freeze well?
Hi, I’m very new to allergen friendly baking for my two year old with EOE! So glad I found your blog!
Can you recommend a boxed gf all purpose flour ? I tried this recipe yesterday without realizing the flour I bought yesterday did not have xanthan gym!
The recipe is good and easy too. I used shortening instead of coconut oil (my son is allergic to treenuts too) and rice milk instead coconut milk. Turned out great. My son loved the cookies. Thanks for sharing this receipe.
so glad the substitutions worked for you and that you enjoyed the recipe!
Your recipes made a huge difference in our Christmas baking. Everything i tried was amazing. I have always struggled with pie crust for gluten free, finally one that really works. My vegan gluten free family was very happy.
I’m so glad to hear you were able to enjoy my recipes this Christmas! Thanks for sharing, Joan!