The BEST almond flour sugar cookies, golden brown with soft and chewy inside and crispy on the outside. One of my favorite recipes for the holiday season, these cut-out Christmas cookies will hold any shape! A gluten-free, grain-free holiday classic made with paleo-friendly wholesome ingredients.
If you are looking for more amazing almond flour recipes, I've got you covered! Check out my Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, ( Jordan says this is the perfect cookie), Almond Flour Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.
The cookie test kitchen has been very busy over the last few weeks! I was determined to nail a perfect gluten-free sugar cookie recipe this year. Thanks to my Hungarian stubbornness and never-quit attitude, I didn't stop until I reached the pinnacle of sugar cookie perfection. This took time, and focus, testing with 4 different flours and 4 different combinations of sugar, for a total of 8 different doughs. The big winner is here, and I cannot wait for you to make these cookies!!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS
- A soft and chewy inside, crispy edges, gorgeous buttery sweet flavor, plus a gluten-free, grain-free dough that is easy to cut out AND maintains shape while baked.
Let's make some cookies!! Happy Baking!!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Detailed measurements and ingredients can be found within the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Almond Flour – Almond flour is simply ground almonds, a healthy source of fiber, ‘good for you' fat, and a host of nutrients and minerals. I love baking with almond flour as it is gluten-free, grain-free, and full of flavor (hello almonds!). Almond flour makes delicious cookies and baked goods and is a great alternative to all purpose flour when you need a gluten-free option. Plus it imparts a wonderful subtle nutty flavor. Almond “meal” will work in this recipe, but almond flour works better. My preferred brand is Bob's Red Mill “Super-Fine Almond Flour”
- Tapioca Flour – Also known as tapioca starch, is a starch extracted from the cassava plant. Tapioca flour helps bind gluten-free baked goods and helps to give these cookies a chewier texture.
- Coconut Palm Sugar – Brown sugar will also work, but I love using coconut palm sugar as a substitute. It contains natural minerals and is slightly less sweet than traditional sugar.
- Honey – Adding a touch of honey helps to soften the cookies a bit, coconut palm sugar can produce a tougher cookie in some cases, and I was going for that PERFECT sugar cookie texture here.
- Butter – I use salted butter, I know this is blasphemous in the baking world, but trust me when I say it is the right choice here. Coconut oil will work, but you will taste the coconut and I prefer the traditional flavor of butter in these cookies.
- Large Eggs – I have not found flax eggs or chia eggs to produce the same luscious texture.
- Vanilla – Good Madagascar vanilla is my first choice but any pure vanilla extract will work.
- Almond Extract – Yes, you NEED this ingredient. The combination of almond and vanilla extract is true perfection.
TOOLS YOU WILL USE
TOOLS YOU WILL USE- Mixing bowls
- Electric hand mixer (or stand mixer)
- Sheet pan
- Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper
- Cooling rack/ wire rack
TIPS FOR MAKING GLUTEN FREE CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIES
- Measure all of your ingredients and DO NOT pack the flour! – I know measuring seems obvious but I've met more than one renegade baker in my life that “eyeball” measurements and then can't understand why their baked goods never turn out properly! Measure every ingredient, baking is a precise science. When measuring the almond flour, spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
- Chill the dough – I tried to create a recipe that didn't need chilling but the results just were not as good. You will need to chill the dough for at least 1 hour, or longer. I chilled overnight and had no problem cutting the cookies out the next day.
- Roll out the dough on a well floured (ideally cold) surface and add flour to your rolling pin – “Cold surface” I roll out dough on a marble countertop which naturally stays cool. Just be careful to not roll out your dough on a hot counter (I.e. you just placed a hot soup pot down for 10 minutes and then decide its cookie time, nope! Don't do it). Liberally sprinkle almond flour on the work surface and a bit on your rolling pin before you start.
- Roll the dough out to 1/2″ thickness – This was the perfect thickness to produce cookies that stayed cut out to the perfect cute holiday shape and did not spread out too much in the oven.
HOW TO MAKE SUPERFOOD ICING! (no food coloring necessary!!)
Sugar cookies aren't sugar cookies without festive icing, but that doesn't mean we have to grab for bottles of red 40! Superfood powders are a great substitute for food dye and create beautiful dense color for your cookies.
- Start with a basic icing recipe: 1 cup powdered sugar + 1 tsp vanilla extract + 2-3 tbsp of water or milk. Whisk the frosting until thick, adding more water as needed.
- POWDERED SUGAR NOTE: I have made powdered sugar using coconut palm sugar but the color is dark brown, less than ideal. I have yet to find a worthy sub for powdered sugar, when I do… you will be the first to know!
- Low sugar alternative to basic icing recipe: You can also make a coconut butter icing by melting 1/2 coconut butter in a small saucepan on the stove add 2 tbsp coconut oil, and a splash of vanilla. Once combined allow to cool down, before adding color and icing cookies. This will taste like coconut and (honestly) I am not a fan, but if you are sensitive to sugar and need an alternative it will do.
- Add in the superfood super color! I love Suncore Foods brand superfood powders. They are superfoods and plants ground into a fine powder. Simply add a pinch of the preferred color powder to your icing and stir until well dissolved. I used dragon fruit powder for pink, and blue butterfly pea powder for blue. You can also find beet powder for a deeper red, goldenberry powder for gold/yellow, and Pandan leaf for green! So fun to play with them all.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes! You can freeze in a variety of ways:
Make the dough and freeze it until you are ready to use it (the dough will keep in the freezer for 3 months!)
Bake the cookies and freeze (pre-frosted) – Bake the cookies ahead of time, allow them to cool completely, and then pop in the freezer for up to 2 months
Bake the cookies, ice the cookies and freeze – You can also freeze the cookies totally iced and decorated and ready for holiday festivities. Make sure the icing has set, place cookies in a single layer, i.e. don't pile them on top of one another (I freeze all of my cookies in large stasher bags), the cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS FOR THIS RECIPE
This recipe is naturally gluten-free
- Vegan – Replace butter with coconut oil
- Paleo – If I were to get technical a traditional paleo diet would not include cookies, but what kind of life is a life without cookies!! If you tolerate grass-fed pasture-raised butter than these cookies are “paleo-friendly” if you don't eat any dairy in your diet substitute for coconut oil.
Can we give it up for the one janky cookie of 2020? This guy has been through a lot this year 😉
I can’t wait for you to try these PERFECT Almond Flour Sugar Cookies! When you make them, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate and leave a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
The BEST almond flour sugar cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened (1 stick)
- 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1.5 tbsp honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine, set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together softened butter and coconut palm sugar using an electric mixer. Beat for 2 minutes until slightly frothy. Add honey, beat for 30 seconds, add egg yolk, full egg, vanilla and almond extracts, mix until well combined, about 1 more minute.
- Combine reserved dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Stir well using a wooden spoon to combine.
- Form dough into a large disk and wrap tightly in wax paper. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to chill, the dough works best when it is super cold. I chilled it overnight.
- When ready to bake, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°
- Prepare a rolling surface by sprinkling almond flour evenly on the surface and all over the rolling pin. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, add to the floured surface, and working quickly, roll the dough into a large rectangle about 1/2" thick. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes and then using a spatula carefully transfer the cut-out cookies to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 8-11 minutes or until slightly brown on the edges and very lightly brown on the bottom. The cookies will appear soft when you remove them from the oven but will firm up as they cool. After a few minutes transfer cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely before icing.
- For the icing: Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, +3-4 tbps water or milk. Whisk well to combine. The icing should be fairly thick. See *notes* for superfood color icing ideas.
- Cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 days at room temperature, 10 days in the refrigerator, and up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
Notes
HOW TO MAKE SUPERFOOD ICING! (no food coloring necessary!!)
Sugar cookies aren't sugar cookies without festive icing, but that doesn't mean we have to grab for bottles of red 40! Superfood powders are a great substitute for food dye and create beautiful dense color for your cookies.- Start with a basic icing recipe: 1 cup powdered sugar + 1 tsp vanilla extract + 2-3 tbsp of water or milk. Whisk the frosting until thick, adding more water as needed.
- POWDERED SUGAR NOTE: I have made powdered sugar using coconut palm sugar but the color is dark brown, less than ideal. I have yet to find a worthy sub for powdered sugar, when I do… you will be the first to know!
- Low sugar alternative to basic icing recipe: You can also make a coconut butter icing by melting 1/2 coconut butter in a small saucepan on the stove add 2 tbsp coconut oil, and a splash of vanilla. Once combined allow to cool down, before adding color and icing cookies. This will taste like coconut and (honestly) I am not a fan, but if you are sensitive to sugar and need an alternative it will do.
- Add in the superfood super color! I love Suncore Foods brand superfood powders. They are superfoods and plants ground into a fine powder. Simply add a pinch of the preferred color powder to your icing and stir until well dissolved. I used dragon fruit powder for pink, and blue butterfly pea powder for blue. You can also find beet powder for a deeper red, goldenberry powder for gold/yellow, and Pandan leaf for green! So fun to play with them all.
Nutrition
MORE COOKIE RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
The BEST Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dana Suss says
Oh my goodness! These are SO cute!!! I have been looking long and hard for an icing recipe like this, ever since I learned about all of the dangers (especially for children) of food coloring additives. Superfood icing, what a genius idea! Can’t wait to make these for my family. If these are anything like your other cookies, I’m sure they will not disappoint 🙂