You’ll love this recipe because:
There are only 7 ingredients needed. Made with common ingredients you likely already have in your pantry, this recipe is straightforward and easy to follow.
They’re easily customizable. While these cookies taste delicious as written, you can easily customize them by rolling them in sanding sugar or non-pareil sprinkles before baking, adding in a cup of M&Ms or sprinkles to the cookie dough, or dipping them in melted chocolate after baking. There are so many possibilities!
They’re gluten-free! Take one bite of these cookies and I guarantee you won’t be able to tell they’re gluten-free. They’re soft and chewy, with absolutely no grittiness.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour – This recipe was developed using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour in the blue bag, which contains xanthan gum. This blend is crafted to substitute all-purpose flour on a 1:1 basis, utilizing a combination of grains and starches to closely replicate the texture and flavor of regular flour. Results may vary if using a different brand.
- Salt – I used table salt for this recipe, but I’ve also tested it with kosher salt.
- Unsalted Butter – Using unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt in the recipe. Make sure it is at room temperature so it creams properly with the sugar.
- Eggs – Use large eggs at room temperature to ensure they blend smoothly into the dough.
Chilling the dough for at least an hour before baking is crucial for preventing the cookies from spreading too much on the baking sheet. The gluten-free flours and starches hydrate in the refrigerator, which also helps prevent a gritty texture after baking, giving you instead a soft and chewy sugar cookie.
Step-by-Step Instructions
You won’t believe how easy it is to make these gluten-free chewy sugar cookies. While they may seem rather basic, they are so chewy and flavorful!
The below steps with matching photos are there to help you see the recipe made at various stages so you can make your cookies perfectly every time. Pay special attention to the consistency of the cookie dough after chilling vs. before chilling and the space in between the cookies on the baking sheet.
For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe, and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.
Recipe FAQs
No, this is a drop sugar cookie meaning that you form the cookie dough into balls and bake from there, similar to how you make chocolate chip cookies. If you want sugar cookies that you can cut into shapes and decorate, try my gluten-free sugar cookie recipe instead. You can decorate those with royal icing or buttercream.
Yes, chilling the dough is important. It prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking and helps achieve a chewy texture by allowing the gluten-free flours and starches to hydrate properly.
Absolutely! You can freeze the dough balls on a baking sheet, then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. Bake them straight from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
If your cookies turned out flat, it could be due to not chilling the dough long enough, using butter that was too soft, or your baking soda being expired. Make sure to follow the recipe closely for the best results.
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature
Once the cookies have completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will remain fresh and chewy for up to 3-4 days. However, I prefer to freeze them if I plan on keeping them for over 2 days.
Freezer Option
To extend the shelf life of your cookies, you can either freeze the unbaked dough or the baked cookies.
For baked cookies, make sure they are fully cooled before placing them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Layer them with parchment paper to prevent sticking and freeze for up to 3 months.
To freeze the dough, portion it into individual balls and freeze them on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer bag and store them for up to 3 months. You can bake the dough balls directly from the freezer, just add an extra 1-2 minutes to the baking time. This method is perfect for when you want to bake a single cookie or the entire batch on short notice, making it ideal for unexpected guests.
Reheat
To thaw frozen baked cookies, let them sit at room temperature for about an hour until they become soft and chewy again. Alternatively, you can microwave them on a plate for about 15 seconds until warm.
Variations
Frost with buttercream. My strawberry buttercream, chocolate cream cheese frosting, or brown butter cream cheese frosting would all be delicious with these sugar cookies. You can even make a PB&J cookie sandwich by using my strawberry coulis and peanut butter frosting recipes!
Make an ice cream sandwich. I highly recommend my strawberry ice cream, chocolate peanut butter ice cream, or avocado ice cream!
Add some sprinkles! You can add sprinkles directly to the cookie dough while mixing or roll them in sprinkles before baking in the oven. You can get more information on how to do this in my gluten-free sprinkle sugar cookies post!
More gluten-free cookies to try
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know! Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also share your pictures and tag @adashofmegnut on Instagram.
Gluten-Free Chewy Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend - 350g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda - 7g
- 1 teaspoon salt - 5g
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter - at room temperature, (170g)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar - 300g
- 2 eggs - 100g
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a larger bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the eggs and pure vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
- Gradually add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Then add the remaining flour mixture and mix until no streaks of flour remain.
- Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Form the dough into balls using 2-3 tablespoons of dough for each ball (a red #24 scoop yields approximately 18 cookies).
- Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 3-4 inches of space between each one. Bake on the middle rack for 11-13 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the centers are set.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Repeat with the remaining dough, keeping the dough in the refrigerator between batches.
Notes
- If you have celiac disease or follow a gluten-free diet for other reasons, always be sure to double check that all of your ingredients are gluten-free, as ingredients and manufacturing processes can change from time to time.
- I’ve tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend, in the blue bag, which already contains xanthan gum. You will not need to add it to this recipe. I recommend using this flour blend, as I cannot verify other gluten-free flour blends will work since I have not tested them.
- Be sure to chill your dough for at least an hour before baking so that they do not spread too much.
- I used a red #24 portion scoop for these cookies to get 18 uniform cookies. This scoop is roughly 2.7 tablespoons of dough. If you make the cookies larger or smaller, you will need to adjust the bake time.
Made these today. My husband loved them!
I’m so glad! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, Sherri!