Go Back
–+ servings
A close up of gluten-free Christmas cookies decorated as ugly Christmas sweaters, snowflakes, Christmas trees, candy canes and polka dot mittens.

Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies

If you’re looking for some festive gluten-free Christmas cookies for your holiday table this year, this is the perfect recipe for you! With step-by-step instructions and photos to show how to decorate each of these cookies, you’ll be a cookie decorating pro in no time! Roll and cut into shapes like candy canes and snowflakes, then decorate with royal icing for a stunning finish. Great for holiday gifting or family baking sessions, they're a delicious treat everyone can enjoy!
No ratings yet
Print Pin
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Decorating Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 207kcal
Author: Megan

Equipment

  • Disposable Tipless Piping Bags
  • Candy Cane Cookie Cutter
  • Mitten Cookie Cutter
  • Snowflake Cookie Cutter
  • Ugly Sweater Cookie Cutter
  • Tree Cookie Cutter

Ingredients

For the cookies:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (softened (227g))
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (120g)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt (5g)
  • 1 egg (50g)
  • 2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour blend (315g)

For the royal icing:

  • 4 cups powdered sugar (480g)
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder (20g)
  • 6-10 tablespoons water (90-150g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract)
  • Americolor gel food coloring (for decorating)

Instructions

To make the cookies:

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  • Then, add egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt; beat until smooth, about another minute.
  • Gradually mix in the gluten-free flour blend, half a cup at a time, mixing until no more streaks of flour remain.
  • Scoop the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and pat into a circle about 1 inch thick. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour to firm up for rolling.
  • Lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters.
  • Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie. If you really want the cookies to hold their shape when baking, you can freeze them for 10-15 minutes or refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
  • Bake cookies at 375°F (190°C) for 8-10 minutes until they are lightly browned on the edges and the center of the cookie is matte and no longer shiny. The cookies will not be browned completely.
  • Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • Cool completely before frosting with royal icing as directed below.

To make the royal icing:

  • In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, 5 tablespoons of water, and vanilla extract.
  • Mix for 1-2 minutes on low speed, scraping down the sides to make sure everything has been incorporated.
  • Turn the speed to medium-high, and mix an additional 3-4 minutes until the ingredients are well blended, the volume has increased, and the icing is very white and thick. This is what I consider the base consistency.
  • I usually add about 1 teaspoon more of water for a good outline icing (I use a 15-second rule, meaning if you drizzle the icing with a spoon or spatula over the bowl of icing it will melt back into the icing in 15 seconds. Depending on how thin your icing needs to be you can add anywhere from 1-4 more tablespoons of water, as needed. Go slowly as it's easier to thin out your icing than it is to make it thicker again.
  • Add gel food colorings a little at a time as needed to color the icing. Keep a wet paper towel over any icing that you are not currently working with to prevent a skin from forming over the top.

Notes

Cookie notes:
  • I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour in the blue bag, which already contains xanthan gum. I cannot verify that other flour blends will work in this recipe as I have not tested them. 
  • I like Americolor meringue powder, which is labeled as gluten-free. 
Decorating instructions:
To decorate the cookies, follow the below instructions. You can reference the body of the post above to see the step-by-step photos to help you decorate each design.
Candy canes:
  1. Outlining: Begin by outlining the candy cane shape on the cookie with 15-second red royal icing for a defined edge.
  2. Striping: Next, create the candy cane's iconic stripes using the same red icing.
  3. Filling Stripes: Fill alternate stripes with the 15-second red icing, spreading it to the edges with a toothpick or scribe tool.
  4. Finishing Stripes: Complete the pattern by filling the remaining stripes with 15-second white royal icing and let them dry thoroughly.
Mittens:
  1. Outlining Mittens: Outline the mittens using both red and white 15-second icing for a crisp boundary.
  2. Filling: Carefully fill the outlined mittens with the same icing, taking care not to overfill. Use a toothpick or other tool to spread the icing to the edges evenly.
  3. Polka Dots: Add white dots to the red icing using the wet-on-wet technique, keeping the icing tip clean and not touching the red base.
  4. Cuff Detailing: After drying completely, use 25-second icing to add white textured details to the mitten cuffs. Allow to dry fully.
Ugly sweaters:
  1. Sweater Outline: Outline the sweaters with 15-second white icing, leaving the sleeve ends, sweater bottom, and neck for later.
  2. Sweater Filling: Fill in the main body of the sweater with the same white icing.
  3. Stripe Creation: Quickly add red and green stripes to the neck and sleeves using the wet-on-wet technique for seamless integration.
  4. Chevron Pattern: Drag a toothpick through the stripes to create a chevron design, cleaning the toothpick between each drag.
  5. Wreath and Detailing: Add a wreath with green 25-second icing and rainbow nonpareils for ornaments. Finish with red 25-second icing on the edges of the sweater hem and the turtleneck and white dots with white 25-second icing all over the sweater for detail.
Snowflakes:
  1. Snowflake Outlining: Outline the snowflake cookies with 15-second light blue icing for a base shape.
  2. Filling: Fill in the center of the snowflake with the same blue icing and let it dry completely.
  3. Adding Details: Use 25-second white icing to draw straight lines across the snowflake, keeping the bag elevated for precision.
  4. Final Touches: Add 'V' shapes and dots with the same white icing to enhance the snowflake design. Allow complete drying before serving.
Christmas trees:
  1. Tree Outline: Start by using 15-second green royal icing to trace the outline of the tree portion of your cookies, saving the stump for later.
  2. Filling the Tree: Next, promptly fill the body of the tree with the same green icing, ensuring it's evenly spread. Allow this to dry fully before adding further details.
  3. Creating the Stump: For the tree's stump, switch to brown royal icing with a consistency of 20 to 25 seconds. Apply it in vertical motions to mimic the texture of a tree stump.
  4. Snow Cap Details: Finish off by adorning the tree branches with white snow caps using thick 25-second icing, then let the cookies dry completely to set the design.

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 101mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 246IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ADashofMegnut or tag #adashofmegnut!