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Gluten-Free Cut-Out Sugar Cookies for any occasion, light and soft, just sweet enough.
Come Valentine’s Day, there’s a whole lotta love floating around the entire week. Hugs, kisses, chocolate, roses, sweet notes and homemade treats for the ones you hold near and dear to your heart. I can’t help but embrace occasions like this with baking, it’s a natural way for me to bring a smile to other’s faces and my own.
I learned at a young age that heart shaped cut-out cookies could were a must during the month of February. My mom and I would make them every year (and she still does). Her job was rolling the dough to thin perfection, mine frosting them with reds, pinks and white, then showering them with sanding sugar and dotting a few with red hots.
I loved the simplicity, hints of vanilla and the powdered sugar glaze that would slightly crack when you bit into one.
Last week I was out thrifting (my latest obsession) and I stumbled upon a set of five heart shaped cookie cutters, still in their original 1980’s William Sonoma tin and a vintage sifter. Immediately memories came flooding back, my mission set on creating gluten-free cut-out sugar cookies so that I could have them once again.
The weekend quickly became filled with flour, butter and happy eggs. Several variations cycled through the oven, until I settled on this recipe. The one that my love said, “why doesn’t everybody eat gluten-free if it tastes like this?”
Made with a combination of all purpose gluten-free flour + almond flour, they rolled out with ease and baked up softly, their edges crisping just a bit.
These aren’t the puffy “lofthouse” style sugar cookies, they’re the kind that are thin and have a soft chew, just like your mom or grandmother probably made. Or if you grew up in a small town like I did, just like the local bakery’s, frosted by hand, one by one.
After testing different flour combinations, the right proportion of almond flour (not almond meal) was key in creating the light texture, balancing the sturdier rice flours & starch in the gf blend. The other secret that makes these cookies quite irresistible? The addition of sour cream – not a lot, just 2 tablespoons to keep them from drying out.
1. Yes, you really should cream the butter and sugar for four minutes. It seems like a lot, but you really need to get the sugar worked into the butter, nearly dissolving it. It will be pale and fluffy.
2. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours, but you don’t have to go any longer than that. There was no difference between chilling them for 2 hours versus overnight in taste, texture or workability.
3. After you roll out your dough and create the shapes, don’t peel the scraps away. First put them in the freezer for 5 minutes, then peel. The dough gets soft while you’re rolling it out so if you try and move the hearts to the baking sheet to soon they won’t hold their shape. The scraps will pull away super easy if the dough is a little frozen.
4. The first batch you stick in the oven will be your time gauge. Since every oven is different and a minute or two with sugar cookies can mean a golden cookie or a “shoot, the cookies!” way too brown cookie, you’ll need to watch them to figure out the timing for your oven, as temperatures can vary even if you set it to 350 degrees.
Happy Valentine’s Day to each of you, sending hugs, happiness and cookies made with love.
tag @heartbeetkitchen on instagram and hashtag it #heartbeetkitchen
Paula
December 24, 2021
Thank you so much! These were so good!!!
Amanda Paa
December 24, 2021
really glad you liked them!
rachel menk
December 21, 2021
So good, really yummy, and what a great reliable recipe, I even made really large cut outs and they turned our perfect. Thank you!!
Amanda Paa
December 21, 2021
yay, so glad you liked the cookies!
Marie
February 10, 2016
Could you use all gluten-free flour and omit the almond flour if there is a nut allergy to consider? Just use 60 grams more of the gluten-free flour?
amandapaa
February 10, 2016
yes, that should work just fine! i would then add a tablespoon more of butter since there is some fat in the nuts.
Shawna
November 19, 2015
Hi, These cookies look amazing! I have a GF flour blend that I found that I like, but it does not have xanthan gum in it. How much xanthan gum should I add? Thanks!
amandapaa
November 20, 2015
Hi Shawna! I would recommend using 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum, as the total flour amount of this recipe is just over 2 cups. Not sure if it will work, but that’s what my calculations tell me!
Lily Lau
February 25, 2015
These cookies are adorable, need to try them as soon as possible :D
Amanda Paa
February 25, 2015
Hi Lily – thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the cookies and the happy love they bring.
Julia | Orchard Street Kitchen
February 24, 2015
These are so adorable, Amanda! I love that you have always made these with your mom – what a sweet tradition. I haven’t cooked with almond flour before, but am definitely intrigued and would like to try it out. I’ll be using your great tips when I do!
Amanda Paa
February 25, 2015
Thanks Julia – I am just starting to work with almond flour more and I really like the texture and taste. I think the biggest thing is it takes more liquid than other flours, so a learning curve – but isn’t all cooking that way? Kind of makes it fun :)
kristie {birch and wild}
February 20, 2015
Thanks so much for the tips! I learn so much from fellow bloggers, so they are always nice to see :)
P.S. These cookies are just the cutest!
Amanda Paa
February 20, 2015
You are so welcome. I can only hope that a little bit of what I do helps someone because I feel so fortunate to learn from talented friends like you because of this wonderful blog world!
Madeline
February 14, 2015
Oh my, these just look so precious :) Saving this recipe to try soon!
Amanda Paa
February 14, 2015
Hi Madeline, thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the gluten-free sugar cookies :)
Femme Fraîche
February 13, 2015
Oh my goodness, Amanda! These are so cute and they look beautiful! Yum, yum! Quick question: is the black marble background your counter, a slab you use, a vinyl piece? It’s gorgeous and really makes your photos pop. Love it!
Amanda Paa
February 14, 2015
Hi! Thank you for the kind words about the cookies :) The black marble is our countertops, we have a black and white tuxedo kitchen, so it works well. But it would be a lovely slab for taking photographs too if you could find one! xo
tasha
February 13, 2015
OMG the cookies look like perfection! Must try this recipe.
ps. great meeting you in #ellechat last night
Amanda Paa
February 14, 2015
Hi Tasha! So good to meet you in the Elle Chat too. I’m just getting started with that community but the support seems so valuable. Have a great weekend!
Millie | Add A Little
February 13, 2015
These look wonderful and what an easy simple recipe to keep on hand!
Linda
February 13, 2015
These cookies look adorable and delicious! Thanks for sharing them at Gluten-Free Wednesdays. Please remember to leave a link back. :)
Liesl
February 12, 2015
Thank you for posting these! I am definitely making them this weekend. I’ve been craving cookies lately!
And I didn’t realize there was a difference between almond meal and almond flour–just figured they were the same! I’m assuming the latter is just ground finer? I think the Bob’s bag I have says: “meal/flour.” Is that the right one? (Your link to the almond flour goes to the GF flour.)
Amanda Paa
February 12, 2015
Ooo.. i hope you like them! And thanks for catching the link, I updated it so that it goes to the almond flour. Typically there are two ways almond flour is made. When the almonds are blanched (skins removed) and ground finer it is almond flour, and it they are ground in there natural state (with skins on) and not as fine it is called almond meal. Bob’s sells both and they are good for different things, but in this recipe the almond flour makes them nice as light.
Hope you are well! xo
Kathryn
February 12, 2015
I’ve never had much luck with gluten free cut out cookies but your tips are super helpful (and your cookies look amazing!). All the <3<3<3 for these friend!
Amanda Paa
February 12, 2015
i sometimes hesitate to leave the tips because people might get discouraged that things are hard to make, but its always because i want them to be successful and have them turn out. the worst is when the instructions are unclear. and YOUR cookies that you posted today… chocolate chocolate chocolate…xo
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen
February 12, 2015
These are just too perfect, Amanda! I’m convinced gluten-free baked goods actually taste better than their gluten-filled counterparts when done right, so your love is onto something there!
Dionne Baldwin
February 11, 2015
These are so cute! Thanks for the tips about these cookies. I appreciate this recipe!
Steph @ Steph in Thyme
February 11, 2015
These cookies are so gorgeous! I cook more than I bake, so I certainly appreciate all of your tips to making this gluten-free recipe work. So clear and concise, thank you!
jaime : : the briny
February 11, 2015
“I loved the simplicity, hints of vanilla and the powdered sugar glaze that would slightly crack when you bit into one.”
i love that you made that sentence its own paragraph. i enjoyed reading that one sentence so much, i just kept imagining over and over the feeling of biting into this sugar cookie i’ve never had. i don’t think i’ve ever experienced that reading about a cookie before. ha! these cookies are so sweet and so are you! hope you have a great v-day with your favorite.
Amanda Paa
February 11, 2015
jaime, it’s the best “bite”…. and it means so much when people actually read the post… thank you. lots of love to you!!
Julia
February 11, 2015
Pretty, pretty, pretty! I wish I could hire you to take my photos!
Amanda Paa
February 11, 2015
Julia, it just takes time, you’ll get there! Glance back at my beginning photos and I was nooooottt a good photographer :)
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
February 11, 2015
Cuteness overload! (in the best way…)
Amanda Paa
February 11, 2015
:) thanks for stopping by Dorothy!
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite
February 11, 2015
I love these cookies.
Yankee Kitchen Ninja (Julianne)
February 11, 2015
So cute! And I love that they’re gluten-free, Amanda.
Amanda Paa
February 11, 2015
i was determined to get a gluten-free sugar cookie to work! happy valentine’s week :)
Cathy
February 12, 2015
Cookies look wonderful! How do you convert the grams into cups?
Amanda Paa
February 12, 2015
Hi Cathy! I made quite a few batches to get this recipe right :) With gluten-free baking it is very important to measure by weight because the different flours can weigh so differently, meaning “1 cup gf flour” might be 140 grams in terms of one type, but another type may weigh 120. This can make a large difference in the outcome of the recipe. So unfortunately I do not have the measurement in cups. Here’s another great article that explains why baking by weight works best: http://food52.com/blog/11289-why-you-should-always-measure-non-wheat-flours-by-weight
I would recommend buying an inexpensive scale for gluten-free baking, it is so amazing the difference it makes! Hope you enjoy the cookies :)
The Food Hunter
February 11, 2015
I’m with you these are a must in February
Vicki Montague - The Free From Fairy
February 11, 2015
What wonderful cookies! They look adorable and I bet they taste divine! I would never have thought of putting sour cream in cookies…brilliant idea. #glutenfreewednesdays