Still searching for a soft and chewy gluten free vanilla sugar cookie recipe? I've got you covered with this gluten free roll out cookie recipe that doesn't need to be chilled and won't spread!!
I'm not super good at doing things "the right way" or even "the way any sane person would do them." I eat candy while running. I do my Christmas shopping the week after Halloween. I use tipless piping bags...with tips. I shower at 2 in the afternoon...sometimes. I am completely at ease talking to a room full of hundreds of adults...and 100% terrified to talk to just a handful of teenage girls. I rarely wear anything even remotely fashionable, but when I do... you can be sure that I am also wearing an over sized nondescript gray sweatshirt on top of it. And apparently, I open bananas from "the wrong end." Who even knew that there was a RIGHT and a WRONG end to open a banana?! Not this girl!
My very first recipe on this blog was for
CHOCOLATE sugar cookies...and it was months before I ever posted a traditional vanilla cookie recipe. I pretty much took the same direction when I started branching out into gluten free recipes. When Bob's Red Mill reached out to me in the spring, I jumped at the chance to make a
gluten free version of my chocolate cookies. And...between you and me... the gluten free version rivaled the original. It split my household - half of my family actually liked it better than the original. I was satisfied with that, in spite of all my sweet friends that kept asking me when I was going to create a gluten free version of my vanilla recipe.
But with the holidays coming, I really wanted to be able to love ALL of my friends and family through sugar and baking (like I do.) So when Bob's Red Mill reached out to me again, I took it like a sign in a holiday themed Hallmark movie. You know...the one where Bob's Red Mill turns out to be a handsome prince in disguise and evvvvvvveryone knew three minutes into the movie that he was going to save the girl. That one.
Just a note about
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour in case you haven't heard of it or used it before. It's designed to be used in place of a regular all-purpose wheat based flour with straight across substitutions. There's no searching endlessly for xanthan gum. You don't even have to know how to say xantham gum. Just use this flour cup for cup the way you would regular all purpose flour.
That being said...I'm neurotic about my cookie recipes. When I substituted this flour straight across with my Vanilla 2.0 recipe, it made a GOOD cookie. My husband loved it just the way it was. But I can't leave well enough alone and modified my 2.0 recipe just a smidgeon. Or two. The end result is this recipe that I am happy to say is a no-chill, non-spreading, CHEWY gluten free vanilla sugar cookie!!
Gluten Free No-Chill No-Spread Vanilla Roll Out Sugar Cookie
A gluten free, soft and chewy vanilla roll out sugar cookie recipe that doesn't need to be chilled and won't spread.
ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar together.
3. Add eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt and mix well.
4. Add flour. Mix until the flour is completely incorporated and the dough holds together in a ball. Add additional flour if necessary to keep it from feeling sticky. If it seems crumbly...just keep mixing. It will get there.
5. Roll out between two sheets of parchment paper. Bake at 375° F for 6-9 minutes. (I roll my cookies 1/4" thick and bake 3 inch cookies for 7 minutes.)
NEED MORE??
FAQs
Chilling the dough is a key step in making sugar cookies, especially when you're making cut-outs. Even if you're tight on time, make sure to get the dough in the fridge, or even the freezer, even if it's only for a little while. Skip this step, and the dough will be sticky, and much harder to work with.
How to prevent gluten-free cookies from spreading? ›
Learn to keep the dough cold by working with one piece at a time, leaving the rest in the fridge. Put your cookie dough, already rolled dough or even an entire cookie sheet with cut cookies on it in the fridge when it's too soft. This helps cut cookies hold their shape and overall decreases spreading during baking.
What makes sugar cookies not spread? ›
- The Rules for Making Sure Your Sugar Cookies Don't Spread.
- Rule No. 1: Bake at the Right Temperature.
- Rule No. 2: Don't Over or Under Cream Your Butter.
- Rule No. 3: Don't Over-Soften Your Butter.
- Rule No. 4: Don't Overcrowd the Baking Sheet.
- Rule No. 5: Make Sure Your Ingredients Have Not Expired.
- Rule No.
Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.
Why do sugar cookies need to be chilled? ›
Anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. The longer you chill the dough, the more flavor will develop. The flour will also absorb more of the moisture so the thicker and chewier the final texture will be.
Should you chill gluten free cookie dough? ›
Chilling helps the flours and xanthan gum absorb liquid, which makes the dough sturdier and easier to handle. Without a proper rest, your cookies are likely to crumble. Think of mix-ins as the Spanx of the cookie world. They are a sly way to ensure that your cookies look like cookies, not misshapen gluten-free blobs.
Should I add xanthan gum to gluten-free cookies? ›
Using xanthan gum helps provide some of the stickiness that gluten free goods lack, replacing some elasticity. Xanthan gum mimics some of gluten's most essential properties by sticking to flour and its moisture. This helps create moist goods that hold their shape after being baked.
What can I add to cookies to keep them from spreading? ›
Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.
How do I stop my cookies from spreading so much? ›
“When chilled cookies bake, the butter stays in a solid form longer, slowing the spread,” says Dawn. “30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator does wonders, and you can bake the cookies right from the fridge.” Not only will chilling help the fats firm up and the flour hydrate, but it also helps the flavors develop.
Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›
Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.
From the dough to the baking to the icing, our guide will leave you with the perfect sugar cookie this holiday season.
- Opt for Room Temperature Eggs. ...
- Splurge on "Pure" Vanilla Extract. ...
- Whisk the Flour. ...
- Chill the Dough. ...
- Refrain from Overmixing. ...
- Go Easy on the Flour. ...
- Bake on Parchment Paper.
The holes trick
There's also a new technique going around when preventing craters in a second layer of icing: poke holes in the base flood (under the area you'll cover with a second layer of icing). You can even do this when the first layer flood has completely dried!
How to improve sugar cookies? ›
Add extracts
A teaspoon or two of extracts will noticeably boost flavor when blended into your sugar cookie mix. Vanilla is the obvious choice. For a more intriguing flavor, add both vanilla and almond extracts. Rum, maple and anise are other delicious varieties to consider.
How long does sugar cookie dough need to be chilled? ›
As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).
Do you have to refrigerate sugar cookies? ›
Choose to store them at room temperature or in the freezer instead of the fridge. If you can store your cookies at room temperature or in the freezer - do it. The fridge should be your last resort because of the moisture that can make your cookies soggy. Store the cookies in an airtight container.
Why does sugar cookie dough need to rest? ›
The primary reason for a brief resting period to redistribute the liquid in the dough. While the dough sits, turning from loose and soft to drier and more scoopable, the flour is hydrating, yielding cookies that will bake and brown more evenly.
Can I skip freezing cookie dough? ›
Speed Things Up with Your Freezer
Most recipes recommend chilling cookie dough for several hours in the refrigerator, but the good news is that you can use your freezer in a pinch. Better Homes and Gardens says that you can freeze cookie dough for one-fourth of the recommended refrigeration time with good results.
