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
Not chilling the dough.
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.
Why are my gluten-free cookies not spreading? ›
13- Make sure your baking soda and/or baking powder are fresh. These are the leavening agents in your cookie recipe and if they are no longer active, your cookies won't puff up and may spread more. Try a fresh container if they've been open longer than 3 months. 14- Use a tried and true gluten free cookie mix.
What helps sugar cookies not spread? ›
Ideally you want to cut your cookies and then chill them with the baking sheet. that way the tray is still cool when it goes in the oven and the cookies have no time to spread before they are baked through.
Should you chill gluten free cookie dough? ›
5. And refrigerate the dough if it's too sticky. Gluten-free cookie dough is stickier than standard cookie dough, but chilling it can help. This is because cold dough is less sticky, and it doesn't spread as easily, too.
Is it better to chill sugar cookie dough overnight? ›
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).
Why are my cookies not spreading enough? ›
Oven Is Not Hot Enough
Cookies spread while baking because the fats in the dough melt. If your oven isn't set to a high enough temperature, this won't happen. Make sure that your oven has preheated to the appropriate temperature before baking.
What would cause cookies not to spread? ›
Here are some of the most common reasons why your cookies didn't flatten in the oven.
- You added too much flour. ...
- You chilled the cookie dough for too long. ...
- Your butter wasn't at the right temperature. ...
- Your oven wasn't at the correct temperature. ...
- You changed the recipe.
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 causes cookies to not spread and be thick and cakey? ›
oven temperature: If the oven is too hot, it can cause the edges and outside of the cookies to set too fast. Then as the inside heats up, the cookies can't spread out at all, and they may even crack.
Why do my sugar cookies keep spreading? ›
Mixing Butter & Sugar
If your butter is under mixed, it won't have the air pockets to hold it's shape. If it's over-mixed, the air pockets decrease in size and are unable to hold their shape in the oven—causing your cookies to spread. It's best to cream butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.
Do you have a tried and true sugar cookie recipe that you love, but the cookies come out a little too domed? Try reducing the leavener (such as baking powder) by a half to a quarter and see what happens. It should definitely help!
Should you let gluten free cookie dough rest before baking? ›
Rest the dough.
For gluten free chocolate chip cookies with the best flavor and best texture, let the dough rest for 24 – 48 hours before baking.
How do you make gluten-free cookies not fall apart? ›
Remember: Xanthan Gum is Your Friend
It might sound scary, but xanthan gum is key for successful gluten-free baking. It helps bind together the ingredients, preventing your cookies from falling to pieces. Be careful to not use too much; no one likes gummy baked goods.
Why are my gluten-free cookies dry and crumbly? ›
Another reason is that gluten-free flours, such as almond flour or coconut flour, can behave differently than wheat flour in baking. They may absorb more liquid, for example, which can result in dry or crumbly cookies.
Why is chilling cookie dough necessary? ›
The colder your dough is before it heads into the oven, the less it will spread during baking, which makes for loftier cookies. The chilling phase also gives the flour in your dough time to hydrate, just like pie dough, which translates into a cookie that's more chewy than cakey.
Can I skip freezing cookie dough? ›
While it might seem like an unnecessary step, actually taking the time to chill cookie dough really is important to do. Why? It's to solidify the fat in the dough, so the cookies won't spread too far during baking, and to ensure the cookies end up soft and tender.
How long should I chill sugar cookie dough before baking? ›
Instead, use parchment paper to prevent sticking and help the cookies keep their shape. Don't let the dough get warm. Notice the dough needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours. Keep the dough cold until you put the cookies in the oven.
How long does sugar cookie dough have to sit? ›
When ready to make, take the chilled cookie dough out and allow to sit on your kitchen counter at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes until the raw cookie dough is just soft enough to be rolled and cut into desired shapes. This timeframe ensures that the dough remains fresh and retains its optimal flavor and texture.
