This traditional Gluten Free Butter Cookie Recipe has a special place in my heart because it was passed down to me by my Grandma. She made them with us every Christmas and we would decorate them to our hearts content. I love how something as simple as a cookie can be tied to so many wonderful memories.
Although my Grandma’s recipe wasn’t gluten free, I’ve posted the original recipe below, with my suggested modifications for making it Gluten Free and/or Vegan. Please feel free to swap out ingredients depending on your dietary needs.
The best thing about this recipe is how fun it is! It rolls out beautifully & can be used with cookie cutters to make every kind of shape. Plus, you can decorate them before & after baking for unlimited design possibilities. I hope these cookies bring you many wonderful memories with your own family! =)
Here are the Tools & Ingredients used in this Recipe:
Gluten Free Butter Cookie Recipe with Vegan Options
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Approx. 3 Doz.
- Category: Gluten Free
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Here’s my Grandma’s Traditional Gluten Free Butter Cookie Recipe with Vegan Options. It’s perfect for cutting out shapes, decorating Holiday cookies & having fun!
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS:
- 2 2/3 Cups Erika’s Gluten Free Flour Mix (my grandma used regular all purpose flour in her original recipe)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
WET INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Cup Butter or 3/4 Cup Butter Alternative (such as Melt)
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg or 1/4 Cup Applesauce
- 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
OPTIONAL (if you don’t use real butter, this will add to the ‘butter’ flavor):
- Scant 1/8 Teaspoons Natural Vegan Butter Flavor Concentrate (made without Diacetyl) – This is approximately 5-8 drops.
OTHER:
- Extra Tapioca Flour (aka Tapioca Starch) for Dusting & Rolling
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together Dry Ingredients & Set-Aside.
- In a medium bow (or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment ), Cream Butter using Beaters, then gradually add in Sugar until well mixed.
- Add Applesauce, Vanilla & Butter Flavor (if desired), and Beat well.
- Gradually Mix in Flour.
- Chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Roll and shape into cookies – using Tapioca Starch to dust surface as necessary.
- Decorate with baking candies if desired.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes. Do not let cookies brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely on cooling rack before icing/decorating.
- Store in airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 130
A Little Note About Butter Flavoring: My greatest challenge was how to make a Butter Cookie Recipe butter free & still taste buttery! In my search for natural butter flavorings, I found that all of them are extracted chemically using Diacetyl (known to have serious health side effects)… All except this one by Nature’s Flavors. Its an Organic Butter Flavor Concentrate made Without Diacetyl that’s also Vegan, Gluten Free, Kosher & Certified Organic. It’s optional in the recipe, but a great alternative for a little bit more ‘butter’ flavor if you need it. This is not a paid or sponsored post for them, just wanted to pass on a great resource for Natural Flavors & Dye Free options. =)
Hello – I am having trouble with the sugar cookies breaking. Should I leave them on the cookie sheet longer before moving them to a cooling rack? LOVE the taste of this butter cookie!!
Hi Michelle! These are a pretty hearty cookie & shouldn’t be breaking… so I would suggest letting them rest a bit on the tray before transferring them to a cooling rack. Or, you might be rolling them just a little too thin. Hope that helps! =) God Bless! ~Erika
Could i replace the tapioca starch with something else?
Hi Tina, You could use cornstarch if your diet permits that. =) Enjoy & God Bless! ~Erika
Hello! Do you think a storebought GF flour blend would work? I have a tiny, tiny kitchen and don’t bake much, but these are my favorite holiday cookies!
Yes, I made with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 GF Baking Flour and they turned out great! I also used the same flour to dust surfaces instead of the tapioca.
★★★★★
Can I replace the flour mix with tapioca flour?
Real easy, great taste, used 1/2 canna butter half normal
Non dairy, thank you, will Defo do these again
★★★★★