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.
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? ›
- 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.
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.
How to keep gluten-free cookies from falling apart? ›
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 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.
What is the problem with gluten-free cookies? ›
Drop Cookies
| Common Problem | Possible Solution |
|---|
| Excessive spread | Add binder and let dough rest |
| Gritty texture | Let dough rest for 30 minutes before baking |
| Greasy | Use less butter and swap in a portion of almond butter |
| Overly crisp texture | Use more brown sugar, less white sugar |
3 more rowsFrom 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.
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.
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.
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.
Why are my cookies flat and spread out? ›
OVEN IS TOO HOT
Oven temperatures are a crucial factor in baking. If your cookies consistently come out flat, you may have selected the wrong baking temperature. If you bake cookies using too much heat, the fats in the dough begin to melt before the other ingredients can cook together and form your cookie's rise.
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).
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.
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.
