These almond flour sugar cookies are pillowy soft and reminiscent of the fluffy grocery store kind. Topped with a drizzle of buttery glaze, no one will notice that they’re gluten free, dairy free and grain free too!
Want more gluten free cookie recipes? Check out these monster cookies, these Mexican wedding cookies and these peanut butter cookies!
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Table of contents
Why these cookies are a must-make!
Sink your teeth into these super soft sugar cookies and you’ll never want another type of cookie again! (Well, except for maybe these strawberry cookies or these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!) But other sugar cookies don’t stand a chance. These are perfectly sweetened, easy to mix (no mixer required!) and they actually get softer by the day. Here's what else you'll love about these cookies:
- They are gluten, dairy and grain free
- Super quick to mix
- They stay fresh and soft for up to 4 days
- No mixer required
- A quick, 30 minute refrigeration time
💭Pro tips
The recipe for these soft almond cookies is super simple. However, there are some steps that you'll need to follow for the best, most delicious almond flour sugar cookies.
1. Use room temperature ingredients
One of the keys to successful gluten free baking is to make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature before combining. That goes for flours too. If you store your flour in the refrigerator, let it warm up before using it. More on why this is important here.
2. Refrigerate the batter
Refrigerating the batter for 30 minutes before baking helps firm up the butter so the cookies don't spread too much while baking.
3. Measure by weight
Use a digital scale such as this one for measuring the flour. Measuring by weight ensures you have the correct amount of flour in the recipe. Check out the masterclass to see what a difference even a Tablespoon makes!
4. Mix thoroughly
Make sure to use a sturdy spoon for mixing the batter. Mix the batter for about a minute to ensure everything is completely combined.
5. Use these helpful tools
Here are a few helpful tools that make preparing these almond flour sugar cookies super quick and easy.
Mixing bowls
Rubber spatula
Sturdy spoon
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Wire cooling rack
Ingredients & substitutions
Just 9 ingredients and you are on your way to low carb sugar cookies!
Almond flour - The recipe was tested with this brand of almond flour. Other brands may work, but they have not been tested.
Xanthan gum - Xanthan gum helps bind the cookie dough, I would not recommend substituting it.
Baking soda - I do not recommend substituting the baking soda.
Salt - Salt can be omitted if you're following a low or no salt diet.
Egg - I do not recommend an egg substitute in this recipe.
Coconut sugar - Granulated sugar can be used for the coconut sugar. Or use a sugar substitute like Swerve.
Vegan butter - Melted coconut oil can be used in place of the melted vegan butter.
Maple syrup - Use pure maple syrup in this recipe, not maple flavored syrup.
Vanilla extract - There is no substitute for the vanilla extract.
And if you opt for the delicious glaze, just pull out some powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract and almond milk.
Measurements for each ingredient, along with detailed instructions for making the cookies are in the recipe card below.
Mixing
This is one of the easiest ways to make cookies – just add the melted butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and egg in a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to combine, as in step 1. Then in another bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well (step 2). Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients (step 3) and mix well (step 4).
Cover the batter bowl with plastic wrap (step 5) and refrigerate for 30 minutes. The batter will solidify and be ready to portion after the chill time.
🌡️Note on chill time
Chilling the batter (rather than just letting it sit at room temperature) helps firm up the melted butter so the cookies don't spread too much.
Portioning & baking
Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and use a cookie scoop to portion the batter into balls on a lined cookie sheet. Place each ball of dough on a cookie sheet and press down just to flatten a bit.
Bake at 350 F for about 12 minutes. Once they’re done baking, let them cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
🍪Baked cookie tip
Use a very flat spatula when removing the cookies to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the baking pan.
Glazing
The glaze adds a bit more punch to an already amazing cookie. It’s easy to mix together IF you have super soft butter. The butter should be on the verge of being completely melted. Mix it with some powdered sugar, vanilla extract and almond milk. The consistency should be thin, but thick enough to be piped.
Add the glaze to a plastic baggie and cut a small hole in the corner of it (start with a tiny hole, then you can always trim off more if you’d like the glaze thicker). Pipe glaze across the tops of the cookies. The glaze should firm up within a few minutes, depending on how thick it is.
Storage
These almond flour sugar cookies are soft, delicately sweet and very easy to make - plus they store incredibly well. Add the baked cookies to a plastic bag and seal. They will stay fresh for up to 4 days. Cookie dough can also be made ahead of time. Prepare the cookies as directed but place the batter in a well sealed plastic container at the refrigeration point for up to 5 days. Bake as directed.
FAQ's
As good as these cookies are, they are not good for cut-out sugar cookies. Instead, this sugar cookie recipe is the one to turn to for the perfect rolled out sugar cookie dough.
The recipe makes between 18 and 20 cookies. Doubling it is not recommended but if you want more cookies, just make 2 batches side by side. That way you get more cookies, and still preserve the balance in the original recipe!
Since almond flour is the primary ingredient in this recipe, I wouldn’t recommend trying to substitute it. I do have a good chart for flour and starch substitutions or reference this post specifically about almond flour substitutes, but this recipe has not been tested with any other type of flour.
Yes! Refrigerating the dough helps firm up the batter just enough to hold the cookies together. Without that extra chill, they will spread more than normal.
You can absolutely skip the glaze. These cookies are very soft and tasty on their own. The glaze just adds a bit of extra punch to an already delicious tasting cookie.
More cookie recipes!
Recipe
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Soft Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For cookies:
- ¼ cup vegan butter melted
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 190 grams almond flour about 2 cups
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
For glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vegan butter very soft
- 1 Tablespoon almond milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make cookie dough:
- In a large bowl, add melted butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and egg. Whisk until fully mixed.
- In a medium bowl, add almond flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt. Mix until fully combined.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix with a sturdy spoon until combined (about 1 minute).
- Cover the mixing bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
- Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 F and prepare baking pans by placing a sheet of parchment on them.
- After the chill time, use a cookie scoop and scoop out a Tablespoon size portion of dough and place on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Press each cookie down slightly, so it flattens the tops of them.
- Bake each sheet for 12 minutes.
- Remove pan from the oven and let the pan cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the pan to the wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare glaze:
- In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar, soft butter and almond milk. Mix with a sturdy spoon until glaze comes together.
- Add vanilla extract and finish mixing.
- Add glaze to a plastic baggie and cut off a small tip of the edge of the bag.
- Pipe a drizzle of glaze across each cooled cookie.
Notes
- Make sure ingredients are at room temperature, except melted butter.
- Recipe was tested with this brand of almond flour, others may work, but they have not been tested.
- Granulated sugar can be used in place of the coconut sugar.
- I do not recommend an egg replacement in this recipe.
- This recipe will not make rolled cookies.
- Instead of doubling the recipe, make 2 batches side by side.
- Chill the batter for 30 minutes.
- Place glaze in a plastic baggie to make piping easier.
- Store cookies in a sealed plastic bag, at room temperature, for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
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