These almond flour sugar cookies are crisp around the edges and have chewy centers, but can also be made totally crisp if desired. They’re topped off with cream cheese frosting and they only call for almond flour rather than a mix of flours.
I am extremely excited to share these cookies today! They are my ideal sugar cookies.
I love these healthier sugar cookies, but they’re whole wheat, and I haven’t been able to come up with super delicious gluten-free sugar cookies – until now!
Just almond flour needed
I normally mix almond flour and coconut flour in my paleo cookie recipes, but today’s recipe just calls for almond flour.
And that sets this recipe apart from a lot of other almond flour sugar cookie recipes that use almond flour + another type of flour. Why call them almond flour cookies if you use almond flour + coconut flour + tapioca starch?!
Sorry, but this drives me crazy when I’m looking for recipes to make for my family. ;)
For more almond flour recipes (that just call for almond flour!) try my:
Use finely ground almond flour
The few people who have commented on my almond flour recipes to say that they used homemade almond flour have done so to say that it didn’t work. That’s because there’s no way to get homemade almond flour as finely ground as store-bought almond flour.
I recently bought a ton of almond flour to use in our everyday life. Not for blog recipes. It, unfortunately, looks like something I could’ve done in my food processor.
When I bake with it, I have to reduce the oil by 25%. Otherwise, there’s a big oily mess.
So imagine you tried using that for this recipe, where it’s super important that the cookies hold their shape during baking.
Don’t do it! Make sure to find a bag that says something like finely ground.
Easy-to-work-with dough
I put the dough in the freezer for about 30 minutes, and the dough was easy to work with. I forgot to put the dough back in the freezer while the first batch was baking, and I didn’t have any issues rolling it out or moving the shapes from the counter to the baking pan.
But still, I think it’s safer to just keep everything in the fridge or freezer to ensure that you won’t have any problems.
Lots of flavor
When I was working on this recipe, I started off with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. I finished the recipe with 4 teaspoons of vanilla.
I need my cookies (and everything else I make) to have lots of flavor and 4 teaspoons of vanilla was the perfect amount.
If you can’t have vanilla, you could also use water + maybe 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of almond or lemon extract instead of vanilla to get to the 4 teaspoons of liquid.
You just can’t omit the liquid or the wet to dry proportions will be off. And those are super important for cut-out sugar cookies!
Chewy or crisp – your choice
The baking time yields cookies that are crisp around the edges, but they’re still chewy. If you want them totally crisp, then bake them a minute or two longer.
Keep a close eye on them, though! Cut-out sugar cookies tend to burn quickly.
No paleo or vegan options?
I wanted these almond flour cookies to taste as traditional as possible, so I used butter and granulated sugar.
If you want to use coconut oil, you can’t use the same amount as butter. I believe 7.5 tablespoons is the right amount, but I haven’t tried it.
I have tried them using coconut sugar. When using the same amount of coconut sugar as granulated sugar, they spread out a little and were kind of puffy. The cookies weren’t very tasty.
So I tried again with 1/2 cup of coconut sugar instead of the 3/4 cup of granulated sugar that’s called for in the recipe. Those were even less tasty. They held their shape perfectly, though!
I do have quite a sweet tooth so if you’re topping the cookies with cream cheese frosting, the coconut sugar version may work for you. I just didn’t like them, so I’m not listing it as an option.
I do plan on posting paleo sugar cookies at some point so hang tight! For now, I can refer you to these awesome cassava flour cookies, which are also sugar cookies. They’re paleo with a vegan option and can even be made AIP-friendly.
In addition to the butter in today’s recipe, you’d have to replace the egg to make this recipe vegan. Those changes are too big for me to recommend that you try experimenting. And that’s not even taking the totally un-vegan cream cheese frosting into account.
I also plan on posting a vegan version of this recipe. And regular gluten-free sugar cookies. And keto sugar cookies. I have lots of plans for this recipe. ;)
Are cookie cutters necessary?
Nope. You can form little balls and then press them down flat. The dough doesn’t spread like regular cookie dough, which is a good thing because it means the cookies retain their shape once baked.
I found the dough easy to work with, but if you have issues, then chill the dough. Wrap it up in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer.
If you have more time, then putting it in the fridge will chill it more uniformly.
Cream cheese frosting
For me, cream cheese frosting is an absolute must when it comes to sugar cookies. Buttercream frosting just isn’t my thing.
This is the same frosting recipe I use in every other recipe of mine that uses cream cheese frosting. It’s a scaled-down version of my Healthier Cream Cheese Frosting.
It uses a lot less sugar than regular frosting and tastes similar to cream cheese tart filling. Which is to say – amazing!
It’s absolutely perfect on this Gluten-free Carrot Cake and these Pumpkin Cupcakes and really, all your cream cheese frosting needs. :)
I used natural food coloring to color the frosting for the shamrocks and heart-shaped cookies. If you happen to live in Germany, I used the one from Biovegan. For the folks in the US, is there a natural food coloring brand you could recommend?
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Decoration ideas
Some stars, snowman or Christmas tree cookie cutters would make for some really nice almond flour Christmas cookies.
Sprinkles are the classic option. Here are some nice, vibrant natural sprinkles. My healthier topping ideas are chopped nuts and freeze-dried raspberries.
Can you decorate them in advance?
Surprisingly, yes! I thought for sure that they’d get soggy from the cream cheese.
I’ve never had them last longer than a day in the fridge so that’s as long as I can recommend storing frosted cookies. I’m pretty sure they’d soften, anyway, after one day.
Ready to get started? Any questions? See below!
Questions about these almond flour sugar cookies?
- Can I use vegan butter or coconut oil?
I’m assuming vegan butter would work fine. I think 7.5 tablespoons of coconut oil would likely work, but haven’t tried it. I’d recommend using refined, so that there’s no coconut taste.
- Can I reduce the sugar?
Reducing the sugar at all would mess with the texture of the cookies. If you want them to bake up properly and taste good, then I would not recommend reducing the sugar.
-
Can I use something other than the listed sweeteners?
I’ve tried them with coconut sugar and thought that they weren’t good. At all. I don’t recommend playing around with the sweetener. Whether or not Truvia, keto sweeteners or anything else would work, I really have no idea. Sorry.
- Can I omit the vanilla?
Yes, but you’d need to replace it with water to make sure the wet to dry proportions are correct. Four teaspoons is way too much liquid to just omit. You could also use water + maybe 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of almond or lemon extract instead of vanilla to get to the 4 teaspoons of liquid.
- Do I have to use almond flour?
Yes (or almond meal, if you don’t mind the specks of the skin, and as long as it’s very finely ground). These are almond flour sugar cookies. If you want coconut flour sugar cookies, please google “coconut flour sugar cookies” or whatever type you’re looking for. :)
Another type of nut flour/nutmeal might work, but I wouldn’t recommend experimenting as it’s likely to not turn out 100% the same as mine. It’ll likely also be quite costly, with 4 cups of nut flour! - Do these cookies taste gluten-free?
Not at all! In almond flour recipes, you don’t have the grittiness or gumminess that you often get in other gluten-free recipes.
That said, almond flour recipes are often greasy or soggy. Not these cookies! They have an amazing texture.
I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies! If you make this recipe or any other of my recipes, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Please hashtag them #texanerin so I can find them. :)
Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 26-30 cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 tsp almond extract + 3 tsp vanilla)
- 1 large (50 grams, out of shell) egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups (400 grams) blanched almond flour
- 12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese1, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- cream cheese frosting
- natural food coloring
- freeze-dried raspberries
- chopped pistachios, pecans, or other nuts
- sprinkles
For the cookie dough:
For the frosting:
For decoration:
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla with a hand mixer at medium speed until well combined.
- Beat in the egg until combined.
- Sprinkle the baking powder and salt on the top and mix until combined.
- Add the almond flour and mix until completely incorporated and a dough forms.
- Cover and chill for 3+ hours in the fridge or place in the freezer for 30 minutes or so. If freezing, I like to form 2 very flat discs and freeze them that way so that they chill more quickly.
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F (163 °C).
- Between two pieces of parchment paper, roll out a test ball. Roll it out to 1/8" thick and cut out a cookie. If you can easily use a spatula to pick it up, then roll out the rest of the dough, keeping what you don't use in the fridge. If it's difficult to get the shapes up easily (I haven't had any issues), roll all the dough into a ball and dust with almond flour on the top and the bottom.
- Roll the dough about 1/8" thick (or a tad bit thicker) and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. If they're a little rough around the edges, press into shape.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. Keep an eye on them! The baking time will vary depending on how thick they are and if you use a cookie cutter. They'll have browned very lightly around the edges but they'll still be soft until they've cooled. Cool completely on the baking sheet. They should still be a bit soft (not totally hard) after they've cooled. If you want them completely crisp and to stay crisp, bake for an extra minute or two, keeping a close eye on them.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together with an electric hand mixer at medium speed until well combined. It's okay if it looks a little crumbly.
- Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until totally combined and then beat in the salt and vanilla.
- Top the totally cooled cookies with the frosting. I wouldn't recommend frosting more than 1 day in advance. Top with decorations.
- Refrigerate frosted cookies for 1 day. Store unfrosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
To make the cookies:
To make the frosting:
To decorate:
Notes
- If you live outside of North America and have the kind of cream cheese that's meant for toast (that comes in a little plastic tub) rather than American style brick cream cheese, then get 450 grams of cream cheese, place it in the center of a cheesecloth, and wring out the liquid until you have 340 grams of cream cheese left.
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44 comments on “Almond Flour Sugar Cookies (the perfect texture!)” — Add one!
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Hi my daughter is gluten free and I don’t want to mess these up. I was wondering if I could roll these and make snickerdoodles with the dough?? Just curious before I try. I am so looking forward to my baby girl (30) being able to eat like the rest of us so thank you for sharing this. (She was just diagnosed and we all want to support her.)
Hi! That’s so nice that you all want to support her. :) These cookies are a great as sugar cookies, but I don’t think they’re the right dough for snickerdoodles. Snickerdoodles are lighter, more airy and usually have cream of tartar in them and crackle. Sorry I don’t have a recipe for those, or even one that I can recommend. Lots of luck to your daughter. :)
Hi, I just made these, but I used Splenda. They turned out really well! Best gluten free cookies I’ve had.
Wow, that’s great to hear! And good to know that Splenda works. :) Thanks a bunch for your tip and the feedback!
where are the measurements for the recipe?
In the recipe box, which is above where you commented.
Can I make sandwich cookies from this recipe… like green leaves with marmalade or chocolate centers?
I’m hoping to make these with royal icing and mail them. Any idea if that will be successful? Do they need to be consumed right away? Can they be frozen after being baked? My mom and grandmas are all GF and have expressed the desire to have a real sugar cookie again and I think this recipe sounds delicious.
If you want to ship them, you should definitely follow the directions for making them crisp and then pack them very, very well. I don’t think they’d be sturdy enough if you baked them following the directions for soft and chewy cookies. I’ve never used royal icing on these (and honestly, on any other cookies since I’m not a fan), so, unfortunately, I can’t say how long they’d hold up. I’m so sorry I can’t give you a better answer! They do freeze well. I think you’d have better luck using a recipe that calls for a gluten-free baking blend that’s meant as a sub for all-purpose flour. They would be sturdier for sure.
Absolutely incredibly delicious. I’m gluten free and these are the best gluten free sugar cookies I have ever eaten/baked. I had so much fun making these with my son. And this icing is so good; I’m gonna use it for a chocolate cake this weekend. What a great treat this Christmas. Frohes Fest!
Your review made my day! I’m so glad that you think these are the best GF sugar cookies you’ve had! And I love that you made them with your son. I hope he enjoyed them, too. :) I also love this frosting and hope you enjoy it on your cake. Thanks a ton for your kind words and frohe Weihnachten to you, too! 🎄
I loved that this recipe is flexible enough to either use cookie cutters or not. The cookies were so good!
Yay! I’m really happy to hear that. Thanks for your feedback! :)
I’ve been looking for the perfect gluten free sugar cookies and this recipe is it! They have great flavor and are perfectly crispy and chewy.
Aww, yay! I’m super glad to hear that. Thanks a ton for your feedback and I’m sorry for just now seeing it!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing almond flour sugar cookies recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Woohoo! I’m thrilled to hear that. I’m so happy you’ll be making them again! Thanks for your comment. :)
We just loved these cookies so much! They have the perfect texture!
I am so glad to hear you think so! I do, too. ;) Thanks for your feedback!
Made this tonight, I had to share how much I enjoyed it, it was truly delicious! Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m really glad that you enjoyed them so much. :) Thanks for your feedback!
These almond flour sugar cookies were amazing! This is such a great way to use almond flour and they are super easy to make.
I’m really happy you thought so! Thanks for your nice review. I really appreciate it! :)
Can I store the dough in the fridge overnight?
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! Yes, you can refrigerate it for 2-3 days or freeze for 3 months.
can I decorate with royal icing ? Thank you .
I’m so terribly sorry for just now seeing your question! This month has been madness. I’ve never done it but I believe it wouldn’t be an issue. Sorry again!
These look amazing and so delicious! My teens are definitely going to love these cookies! I can’t wait to give them a try!
I hope that they’ll enjoy them!
I love this recipe!!!! It turn out so well! My daughter loved them!! 🥰
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for the feedback. :)
When it comes to freshly baked sugar cookies, I definitely like mine chewy! I’m glad you included both chewy and crispy in this recipe though!
These cookies are so pretty. They’d be perfect for Easter so am going to bookmark this recipe for then! Thank you!
These were so pretty! My friends who can’t have flour loved these!
So excited that these are gluten-free! I usually only make cutout cookies at Christmas but these are so pretty and give off such a spring vibe, I just need to make them for Easter!
May l mix Wwflour and Almond flour in cake recipes. Also ls there a nutritional difference between WWflour and WWpastry flour?
No, you shouldn’t mix them. You should find a recipe that already calls for a mix of whole wheat flour and almond flour if that’s what you want to use. :) I wasn’t sure about your nutrition question, so I googled it for you and found this, “Many people ask how whole wheat pastry flour is different from whole wheat flour. It’s simple: whole wheat pastry flour is milled from white soft wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour is milled from red hard wheat. It has a lower protein content than regular whole wheat flour and it makes wonderfully tender whole grain baked goods like pie crust, muffins, quick breads, pastries and cookies, yet it still retains the nutrients of the bran and germ.” (source)
I have looked for recipes containing both but haven’t found any.
Im liking the depth of information you give along with the recipes. May l mix half whole weat flour and half almond flour?
I’m glad you like it! Unfortunately, no, you can’t. Please read where it says, “Do I have to use almond flour?” :)
They sure do look tasty.
Thank you! :)
Would these work with coconut sugar instead of granulated?
I talk about that under “No paleo or vegan options?” and also “Can I use something other than the listed sweeteners?” :)