Gluten Free Santa Sugar Cookies

No ratings yet

Gluten Free Santa Sugar Cookies

Turn your favorite Gluten Free Sugar Cookies into the cutest Santa cookies ever! These soft, buttery cookies are decorated with creamy buttercream frosting, red sanding sugar, and sweet details to create Santa’s cheerful face.

Course Baking

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 11

Chill time 2

Servings cookies

Calories 224kcal

Author Lise Sullivan Ode

Equipment

Ingredients

For the cookies

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour we used Trader Joe's
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting

½ cup (or 1 stick) butter, softened we used salted butter
2 cups powdered sugar or 8 ounces
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For decorating

2 tablespoons red sanding sugar (for hat)
24 mini marshmallows
48 mini chocolate chips (for eyes) or candy eyes
24 mini red m&m's (for noses) or red hots or gumballs
¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut (for Santa’s beard) or mini marshmallows

Instructions

For the cookies

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla; mix until combined. In another bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add to the wet ingredients and mix just until a dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Roll into balls, place on parchment lined cookie sheet and press gently with the palm of your hand to flatten dough. (Makes 24 balls of dough.) Bake for 9–11 minutes, or until the edges are just set. Cool completely on wire racks.

For frosting and decorations

Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla. Beat on high for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy. Spread a thin layer of frosting over top portion of each round cookie to resemble the hat. Sprinkle the hat area generously with red sanding sugar. Spread more frosting onto the bottom portion of the cookie. Add coconut or marshmallows to represent the beard. Attach two chocolate chips for eyes and a red candy for the nose, plus one mini marshmallow at the tip of the hat, securing them with a dab of icing. Allow frosting to set before storing or packaging.
Yield: Makes about 24 cookies. Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week. Freezing: You can freeze undecorated cookies for up to 2 months; decorate after thawing.

Notes

Place about ¼ cup of frosting into a small sealable plastic sandwich bag. Push the frosting down into one corner and twist the top of the bag to keep it tight, securing it with a twist tie if needed. Snip a tiny piece off the tip of the corner to create a small piping opening. Use this homemade piping bag to neatly attach the eyes, nose, and hat pom-pom to each Santa cookie.

Nutrition