The Best Almond Flour Sugar Cookies! Soft in the middle and crispy on the edges. Easy to roll out and perfect for cut-outs!
Hundreds of reviewers agree these cookies are the most delicious almond flour sugar cookie recipes around! This tried-and-true recipe was originally published in 2013 and is one of my #1 recipes today!
Original photo from 2013. I thought it was very cool with the bright pink background – ha!
Holiday baking just isn’t complete without making sugar cookies!
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is making Christmas cookies in all different holiday shapes and decorating them with colored icing and sprinkles. (But these cookies are equally great for any time of year. If you like to make cookies for Valentine’s Day or Halloween, this is the perfect cookie!)
I don’t use the term “the best” lightly. These cookies roll out like a dream and hold their shape really well during baking. They are crispy and buttery on the outside, and soft on the inside!
I originally published the recipe way back in 2013. It continues to be a reader (and family) favorite year after year!
Every holiday season thousands of people come back to this post to make this recipe! Be sure to check the comments if you have any questions about substitutions!
Jump to:
These are made with almond flour, which gives the cookies a delicious taste and keeps them soft. Soft is definitely a requirement when it comes to sugar cookies!
Almond flour cookies are awesome because they are soft, without being doughy. (One of the most popular recipes on my site is these almond flour chocolate chip cookies – always with great reviews!)
You also might like these amazing gluten-free sugar cookies.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Soft interior + crisp and buttery edges
- Tender crumb
- Easy to work with
- Great for decorating for holiday
- Simple ingredients
For more almond flour baked goods, try these almond flour snickerdoodles, almond flour oatmeal cookies and almond flour blondies.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you’ll need to make these amazing cookies!
- Almond flour: Be sure to use blanched almond flour rather than almond meal for the right consistency. Blanched almond flour is made from almonds with the skin/tough coating removed so it’s extra fine. Almond meal is made from the whole almond and won’t create the ideal results in baking.
- Coconut flour: Grain-free flour can be hard to work with, but coconut flour makes these cookies easier to roll out and helps them bake up nice and crisp!
- Sugar: I usually use organic cane sugar in these cookies. However many commenters have reported great results using coconut sugar! A liquid sweetener like maple syrup or honey won’t work.
- Baking soda: Baking soda helps rise and lift these perfect cookies.
- Salt: Fine sea salt balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of this gluten free cookie recipe.
- Vanilla: I always use real vanilla extract for my gluten free baking!
- Butter: You can use a dairy-free butter substitute such as Earth Balance buttery sticks to keep these cookies dairy-free. I don’t recommend using all coconut oil in place of the butter. Real butter or Earth Balance is important for the right texture.
- Coconut oil: I love using part butter and part coconut oil in cookies for a nice soft texture. I also use this trick in these favorite gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
- Eggs: Use room temperature large eggs to help bind the dough of these gluten free cookies.
- Almond extract: Almond extract compliments the slightly nutty flavor of the almond flour and takes these cookies to the next level of deliciousness!
Coconut Flour
I am not usually a fan of coconut flour, but it works wonderfully in this recipe. The addition of coconut flour makes these cookies easier to roll out and helps them bake up nice and crisp.
For more gluten-free Christmas cookies, be sure to try these gluten-free almond cookies, gluten-free almond biscotti, gluten-free molasses cookies and gluten-free coconut macaroons.
How to Make Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a large bowl and hand mixer) cream together the room temperature butter, coconut oil, and sugar.
- Add the eggs, almond and vanilla extract, mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the baking soda, salt, almond flour, and coconut flour.
- With the mixer running on low, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Form the dough into a ball with your hands and place on a piece of plastic wrap. Form the dough into a disc and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sprinkle a clean, flat surface with coconut flour and roll the dough out until it is 1/4 thick. I like laying it on a piece for parchment paper and placing another sheet on top to roll it out. Or you may have to rub the rolling pin with coconut flour to do this. Make your cut-out cookies using your choice of cutters. Work somewhat quickly so the dough stays cold. Using a spatula, transfer the cut cookies to the baking sheets.
- Gather the remaining scraps back up into a ball and roll out again. Repeat rolling and cutting out cookies until you use all the dough. If the dough gets too warm while you work with it you may need to chill it again.
- Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown. These cookies need to bake longer than a traditional sugar cookie recipe. They will stay soft and just get a little crispy, which is just what you want! Cool on a cookie sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting. Enjoy these traditional sugar cookies!
Storage Instructions
These cookies stay good for a few days! You can store these cookies (frosted or unfrosted) in an airtight container (in the refrigerator or at room temperature) for up to five days. You can also store these cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
Here are some answers to some frequently asked recipe questions. You can also search the comments for more substitute recommendations!
Unfortunately no. Coconut flour and almond flour have very different properties. The dough really needs to coconut flour to hold together. The cookies will not turn out properly without it.
No. If you’re looking to substitute the butter, use Earth Balance buttery sticks. Do not use more coconut oil in place of the butter or you won’t get the right consistency.
These cookies stay good for a few days! You can store these cookies (frosted or unfrosted) in an airtight container (in the refrigerator or at room temperature) for up to five days. I like keeping them in the fridge! You can also store these cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This recipe is specifically designed to use almond flour. You can try these gluten-free sugar cookies (they’re SO good too!) if you want a recipe that uses gluten-free 1:1 baking flour or gluten-free all purpose flour.
Almond Flour in General FAQs
Almond flour can be used to make sugar cookies, but I don’t recommend doing a 1:1 swap in a regular sugar cookie recipe. Instead, it’s best to use a recipe that is specifically made using almond flour (like this recipe!)
Almond flour adds texture and flavor to gluten-free sugar cookies. It also keeps the cookies soft and gives them a great chew, which is essential for a delicious sugar cookie!
Almond flour needs a leavening agent in order for it to rise. This recipe uses baking soda to help the dough rise and achieve a light and tender crumb.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- I highly recommend using Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour Super Fine Grind or Wellbee’s Super Fine Blanched Almond Flour for this recipe. I’ve also used Costco’s almond flour with great results. Be sure to use blanched almond flour rather than almond meal for the right consistency.
- To make sure these cookies turn out, scoop and kind of pack the almond flour down when measuring it.
- Chilling the dough is very key so you’re able to work with it!
- When rolling and cutting the dough, work quickly so the dough stays cold.
- I like rolling it out in-between sheets of parchment paper dusted with coconut flour.If you have trouble cutting them out, try rolling out the dough then placing it in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting the shapes out.
- Finally – DO NOT substitute the coconut flour for more almond flour. The dough really needs to coconut flour to hold together.
What type of almond flour?
Be sure to use blanched almond flour rather than almond meal for the right consistency. Blanched almond flour is made from almonds with the skin/tough coating removed so it’s extra fine. Almond meal is made from the whole almond and won’t create the ideal results in baking.
YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE
I hope you enjoy these almond flour sugar cookies as much as we do! If you try this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
The Best Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter ghee, or palm shortening, softened
- 1/4 cup coconut oil softened, not melted
- 3/4 cup sugar*
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 1/4 cups blanched almond flour scoop and slightly pack it down when you measure it
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, coconut oil, and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla and almond extract, mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the baking soda, salt, almond flour, and coconut flour. With the mixer running on low, add the flour mixture to the creamed ingredients 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Form the dough into a ball with your hands and place on a piece of plastic wrap. Form the dough into a disc and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sprinkle a clean, flat surface with coconut flour and roll the dough out until it is 1/4 thick. I like laying it on a piece for parchment paper and placing another sheet on top to roll it out. Or you may have to rub the rolling pin with coconut flour to do this. Cut out the cookies using your choice of cutters. Work somewhat quickly so the dough stays cold. Using a spatula, transfer the cut cookies to the baking sheets.
- Gather the remaining scraps back up into a ball and roll out again. Repeat rolling and cutting out cookies until you use all the dough. If the dough gets too warm while you work with it you may need to chill it again.
- Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes, until lightly golden. These cookies need to bake longer than typical sugar cookies. They will stay soft and just get a little crispy, which is just what you want! Cool on a baking sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting. Enjoy!
Notes
- I highly recommend using Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour Super Fine Grind or Wellbee’s Super Fine Blanched Almond Flour for this recipe. I’ve also used Costco’s almond flour with great results. Be sure to use blanched almond flour rather than almond meal for the right consistency.
- To make sure these cookies turn out, scoop and kind of pack the almond flour down when measuring it.
- Chilling the dough is very key so you’re able to work with it!
- When rolling and cutting the dough, work quickly so the dough stays cold.
- I like rolling it out in-between sheets of parchment paper dusted with coconut flour.If you have trouble cutting them out, try rolling out the dough then placing it in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting the shapes out.
- Finally – DO NOT substitute the coconut flour for more almond flour. The dough really needs to coconut flour to hold together.
Have you ever tried using this recipe for one big sugar cookie cake, like for making fruit pizza? Would the baking temp or time change?
1. Can I used criso instead of palm shortening?
2. Can I use regular butter instead of butter ghee?
Yes! Both those substitutions will work great 🙂
Recipe absolutely needs more than 30 minutes chill time. The dough is much more workable the longer it chills.
Cookies rolled to a quarter inch will come out quite crispy; I rolled the second half of my dough to nearly a half inch, and the results were pleasantly chewy on the insides.
Can this dough be frozen before baking the cookies? Thank you so much!
Yes this dough can be frozen! I would cut it into the desired shapes or scoop it into balls before freezing though.
I’ve been wanting to try these for a while and today was the day. Just the Christmas cookie that I was looking for. I didn’t and wouldn’t change anything.
I’d love to know what frosting recipe you used.
Made recipe as listed. This was my first GF cut out cookie. They were great.
Can I substitute anything else for the coconut flour? I can’t eat coconut. Maybe tapioca flour?
Unfortunately there isn’t anything quite like coconut flour that will work in this recipe. Sorry about that!
YUM!!! I made this with half coconut sugar and half erythropoietin/monk fruit extract (from Costco) and they are perfect. Perfect sweetness, crisp edges and soft in the center. Thank you for sharing!
Hooray! That’s great to know the recipe worked well with those sugar substitutes. Thanks for the helpful comment!