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!
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 and these gluten-free funfetti 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.
You also might like this collection of gluten-free dinner recipes.
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.
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.
Do you have a dairy free frosting recipe i could use for these?
Have you tried these with stevia or xylitol in place of sugar?
Hello – you mentioned using Honeyville or Digestive Wellness (and not Bob’s Redmill)… will Bob’s not work? I have it in the house and a couple bags of it, so hate to buy another brand, but also don’t want to use up a bunch of ingredients if it’s not going to work out. Please let me know what you think. Thanks!
Hi Angela! Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour doesn’t work as well in these cookies. I love other Bob’s Red Mill products, but I never use their almond flour. It has a coarser grind and makes baked goods grainy. You could certainly try it, but I recommend the other brands for best results.
Understand that… what if I put it in the food processor and grind it further? I just don’t have the access to other almond flours right now and want to make them 🙂
Thanks so much for this great recipe! Do you think I could freeze the dough?
Hi Andrea! I would cut out the shapes, then freeze the dough. Freeze the cut-outs on a baking sheet. Once they are frozen you can transfer the cookies to a ziploc bag for longer storage. You could also freeze the dough in a log and use it like slice-and-bake cookies! I hope this helps!
I wanted to comment that several people have asked about egg free options and you haven’t responded to anyone. Even if you don’t know that would be helpful to respond other then to just ignore these questions.
Just wondering if you can bake and freeze these cookies? or can you cut out shapes and freeze and bake later? Thanks for the recipe! Looking forward to trying these.
Hi Anne! I would cut out the shapes and freeze, then bake later. You won’t need to defrost before baking, just add 2 minutes or so to the bake time. I hope you like them!
I was wondering if i can add coconut sugar or honey instead or normal sugar?? i cant have white or brown sugar
Sorry that I am commenting on an older post. Just wondering how well they hold their cut shapes when baking. I assume that as long as I keep the dough cold, they shouldn’t spread. With my usual non-gf cut-out sugar cookies, I pop them in the freezer for a few minutes after cutting, before putting them in the oven.
hi, im making these for my daughters 5th birthday and wondering how far in advance I can make these?
Thanks
You can make the dough 2 days in advance! I would roll and cut the cookies the same day if possible.
Please give nutritional information for your almond flour sugar cookies.
Thank you
Hello. These look great and I’d like to try them for my daughter who has sine food allergies. Do you think they would still work if I replaced the eggs with applesauce? Thanks so much!
Do you HAVE to use the coconut oil & coconut flour? I really cannot abide the flavor of coconut.
You can use all butter in place of the coconut oil. But unfortunately there is no substitute for the coconut flour! Even with the flour these cookies don’t taste overly coconut to me if that helps!
What about all almond flour or meal? Would it work?
Unfortunately no! You need the coconut flour for the right consistency.
Hi, I just want to say that I made these sugar cookies for “Santa” tomorrow, and it is delicious! The dought gets soft easily making us to work fast, but I don’t mind – taste is divine and mist important – my 3 boys loved it! – the only thing I’m not do dure is the icing , I made your recipe with ghee and it first look shine as usual, and mixing color was impossible – the green and red looks marble w the white ( I add a bit more sugar, worry it would not dry ) – hope the icing gets dry. – I save some for me without icing once I’m limited to eat sugar, but it was a success! Thnx for the great recipe! – HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! –
We just made these cookies and they are the best sugar cookies I have ever made! My whole family loves them! Question though– how do you store them? Do you put them in the fridge or leave them out?
I’m so glad to hear this! I keep them covered at room temperature.
I made these last week and they are fantastic! Our friend’s have a son who is egg free because of a serious allergy and I wanted to know if you had any suggestions on making this recipe egg free for him. Thank you!
Do you think that honey or maple syrup could be used in place of coconut sugar? I need to make paleo sugar cookies tomorrow and we do not have any coconut sugar in the house.
I don’t think a liquid sweetener will work here. The granulated sugar provides the dough stability. Sorry about that!