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.
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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.
These cookies were amazing! The taste and the texture were on point. Like some of the others, I did have trouble with the dough becoming too soft when I rolled the dough out after refrigerating for 30 minutes. To remedy that, I rolled it out between two pieces of parchment paper and refrigerated the flattened dough for about 15 minutes so the dough became nice and firm. I was able to use cookie cutters with no problem. Then continued to refrigerate after each round . These cookies were a hit!
They aren’t too sweet like some sugar cookies can be. They were the perfect amount of cookie crunch, chewiness, and sweetness. I highly recommend.
So glad you were able to roll these out successfully! I often have to do that as well when I roll out this dough. I’m glad they turned out for you! 🙂
I can’t wait to try it
Hi Erin,
This is the second time I baked coz the taste is soo yummy. But after I decorated, the cookies turned to soft even though I keep in air tight container. Take so many hours to wait til the icing frosting got dried. Do you have any tips to keep the cookies still crispy in general after the icing frost dry.
Thank you in advance,
Enjoy the festive month
Lina Schmidt – Denmark
These look great! Where can I find the frosting recipe?
Erin, can I just roll them into balls after chilling? I dont have a roller 🙁
Yes that would work fine! You might have to flatten them out a little before baking. But they will still be delicious!
Could I use gluten free pat flour with the almond flour for cookies? Would it help hold it together? I have the oat flour and almond flour.
I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say for sure.
So I didn’t have the best luck when trying to cut them out. Big bummer-But I’m not very patient with any kind of cut out cookies! The next choice was to just make a log and do slice and bake. Then I thought hmmm… I wonder how they’d do if I used my spritz cookie press. Well it worked like a dream! I know these can’t be frosted and decorated like traditional cutouts but I went ahead and did a white chocolate dip (I know-Not super healthy!) You can then give them a little decorative sprinkle if you’d like. So pretty! My boys loved them! 🙂
The coconut oil in this dough can make it soft if your kitchen is warm. What I like to do when it feels too soft is roll the dough out on parchment paper then slide it onto a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Then the dough firms up and you can easily cut out the shapes! It sounds like you found a delicious solution though! Yum!
I want to make the cookies for my Type 1 Diabetic grandson. Is there a way to substitute the powdered sugar for a low glycemic sugar?
Do you have the recipe for the frosting??
These look so yummy! I’m wondering if I can only use coconut flour and a different extract? My son has celiac and the dreaded nut allergies. Any suggestions would be great! Thank you!!
These won’t work with only coconut flour. Coconut flour absorbs so much moisture and they would turn out dry/crumbly. Sorry about that!
My dough came out like THCIK PUDDING! Def far too oily, buttery. Wouln’t hold a shape even after being in the fridge for HOURS. Far too sticky. Ended up adding a cup of GF flour to get them to be workable.
Tasty, but this recipie did NOT work for cookie cutter sugar cookies without modification.
Omg these are amazing! I don’t know if it’s because I havent had white sugar in forever but I can’t stop eating these. Mine are slightly different because when I packed all the almond flour that I had, it was down to two cups so I filled in with cocoa. They are soooo yummy!! The texture is great too. For the icing I did the basic powdered sugar plus milk and since I used candy cane cutouts I added peppermint extract. Thank you for the recipe!
Made these yesterday and they are absolutely delicious. I technically eat small amounts of gluten nowadays, but I spent two years not eating any gluten so I am well-versed in both gluten-containing and gluten-free foods! And these were truly tasty. In fact, if I had to serve them to gluten-eating people, honestly I wouldn’t even mention that these are gf and they’d just think they are some delicious variety of cookies. Seriously good.
t have just a few (hopefully helpful) recipe comments: 1) I definitely had to use the freezer a lot to get the dough firm enough to hold the cut cookies’ shapes so I could pop them out of the cutters without breaking, 2) when rolling them out, I’d personally recommend erring on the side of thicker rather than thinner, as my batch had some very thinly rolled (maybe 3/16″) and some more thickly rolled (probably 3/8″) — I had a preschooler helping me! — and the thicker ones have a better overall satisfaction when biting into them, and they also hold together better, and 3) after overnight storage on the counter in an airtight container they were no longer crisp on the edges but were soft and delicately chewy throughout, which I thought was lovely as I prefer soft cookies over crispy ones in general.
Also, for the sake of noting, I didn’t have almond extract so I left that out, but I added a little lemon zest which I happened to have leftover in the freezer, and the flavor was very nice.
Thanks for a great gf cookie recipe!
This is so helpful! Thanks for the tips! I’m glad they worked out for you.
I apologize! I see that my question was already asked and answered!
No problem! Let me know if you have any more questions!
Hi, Can I freeze either the dough prior to cutting and baking (or after cutting into shapes for that matter)? Alternatively, can I freeze a batch of the baked cookies? Any experience with either scenario? Thanks!