Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

We’ve probably all seen those sugar cookies with a liberal swirl of frosting at the grocery store. You either love them or hate them. I never really paid them much attention until I couldn’t have them (haven’t really seen gluten free versions out there).

Last year, I decided to use a bag of regular sugar cookie mix and store bought cream cheese frosting to make St. Patrick’s day themed cookies for my family. They were delicious and way too tempting to have around when I couldn’t have more than 1-2.

This year, I decided to go ahead and recreate a homemade version with a gluten-free cookie base. Below is the recipe I used from The View from Great Island with my own adjustments and tips.

I swapped in Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour and made a few other adjustments to help keep the gluten-free cookie base from being too dry. I plan to make a few more adjustment the next time I make this recipe.

Ingredients:  

Sugar Cookie:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening (I used unsalted butter, softened)
• 1 extra large egg (I used 1 egg and 1 extra yolk)
• 3 Tbsp milk, or a little more if needed
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract (use almond if you prefer)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 cups flour (fluff/scoop/level)

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese (or regular cream cheese, at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract, almond extract, or lemon juice
• Food coloring as needed

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. I used a whisk to make sure the ingredients are incorporated throughout the flour. Set aside.
3. Cream the sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. I used a hand mixer or you can use a stand mixer.
4. Beat in the egg(s), the milk, and vanilla extract.
5. Switching to a wooden spoon, fold in the flour mixture, just until the dough comes together. If it is still very dry and crumbly, add a tiny bit more milk to moisten.
6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together with your hands. Pat into a smooth round disk and wrap in plastic. Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes while you clean up.
7. Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a 3 inch round or heart cookie cutter. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes or just until set. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely before frosting.
8. To make the frosting, whip the soft cream cheese and butter together until combined. Whip in the powdered sugar and extracts until everything is smooth and lump free. If you want to make it thicker, add more sifted sugar, and if it’s too thick, add a little milk.
9. Add food coloring if you like. 1 drop of red food coloring gave me the perfect shade of pink.
10. Frost each cooled cookie liberally, and top with sprinkles.