Gluten Free Christmas Cookies with Oat Flour

It’s not Christmas without sugar cookies. These gluten free sugar cookies are made with oat flour and a secret ingredient, pureed garbanzo beans, so they roll out, cut into shapes and bake up soft and chewy.

A sensitivity to gluten doesn’t mean you need to miss out on chewy, soft and crumbly cookies this holiday season!

The Best Gluten Free Sugar Cookies (Soft, Chewy Cut Outs)

Several of you have a sensitivity to gluten. I’ve tried, tested and failed a few times, but I finally created the perfect flourless sugar cookie recipe.

The key and secret ingredient is garbanzo beans! I’m OBSESSED with using garbanzo beans in my cookies because they’re mild in flavor, have a great binding quality (so the cookies don’t completely crumble apart), add fiber and protein, keep cookies moist and are perfect for gluten free cookies! They also eliminate the need for xanthan gum, flaxseed or other gluten substitutes. Love them!

It took me a few experimental failures before I figured out that fewer ingredients is MORE with these sugar cookies. I once again put them to the test with my husband (and even his brother this time too). They were a hit! My brother in law thought they were soft and chewy (I’m not sure whether or not he meant that as a plus or a negative), BUT he quickly ate another one. So… I’m feeling pretty confident it was a good thing.

Just six ingredients make the dough: vanilla, honey, garbanzo beans, baking powder, oat flour and sugar. Roll it out, cut your favorite holiday shapes and decorate them once they cool. They are a fun recipe to make with kids, and the dough is forgiving enough to reroll the scraps.

Why You’ll Love These Gluten Free Christmas Cookies

• Only six ingredients. No xanthan gum or specialty gluten free flour blends needed.
• Soft and chewy. Pureed garbanzo beans keep the cookies moist and tender.
• Perfect for cut outs. The dough rolls out and holds its shape for holiday cookie cutters.
• Easy to decorate. Let them cool and frost them however you like.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

• Pure vanilla extract: The main flavor of a classic sugar cookie. Pure vanilla tastes warmer and rounder than imitation.
• Honey or organic agave: Sweetens the dough and, just as importantly, adds the moisture that helps the garbanzo beans blend smooth. You can use regular sugar instead, but the beans will be harder to blend without the honey, and you’ll want to use less oat flour.
• Garbanzo beans: One 15 ounce can, rinsed well. Rinsing removes the canning liquid and any beany taste. Blended until smooth, they bind the dough, keep the cookies moist and add fiber and protein, all without gluten.
• Baking powder: Gives the cookies a little lift so they are soft instead of dense. Check the label for a gluten free brand if you are baking for someone with celiac disease.
• Oat flour or ground oats: Start with 2 cups and add more as needed, up to about 1 additional cup, until the dough is no longer sticky. You can make your own by blending rolled oats until fine. Oats are naturally gluten free but are often processed alongside wheat, so buy oats or oat flour labeled certified gluten free if anyone eating the cookies has celiac disease or a gluten allergy.
• Sugar: A half cup adds the classic sugar cookie sweetness and helps the edges turn lightly golden. Regular granulated sugar is what the recipe calls for, and it gives the cookies a slight crispness at the edges.
• Frosting and sprinkles: Optional, for decorating once the cookies have cooled completely. A simple powdered sugar glaze or your favorite buttercream both work, along with colored sugar or sprinkles for the holidays.
• Cookie cutters: Simple shapes like stars, circles and trees hold up best with this soft dough. Dip the cutter in oat flour between cuts so it releases cleanly.

How to Make Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 375°F and lightly spray a cookie sheet.
2. Blend the wet ingredients. In a blender, add the vanilla, honey or agave, rinsed garbanzo beans and baking powder. Blend until completely smooth, with no specks of bean left, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. Make the dough. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the oat flour and sugar and stir well. If the dough is still very sticky, add more oat flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it easily forms a large ball that doesn’t cling to your fingers.
4. Roll it out. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with oat flour. Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick, rolling from the center outward and turning the dough now and then so it doesn’t stick. An even thickness helps every cookie bake at the same rate.
5. Cut the shapes. Cut out cookies with your favorite cutters and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Gather the scraps, roll them again and cut more.
6. Bake. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the cookies are slightly golden around the edges and set in the center. Bake similar sizes together so small cookies don’t overbake while large ones finish.
7. Cool and decorate. Let the cookies cool completely before frosting, so the frosting doesn’t melt and slide off.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies FAQs

• Are these cookies really gluten free? They are made without wheat flour. To be safe for anyone with celiac disease or a gluten allergy, use oats or oat flour labeled certified gluten free and a gluten free baking powder.
• Can I use regular sugar instead of honey? Yes, but it will be more difficult to get the garbanzo beans blended smooth without the moisture of the honey. Use less oat flour too.
• Is there an egg or brown sugar in this recipe? No. An earlier version of the instructions mentioned them by mistake, and it has been corrected. The ingredient list in the card is right.
• Can I chill the dough? Yes. If the dough feels soft or sticky, wrap it and chill it for 30 minutes. Cold dough is easier to roll and cut cleanly.
• What frosting should I use? Any frosting you love works. A simple powdered sugar glaze sets firm, while buttercream stays soft. Just make sure the cookies are completely cool first.
• Can you taste the garbanzo beans? No. They are mild in flavor, and the vanilla, honey and sugar take over.
• Why is my dough so sticky? Oat flour absorbs moisture differently than wheat flour. Keep adding oat flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough forms a smooth ball.
• How do I store them? Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container. Because they are so moist, refrigerate them if you plan to keep them for more than a couple of days.
• Can I freeze the cookies? Yes. Freeze undecorated cookies in a single layer, then stack them in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before frosting.

Oat Flour Sugar Cookies

Oat flour sugar cookies made with pureed garbanzo beans, honey, vanilla and sugar. Soft, chewy cut out cookies with just six ingredients and no wheat flour.

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Ingredients

  

• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey or organic agave
• 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed well
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups oat flour or ground oats possibly up to 1 additional cup
• 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• In a Vitamix blender, add vanilla, honey/agave, garbanzo beans, and baking powder. Blend until smooth.
• Transfer blender contents to medium-sized bowl. Add oat flour and sugar. Stir well. If dough is still very sticky, add additional oat flour (1/4 cup at a time) until dough easily forms a large ball.
• Place dough on floured surface (I used additional oat flour) and with a floured rolling pin, roll dough until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookie shapes as desired and place on lightly sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until slightly golden. Remove and allow to cool before frosting.

Made these sugar cookies? Leave a star rating in the recipe card and tell me in the comments which shapes you cut. If you love these gluten free sugar cookies, you’ll die for my Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies and my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites too.

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