Pudding makes these gluten free sugar cookies soft and full of sweet vanilla flavor. Easy to make and there’s no need to refrigerate the dough! Vegan option included.
This post was sponsored by Vivian’s Live Again. As always, I only work with brands I love and use in my own kitchen. Thank you for supporting Life After Wheat and brands I partner with! This post may also contain affiliate links, please see my full disclosure.
Everyone loves sugar cookies!
Sugar cookies are a staple in any kitchen. I think we all have memories of rolling out the dough, cutting it out with the current holiday’s shaped cookie cutters, and anxiously waiting for them to come out of the oven so they could be frosted and decorated with way too many sprinkles. Now you can enjoy gluten free sugar cookies too – all the softness and flavor you remember, but without the gluten!
(If you’re looking for more Christmas cookies, check out this roundup of the Best Gluten Free Christmas Cookies!)
There’s a secret Ingredient…
Gluten free sugar cookies are the perfect treat because they’re always in season! They’re suited for any holiday but are also welcome anytime for a fun treat.
Over the years I’ve been tweaking recipes to find the perfect gluten free rendition of a sugar cookie, and while there have been some good versions, I wasn’t happy enough with any of them to continue making them or post them here on the blog. That all changed when the idea came to me to use pudding in the sugar cookie dough!
This recipe is easy to make dairy free.
I absolutely love sugar cookies that are thick, soft pillows of vanilla flavor – cookies that just melt in your mouth. One of the main roadblocks in gluten free sugar cookie baking is the tendency for the flours used to give a grainy and/or crumbly texture. Using prepared pudding for the gluten free sugar cookie dough makes it easy to handle and cut out, and gives it a soft and smooth texture and extra vanilla flavor.
And for all my dairy free readers (I know there are many of you!) you’ll be excited to hear that the pudding I use in this recipe is also dairy free. Vivian’s Live Again pudding It’s a perfect sub for regular milk-based pudding because it’s smooth and creamy and sets up perfectly in any dairy free milk.
Need an egg free version? Check out these gluten free vegan sugar cookies!
We have slightly adjusted the recipe to be made without eggs or dairy, but we’ve kept all the flavor and soft texture!
Want more recipes using Vivian’s Live Again Dairy Free Products?
Looking for frosting recipes?
I used this Easy Gluten Free Cookie Icing GF Jules to decorate our cookies. You could also use this Easy Homemade American Buttercream from Flippin’ Delicious (use dairy free option on recipe if needed), or this Healthier Vanilla Buttercream (lower sugar) from Veggie Balance.
Gluten Free Soft Sugar Cookies
Prep
Cook
Total
Pudding makes these Vegan, Gluten Free, and Dairy Free cookies soft and full of sweet vanilla flavor. These gluten free sugar cookies are easy to make and there's need to refrigerate the dough!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup gluten free shortening (I used Spectrum)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 T vanilla
- 1 cup prepared Vanilla Pudding (I used Vivian's Live Again dairy free)
- 4 cups high quality gluten free flour (I used Thrive, would also recommend Gluten Free Mama's, Grandpa's Kitchen, or Cup4Cup (not dairy free))
- 1 tsp xanthan gum, IF flour mix doesn't contain xanthan
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cream shortening and sugar together for 1 minute.
- Add egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Add pudding and mix on medium until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix for 1 minute. Dough should be just slightly sticky. If it's too thick/crumbly, add additional pudding or dairy free milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have the right consistency.
- You can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 4 days at this point, or proceed to bake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Roll dough out to desired thickness (I did about 1/4") on a surface that is lightly dusted with gluten free flour (again, I used Thrive) and cut into desired shapes.
- Arrange cookies on cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper 1-2 inches apart and bake 8-10 minutes until they appear set and the bottom edges are just barely (just barely!) starting to turn a golden brown.
- Let cool on cookie sheet a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Frost with your favorite frosting and decorate as you like.
Notes
See post for suggested frosting recipes and a vegan/ egg free version.
For best results, use a high quality gluten free flour I suggested, or one that you've tested with cookies before. The flour you use can greatly impact the texture of gluten free baked goods!
31 Comments
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish
December 12, 2016 at 9:21 amThese look so great! I love soft cookies like this, the texture looks perfect!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 13, 2016 at 10:48 amThanks so much Emily, they’re my favorite too!
Raia
December 12, 2016 at 10:06 amThose look gorgeous! I never would have thought to put pudding in sugar cookies….
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 13, 2016 at 10:49 amThanks Raia, when I thought of the idea I was so excited to try it! And they didn’t disappoint!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
December 12, 2016 at 10:08 amChristmas cooking baking isn’t complete without some sugar cookies!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 13, 2016 at 10:50 amI agree Rebecca! I love that these are free from gluten, and dairy, and there’s even a vegan option so everyone can enjoy!
Sabrina | The Tomato Tart
December 13, 2016 at 6:16 amHow adorable are these. Look amazing and festive. Yum!!!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 13, 2016 at 10:50 amThanks Sabrina! They’re so fun.
Sharon @What The Fork
December 13, 2016 at 3:40 pmNot only is this a delicious looking recipe, but I have to say I love all of the shapes in these photos!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 13, 2016 at 11:52 pmThanks so much Sharon!
Brianna Hobbs
December 14, 2016 at 7:04 amI can’t wait to try adding pudding mix to my sugar cookies. Great idea! I just love Vivian’s Live Again products.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 15, 2016 at 9:10 pmWe do too, Brianna! Enjoy!
Mary
December 9, 2017 at 2:46 amThese look fantastic! It seems more xanthum gum is needed for the cookies. The one I use Bob’s Red Mill calls for 1/4 tsp per cup. Should I just follow those guidelines? Thanks!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 9, 2017 at 10:07 amHi Mary! Great question. If you’re using a mix that doesn’t contain any xanthan gum (a homemade mix, GF Mama’s, etc.), then you’ll use the 1 tsp called for in the recipe which equals 1/4 tsp per cup of flour. If you’re using a mix that has xanthan gum blended in (Grandpa’s Kitchen, Cup4Cup, etc.) then you’ll simply omit the added xanthan gum. Does that answer your question? -Celeste
Dana
December 15, 2017 at 12:39 pmCan you omit the pudding?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 15, 2017 at 4:21 pmHi Dana! This recipe was developed to include the pudding, I wouldn’t recommend omitting it. It is what gives these cookies their lovely soft texture 🙂 -Celeste
zoe
December 20, 2017 at 10:06 amI’m wondering how these are vegan when an egg is used? They do look good though!
“Pudding makes these Vegan, Gluten Free, and Dairy Free cookies soft and full of sweet vanilla flavor. These gluten free sugar cookies are easy to make and there’s need to refrigerate the dough!”
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 20, 2017 at 11:43 amThere is a link to a vegan version of this recipe. Sorry for the confusion! Here’s the Vegan recipe: https://thereislifeafterwheat.com/2016/12/gluten-free-vegan-sugar-cookies/
JLL
November 6, 2018 at 1:08 pmCould regular flour be used (not needing GF, but need dairy free)?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
November 7, 2018 at 8:43 pmI haven’t tried it, but you could give it a shot. I would try reducing the flour by 1/4 cup to start and adding more if necessary. -Celeste
Rozelyn DeSagun
December 3, 2018 at 8:13 amI haven’t made sugar cookies since my kids were diagnosed with food allergies. That was 7 years ago! This looks really easy to make and will be fun with the kids involved. Just need to substitute the egg. Do you know if flax goo or a powdered egg replacement will work?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 4, 2018 at 8:08 amHi Rozelyn, I’m so glad you get to make sugar cookies with the kids again! I have a vegan recipe too that is just as good and doesn’t require an egg substitute – here it is: https://thereislifeafterwheat.com/2016/12/gluten-free-vegan-sugar-cookies/ ENJOY! -Celeste
Maria
December 6, 2018 at 8:40 amThese sound amazing!
I have a question when u mean prepared pudding mix what does that mean? I make the pudding then add to the recipe or do I use just the powder?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 7, 2018 at 3:12 pmMix up the pudding as directed on the package and add that in – not the powder. Enjoy! -Celeste
Rita Marker
December 12, 2018 at 4:29 pmthank you for asking this question
Ashley
December 7, 2018 at 6:58 pmHi! These look amazing!
Do you know if you can substitute butter for the shortening?
Does it matter what type of dairy-free milk you use to make the pudding? Can you use regular milk if you don’t care about the dairy?
I’m not worried about them being vegan or dairy-free, but I am trying to make it gluten-free!
Thanks!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 8, 2018 at 10:19 pmHi Ashley, you can use butter instead and any prepared vanilla pudding should work. -Celeste
Cassidy @ Cassidys Craveable Creations
December 19, 2018 at 7:24 pmThese look so beautiful and perfect! I’ve never heard of adding vanilla pudding to sugar cookies – what a great idea!!!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
December 19, 2018 at 9:03 pmIt is definitely a unique idea, thank you! -Celeste
Ali
February 15, 2019 at 12:03 amWow, these look awesome! I’m new to the gluten free world, and am SO glad I found your site! I haven’t tried any of those flours listed. I have better batter, king Arthur, and pamela’s. Which one would you start with?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com
February 16, 2019 at 4:19 pmBetter Batter or Pamela’s should work great! Those are two of my favs 🙂 Happy baking! -Celeste