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The best Paleo Sugar Cookies I’ve tried are finally here! A sneak-peak from my book Paleo Baking at Home, these cutout sugar cookies are crisp and slightly chewy with a buttery flavor and paleo friendly icing.
*Order my book Paleo Baking at Home here.
I’m ridiculously excited to share a recipe from my NEW BOOK, Paleo Baking at Home, with you today! With the holidays here I couldn’t resist sharing the sugar cookie recipe that completely rocked my world while testing recipes for the book last Spring.
I’ve tested tons of Paleo sugar cookie recipes, and these are by far the best ones, crisp and slightly chewy. The dough is easy to work with (YAY!) as far as grain-free dough goes, and the cookies make perfect cutouts for holiday decorating!
What You Need to Make Perfect Paleo Sugar Cookies
These cookies are made with simple ingredients that you most likely have on hand already for paleo baking. Here’s what you’ll need:
GheeMaple sugarVanilla extractEggBlanched almond flourTapioca flourBaking sodaSaltDairy-free milk (for the icing)
How to Make Paleo Sugar Cookies
The dough comes together quickly and easily, but you will need to leave yourself time for the dough to chill. I typically like to make the cookie dough the day before I plan to bake the cookies, so it can chill overnight. At least 3 hours is recommended for the best texture.
This dough is relatively easy to work with, as far as grain free doughs go! Allow it to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes after chilling. Make sure to preheat your oven to 350° F. Place the dough between two sheets of parchment and gently roll it out to about 1/4-1/2″ thickness.
Use whatever cookie cutters you like to cut the dough into shapes. Remove leftover dough and set aside. Carefully transfer the shapes onto a parchment lined baking sheet with about an inch of space on all sides. Bake for 8 minutes or until set and light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for about 10 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Repeat this process as many times as necessary to use up all the dough.
How to Make Paleo Icing for Cookies
To keep this recipe strictly paleo, you can use powdered maple sugar to ice your cookies. The icing will be a light brown color so this isn’t the best option if you want to color your icing. If you’re okay with using cane sugar, organic powdered sugar will work perfectly to make a great white cookie icing.
Mix 3/4 cup of the powdered sugar with about 1 Tbsp of dairy free milk, like almond milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. You can add the milk slowly to make sure you get the right texture for icing the cookies.
Making Paleo Powdered Sugar
If you choose to make your own paleo friendly powdered sugar – it’s incredibly simple and quick. You can use either maple or coconut sugar, but I prefer maple since it’s lighter in color and has a better flavor in my opinion. For a low carb option, you can use monk fruit or erythritol instead of maple or coconut sugar.
Simply blend your sugar of choice in a NutriBullet (what I use), high-speed blender or food processor until it has a powdery consistency. Make sure to measure the sugar after blending to add the correct amount.
How to Make Naturally Colored Pink or Red Icing
Using freeze dried strawberries is a great way to both flavor AND color your icing! Simply blend the strawberries to a powder and mix the desired amount into the already-prepared white icing.
I love the fruity flavor it gives the icing and the colors are so pretty. I made the red icing in the below photo with freeze dried strawberries, but you can also make pretty much any shade of pink, depending on how much of the powder you add.
There’s also a much better variety of natural food coloring options available now – including ColorKitchen and Supernatural. You can also buy beet powder for red food color without the strawberry flavor.
I hope you’re ready for FUN seriously delicious sugar cookies that just happen to be better for you too! I know you’re going to love them – enjoy!
Perfect Paleo Sugar Cookies {From Paleo Baking at Home!}
Perfect Paleo Sugar Cookies {From Paleo Baking at Home!}
I’ve tested tons of Paleo sugar cookie recipes, and these are by far the best ones, crisp and slightly chewy. The dough is easy to work with as far as grain-free dough goes, and perfect for holiday decorating! For a true white icing, you can sub in organic powdered sugar for the powdered maple sugar. For pink or red icing, just blend up some freeze-dried strawberries and stir a bit of the powder into the white icing. Prep Time: 1 hourCook Time: 8 minutesChill Time: 3 hrsCourse:Baking/DessertCuisine:Gluten-free, PaleoKeyword:Christmas cookies, cookies, Holiday cookies, holidays, sugar cookiesServings: 16 cookies
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Ingredients
Cookies:
6tbsp (73 g )ghee, at room temperature6tbsp (59 g )pure maple sugar1tsppure vanilla extract1large eggat room temperature2cups (192 gblanched almond flour¼cup (28 g)tapioca flour¼tspbaking soda¼tspfine sea salt
Icing:
¾cup (117 g )powdered maple sugar (see note)1tbsp (15 ml)coconut or almond milk½tsppure vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the cookie dough:
In a large bowl, cream together the ghee and maple sugar, using an electric hand mixer. Add the vanilla and egg and continue to mix until smooth. Stir or mix in the almond and tapioca flours, baking soda and salt until a dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.Place the dough on a separate sheet of parchment paper and roll out to ½-inch (1.3-cm) thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut your preferred shapes, then place about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to turn light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.Repeat the steps with remaining cookie dough, chilling the dough in between batches if it becomes too sticky.
Prepare the Icing:
While the cookies cool, prepare the icing: In a small bowl. whisk all the icing ingredients together and drizzle over the cooled cookies, or decorate as desired. Place back on parchment paper for the icing to set – it will harden after 20 minutes or so.Store loosely covered at room temperature for the first day, then cover and refrigerate for up to 5 additional days.
Recipe Notes
Note: Making powdered sugar from maple sugar is surprisingly easy, and it’s the base for many of the frostings and icings in this book. Simply blend your maple sugar in a NutriBullet (what I use), high-speed blender or food processor until it has a powdery consistency. You’ll want to measure the sugar after blending to make sure you’re adding the right amount.
Nutrition
Calories: 292kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 7gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 61mgPotassium: 49mgFiber: 3gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 15IUCalcium: 80mgIron: 1mg
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Want More Paleo Holiday Cookie Recipes? Try One of These!
Almond Butter Blossoms
Paleo Thin Mints
Chewy Double Chocolate Mint Cookies
Ginger Molasses Cookies with Pecans and Cranberries
Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
Paleo Vegan Buckeyes
Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thick and Chewy Snickerdoodles
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