bakingglutenfreememories Next to chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies are enjoyed as one of most people’s favorite cookies. The ongoing challenge these days seems to be the need for simple recipes with minimal ingredients. After all, with very busy schedules and the high costs of food, simple is best. Therefore, I decided to make these 5 ingredient simple sugar cookies!
These cookies are not only gluten free, they happen to be grain free as well. Made with almond flour, they have a pleasing flavor and a soft, chewy texture. They taste richly of butter and are sweetened perfectly with cane sugar. The vanilla extract adds that wonderful rich flavor that a good sugar cookie needs. Salted butter is the only added salt, but sprinkling coarse salt on the tops before baking would be a scrumptious choice for those desiring a bit more. These cookies are also great with sprinkles, as pictured, or with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. Make this recipe to satisfy your next cookie craving!
Ingredients You Will Need
- super fine almond flour
- eggs
- salted butter, softened
- vanilla extract
- cane sugar
Topping Options
- coarse sea salt
- turbinado sugar
- sprinkles
- icing
These cookies are delicious both as is or with toppings. It just depends on your preference!
These simple sugar cookies are: buttery, chewy, soft, sweet, gluten free, grain free, and super yummy!
Another tasty cookie recipe to discover on the blog are these Earl Grey Sugar Cookies.
Is chilling the dough necessary?
It is generally good to chill sugar cookie dough for the best outcome. This prevents the butter from oozing out of the cookie while baking as well as providing a good structure to the cookie. However, in this recipe, I have tested it without chilling the dough. The results were still very good that if you are absolutely pressed for time, you can ignore the 10 minute freezer time. But, the best results are still when the dough is chilled since it adds a nice firmness and chewiness to the cookie.
How to Make Simple Sugar Cookies
First, soften the butter by leaving it out overnight to soften or carefully soften it in the microwave for about 5 seconds. Be careful not to melt it if doing the latter method.
Next, add the softened butter to a mixing bowl. Then add the sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs and cream the ingredients together well with a spoon. Last but not least, pour in the almond flour. Stir the mixture together until it turns into a nice and smooth dough.
Now preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover the bowl and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cover a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Once the dough is chilled and the oven is ready, use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop tablespoon sized rounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing them a couple inches apart. Then use your hand to gently flatten the tops of the cookie rounds. If lightly topping the cookies with sugar, sprinkles, or salt, do so now.
Finally, bake on the middle oven rack for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes before using a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack. If you decide to use icing, make sure the cookies are completely cool before icing them.
Serve and enjoy!
Storage Tips and Notes
- Store the cookies in a sealed container for 3-4 days for best results or in the freezer.
- Chilling the dough yields the best results for these cookies. However, if you decide to skip that step, just a heads up that the unchilled dough is very sticky so it might be easiest to not flatten the tops and instead leave it to bake as domed cookies.
- For a slightly healthier sprinkles option, I use Supernatural Rainbow Crunchies that contain no artificial dyes.
Simple Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups super fine almond flour (201g)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup cane sugar (145g)
- * coarse sea salt, turbinado sugar, or sprinkles are optional to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- First, soften the butter by letting it sit out the night before or by carefully microwaving it for about 5 seconds.
- Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl and add in the vanilla extract, eggs, and sugar. Use a big spoon to mix the ingredients until creamy. Then add in the almond flour and mix until it turns into a smooth dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover the bowl and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Once the oven and dough are ready, use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop the dough into tablespoon sized rounds on the baking sheet, leaving a couple inches in between each cookie. Then use your hand to gently flatten the tops of the cookies. If sprinkling the cookies with any toppings, do so now.
- Finally, bake on the middle oven rack for 12-14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies turn light brown. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before using a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack.
