Have I got a gift for you! If you told me a few months ago I could make grain-free roll-out or cut out cookies, I would have rolled my eyes instead. A cookie that holds together without gluten or grain and competes with the beloved roll-out sugar cookie? You, like me, may be skeptical. When I put the final touches on this recipe, I was so excited I could barely wait to share it with you.
The kids and I had fun mixing, rolling, slicing and baking this weekend. We drizzled some with chocolate, dunked a few, and left some plain. You can mix in nuts, dried fruit, or small chocolate chunks to make different versions of this versatile cookie. You can roll it up, chill it, and slice as needed, or shape it into a disk, roll it out, and cut with cookie cutters. I never thought it would be possible!
P.S. If you’re planning a holiday party, I’ve got you covered. I just posted my Holiday Party Menus, complete with prep tips and shopping list, over at the Deliciously Organic store. And my cookbook is just $25! Another great Christmas gift!
Grain-Free Slice and Bake, or Cut Out Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
For the dough:
2 cups almond meal (ground almonds)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 cup organic maple sugar or whole cane sugar or sucanat
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (I prefer Bernard Jensen)
1 teaspoon arrowroot
3/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cut into tablespoons
Directions:
Place almond meal, coconut flour, whole cane sugar, gelatin, arrowroot and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 2-3 times to combine. Add butter and process until dough forms a ball.
For roll-out cookies:
Form dough into a 9-inch flat disk. Wrap tightly (I like to use a layer of parchment paper and then plastic wrap). Refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and adjust rack to middle postion. Dust a large surface with a bit of arrowroot and roll out to 1/4-inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters and transfer cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until just turning golden brown on the edges. Cool completely before serving.
For slice-and-bake cookies:
Form dough into a 12″ log and wrap tightly (I like to use a layer of parchment paper and then plastic wrap). Refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and adjust rack to middle position. Slice dough into 1/4″ thick slices and place each cookie on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until just golden brown on the edges. Cool completely before serving. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.
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{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
YUM!!!!
Thanks for sharing.
I am so excited for holiday baking! Cookies are the best:)
So excited to try these! Any suggestions on an icing/ decorations for the cut outs?
I’ve been playing with making my own powdered sugar icing (1 cup sucanat plus 2 teaspoons arrowroot – I use these ingredients because most store-bought powdered sugar contains cornstarch – that’s what helps powdered sugar icing harden so well!) and then adding a few tablespoons of milk and whisking until smooth. It makes a great substitute, but it’s a very dark brown. I’m working on a variation and when it’s ready I’ll share the recipe! There’s also a company called India Tree that sells sprinkling sugars and coloring made with vegetable dyes. It’s a bit processed, but so much better than the alternative! You can buy those colors and sugars on Amazon.
Can’t wait to try! Grain free Thanksgiving was a big success! Thanks for your encouragement!
Sounds wonderful! One question, though: did you use raw almond flour or blanched?
I use raw almond meal or sometimes I will grind up my own soaked and dehydrated almonds. The only thing with making my own almond flour is I find it more expensive, and sometimes I can’t get the flecks quite as fine as I’d like. I don’t like to use the blanched almond flour because the skins have been removed.
I thought it looked like raw, because I could see the skins. What do you not like about the skins being removed? I’ve never made my own, mainly because I only use blanched, and that seems like a lot of trouble. =)
The skins provide fiber and taking them away reduces the nutritional value of the end product.
These cookies sound really really good. I am making goodie bags for Christmas as presents. These cookies would be a good addition minus the almond meal
It is so expensive……I will be making sugar cookies instead with the whole wheat pastry flour which is also pretty good 
I am liking the pictures….very nice with all of that chocolate drizzle 
I hear you. Almond flour can be expensive when not bought in bulk, or at a place like Azure Standard or a local coop. But for those of us with grain sensitivities, almond flour is such a blessing! We can actually make cakes and cookies for the occasional treat!
Carrie, you’re my hero! I don’t “know” you, but I love you!!!
Thanks for the recipe!
Questions: Is almond meal different than almond flour, and can I substitute? And what is arrowroot?
You’re welcome! Some stores sell almond meal and label it almond flour. Just make sure it’s not blanched almond meal. Blanched almond meal is almonds with the skins removed, essentially stripping it of some good nutrients. So when buying almond meal/flour make sure it has little brown flecks in it (those are the skins ground up). Arrowroot is a starch from the arrowroot bulb. It’s grain-free and I use it as a substitution for cornstarch 1:1. I buy mine in bulk from AzureStandard.com or sometimes from the Amazon subscribe and save program. (I hyperlinked the word arrowroot in the ingredient list so you can read a little more about it.)
Btw, you can also make your own almond meal. Simply grind almonds up in a food processor or sturdy blender. Just make sure you don’t turn it in to almond butter!
Whenever I start struggling with a new culinary need, there you are one step ahead to guide me. Bless you, Carrie. My son was recently diagnosed with a gluten intolerance and your grain free recipes have been inspirational to me.
I have to make cookies for my son’s class for their holiday party and they need to be gluten free, egg free, peanut free, and tree nut free… so these almost fit the bill. What do you think about swapping out the almond flour for quinoa flour? Do you think that would work here? Is there another non-wheat flour you would recommend? Rice? Sorghum?
I’m sorry to hear of your son’s diagnoses. I’m glad that my recipes are of use to you!
Because the almond flour is such a huge part of this recipe, I don’t know how they would do with quinoa, but if I wanted these to be gluten free (not grain free) I’d probably start with these flours instead of the almond flour: 1/2 cup sorghum, 1/2 cup oat (make sure it’s gf), 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup arrowroot. The gf butter cookies I posted last year might be a good fit too: http://deliciouslyorganic.net/gluten-free-chocolate-butter-cookies/
Love the choc drizzle in your pics – like 18th handwriting from Paris! I am going to try these – I have almond flour from Trader Joes – any thoughts? Off to make my christmas cakes…
I love drizzling. So easy, and yet it looks so fancy!
TJs almond flour will work just fine. Have fun!
Your drizzle action makes me smile….
Well done, Carrie! These cookies look fabulous and I really love the photos you took too!
almonds?? yummmmm!! sign me up!
ok, i guess I can make them on my own.
Carrie they look awesome & I just saw them on FG, too. Congrats!
Can’t wait to try these, I’ve been cutting back on grains too and I don’t want to give up Christmas cookies!
Thanks for the inspiration!
These cookies look delicious!
Wonderful Carrie!! Such a great adaptation for a classic cookie!
You rock!
Not sure someone asked this already…but why not use xantham gum instead of gelatin?
I will try these today!
Xantham gum can cause digestion issues for many people. I prefer gelatin because (as long as you buy a good brand such as Bernard Jensen) it’s a natural product that binds gf foods just as well.
Hi! These sound amazing, and I can just tase them!
I was just wondering I’ve noticed you use a lot of gelatin in your recipes. What could/would you substitute gelatin for? Thanks!
You could substitute the gelatin with xanthan gum, but unfortunately I don’t have an exact substitution ratio for you. I prefer the gelatin because it’s a natural product (as long as you buy a good brand, such as Bernard Jensens) and works beautifully as a binder in gluten free baked goods.
Carrie, you are AWESOME! I have been mentally lamenting over the fact that I can’t make cutout cookies this year for Christmas since being grain-free for the last 8 wks (LOVING IT!). You have saved me! My girls will love these and, even better, I have all the ingredients on hand. Now maybe if I frost these my husband will eat them…
These look delicious Carrie. Makes me want to dig out my mom’s classic recipe I’ve been making all of my life and try to update it, make it more healthy. It was originally from the 1940′s. I LOVE almond flour and almond anything. Grain free, amazing!
Carrie,
Thank you so much. Since going grain free I’ve dropped 40lbs and feel healthier than I’ve ever felt!!! You are my go to gal (your website, of course) for all things organic. Over Thanksgiving we made the pumpkin cookies and they were the first desert item I’ve baked grain free that my kids loved! Everything recipe I’ve tried from your website has been a hit. I am so excited to try this cookie. I have always loved baking and cooking, but being grain free really changes things. I aspire to make beautiful grain free meals and you give me hope!!!
Wow!! 40 pounds! That’s amazing. I’m so excited for you! I’m glad my recipes have been able to help and give you hope that you can keep going.
I love coconut flour and am totally digging these cookies.
What a great option for Christmas cookies! Love the adorable cut-outs
These are my daughter’s holiday dreams come true! Thanks!
These were the BEST!!! My kids are thrilled! You have saved my Christmas!!!
Another grain-free recipe that was fantastic! Thanks Carrie. These reminded us of Hob Nobs ( a delicious English biscuit drenched in chocolate) because there was an oaty texture and taste! Yum.
These cookies are fantastic, thanks so much for the recipe! I did them as slice and bake, and made them gingerbread! I added in 1 tbsp of molasses, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp cloves. I also forgot the arrowroot but they still came out fantastic. I’m in love with this recipe – such a good foundation for a ton of variation!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I’ll have to try your added ingredients and make them with the kids over the holidays.
In case anyone else is wondering about a dairy-free mod… I made these with a combo of coconut oil spread and soy-free butter replacement (probably not technically grain-free anymore w/these mods). They taste great! The dough was pretty tricky to work with as roll-out, so I’d probably just go with slice/bake the next time. It got too warm very quickly, so I divided the dough into 3 smaller batches and only worked with a small batch at a time.
I, too, am interested in a dairy free modification. I am wondering about using half coconut oil and half palm shortening. Or even just palm shortening.
I haven’t tested it, but palm shortening or cold ghee would probably be a good substitution. I think the coconut oil, might make the cookies spread too much.
I’m excited to try these cookies! One question, just to clarify:
Did you mean 1/2 c. maple syrup, not maple sugar?
Maple sugar is correct. You can substitute with organic whole cane sugar (sucanat) if desired.
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