Melt-in-Your-Mouth Gluten-Free Butter Cookies

In my capsule wardrobe of cookies, these rich gluten-free butter cookies make the cut every time! They rival the nostalgic tin of Danish butter cookies you get over the holidays, with a crisp snap and truly melt-in-your-mouth texture.

I developed these butter cookies from my gluten-free shortbread cookies recipe, tweaking the fat, sugar, and flour ratios over a dozen tests. I found that swapping in some of the almond flour for tapioca flour and adding a splash of heavy cream keeps the dough soft enough to pipe, but still sturdy enough to hold its shape when baked, all while maintaining a delicate and tender bite.

I love them plain as is - deeply buttery with hints of almond and vanilla - but just as often dip them in chocolate for a fancy look and complementary flavor.

With no eggs and only an optional chill time, you're less than 30 minutes away from a really incredible cookie. The recipe is versatile enough to work for any shape so you can create an entire cookie tin with just one dough.

Recipe

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Gluten-Free Butter Cookies

By: Sarah Menanix

prep time: 15 minutes mins

cook time: 14 minutes mins

These crisp and snappy gluten-free butter cookies melt in your mouth. Almond flour is the perfect gluten-free base, letting the butter shine without overpowering. They can be piped into beautiful shapes and baked up with a rich butter flavor. Dip in chocolate or eat as is with a cup of tea!

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Equipment

• 1 large open star piping tip such as Ateco 827
• 1 piping bag

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ 60 g (½ cup) powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or sub 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 84 g (¾ cup) super-fine blanched almond flour
• ▢ 80 g (½ cup) sweet rice flour, also called mochiko, sweet rice flour is distinctly different from brown rice flour or white rice flour
• ▢ 56 g (½ cup) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
• ▢ 40 g (¼ cup + 1 tablespoon) cornstarch
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 30 g (2 tablespoons) heavy cream

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INSTRUCTIONS

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla bean paste on medium-high speed until pale yellow, 2-3 minutes.
• Sift the dry ingredients together then add them to the mixing bowl, beating on low speed and slowly increasing the speed until well moistened. At first, it will seem dry, like it won't incorporate, but keep going until it begins to clump together.
• Add the heavy cream and mix until combined and the dough is soft and pliable.
• Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a large open star tip (ex. Ateco 827). Tack the corners of a piece of parchment down to the baking sheet with a dab of dough.
• Pipe cookies 1-1.5 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Start in the center and swirl out. If needed, use your finger to tuck in the tail end of dough. *SEE NOTES
• Optionally: Sprinkle the cookies with granulated sugar. (This is for appearances only)
• Optional, but recommended for a tiny bit less spread: Freeze the piped cookies on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes. Once firm, you can either bake them from the freezer, or transfer to an airtight storage container to freeze until you're ready to bake!
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake 13-15 minutes if baking immediately, or 14-16 minutes if baking from frozen, until the bottom edge is just lightly golden brown. Optional: Sprinkle with more granulated sugar while the cookies are still warm.
• Let cool on the baking sheet for 5-minutes, then use a thin metal spatula to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cool, you can dip them in melted chocolate and top with sprinkles if desired! Let dipped cookies set on a parchment-lined baking sheet until the chocolate firms up.

Notes

My best tips for making uniform and pretty butter cookies:

Piping cookies: Use a large, open star piping tip (such as Ateco #827). The closed-star tip led to many more craggly edges! The dough should be soft enough to pipe smoothly. If you find your dough is too firm, add just a splash more heavy cream until it softens enough to pipe.

No piping tip? If you don't have a piping tip, roll the dough into a log, chill, and slice it into ¼-inch thick rounds.

Spreading: If your cookies spread too much, just pop the tray of piped cookies in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.

Sugar shine: For a little extra pizzazz and texture, sprinkle the cookies with granulated sugar before baking, and again right when they come out of the oven.