The BEST gluten free, grain free, dairy free, paleo, vegan, nut free sugar cookies around! Simple and oh so delicious! These Cassava Flour Sugar Cookies are the real deal!
Originally published on December 20, 2018. Last updated on December 4, 2019.
Cassava Flour Sugar Cookies
Every year I look forward to making and decorating cut out Christmas sugar cookies and EVERY year I also realize I’ve forgotten JUST how much I actually love it! Food and art combined, it’s so fun and just feels so festive!
It’s also been an especially fun tradition to do with my daughter the last few years now that’s she’s old enough to enjoy it! These Cassava Flour Sugar Cookies were born out of some new family allergies we discovered so from our family to yours enjoy these, AIP, paleo, vegan, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, refined sugar free (basically all things free) sugar cookies! Don’t worry, they are just as delicious as the original!
Looking for more festive holiday treats? Be sure to check out my Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies and Soft Gingerbread Cookies.
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AIP Cookies
It can be hard when you have a gluten intolerance or other food sensitivities to find cookies you can enjoy for the holidays or other special occasions. This is exactly why I created this AIP Cookie recipe for my family! It allows us to continue our family traditions in a way we can all enjoy and these cookies are just as good as the gluten-filled original I grew up on. (Did I mention these also make the perfect Paleo Christmas Cookies and Vegan Christmas Cookies!)
Ingredients To Make Cassava Flour Sugar Cookies
These Christmas sugar cookies are made with only a few simple ingredients that you may already have on hand. If not, I’ve linked to the exact brands I use and recommend for this recipe. What you’ll need: cassava flour, coconut flour, organic palm shortening, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt.
Equipment Needed to Make Paleo Sugar Cookies
Rolling Pin – This adjustable rolling in makes it super easy to roll out your dough to the called for thickness of any recipe!
Cookie Cutters – These sugar cookies are perfect for holidays year round! These cookies are perfect for Christmas, Easter and Fall.
Cookie Baking Sheet – I love this uncoated stainless steel cookie sheet that will last a lifetime.
Parchment Paper – Makes cookie clean up a breeze!
Cooling Racks – These stackable ones are great to save on counter space.
How to Make Paleo Sugar Cookies
These gluten free dairy free sugar cookies truly are simple to make! The dough is made of only a few ingredients and once you mix, allow it to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling out between two pieces of parchment paper. Then choose which shapes you’ll use and start cutting out your cookies! If you will be decorating with sprinkles, do that before baking. If you are icing, bake the cookies and frost once cool. Eat and enjoy!
Cassava Flour Cookies Questions and Tips:
- Is cassava flour gluten free? – Yes, cassava flour is gluten free and a great substitute in most recipe for wheat flour.
- What cassava flour brands work in this recipe? – Cassava flour texture and density varies widely from brand to brand. For this recipe I recommend using the exact products I’ve listed and linked to below in the recipe card. For more cassava flour options see the list below of the cassava flour brands I’ve tested and the results found.
Cassava Flour Findings by Brand:
When making cassava flour cookies you will find that the results of each brand’s cassava flour vary greatly in the finished product. As I test more and more cassava flour brands in this recipe I’ll list the successful brands below that I recommend so your cassava flour cookies come out reliably delicious every time!
- Pamela’s Organic Cassava Flour – This is my recommended brand if you want a soft cookie from this recipe. It yields a soft sugar cookie that is easy to roll and cut out.
- Thrive Market Cassava Flour – Thrive Market’s house brand of cassava flour is my recommended brand if you want a crisp cookie from this recipe. It yields a crisp crunchy cookie with a slightly drier dough that is still very easy to roll and cut out.
Gluten Free Cut Out Sugar Cookies
These sprinkled aip sugar cookies are just like the ones I grew up eating, and still make to this day. I can’t remember ever icing a sugar cookie during Christmas time, it was always sprinkles. I asked my mom about it this year and she said she just doesn’t care for icing. But since I know most of you probably do, I included an easy icing recipe along with the sugar cookie recipe and instructions for how to make both baked sprinkled cookies and frosted cookies. Bonus, you can make half a batch of each if you’d like!
Icing For Sugar Cookies
This simple icing recipe consists of only three ingredients: organic palm shortening, pure maple syrup and pure vanilla extract. It’s so simple – mix, scoop into a piping bag and decorate! This icing is also dairy free, vegan and paleo.
Sugar Cookie With Sprinkles
While my frosting decoration game could sure use some work, it was super fun to do but so are sprinkles! Growing up we always had an array of sprinkles and candy to choose from, even red hots for rudolph’s nose! We’d press them right into the unbaked dough to ensure we’d retain our work of art even after the baking process was complete. A classic sugar cookie with sprinkles will always have my vote!
However your family chooses to decorate your Christmas sugar cookies, I know you’re going to love them and all the memories that come along with making them. From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!
More Holiday Recipes:
- Paleo Hot Cocoa
- Vegan Cheesecake
- Chocolate Peppermint Cups
- Soft Gingerbread Cookies
- Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
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Cassava Flour Sugar Cookies {AIP + Paleo + Vegan}
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen cookies 1x
- Category: Sweet Treats
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
The BEST gluten free, grain free, paleo, vegan, nut free sugar cookies around! Simple and oh so delicious!
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 cups cassava flour (cassava flour varies by brand, this is what I use and recommend for this recipe)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup organic palm shortening (non-hydrogenated)
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
Optional Icing:
- 1/2 cup organic palm shortening
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, blend the palm shortening, maple syrup and vanilla extract together until smooth.
- Stop the mixer and add in the cassava flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Mix on medium-low until the dough is just combined. Scrap down sides if needed. Then transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and form the dough into a disc shape. Wrap the plastic securely around the dough disc and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. while the dough chills and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Once your dough is chilled, lay out a large piece of parchment paper as your rolling station. Add a teaspoon of cassava flour to the paper and set your dough disc on top of that. Pat some of the cassava flour on the top of the dough disc and top with another piece of parchment paper.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on top of the parchment paper, rolling the dough from both top to bottom edges and side to side. Roll the dough until it evenly reaches a 1/4 inch thickness.
- Then remove the top piece of parchment paper and use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Transfer the shapes to your cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- If you want to bake sprinkles into your cookies, decorate them now on the cookie sheet and then bake them. If you’ll be icing the cookies, bake them now undecorated.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Allow cookies to cool completely before icing.
- To make the icing, use a blender to blend all icing ingredients until smooth. You can also blend in your choice of food colorings if you desire. Once the cookies are cool, decorate with the icing as desired. You can also use sprinkles over the icing.
- Store the cooled and decorated cookies in an air tight container for up to one week.
- Eat and enjoy!
Notes
*The dough can be made ahead of time and stored it in the refrigerator but must be allowed time to soften slightly on the counter before attempting to roll it out, allow at least 10 minutes (depending on the temperature of your home).
*Icing recipe is included as an option but not included in the nutrition facts of this recipe. The nutrition facts are for the cookies only.
Keywords: aip cookies, aip sugar cookies, cassava flour cookies, vegan christmas cookies, paleo christmas cookies, aip christmas cookies, gluten free cut out sugar cookies, gluten free sugar cookies, cassava flour recipes, cassava flour sugar cookies, gluten free dairy free cookies,
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Lori says
I tried this recipe!! They were so good simply left plain with no sprinkles or frosting required.
★★★★★
Nicole says
Thank you!! I agree!
DT says
Hello! Are there any substitutions that could be used instead of the palm shortening? Would coconut oil work? Thank you so much!
Nicole says
Hi DT, I have not found a substitution that works for palm shortening in this recipe. However if I do find one I’ll be sure to update the recipe with it! Thank you for asking!
Paola says
Can we do this with butter instead? Should it be softened or melted? Thx
Nicole says
Hi Paola, are you asking about substituting butter for palm shortening? I have not tried this but if you’d like to I’d suggest using room temperature softened butter. Let us know how it works!
Jacqueline says
What if I don’t have a stand mixer?
Nicole says
Hi Jacqueline! You can use a whisk and mixing bowl and mix by hand using the same directions. I hope you enjoy!
Lori says
These are my new favorite Christmas Cookie!
★★★★★
Nicole says
Oh that’s great! They are ours too for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Heather says
Is it possible to cut the sugar significantly? Or is it needed for moisture? 10g sugar per cookie is a lot for my tastes I’d love to try to make them with about half that if possible. Any suggestions? 🙂
Nicole says
Hi Heather, the nutrition facts also included the icing but I’ve adjusted it to now only reflect the cookie itself. I hope that helps! The cookies aren’t overly sweet at all and I personally make them without icing. 🙂
Heather says
Thank you for your reply =) Will let you know how it turns out.
Nathaly says
Does this are crispy cookies? If so, does the crunchyness remains after 1-2 days in a airtight close jar? I have tried so many recepties and most are very coconutty (which is OK but after more than 1 year on an AIP diet I want to eat something not tasting coconut) or chewy… Not really crunchy and after 1 day are not eatable anymore…
I really hope these are different..thank you for your feedback…
Nicole says
Hi Nathaly,
The crispness of the cookies depends on the cassava flour used. When I created this recipe it was with Anthony’s Organic Cassava Flour and they were always crisp and kept there crispness even in an airtight container. We like them crisp in my house too! However the last time I bought Anthony’s the texture had completely changed, instead of being a denser flour it was powdery yielded a fluffy cookie. I’m currently retesting this recipe with multiple different cassava flour brands (although most I’m finding are also powdery) and will be sure to update the cassava flour links in the recipe card when I find one that works the way Anthony’s used to. If you know of a denser/heavier cassava flour grind please let me know!
★★★★★
Nathaly says
Thank you so much for your answer!.. I’m located in The Netherlands… We don’t have the same brands you have there in the US, unfortunately 😔… But I will give it a try today with the one I found here around named Tiana (produced in the UK)and will let you know how these turned out and if my son like them. He needs to be AIP for a while, but he is very picky and difficult to please with cookies and cakes as he crab for the one we could buy from the supermarket…
Nicole says
Hi Nathaly! Oh I see. Yes, if you can find a denser cassava flour (usually darker in color and not so powdery) then that should yield a crisp cookie. I hope your son enjoys them and please let me know how they work out with that flour!
★★★★★
Audrey says
Hi! I made these last year for Christmas and they were perfect! I just made them again and the dough is completely crumbly after putting it in the fridge. What’s going on? The only thing I can think of is the ingredient list calls for coconut flour but the directions do not say to add coconut flour. Is it supposed to be in the recipe or not?? I don’t remember adding it last year, I could have, but I did add it to this batch and I’m wondering if it’s making the dough too dry. Any advice on how to revive this dough?! Thank you!
Nicole says
Hi Audrey! Oh I’m so sorry. Yes, I did update the recipe from last year to include coconut flour (the original recipe is exactly what is written minus the coconut flour). Sadly the brand of cassava flour I used to create the recipe no longer exists and in testing other brands they were all too sticky without the coconut flour. I’d love to know what cassava flour you are using, if you don’t mind sharing! Sounds like with the brand you use you will be able to eliminate the coconut flour completely and that should give you the same results as last year. Thank you so much for letting me know!
★★★★★
Audrey says
I used Bobs red mill. I have no idea if that’s what I used last time. Could have been Otto’s. What kind are you using and needing the coconut flour for?
Nicole says
Hi Audrey,
Thank you for letting me know. I’m using Pamela’s Organic Cassava Flour in this recipe with the coconut flour.
Gordy says
I was so excited to find this recipe but it didn’t work for me. Same as Audrey above, my dough was too crumbly. The dough lost all moisture in refrigerator. Turned into a brick. Followed directions twice with same results. I used the cassava flour I had at home: IYA foods 100% African cassava. Should I leave out the coconut flour? Help! I thought the taste was great and want to make this recipe work.
Nicole says
Hi Gordy, are you leaving the dough in the refrigerator for only 30 minutes to chill? If you leave the dough in the fridge for any longer the dough will need to sit out a while to get back to a moldable condition for rolling. I tested this recipe again today with a new brand of cassava flour and am still getting great results with the cassava and coconut flour combination so I’m wondering if the dough is being left in the fridge for longer because that will result in hard dough. If you are only refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes and still having hard crumbly results with the cassava flour you are using then yes, I would recommend omitting the coconut flour completely. If the mixed dough is not overly sticky sans coconut flour you are good to go and can refrigerate. If the dough is sticky I’d mix in 1 Tbsp of coconut flour at a time until the dough is tacky but doesn’t stick to your hands. I hope this helps!
★★★★★
Suzanne says
This looks so good!
Carrie says
These were perfect! I didn’t make the icing, just ate them as is. My kids, husband, and mom tried some too and they wanted more too, but they had to stick with their non-AIP cookies.
My only regret is that I didn’t make more! I’ll have to make bigger batches to freeze next time for throughout the year like I normally would with Christmas cookies.
Thank you for sharing! <3
★★★★★
Nicole says
Hi Carrie! So glad you and your family enjoyed the cookies! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and let me know!
★★★★★