These soft, thick and chewy Almond Flour Sugar Cookies are quick and easy to make with just 8 ingredients! They’re a drop style sugar cookie that require zero chilling and can be enjoyed plain, with sprinkles added or topped with frosting. Perfect for any occasion and they’re gluten-free!
When I started testing these sugar cookies, I had a few recipe requirements. I wanted them to have the perfect taste and texture – soft, buttery and sweet with the perfect amount of puffiness and crackly tops. I also wanted them to be quick and easy.
Mission accomplished! The almond flour keeps these cookies soft and chewy, while the cornstarch helps keep them thick and puffy. In addition, rolling them in sugar helps with the crackly, sparkly tops.
The best part? They couldn’t be easier to make. You only need 8 basic ingredients, there’s no chilling time and they bake up fast!
Table of contents
What makes these almond flour sugar cookies so good?
- No chill. There’s no need to chill the cookie dough batter, so you can whip up a batch in 30 minutes.
- Drop style. There’s no rolling or cutting out the dough. All you need is a cookie scoop.
- Soft, thick and chewy. The perfect texture for sugar cookies.
- Gluten-free. Almond flour and cornstarch are naturally gluten-free.
- Variations. You can add sprinkles or frosting to change up these cookies for different occasions.
Ingredients and substitutions
Below is a brief overview of some of the ingredients and recommended substitutions. The recipe card at the end of this post includes the exact ingredients and quantities used.
- Almond Flour – I always use fine blanched almond flour for baking (as opposed to almond meal) as it has a finer texture and lighter color.
- Cornstarch – The key to keeping these cookies soft and thick is cornstarch. Just a tablespoon helps keep the middle of the cookie soft and prevents the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
- Butter – Room temperature butter is essential so it creams together easily with the sugar. I always use unsalted for baking.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar adds the perfect sweet flavor to these sugar cookies. You’ll need some for the dough and for rolling the cookie dough balls in. This will help give the cookies their classic crackly, sparkly tops.
- Sprinkles – Not pictured here, but sprinkles are a great option for these sugar cookies. I’ve tested them with both jimmies and nonpareils. (Just make sure they’re gluten-free in order to keep these cookies gluten-free).
How to make drop style sugar cookies with almond flour
Below is a brief overview of the steps to make this recipe along with photos. For further details, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Recipe variations
Add sprinkles: You can add 2 tablespoons of sprinkles to the cookie dough before rolling. I don’t recommend adding any more than that as the cookies may spread too much (and they can take on a greasy texture).
Add frosting: You can top the cooled sugar cookies with your favorite frosting. We love them with the homemade strawberry buttercream that I use for this strawberry cake recipe.
Measuring ingredients
For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you’ll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you’ll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.
Storage and freezing tips
Storage: Almond flour keeps these cookies soft and moist, so I like to store them in the fridge, where they will last for 5-7 days. (I also love the extra chewy texture this brings to the cookies). You can also store them at room temperature, but just for a few days. If you decide to frost them, you may also need to keep them in the fridge (depending on your frosting).
Freezing: After the cookies have completely cooled, place them in a freezer safe container, either in a single layer or in between layers of parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Key recipe tips
- If your dough feels a little too soft and sticky to roll, just chill it for 30 minutes before rolling into balls.
- For soft, thick and chewy cookies, it’s better to underbake than over bake. If you do end up over baking them, no worries. They’ll just be thinner, with a chewier texture and crispy edges.
- Ovens often vary in terms of temperature so start checking on the cookies at around 9 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes. Almond flour cookies usually need time to cool and firm up.
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, make sure you use the spoon and level method for your almond flour. (This will ensure you don’t use too much, which will throw off the texture of the cookies).
Recipe FAQs
This is a no chill sugar cookie recipe! The only time I recommend chilling the dough is if it is too soft or sticky to roll into balls (which could happen if your butter was too warm).
These sugar cookies may spread too much if the butter was too warm when it was creamed with the sugar or if the cookie dough was left at room temperature for too long. The cookies will also spread the longer they are baked. They’re ready when they look puffed up and crackled on top, and the edges are starting to brown. The addition of cornstarch will also help minimize any cookie spread, so I don’t recommend leaving it out.
More almond flour cookie recipes
- Almond Flour Snickerdoodles
- Almond Flour Monster Cookies
- Almond Flour Cookie Butter Cookies
- Almond Flour Peanut Butter Blossoms
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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Print
No Chill Gluten-Free Almond Flour Sugar Cookies (8 Ingredients!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Soft, thick and chewy, these gluten-free, drop style Almond Flour Sugar Cookies are quick and easy, no chill and require just 8 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (208g) fine blanched almond flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (110g) granulated sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for rolling
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- On low speed, gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Stir in the sprinkles (if using).
- Place the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl.
- Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough. Roll into balls and then roll in the sugar.
- Arrange the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2-3 inches apart. (I usually bake 8 per pan).
- Bake 9-11 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed up, crackled on top, and browning slightly around the bottom edges.
- Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
Notes
- If your dough feels a little too soft and sticky to roll, just chill it for 30 minutes before rolling into balls.
- For soft, thick and chewy cookies, it’s better to underbake than over bake. If you do end up over baking them, that’s okay. They’ll just be thinner, with a chewier texture and crispy edges.
- Ovens often vary in terms of temperature so start checking on the cookies at around 9 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes. Almond flour cookies often need time to cool and firm up.
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, make sure you use the spoon and level method for your almond flour. (This will ensure you don’t use too much of it in the cookies, which will throw off the texture).
- Be sure to check out the other sections above the recipe card for more detailed advice and suggestions for making this recipe.
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