Crazy-Good Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies

Updated October 28, 2019
These delicious gluten-free cookies are perfect for the holidays, the new year or any time in between. Try our Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies or Almond Butter-Quinoa Blondies to impress any guest, no grain required. 
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Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

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Everyone can get in on the festive fun with this gluten-free cut-out sugar cookie recipe. Use naturally-dyed sugar and icing to decorate these easy cookies.

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Vegan Meringue Cookies

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Magical aquafaba—the liquid from canned chickpeas that often gets poured down the drain—mimics egg whites in these airy vegan meringue cookies. The other magical thing? These cookies require just three ingredients! Save the chickpeas themselves for hummus, stew or any one of our other recipes that call for canned chickpeas.

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Almond Butter-Quinoa Blondies

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People likely won't even notice that these delicately nutty, just a little chocolaty, blondies are gluten-free. They use quinoa flour, which you can find in well-stocked supermarkets and natural-foods stores, in place of all-purpose flour. To make your own quinoa flour, grind raw quinoa into a powder in a clean coffee grinder.

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Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

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These airy coconut cookies get an upgrade with a simple dark chocolate drizzle in this healthy dessert recipe.

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies

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These healthy, gluten-free cookies are so deliciously soft that they almost melt in your mouth! Notes of honey add a nice touch to both the cookie and icing—and pair deliciously with the pumpkin and spices. This pumpkin cookie celebrates fall and tastes indulgent, but is filled with good-for-you ingredients. Be sure to let the dough stand and hydrate for easier handling. Almond flour (aka almond meal) can be found in the gluten-free section of large supermarkets and natural-food stores.

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Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

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Gluten-free flour stands in for regular flour in these crisp, festive cut-out cookies that taste amazing. To decorate, dust cookies with sanding sugar before you bake them or drizzle and pipe on royal icing once they've cooled.

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Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

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Enjoy these lemony cookies with a warm cup of tea.

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Nutty Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

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These sweet peanut butter-flavored meringue cookies are perfect for special occasions. Dipped in melted chocolate and full of crunchy peanuts, they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to three months.

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Flourless Chocolate Cookies

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These flourless cookies get their volume from whipped egg whites (like a meringue) instead of grains, making them gluten-free and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. A chocolate chip in each bite adds to the rich chocolate flavor.

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Pignoli Cookies

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This crispy-on-the-bottom-and-chewy-on-the-inside gluten-free cookie recipe is a twist on a traditional Italian holiday treat, pignoli, or pine nut cookies. Look for almond paste—a mixture of ground almonds and sugar (available in tubes or sometimes tubs)—near other baking supplies in well-stocked supermarkets or specialty stores. Sweeter marzipan doesn't work well in these cookies.

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Chocolate Coconut Meringues

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These chocolate, coconut and almond meringue cookies are so light and airy, they are a perfect little treat that's not too heavy.

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Italian Hazelnut Cookies

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These crispy cookies are made with Piedmontese staples—hazelnuts and eggs—and called Brutti Ma Buoni: literally, “Ugly But Good.” But they are really more plain-looking than “ugly,” and pack a powerful, sweet, nutty burst of flavor, making them welcome at any table.

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Vegan No-Bake Cookies

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Almond butter and coconut oil melt together to bind these stovetop cookies without using any eggs. To take the flavor to the next level, try subbing in your favorite nut butter.

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Festive Fruit & Nut Balls

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A no-bake, make-ahead treat, this perfect combination of fruit and nuts is a nutritious and delicious mouthful. Rolling them in shredded coconut gives them their festive look.

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Choco-Cereal-Nut Clusters

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These easy-to-make snack is perfect for the school bake sale.

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Coconut Chocolate Chip Macaroons

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These diabetic-friendly chocolaty macaroons are low in sugar yet sure to satisfy your sweet-tooth.

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Outrageous Macaroons

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These luxurious macaroons studded with pistachios and dried cranberries hail from food stylist Katie Webster. She made them three years ago when she was a personal chef for a gluten-intolerant client, then began selling them to a grateful crowd at her local farmers' market. Although you can concoct them with either sweetened or unsweetened coconut, we find that the unsweetened packs a more coconutty wallop. For a variation, substitute chopped crystallized ginger and mini chocolate chips for the pistachios and cranberries.

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Simple Almond Cookies

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For a snack or sweet dessert, enjoy one of these flourless cookies. Drizzle chocolate on top for added pizzazz.

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Toasted Almond-Coconut Meringues

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Perfect meringues depend on totally yolk-free whites. The seemingly fussy step of separating each egg into a small bowl before combining them guarantees yolk-free whites for bakeshop-quality meringues every time. These crispy little morsels travel well and make great gifts too.

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