Gluten Free Butter Cookies Five Ways

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Buttery with an incredible melt-in-your-mouth texture, make FIVE different cookies with this Gluten Free Butter Cookies Recipe.

gluten free butter cookies five ways in wooden box.

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If y'all know me, you know I love to reuse a great recipe as many times as possible. I've made over 30 recipes out of my gluten free sweet dough, which I call "miracle dough" and last year I made EIGHT cookies from my favorite sugar cookie dough!

So I wanted to do something similar this year, but use a little different dough. This time I chose a butter cookie recipe that I found on Emma's Goodies. I of course needed to alter it to be gluten free, and then I changed up her flavors and made my own.

what you'll need to make these butter cookies

ingredients for butter cookies measured out and labeled on granite countertop.

Kim's gluten free all purpose flour blend - a store bought blend may be substituted, but has not been tested.
Butter - obviously, for butter cookies you need butter. It's the best. I know some of you out there are going to ask about dairy-free alternatives, so check below for those.
Egg whites - there's plenty of fat from the butter in these cookies, so we only need the egg whites to hold everything together. Also, egg whites make a slightly crisper cookie.

here's how to make the dough

beating butter in a large plastic bowl with handheld mixer.

Beat the butter in a large bowl until creamy.

adding vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar to butter.

Add vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) and powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Pour in egg whites and continue beating until well combined. The mixture may look curdled at first, but will come together once all the flour is added.

adding the flour and salt to the dough before beating.

Add the salt and the flour, in three increments, until all has been incorporated.

the finished dough in the large plastic bowl.

The finished dough can then be divided and made into as many different cookies as you'd like!

substitutions

Dairy free - I haven't tried it, but you should be able to use a dairy-free butter alternative that comes in sticks (not a tub). You will also need to replace the dry milk powder in my flour blend with a substitute (there are a few options on that recipe here).
Egg free - you may be able to use a chia or flax egg (see here) or possibly even aquafaba. I am not experienced in these realms of baking, but there are plenty of experts out there who can give you information you'll need to make that decision.

flavor and texture variations

The amount of cookies you come up with is only limited by your own imagination. Here I'll show you FIVE different types of cookies that you can make from this one dough, but BYOC (Be Your Own Chef) and try to come up with ones yourself. It's fun!

1. Italian pinch cookies

Probably my favorite cookie in the bunch, these little jam-filled wonders are delicate and delicious!

adding extra flour to dough in large plastic bowl.

Add more flour to ⅕th of the dough and use your clean hand to mix in.

rolling dough between two sheets of brown parchment paper.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper until it is approximately ¼-inch thick. Place this in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.

cutting out small circles from the rolled out dough.

Remove the dough from fridge and peel off the top parchment sheet. Cut out circles about 3 inches wide from chilled dough. Place circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

spooning raspberry jam in the middle of the circles of dough.

Using a small spoon, dollop approximately one teaspoon of jam into the center of each circle of dough.

pinching cookings together in the middle.

Pinch the cookies together in the center, making sure they are well sealed so they don't open in the oven. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.

Sprinkle cooled cookies with powdered sugar.

2. Chocolate thumbprint cookies

Almost like a cross between a cookie and fudge, these cookies are a cookie you never knew you needed in your life.

pouring hot milk into cocoa and powdered sugar in small glass bowl.

Bloom unsweetened cocoa and one tablespoon of powdered sugar by pouring hot milk over both and mixing to make a paste.

adding cocoa paste to gluten free butter cookie dough.

Add bloomed cocoa paste to ⅕th of butter cookie dough and mix with clean hands until smooth and well combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

rolling balls of chocolate cookie dough.

Roll chocolate cookie dough into one inch balls.

dredging balls of gf butter cookie dough in turbinado sugar.

Dredge each ball of cookie dough in a small bowl of turbinado or sparkling sugar. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.

pressing thumb into each ball of chocolate dough.

Press thumb into the center of each ball of cookie dough to make a thumbprint. Bake at 325 F for 8 minutes, or until set.

filling thumbprints with chocolate ganache.

Once cooled, fill chocolate thumbprint cookies with chocolate ganache or jam.

Like a frosted sugar cookie, these cubes are much easier and just as tasty!

pressing dough into square baking pan lined with parchment.

Press ⅕th of the gluten free butter cookies into an 8-inch square baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes, or until light golden brown around the edges. Cool completely.

spreading green buttercream frosting on cooled cookie bars.

Spread cooled large square cookie with colored buttercream frosting. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.

cutting frosted cookies into small one inch squares.

Cut chilled cookies into small one-inch cubes.

4. Sandwich cookies

Using the very same ganache (or jam) you already have, these cutout sandwich cookies are as decadent as they are beautiful.

cutting out squares from rolled out cookie dough.

Begin with the same method as used for the Italian pinch cookies (add extra flour to dough and roll out between two sheets of parchment; chill). Cut out squares approximately 3 inches in diameter and place on parchment-lined baking sheets.

cutting stars out of the middle of square pieces of dough.

Cut smaller shapes (here it's stars) out of the middles of half of the squares of dough. Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes, or until very light golden brown around the edges.

spreading chocolate ganache on one square cookie.

Spread each square cookie with chocolate ganache or raspberry or apricot jam.

placing star cutout cookie on top of ganache covered cookie.

Top each square with the star cutout square to make a sandwich. Press down lightly to adhere fully. Allow to set completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

5. Slice and bake M&M cookies

So easy, fun, and festive, these slice and bake M&M cookies will be adored by both children and adults.

folding mini red and green M&Ms into cookie dough in glass bowl.

Pour about ½ a bag of mini M&M's into ⅕th of the butter cookie dough. Fold them through with your clean hand.

rolling m&m dough into a log on parchment.

Roll dough into a log that's about 2 inches in diameter.

rolling log of dough into red colored sugar on parchment.

Sprinkle a good amount of red (or green or white) sparkling sugar onto sheet of parchment and roll log of dough through the sugar to coat completely. You may need to go over some areas twice or more to get it completely covered.

log of dough rolled up in parchment paper.

Roll the log of dough up in the parchment tightly and then in plastic wrap to seal completely. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.

slicing coins of m&m dough on granite countertop.

Remove dough from refrigerator and slice into ½-inch thick slices. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, or until very light golden brown around the edges.

gluten free butter cookies FAQs

What's the difference between butter cookies and shortbread?

There's a more significant amount of flour and sugar in butter cookies, which allows them to hold together well and be manipulated into many different shapes.

Can I make just one type of butter cookie instead of five?

Absolutely! You can mix and match, make as many different varieties as you like, or just one if that's what you feel like. Make it your own and have fun with it!

Does it matter if I use salted or unsalted butter for butter cookies?

I personally bake with salted butter, unless a recipe indicates otherwise. I feel there's not enough saltiness to offset all the sugar in baked goods, so I find that the extra salt coming from the butter really helps balance the flavor.

more gluten free cookies for christmas

chocolate thumbprint cookies in wooden box.