Gluten Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies are easy to make, hold their shape, and are an indulgent and decadent twist on cut out sugar cookies.
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Talk about yummy. Y'all, these cookies are life! They are so chocolatey and soft and simply perfect, there aren't enough adjectives to describe them. Whether you cover them with royal icing, chocolate, or buttercream, or even leave them plain, you're bound to love them as much as we do.
They're as easy to make as my original gluten free cut out cookies, and hold their shape just as well, too. Even intricate cookie shapes stand a chance at not spreading. Let's get into it and I'll show you how to make 'em!
ingredients for chocolate sugar cookies
- Kim's gluten free all purpose flour blend - a store bought blend may be substituted, but hasn't been tested.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - black cocoa (affiliate link) is what makes these cookies so dark (and taste like an Oreo!). You can substitute with Dutch processed, but I don't recommend natural (regular) cocoa powder.
- Butter - a dairy-free butter may be substituted, but please note one has not been tested.
- Cream cheese - again, dairy-free cream cheese alternative may be substituted, but this has not been tested.
- Egg yolk - adds richness to the cookies.
- Sugar - for sweetness and as a tenderizer.
- Salt - brings out the chocolatey flavor and balances the sweetness.
let's make chocolate cookies!
Cream butter and cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Add egg yolk and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients and pulse on and off until a stiff dough forms.
Roll dough out between two sheets of parchment paper and refrigerate until firm.
Pipe melted candy wafers into silicone molds and tap to smooth out.
Refrigerate for a few minutes, or until firm. Time will depend on depth of molds.
Remove set chocolate hearts from molds and set aside.
Cut out heart-shaped cookies from chilled dough.
Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
Let cookies cool for at least 5-7 minutes before adding chocolate hearts to the top.
Sugar cookies FAQs
Yes, for crisper cookies, simply roll the dough thinner (about ¼th an inch). You will, however, need to keep an eye on them as they will need to bake for a shorter time.
Absolutely! You can also add sprinkles or sanding sugar to the tops of the cookies before baking. Be your own chef and have fun with it.
Yes, they freeze beautifully, both plain and decorated. Freeze until solid in a single layer on a baking sheet and then place in an airtight container or ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
more gluten free cookie recipes
- Gluten Free Tagalongs (A Girl Scout Copycat Recipe)
- Gluten Free Samoas (A Girl Scout Copycat Recipe)
- Perfect Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten Free No Bake Cookies
- Gluten Free Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Tips and Tricks
- For softer cookies, roll dough to ¼-inch thickness and bake for 12 minutes.
- For crisper cookies, roll dough to ⅛-inch thickness and bake for 14 minutes.
- Instead of the chocolate on top, try royal icing or vanilla buttercream.
- For a simple decoration, top the cookies with sprinkles or sanding sugar before baking.
- Or bake cookies and dip one half in melted white chocolate candy coating. If desired, sprinkle white chocolate with red or pink sanding sugar while still wet.
Perfectly rich and chocolatey, these Gluten Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies are so easy to make, a dream to roll out, and hold even the most intricate shapes.
Gluten Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) butter, softened (dairy-free butter may be substituted)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened (dairy-free cream cheese may be substituted)
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups (245g) Kim's gluten free all purpose flour blend (a store bought blend may be substituted, but hasn't been tested)
- ⅓ cup (80g) unsweetened black cocoa (Dutch-processed cocoa may be substituted)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- colored white chocolate wafers (royal icing, buttercream frosting, sprinkles, or sanding sugar are more options for decorating cookies)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla and combine well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk (or sift) together flour blend, salt, and cocoa powder. Add it to the butter mixture, pulsing on and off and then mixing on low just until fully combined.
- Roll dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to about ¼-inch thickness. Refrigerate dough on baking sheet until solid, one hour.
- While dough is chilling, make chocolate hearts. Melt pink chocolate candy wafers according to package directions. Pour into decorating bag and cut off just the tip of the bag. Fill silicone molds with melted chocolate, tapping or gently dropping onto counter to release air bubbles and smooth out chocolate.
- Refrigerate for 5-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your molds. Remove from molds and set aside while baking the cookies.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Remove dough from refrigerator and gently peel off top sheet of parchment. Cut out hearts with heart-shaped cookie cutter and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until they feel set when gently touching them.
- Allow to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, and then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool for an additional 1-2 minutes. Place chocolate heart on top of each cookie and press lightly to adhere to still very slightly warm cookie. Alternatively, let cookies cool completely and then pipe a dot of melted chocolate on the back of each chocolate heart before adhering it to the cookie.
- Let cookies cool completely before serving.
Sherrie says
Under "Instructions, 1", the instructions state to "Add egg yolk and vanilla and combine well", but I don't see vanilla listed in the ingredients. Could you please provide the amount of vanilla needed? Thank you - I plan to make these very soon. They sound delicious, and I love baking with black cocoa!
Kim says
Oh, I'm so sorry about that! It should be one teaspoon. I'll fix that right now. Thank you for alerting me!!