Paleo Sugar Cookies (nut free & gluten-free)
gluten-free | grain-free | tree nut free | refined sugar free
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | December 14, 2023
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Sweet, soft, and decorated with delicious goodies… these sugar cookies are everything a holiday cookie should be! I love making these paleo sugar cookies. They are so simple and easy to whip up. The batter isn’t sticky, the shapes don’t disappear when the cookies are baked, and they have the perfect taste and texture. Even being an allergy-friendly holiday cookie, these sugar cookies don’t lack in sweetness or any of the other essential qualities of a delicious Christmas cookie. I make these cookies every year and they always turn out great… quickly devoured by everyone on my homestead!

Modern Pioneer Recipe

Sugar cookies are definitely a modern pioneer recipe, although their origin dates all the way back to 7th century, or for the American version, the early 1700’s. I consider these to be a modern pioneer recipe because I don’t think the early pioneers would have taken the time (or had the resources) to cut out these cookies into the fun shapes we have nowadays and decorate them.

One thing that is interesting about the sugar cookie is the that recipe is actually very plain and simple. Compared to some dessert recipes, and even other cookie recipes, these sugar cookies use minimal ingredients and they are all supplies you probably already have in your modern pioneer kitchen.

Despite the simple recipe, these cookies do not lack anything in taste or texture. Of course, what they are mostly appreciated for is their sweetness, they are after all sugar cookies. However, what I like most about sugar cookies is the fact that I can cut them into fun shapes and then decorate the shapes!

As a modern pioneer recipe, these cookies are also allergy-friendly. I wanted to create a sugar cookie recipe that was still sweet, but didn’t use an astronomical amount of sugar. I also wanted the texture to be just right, soft but not too soft, and definitely not too firm. The dough also had to be easy to work with (because who likes working with sticky cookie dough!) and I wanted the cookies to keep their shape when they were baked. This recipe meets all those expectations and still remains allergy-friendly!

• grain-free
• gluten-free
• nut free
• corn free
• dairy-free option
• no refined sugars

A Modern Pioneer Holiday Tradition

Sugar cookies are usually a Christmas tradition on our homestead. I love dedicating a morning to making the dough, cutting out the cookies, baking them, and then frosting and decorating the cookies once they cool. Of course, I have my favorite Christmas music CD playing the entire time, which just adds to the Christmas cheer! Also, an added highlight for me is photographing the cookies once I am done decorating them!

Making these paleo sugar cookies is the perfect stress-free, simple Christmas tradition for me to do. Like I mentioned earlier, the dough is a dream to work with compared to sugar cookie doughs that I have had to work with in the past. Choosing what shapes I want to use is always a challenge, but it seems I usually resort to the traditional shapes. Although, over the past few years I have gotten some pretty unique wildlife cookie cutters that I like using too. Thus I end up making big buck cookies, trout, and small fish cookies along with my Christmas shapes!

Christmas cookie baking is something I enjoy doing every year. There’s always a few must-make recipes that get made every year, and then there are typically a few new recipes that get tried too. Here are few of my other favorite traditional Christmas cookie recipes:

• Grain-free gingerbread men
• Grain-free snowball cookies
• Gluten-free snickerdoodles
• Gluten-free oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (I had to includes these in the list as they are a year-round favorite of mine)

How to Decorate Paleo Sugar Cookies

Well, after I nailed down the perfect sugar cookie recipe, my next challenge was creating a frosting recipe that I could use to decorate the cookies with. While I do like to take shortcuts and buy dairy-free frosting for decorating my baked goods with, I also like to have a good old-fashioned, homemade frosting recipe on hand too. The problem with so many homemade frosting recipes though was that they called for a ton of sugar! When baking with precious, expensive resources like coconut sugar, I kind of prefer to be minimalistic with the amounts in recipes.

However, I also don’t like to compromise on taste or texture. Thankfully, I think I’ve gotten pretty good with being frugal and still making tasty recipes. This frosting recipe threw me for a loop though. I finally managed to work out a recipe that gave me results I was at least satisfied with.

The Frosting…

The frosting recipe that I have included with these sugar cookies uses coconut sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and a splash of coconut milk. Powdering the coconut sugar was essential for getting a smooth frosting. Yes, the coconut sugar does color the frosting a light brown, but I don’t mind the rustic look.

While the frosting is not as sweet as some frostings can be, it still has a nice flavor and compliments the sugar cookies nicely. My other favorite store-bought frosting option is the dairy-free vanilla frosting by Miss Jones. It’s delicious! For special occasions (like Christmas), I’ll also make a frosting glaze with organic powdered cane sugar and dairy-free milk.

To make a simple glaze, I add some powdered sugar to a medium mixing bowl. Then I start by adding a splash of dairy-free milk and stirring with a fork until a smooth glaze forms. If the glaze seems too thin, I add more powder sugar until it’s as thick as I want it. To make the glaze thinner (like for drizzling over cinnamon rolls), I add more dairy-free milk.

The Decorations…

There are always three essential layers to a good sugar cookie: the cookie, the frosting, and the decorations. The decorations are one of my favorite parts about making these cookies! I can really make the cookie shapes come to life with a little frosting and some carefully chosen decorations!

Sometimes I like to go with the simple, rustic look of just frosted sugar cookies. Other times I like to go all out and see what different toppings I can add to the cookies to make them look festive and delicious! Here are some of my favorite cookie decorations:

• Let’s Do…Organic: Sprinkelz– these sprinkles are organic and gluten-free
• India Tree Natural Decorating vegetable colorations: I use this all natural brand of food coloring to color my frosting or sprinkles
• Beet Powder– Beet powder can be used to color frosting red or pink
• Yum Earth Candy Canes– add a bit of sparkle to your cookies with crushed candy cane

How to Store Sugar Cookies

While I’m pretty sure these paleo sugar cookies won’t last long on your homestead, this recipe does make a decent amount of cookies, so of course you have to figure out a way to store them. After they have been decorated and the frosting has been given time to firm up, the cookies can be stored in an air-tight container.

I like to put pieces of waxed parchment paper between each layer to keep the cookies from sticking together. These cookies can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days. However, they also freeze very nicely! In fact, that’s the storage method that I use for almost all of my cookies.

The sugar cookies still taste great straight out of the freezer, but they can be unthawed too. The cookies don’t freeze solid, so they are easy to eat even when they are still frozen. If you opt for the unthawed option, let the cookies unthaw at room temperature or in the fridge.

Sugar Cookie Recipe Tips

These paleo sugar cookies are really easy to make! While some sugar cookie recipes may take several hours to make from start to finish, these cookies whip up very quickly, are no hassle, and can be done in an hour or less! Here are a few recipe tips to make sure your cookies turn out perfectly:

• Dairy-free– For a dairy-free option, you can use coconut oil instead of butter in the cookie recipe.
• Egg Free?– I have not tried making these cookies egg free. The egg helps keep the cookie dough together, so I am not sure how an egg substitute would work.
• Powdered Sugar– The coconut sugar has to be powdered! It makes the cookies evenly colored (no brown specks), makes them sweeter, and is essential for the proper cookie texture. I use a small seed grinder to powder small batches of coconut sugar with.
• Flour Subs– I have not tried these sugar cookies with any other flour combinations. Although the tapioca flour can be substituted with arrowroot flour.
• Sticky Dough– If your dough seems a little too sticky, let it set for 5 minutes so that the coconut flour can absorb any extra moisture.
• Dry Dough– If your dough seems too dry, add a splash of coconut milk to get it to stay together.
• Bake Times– For small cookies, you will want to decrease your bake time by a few minutes to keep them from getting too crispy.
• Frosting Time- These cookies cool very fast, so you can move onto the frosting stage by the time all the cookies have been cut out, baked, and cooled!

Alright! Now that we have covered all our bases, let’s get on to the recipe! These paleo sugar cookies are the perfect allergy-friendly Christmas cookie. They are sugar easy to make, and super fun to decorate. Then of course, you can enjoy eating them and relish in that perfect sugar cookie taste and texture!

Where to Find the Ingredients:

• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Anthony’s coconut flour
• Otto’s Naturals cassava flour
• Anthony’s coconut sugar
• Simply Organic vanilla extract
• Cream of tartar
• Arm & Hammer baking soda
• Pacific coconut milk
• Supplies: cookie sheets, rolling pin, parchment paper, waxed parchment paper, small seed grinder, holiday cookie cutters (made in the USA!)

These paleo sugar cookies have the perfect soft and delicate texture with a sweet, buttery taste. Decorated with frosting and other festive toppings, these cookies make for a fun modern pioneer holiday treat! Add these cookies to your holiday cookie platter this season and you won’t be disappointed. They are perfect for modern pioneers with dietary or allergy restrictions, so everyone can enjoy some traditional Christmas cookies!

Also, I want to let you know that we are always sharing fun and simple pioneer recipes in our bi-weekly newsletter! Don’t miss out on any more recipes!

Merry Christmas!