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Tender, buttery Gluten Free Almond Crescent Cookies have a delicious nutty flavor that will make them one of your favorite Christmas cookies. They are dipped in dark chocolate and decorated with sprinkles to make them extra delicious and festive. Plus, you only need a few simple ingredients!
Don’t need a gluten-free cookie recipe? Check out my classic Almond Crescent cookie recipe made with regular all-purpose flour.
Almond Crescents Dipped in Chocolate
In the years between graduation from college and having kids, I would spend the weeks leading up to Christmas baking dozens of types of cookies. Not just dozens of cookies. Dozens of different kinds. I had some that made an appearance every year, but then each year I would try several new ones.
Some of the cookies repeated were family members’ favorites, but the one I could never skip for myself was Almond Crescent Cookies. They would just melt in your mouth, and the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate was the just the right balance for the sweet cookies. And, of course, I’d add plenty of sprinkles for color and crunch.
So naturally, when I went gluten free, these were the first cookie I had to recreate. And I wanted to make it simple using a basic 1-to-1 gluten free flour. I’m so happy it was easy to make a wheat-free version of my favorite Christmas cookie. They bake for slightly longer at a lower temperature. But they taste absolutely perfect!
I think you will love them as much as I do!
Can you believe there are only five ingredients plus sprinkles to make these gorgeous and super yummy gluten free almond crescent cookies?! Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need, but keep reading for my tried and true tips. Then scroll to the recipe card for the full amounts and directions.
- Unsalted butter. Let it soften to room temperature.
- Powdered sugar. Do not use granulated sugar in this cookie dough.
- Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Make sure it is one with xanthan gum to be used 1:1 for all-purpose flour in recipes. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill for this recipe, but I suspect you will have good results with King Arthur Flour or Cup 4 Cup.
- Almond meal or finely ground almonds. You can buy a bag or simple pulse raw almonds in for your processor. That’s how I always made these before you could commonly find almond meal in stores.
- Dark chocolate. Feel free to use milk or white chocolate, if you prefer, or do some of each.
- Decorations. Use your favorite sprinkles, colored sugar, mini chips, etc. Just be sure they are gluten free.
Shop for Gluten Free Ingredients
Get ready by gathering your ingredients and preheating your oven to 325°F. I also highly recommend lining your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Make the dough. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter and powdered sugar at medium-high speed. Then reduce the speed to low and gradually blend in the flour and ground almond meal. Refrigerate the dough for at least 15-20 minutes.
Form and bake. Use about a tablespoon of dough and form crescents by rolling the dough into a tight ball, then gently pressing in the middle and forming into a crescent shape. Place them on the ined cookie sheets and bake for 13-15 minutes until very lightly golden.
Cool and decorate. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Melt the chocolate and dip one end of each cookie into the chocolate, then decorate with sprinkles as desired. Place the dipped cookies on wax paper to allow the chocolate to firm up.
Tips for Success
Chill the Dough. Letting your dough rest in the refrigerator makes it easier to handle to form nicely shapes almond crescents. But as with all gluten free doughs and batters, it also allows the flour to fully absorb the moisture and produces a less grainy result.
Handle with Care. Gluten free cookies can be a bit more tender and fragile than traditional cookies. So be gentle with them as you dip and decorate. Chilling the dough and packing it tightly when you shape the cookies will help.
Line the Pans. Back to the last tip, lining your pans with parchment paper will make it easier to remove them so they don’t stick and crumble or break.
Do not Overbake. Almond crescent cookies should only be very lightly golden, not a deep golden brown. And the gluten free version will be even paler than what you would expect from a gluten-containing cookie. So watch the baking time or you will end up with dry, hard cookies.
Decorate your Way. I like dark chocolate and lots of sprinkles, but you can use any kind of chocolate and decorations you like. Some people also prefer to skip the chocolate and just dust almond crescents with powdered sugar. If you do that, I recommend rolling them once when they have slightly cooled, then once again after they are completely cool, like these Gluten Free Snowball Cookies.
I always recommend packaging gluten free cookies in some sort of sturdy container to avoid breakage. You can simply put them in an airtight food storage container, but if you plan to freeze the cookies, an extra layer of plastic wrap around the container will help prevent freezer burn.
Plastic food storage bags are great for keeping air and moisture from contacting the cookies in the fridge or freezer, but the bag should then be put into a container or cookie tin.
If packaged properly, these cookies will keep at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze them for up to two months. They thaw quickly once you take them out of the freezer, but I recommend keeping them in the sealed container until they have come to room temperature to avoid introducing moisture.
More gluten free Christmas cookies
- It doesn’t get any easier than Sugar Cookie Bars.
- Double the peanut butter with Flourless Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies have the yummy flavors of coconut and almond too.
- Adorably delicious Almond Joy Macaroons taste like a candy bar.
- Stick with a classic and make the best Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Get creative with Gingerbread and Cream Cheese Cookie Cups from Tried & Tasty.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (recommended: Bob's Red Mill)
- 1 cup almond meal or finely ground almonds
- 8 oz. dark chocolate milk chocolate, and or white chocolate
- sprinkles, colored sugar, mini chips, etc. for decorating, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place butter and sugar in large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, and cream together at medium high speed.
- Reduce speed to low, and gradually add flour, then blend in the almond meal or gorund almonds.
- Refrigerate dough for at least 15-20 minutes, or until it is easier to handle.
- Using about 1 Tablespoon dough for each cookie, shape into crescents, and place onto baking sheets.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheets 2 or 3 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
- Melt chocolate according to the package directions in the microwave or over a double boiler.
- Dip one end of each cookie in chocolate, then decorate with sugar, sprinkles, etc., as desired.
- Place cookies onto wax paper until chocolate is firm.
Did you make this?
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Hello,
Can coconut sugar or monk fruit sugar be substituted for the powdered sugar?
Also, gave you tried an alternative to the butter?
Thank you
Jacqueline
I have not tried it, but I know coconut sugar is typically more granulated and this uses powdered sugar, so I am not sure it would incorporate the same. I have not tried alternatives to the butter.
Can you use the same amount of all purpose flour? No one in my family requires gluten free and I would like to try this recipe without having to use special flour.
Here is my original non-gluten free recipe – my all time favorite Christmas cookie! https://cupcakesandkalechips.com/almond-crescents-and-cookies4kids-cancer/
This looks so perfect! I wish I could take a bite right now! Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for being a part of our party. I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. It wouldn’t be a party without you!
Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls
These cookies are so cute and I’m so happy that they’re gluten-free!
This Bob’s Red Mill blend is awesome!
Love anything almond! Can’t wait to try these. Thanks for linking them up to Inspire Me Monday… I’ll be featuring them tomorrow!
Oh yay, thanks so much!!
So cute! Also, wanted to let you know that there is a link party on Wednesday at my blog – hope to see you there! Can’t wait to party with you @ http://homeschoolapalooza.wordpress.com
Thanks for stopping by!
I love Bob’s Red Mill! These crescents are so beautiful and look delicious-love that they’re gluten free!
That 1-to-1 blend is amazing!
Thank you for the recipes. I am sure to try them one of these days.
Sorry to hear that, Brianne. My sis in law recently experienced the same so I understand how you felt. Since then, we’ve been trying gluten-free products, especially since she is a sweet tooth. These almond crescents will be perfect for her to cure her cravings for sweets.
You know what, I’m ok with it. Just opening up new things for me to try. Now if I had to give up cheese…
These cookies look amazing, I love almond and even better that they’re gluten free!
Thanks. Always nice to have good gluten free treats b