Gluten Free Christmas Cookie Recipes

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Here’s everything you need to know about making gluten free Christmas cookies! I’ve been baking dozens and dozens of cookies for decades. So I’ve included tips and tricks plus my best GF Christmas cookie recipes to make this season one to remember.

A two-by-three collage of photos of red velvet cookies, gingersnaps, peppermint meringues, snowball cookies, decorated cut-out sugar cookies, and more with a white box in the middle with text overlay that says "Gluten Free Christmas Cookie Recipes".

The Best Gluten Free Christmas Cookies

Cookies and Christmas just go together. I love making all sorts of gluten free cookies and putting out plates for my friends and family all throughout the holidays. It’s fun to bring a cookie charcuterie board to a party. Plus, I also love to package them up and give them away to friends, and neighbors!

You can easily make the dough or bake cookies in advance by following my tips below to help your holiday baking run smoothly.

From gluten free sugar cookies to gluten free gingerbread people to chocolate chip cookie cups to flourless peanut butter cookies, you’re sure to find just the right mix of gluten free Christmas cookies to bake this season. Learn how to bake the best gluten free Christmas cookies, and explore my favorite recipes!

A close up on holiday cookies on a plate.

Tips for Making Gluten Free Christmas Cookies

Here are some tips that will help you make the best gluten free Christmas cookies:

Buy fresh baking powder and baking soda. It’s so important to use fresh baking powder and baking soda when you’re baking cookies (or anything else). Check the expiration dates on the packages in the pantry and if they’ve expired, or are close to expiring, discard them and buy new boxes.
Check to make sure your other ingredients are fresh, too. The same goes for your other ingredients like flour or eggs. For the best final result, you’ll want to use fresh ingredients.
Use good-quality butter. If you can, use good butter, especially in recipes like sugar cookies or butter cookies where butter is a featured ingredient. You’ll be able to taste the difference!
And good chocolate. A good chocolate, such as Guittard, will elevate your gf Christmas cookies into something sublime!
Choose unsalted butter, too. I prefer to use unsalted butter in my baking so that it doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
Invest in a decent 1:1 gluten free flour mix. I like to use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour in my cookies, and it works so well in all of my recipes on this site. King Arthur Flour also has a great gluten-free flour mix that will work well.
Cream the butter correctly. For the lightest and best gf Christmas cookies, cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. This will give you wonderful results when the cookies are baked.
Rest the dough in the fridge before baking it. The longer cookie dough rests in the fridge, the more the flavors will develop. This is also helpful when you’re baking gluten free cookies because gluten free flour benefits from resting. This allows it to hydrate and will produce smoother cookies.
Then rest the cookies after baking. Thoroughly cool your cookies after they’ve baked so that they firm up and the texture is perfect. Once the cookies are completely cooled you can store or serve them.
Freeze your dough. To help save time, you can prepare your cookie dough well in advance of when you plan to bake your gluten free Christmas cookies. Then, when you’re ready to bake, defrost the cookie dough in the fridge and proceed with the recipe.
Try vanilla bean paste in sugar cookies. Sugar cookies, which are less flavorful than peanut butter or chocolate chip cookies, benefit from the concentrated burst of vanilla that comes from using vanilla paste rather than vanilla extract.

A top down shot of gluten free gingerbread cookies with candy canes.

Making Christmas Cookies in Advance

If you’re attending a cookie swap or simply want to help yourself save some time during the holiday rush, you can make GF Christmas cookies in advance. You can either bake them and store them according to my directions outlined below or prepare the dough and place it in the freezer or fridge until you’re ready to use it. Read on to learn how to bake and store gluten free Christmas cookies in advance.

How to Store Gluten Free Christmas Cookies

You can store gluten free Christmas cookies in the fridge or freezer, depending on how far in advance you would like to share them. Here are a few tips to help keep your cookies fresh-tasting and perfect no matter when you bake them:

Don’t frost your cookies. If you wish to make cookies more than a few days in advance of serving them, don’t frost them right away. To store cookies longer than 7 days, keep the frosting separate. To store frosted cookies, place them in an airtight container for up to 7 days, then discard them after that time.
Store different kinds of cookies separately. When you store your cookies, keep different kinds separate from one another so that the flavors don’t combine.
You can freeze cookies for up to 6 months. I’ve detailed how to store cookies in the freezer below, but to summarize, you can keep your gluten free Christmas cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
How to store cookies at room temperature: Place layers of cookies in an airtight container with a piece of wax paper or parchment paper separating each layer. You can store cookies in this way for up to 2 weeks.

Can You Freeze Christmas Cookies?

Yes! Most cookies can be frozen after they’ve been baked. Here’s how to freeze GF Christmas cookies:

Freeze cookies – Cool the cookies thoroughly and place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container in a single layer, then place a piece of parchment on top of the cookies and add another layer (the parchment will keep the cookies from sticking together). Store the cookies in the freezer for up to 6 months. Make sure to thaw the cookies in the fridge completely before serving them.
Freeze dough – You can also freeze cookie dough. Place the prepared dough in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag, press the dough to flatten it, and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the cookie dough in the fridge before baking the cookies.