Almond Flour Sugar Cookies

Name: Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour; ¼ cup arrowroot starch; 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil; 5 tablespoons maple syrup ((at room temperature)); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon almond extract; ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

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Sugar cookies have always been one of my favorite desserts, so I knew I had to figure out how to make a delicious, gluten-free recipe with almond flour. This isn’t the first almond-flour cookie recipe I’ve made, so I know how tricky it can be to get a crispy edge and a tender center.

Luckily, I don’t mind testing cookies over and over again.

After a few rounds of experiments, I’ve landed on an ingredient ratio that is easy to roll out for cut-out cookies and has a fantastic flavor, even without frosting. As a bonus, these cookies are egg-free and vegan-friendly, in case you’re baking for those with special dietary needs.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review

“Holy smokes these cookies are AMAZING! They make the perfect cut out cookies with no running, and they taste even better than I expected! Once again, your recipes are always so incredibly tasty, easy, and efficient. Thank you!” – Kara

frosted almond flour sugar cookies with sugar on top.

Why You’ll Love These Almond Flour Sugar Cookies

They’re nourishing. Made with ground almonds, these cookies will actually leave you feeling satisfied. And they taste just as delicious as the kind made with white flour.

They’re an excellent option for special diets. Almond flour is naturally gluten-free and grain-free, and these cookies are made without eggs or dairy, so they are vegan and Paleo, too.

They taste amazing. These cookies are made with both vanilla and almond extract, for extra almond flavor. (My favorite sugar cookies always have a hint of almond in the batter.) The finished cookies are lightly crisp on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Blanched Almond Flour. Almond flour is made from finely ground almonds, but starting with blanched almonds (with the almond skins removed) will give you the best results.
Arrowroot starch. Adding starch to this recipe helps make a cookie that tastes like it was made with all-purpose flour. This also acts as an egg substitute! You can use cornstarch or tapioca starch if you keep one of those on hand, instead.
Maple Syrup. This natural sweetener helps bind the dough and add sweetness.
Coconut Oil. Acts as an alternative to butter for a dairy-free cookie. Use expeller-pressed or refined coconut oil if you’d like your cookies to have zero coconut flavor.
Vanilla & Almond Extract. These flavorings give the sugar cookies the perfect hint of flavor.
Salt. Never skip the salt in a dessert recipe; it makes the overall flavor pop!

almond flour sugar cookie ingredients labeled in glass bowls.

How to Make Almond Flour Sugar Cookies

Step 1:

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, starch, maple syrup, coconut oil, baking powder, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Stir well until the dough looks thick and slightly sticky.

Place the dough in the fridge for 1 hour, or the freezer for 30 minutes, to help it firm up. This step will make it easier to work with if you plan to make cut-out cookies. (You can skip this if you want to flatten dough mounds with your hands directly on the pan.)

almond flour sugar cookie dough mixed in glass bowl.

Step 2:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. You will probably need two baking sheets if you want to bake all the cookies at the same time, but you can easily bake half the batch at a time if you only want to use one baking sheet.

Once the cookie dough has been chilled, place it in the center of a large piece of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough, then roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness with a rolling pin.

Use cookie cutters to cut out several cookies, and wiggle the cutter to release the dough when you’re done. Depending on the size of the cookie cutter you use, you should get roughly 12 to 14 cookies from a single batch. (Or more, if you use small cookie cutters.)

Carefully transfer the cut-outs to the parchment-lined baking sheet, and then roll out the remaining dough again and repeat the process until you’ve created shapes out of the entire batch.

cookie dough rolled out and cut out with cookie cutters.

Step 3:

Bake the cookies in the middle rack of your oven at 350ºF for 8 to 10 minutes. The shorter the cook time, the softer the center of the cookies will be. For crispier cookies, you can bake them for 10 to 12 minutes.

Let the cookies cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes to firm up. Then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Decorate the cookies with your favorite icing (see recipes below) and enjoy them at room temperature. You can store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

almond flour sugar cookies baked on a pan.

If you want to frost these cookies, try one of the frosting options below, or check out my other healthier frosting recipes here on my website.

Honey Sweetened Icing:

2 tablespoons vegan butter, like Miyokos, or soft coconut oil (not melted)
2 tablespoons creamed honey (thick, light colored honey)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt

Stir those 4 ingredients together, and you’ll have a light-colored frosting that looks similar to powdered sugar frosting. This frosting will totally melt if you put it on a hot cookie, and it will NOT harden the way a frosting made with powdered sugar does.

Pink Frosting:

1 tablespoon strawberry puree (see notes below)
1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

To make a strawberry puree, add a handful of fresh strawberries (about 4 ounces) to the blender and add two tablespoons of water, only as much as you need to blend smoothly. Save the rest of the pureed strawberries for a smoothie later.

Add a tablespoon of strawberry puree to a small bowl with the powdered sugar and extract. Stir well until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. You can add more powdered sugar for a thicker texture, and more strawberry puree for a thinner texture.

Classic Powdered Sugar Frosting:

1 cup organic powdered sugar (organic = vegan friendly)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 to 4 teaspoons water, as needed

Stir the ingredients together in a medium bowl, starting with only 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of water. Add more slowly, only as needed. You want this frosting to be on the thicker side, rather than too runny, so the top will eventually harden.

Is almond flour the same as almond meal?

No, almond flour is made from blanched almonds (without skins) while almond meal is made from finely ground whole almonds (so you’ll see flecks of brown skin in the meal). The texture will be different if you use almond meal in this recipe. Check out my almond meal cookies for my favorite way to use almond meal.

Can I omit the arrowroot starch?

I recommend trying the recipe as written for the best results. However, if you’d like to omit the arrowroot starch, you can likely replace it with 1/2 cup more almond flour. In that case, you may need to add 2 more tablespoons of coconut oil, to help the dough stick together, or you can add an egg to this recipe instead of the extra oil, to help with binding. (The cookies will be softer and will spread more when you add an egg; they won’t have the same texture or cut-out ability.)

Can I use coconut flour instead?

No, don’t do it! Coconut flour requires a very different ratio of ingredients. Try my Coconut Flour Cookies if you want to start with a tested recipe.