Oat Flour Sugar Cookies are a delicious option when you need a gluten-free holiday cookie. They are quick & easy to prepare, and are fun to cut-out into shapes and decorate!
Why You’ll Love Them
They taste amazing. These gluten-free sugar cookies are just as delicious as the kind made with all-purpose flour. You can stir the dough together in just minutes!
They are easy to decorate. Oat flour creates a cookie dough that is easy to work with, so you can cut these cookies into fun shapes for holiday decorating.
They are simple to make. No complicated ingredients required! Oat flour is made from ground oats, so you can even make it at home to save yourself a trip to the store. It has a very similar texture to all-purpose flour, so it creates a chewy texture without relying on multiple flours.
They are easy to customize. This recipe calls for almond extract for extra flavor, but you can leave that out if you need a nut-free cookie. You can also make these dairy-free and vegan, if you need to! (See the substitution tips below.)
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in oat flour cookies?
- Oat flour
- Sugar
- Butter (or coconut oil)
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract (helps hide the oat flavor)
- Baking powder
- Salt
You can easily make this recipe dairy-free by using coconut oil instead of butter, and you can use any variety of granulated sugar that you prefer. I used white sugar for these photos, to keep the cookies light in color, but coconut sugar will work, too, if you don’t mind a darker hue to your sugar cookies.
Wondering if you can use another flour? Check out my Almond Flour Sugar Cookies, if you need another gluten-free alternative. (Don’t use another flour, without expecting different results.)
How to Make Oat Flour Sugar Cookies
1. Cream the butter & sugar.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix well.
Add in the the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and stir again, until the mixture looks smooth.
2. Add in the dry ingredients.
Next, add in the oat flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir well, until the dough comes together and looks uniform.
Place the dough in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes, if you want to make cut-out shapes. (The dough will become quite hard if you leave it in the fridge longer, so keep that in mind if you want to make them ahead. It will soften up with time again, though!)
3. Cut-out the cookies.
Arrange a large piece of parchment paper on your counter, and set the chilled dough in the center of it. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough, then use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a flat sheet, about a 1/4-inch thick.
Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut-out the cookie dough. Remove the excess dough, and transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat the process, rolling out the scraps again, until you’ve used all of the cookie dough.
You should get roughly 20 to 24 cookies from this batch, depending on the size of your cookie cutters.
4. Bake.
Arrange the cookies at least 2 inches apart from each other on the lined baking sheet, then bake at 350ºF for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on how crispy you like them. I prefer soft sugar cookies, so I pull them out of the oven at the 7-minute mark, and then let them finish cooling directly on the pan. They will firm up as they cool.
For crispier sugar cookies, let them bake for 10 minutes, then let them cool on the pan.
5. Decorate.
As soon as the cookies are completely cool, you can decorate them with your favorite frosting and sprinkles.
Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or store them in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze cookies for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can replace the butter in this recipe with vegan butter or coconut oil. Swap the egg for a psyllium egg (1 tablespoon of whole psyllium husk mixed with a 1/4 cup water) or a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water).
This recipe will work best using a granulated sugar (not pure maple syrup– I already tried!), but you can use any granulated sugar you keep on hand, including brown sugar, or coconut sugar for a refined sugar free version. I’m not sure how a sugar-free substitute would work, but feel free to experiment with your favorite type!
Yes, just use half the amount in that case.
Looking for more cookie recipes? Try Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, Banana Oatmeal Cookies, or Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies for more ideas.
Oat Flour Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter , softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ¾ cups oat flour (certified gluten-free, if needed)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Powdered Sugar Frosting (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 to 4 teaspoons water , as needed to thin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix well.
- Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and mix again until smooth.
- Next, add in the oat flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir well, until the dough looks thick and uniform. Place the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes. (The dough will become quite firm if you leave it in the fridge longer, but it will soften as it comes to room temperature again.)
- Arrange a large piece of parchment paper on your work surface, and place the cookie dough in the center. Place another piece of parchment paper over the top, then use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a sheet, about a 1/4-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes, and remove the excess dough.
- Transfer the cut-out cookies to the prepared baking sheet, keeping the cookies about 1 inch apart from each other to allow for a bit of spreading. Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on how crisp you like them. (I stick to 7 minutes for softer centers.)
- Let the cookies cool on the pan until they feel firm enough to handle, about 10 to 15 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, and bake any remaining cookies using the baking sheet again.
- As soon as the cookies are cool, you can decorate them with your favorite frosting. To make a powdered sugar frosting, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and almond extract, and about 3 to 4 teaspoons of water, as needed to thin out the texture. Spread the frosting on the cookies, and add any sprinkles you like while the frosting is still wet. (It will eventually harden as it rests.)
- Serve the cookies at room temperature, or store them in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to serve them. They will keep well in the fridge for up to a week, or store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try these Oat Flour Sugar Cookies, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them!
These cookies are a holiday staple in our house! The dough is so easy to make – my kids love to help mix it! The flavor is wonderful. Plus, it was easy to use with the cookie cutters. We had a great time decorating!
Hi Megan,
This recipe looks great! I’m sensitive to almond – could you suggest an alternative to almond extract?
Thanks!
Allison
hey in my experience just leaving almond out works fantastic too
This cookies are fantastic. Easy to make and taste delicious. Thank you for sharing!