Rice Flour Sugar Cookies – Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

If you’ve made shortbread cookies, then you’ve probably used rice flour in those cookies. Rice flour gives the cookies that crumbly melt in the mouth texture very similar to what cornstarch does. My mom made these often but I had not made them for many years.

Recently, a friend asked me to give her a gluten-free cookie with no eggs. And of course, she wanted to decorate them. That means frosted gluten-free sugar cookies.

I love a challenge, so I did a couple of tests with my mom’s recipe to make these like sugar cookies, flat and perfect for frosting. Guess what, they were perfect every single time. Also, I loved how easy the recipe is.

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)

• Unsalted butter – I like to use unsalted butter in all my baking so I can control the amount of salt. And yet, if you must use salted butter omit the salt in the recipe.
• Rice flour- You can find rice flour in most supermarkets these days. However, be aware of rice flour from the Asian markets. Often they have glutinous rice flour which does not work fo these cookies.
• Cornstarch – Also known as cornflour – I never miss an opportunity to add starch, cornflour, rice flour, semolina. These add a nice crumbly melt in the mouthfeel. It also lightens the cookie. 
• Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar. When looking for powdered sugar always buy one made from cane sugar, not beet sugar. You will find that the buttercream made from cane sugar does not have a grainy consistency.
• Vanilla extract – I like using vanilla extract. And yet, it also tends to color the dough. So, if you need a white or plain white dough, add clear vanilla extract or rose essence. Having said that, always use a good quality vanilla extract. I know it’s expensive which is why I make my vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste as well as vanilla sugar.

Useful Tips and Tools

• I’m not a slave to mixers. And yet, when you need some good creaming I have to insist that you use the K-Mix or Kitchen Aid.
• A good baking tray is always important. Try using a light colored baking tray baking tray. Another option is to line the baking tray with parchment paper.
• If you aren’t going to fill or decorate these cookies, a regular rolling pin will work just fine. And yet, a cookie rolling pin has the side spacers that will also help you with rolling. So all your cookies are leveled and bake evenly too.
• Also, it is really important to cool cookies completely on all sides as soon as they come out of the oven. So take them off the baking tray to prevent them from cooking further and place them on an cooking rack so they air circulates on all sides. This prevents steam from going back into the cookie thus keeping them crispy not soggy.
• Always bake cookies on the center rack of your oven. If you have more than one tray simply bake them one at a time. You can bake two trays at the same time, and yet this can lead to some of the cookies in the bottom tray spreading too much. Also, you can rotate the trays during the baking. This is helpful with some cookies.
• Most cookies usually bake between 10 to 12 minutes. It took me about 10 minutes. Since cookies bake quickly they can also get over-baked. This is due to our tendency to get distracted at the last minute. Hence, my solution is a kitchen timer that is always set to 10 minutes. I turn it on as soon as I place the cookies in the oven. This has saved me many cookies since my kids always keep me busy.

How to Make Rice Flour Sugar Cookies, Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies (Save/Pin)

• Cream vegetable shortening or butter and sugar until smooth.
• Add vanilla, cornstarch, and salt – combine well.
• Lastly, add the rice flour in two batches – and combine well.
• If the dough feels too dry – add one or two tablespoons water.
• Divide the dough into two discs.
• Wrap in plastic and let chill in the fridge until firm enough to roll – about an hour.

Roll and bake cookies

• Preheat the oven at 170 C/ 340 F
• Roll the dough on a lightly dusted surface (use rice flour).
• Cut out cookies using a cookie cutter.
• Transfer them to a parchment-lined baking tray.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges just start to get a slight color.
• These cookies are white even after baking, so it’s very easy to overbake them.
• When done, remove onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Then, transfer to an airtight cookie jar.
• These cookies will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Frequently asked questions

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Rice Flour Sugar Cookies (naturally gluten-free)

Author: Veena Azmanov

5 from 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 12 mins

Chilling Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 1 hr 22 mins

Calories: 192kcal

$5

Adjust Servings Here: 12 cookies

Description

These rice flour sugar cookies are also gluten-free sugar cookies because rice flour is naturally gluten-free. Also, the recipe has no eggs, so the color of these cookies is white. As kids, we called them 'snow white cookies'. Just like sugar cookies, these rice flour sugar cookies are crisp and crumbly. They hold their shape well and can be used to make beautifully frosted cookies.

Equipment /Tools

• Stainless steel mixing bowl
• Spatula
• Baking Tray
• French Rolling Pin
• Baking Tray
• Cookie cutters

Ingredients

• 113 grams (3.99 oz) Vegetable Shortening or butter
• 90 grams (0.75 cups) Powdered sugar
• 1 tsp (1 tsp) Vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) Cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp (1/4 tsp) Salt
• 250 grams (1.56 cups) Rice flour
• 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) Water if necessary

ADJUST SERVINGS HERE – 12 cookies

Instructions

• Cream butter and sugar until smooth.
• Add vanilla, cornstarch, and salt – combine well.
• Lastly, add the rice flour in two batches – and combine well.
• If the dough feels too dry – add one or two tablespoons water.
• Divide the dough into two discs.
• Wrap in plastic and let chill in the fridge until firm enough to roll – about an hour.

ROLL AND BAKE COOKIES

• Preheat the oven at 170 C/ 340 F
• Roll the dough on a lightly dusted surface (use rice flour).
• Cut out cookies using a cookie cutter.
• Transfer them to a parchment-lined baking tray.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges just start to get a slight color.
• These cookies are white even after baking so it’s very easy to overbake them.
• When done, remove onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Then, transfer to an airtight cookie jar.
• These cookies will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe Video

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Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Rice Flour Sugar Cookies (naturally gluten-free)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 192 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Sodium 49mg2%

Potassium 16mg0%

Carbohydrates 25g8%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 1g2%

Calcium 2mg0%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

Keywords – cookies, gluten-free, Holiday, sugar cookies

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