There’s something magical about a recipe that’s been passed down through generations. For my husband, these soft sugar cookies take him back to his grandmother’s kitchen. Every visit, she would prepare a batch for him and his sisters. We received a copy of the recipe through a family cookbook. I wanted to adapt it to be gluten-free. This way, he could continue to enjoy them.
Adapting a family recipe to be gluten-free is a delicate process. You’re not just changing ingredients—you’re preserving memories. I had never tasted the original version of these cookies. I had to rely on my husband’s taste memories. It became my personal mission to recreate them as closely as possible. It took several rounds of trial and error to get it right. Some batches crumbled too easily, others missed that signature softness. My husband’s feedback was honest and helpful throughout. After years of adjustments, we’re finally happy with the result, and we’re excited to share it with you
This recipe was adapted from the original (gluten-full) recipe for Soft Sugar Cookies by Cora E. Staub, my husband’s great grandmother, and published in the Staub Family Favorites cookbook in 1993 on the occasion of Cora’s 97th birthday. I hope that Grandma Staub would be happy with this gluten-free version of her cookies.
Gluten-Free Soft Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 cups gluten-free cup-for-cup flour
- 4 tsp xantham gum only if your mix does not include xantham gum
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, xantham gum (if using), baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mix, beat together the white and brown sugars and shortening until smooth.
- Add eggs and beat until smooth.
- Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding buttermilk and flour mixture into the egg mixture until combined. The dough will look like a thick pancake batter.
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle, and preheat the oven to 375F.
- Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- Drop by 1 tablespoon cookie scoop onto the prepared cookie sheet. Add gluten-free sugar sprinkles on top of the cookies
- Bake cookies in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes. Check if the cookies are done by looking at bottom, they should be light brown.
- Put the rest of the cookie dough back into the fridge as your first tray bakes.
- Allow cookies to cool on the parchment-lined cookie sheet for 5 minutes after removing from the oven.
- While your cookies are cooling, scoop the next batch of cookies onto the empty tray.
- Transfer the cooled cookies onto a wire rack to cool fully.
- Store these cookies in a container in a single layer with a sheet a parchment in between the layers so they won't stick together.
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