Vegan Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies

Every holiday season, I usually bake the same set of vegan gluten-free Christmas cookies because they're all family favourites. They're all traditional cookies you're familiar with, converted to vegan + gluten-free.

Most of the recipes below are always made throughout December. There are many, so I have to pace myself, although, you can never have too many vegan Christmas cookies and treats around during the holidays, right?

All of the vegan gluten-free holiday cookies I'm sharing here are delicious, easy and quick to make, and pretty to look at. Hopefully, you'll find some new festive staples to make every year.

In addition to the recipes, I've also included some helpful info on equipment and ingredients to have on hand, tips for successful cookie baking, and FAQ to make your vegan gluten-free Christmas baking stress-free.

• Mixing bowls
• Wooden spoons
• Digital kitchen scale
• Measuring cups (dry and wet)
• Measuring spoons
• Cookie scoops (using makes your cookies have a uniform size and make cookie making quicker, start with a medium scoop, the one you'll use most often, and then add a small scoop and a large scoop when you can)
• Cookie cutters (to make fun shapes when making cut-out cookies)
• Baking sheets (having at least two will make baking your batches quick)
• Parchment paper (this will make your cookie sheets non-stick if they aren't already and will help make cleanup quicker)
• An electric hand mixer or a stand mixer (for recipes that require you to cream vegan butter and sugar together, this makes things go quicker, but they are not necessary for baking cookies, just nice to have)
• Airtight containers for storage and for gifting

Are you new to vegan gluten-free baking? If so, be sure to read all of my vegan gluten-free baking tips!

• gluten-free flour blend (all gluten-free flour blends work differently, they are not all interchangeable. Always purchase the one that the recipe you're making calls for. Popular brands include Bob's Red Mill, King Arthur, etc.)
• almond flour
• oat flour
• vegan butter (use vegan butter that comes in sticks, not the type that comes in containers)
• coconut oil
• chocolate chips (learn which brands make vegan chocolate chips by reading this article: "Are Chocolate Chips Vegan.")
• dried cranberries
• cocoa powder (learn which brands make vegan cocoa powder by reading this article: "Is Cocoa Powder Vegan?")
• flax seeds (to make a flax egg to replace eggs)
• organic cane sugar (not all sugar is vegan, organic sugar is always vegan)
• coconut sugar
• brown sugar
• molasses
• candy canes (learn which brands make vegan candy canes by reading this article: "Are Candy Canes Vegan?")
• xanthan gum
• vanilla extract
• almond extract
• orange extract

Have a look through all of my easy homemade vegan drinks for some festive recipes to make and enjoy alongside your cookies!

Tips for Success

• Measure and have all your ingredients ready to go before starting. This will make the process run smoothly, quickly, and easily.
• Give yourself enough time. Whether you're an experienced baker or not, rushing through a recipe is never a good idea, especially if you're going to be making multiple batches of cookies.
• Have all your ingredients at room temperature unless otherwise stated in the recipe.
• Measure your flour correctly. Too much will make your cookie dough too dry and very crumbly resulting in cookies that are also dry and crumbly. Please read my article about how to measure flour correctly. This tip also applies to all other ingredients, make sure to measure them accurately to get the best results. I highly recommend using a scale (this is the scale I own (Amazon Link).
• Use the EXACT gluten-free flour or flour blend the recipe calls for. All vegan gluten-free flours are not equal and they all perform differently in recipes. To avoid any recipe mishaps, please always use the flour the recipe calls for. For more about this, please read my Vegan Gluten-Free Baking Tips article.
• If you're recipe calls for softened vegan butter, make sure it's still slightly cool to the touch before starting. Softened butter will blend better and easier with the sugars. Make sure that it's not TOO soft (or melted!) or your cookies will spread too much while baking. To make sure your butter is at the right temperature, lightly press your finger into the butter. If it leaves a shallow indent, your butter is at the perfect temperature. If your finger sinks into the butter with barely any effort, your butter is too soft. Refrigerate it until it has firmed up.

Want more cookies? Be sure to look through this list to see all of my vegan gluten-free cookie recipes!

Tips for Success (continued)

• Use a cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough. This will result in uniform-sized cookies so they all bake evenly. Using a scoop also makes this step quicker and easier.
• Resist the urge to bake the cookies longer even if they look underbaked. Always follow the baking time stated in the recipe. The cookies will continue to bake and firm up after they have been removed from the oven.
• If your cookie recipe calls for resting time after they've been removed from the oven, don't skip that step! Many vegan gluten-free cookies are very soft and fragile right after baking. They continue to bake as they rest and will firm up as they cool.
• If the recipe you're making calls for royal icing, make this easy vegan royal icing recipe.
• Read the recipe posts from top to bottom before you start. There are always lots of tips and tricks so you get things right. Also read through the actual recipe before getting started.
• Follow the recipes exactly as they are written for the very best results.

Want more Christmas recipes? Be sure to look through my vegan gluten-free Christmas recipes and vegan gluten-free Christmas desserts!

Christmas Cookie FAQ