These Small Batch Sugar Cookies are eggless sugar cookies that are also gluten free, nut free and can easily be vegan! They're soft and sweet and take less than an hour from start to finish. The perfect recipe for when you only need a few sugary treats!
A small batch of sugar cookies is sometimes exactly what you need! This recipe makes 6 large or 12 small and only requires 15 minutes of chill time, just like my Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies!
The first day these cookies are soft and chewy in the middle with crisp edges. Once stored in an airtight container, the cookies are soft throughout. If you're looking for sugar cookies to use with cookie cutters, try my Cut Out Sugar Cookies!
If you're looking for more sugar cookie recipes try Sprinkle Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies, Sugar Cookies with Chocolate and Apple Cinnamon Cookies.
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Reasons to Love these Cookies
- Allergy Friendly- These cookies are gluten free, nut free, egg free and can easily be dairy free (vegan).
- Soft & Chewy- These cookies are the most perfect texture.
- Covered in Sugar- The sugar coating gives a nice sweetness!
- Quick Chill Time- You only need to chill the dough for 15 minutes in the freezer!
- Small Batch- This recipe only makes 6 delicious treats just like with my Small Batch Brownies!
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Flour- If you also have nut allergies, make sure to use a brand that’s made in a nut free facility. I really love to use this one because it’s nut safe but it does contain dairy.
- Milk of Choice- If there are no dairy allergies or if you’re not vegan, you can use regular whole milk. For non dairy, use a non dairy milk of your choosing.
- Unsalted Butter or Vegan Baking Sticks- Don’t use melted; the cookies will spread.
- Cornstarch and Water- These cookies have no egg so this mixture helps bind everything together.
- Sugar- For this recipe we use regular granulated sugar.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
How to make these Cookies Vegan
- Use a gluten free flour that’s free from dairy.
- Make sure to use vegan baking sticks instead of butter.
- Only use a non dairy milk of choice.
This recipe has not been tested with these substitutions and/or variations due to celiac disease and food allergies. If you change any of the ingredients, please let us know how the recipe turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Small Batch Sugar Cookies
Here are the step by step instructions to make these cookies!
Step 1: Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Cornstarch Water
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the cornstarch and water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first. Set aside.
Step 3: Beat the Butter/Vegan Baking Stick and Sugar
In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter or vegan baking stick and ¾ cups of the granulated sugar until it is soft and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Mix the Wet Ingredients
Slowly beat the cornstarch water mixture, the vanilla and milk into the creamed butter and sugar. It will look chunky.
Step 5: Beat in the Dry Ingredients
Slowly beat in the dry ingredients until just combined.
Step 6: Chill the Dough and Preheat the Oven
Pop the entire bowl of dough in the freezer for 15 min.
While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 325 degrees fahreinheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 7: Scoop the Dough
For the cookies, use an ice cream scoop to scoop the dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
Step 8: Roll in Sugar
Roll each dough ball in the ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Coat completely.
Step 9: Bake the Cookies
Place dough balls about 3-4 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 minutes.
Immediately reshape the cookies into a circle with a spatula when they come out of the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack.
If you don't let them cool on the baking sheet, the cookies will break apart into a giant mess.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use Room Temperature Butter- Using butter that’s room temperature is great when making these cookies. However, make sure you DO NOT melt the butter. These cookies have no egg in them and already have a tendency to want to spread out when baking. If you use melted butter, the cookies will be a giant mess.
- Chill the Dough- I know this seems like a step you could skip if you’re in a rush but please don’t. Cookies without eggs spread way more than cookies with eggs. If you don’t chill the dough for at least 15 minutes in the freezer, the cookies will spread and be flat and thin.
- Reshape the Cookies- If you want your cookies nice and round, reshape them as soon as they comes out of the oven. Use a spatula to push them back into a circle shape or use a large circle cookie cutter. If using a cookie cutter, place it over the cookies and rotate quickly in a circle.
Recipe FAQs
The main way is to chill that dough.
Second, make sure you do NOT grease your baking sheet. Only use parchment paper or a silicone mat with no grease.
Yes!
If doing so, make sure to chill the dough in the fridge for 30 min prior to baking.
Brown sugar has more moisture than granulated and will make them more likely to spread out even though they will stay softer longer.
Yes.
There is no egg in these cookies to hold everything together when they're heated in the oven.
If you don’t chill the dough, the cookies will spread in the oven into a mess.
If you want your cookies nice and round, reshape them as soon as they come out of the oven.
Use a spatula to push them back into a circle shape or use a large circle cookie cutter.
If using a cookie cutter, place it over the cookies and rotate quickly in a circle.
You can make the dough the night before. Keep it shaped in a disc, wrapped in plastic and place in a zip top bag.
If doing this, there is no need to chill it again, prior to baking.
Yes! You can use a small cookie scoop.
Bake the cookies at the same temperature but for 11 minutes. Reshape as needed. Should make around 12 cookies.
I think the cookies are sweet enough as they are but yes of course you can add frosting if you desire!
I think they would taste lovely with my vanilla frosting, strawberry frosting, my lemon frosting or even my chocolate frosting!
If frosting them, make sure the cookies are completely cool prior to doing so.
Storing and Freezing
Storing
I recommend eating all these small batch sugar cookies the first day. Trust me...you won't have any issues with accomplishing this!
But if you have any left over, once the cookies have cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
If you want them warm and soft, heat the cookie in the microwave for a few seconds prior to serving.
Freezing
You can freeze the dough of these small batch sugar cookies.
Simply wrap the dough in a disc in plastic wrap then pop it in a zip top bag and freeze.
You can keep the dough frozen for up to 30 days.
Thaw the dough in the fridge the night prior to using.
Other Small Batch Recipes You'll Love
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @laneandgreyfare and follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube! Enjoy!!!
📖 Recipe
Small Batch Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten free 1:1 flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1.5 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon milk of choice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar , for rolling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, the baking powder and the kosher salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the cornstarch and water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand held mixer, beat the room temperature butter or vegan baking stick and the ¾ cup sugar until soft and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in the cornstarch water mixture. Then beat in the vanilla and milk. The mixture might look slightly chunky and that’s ok.
- Still on low speed, beat the gluten free flour mixture into the wet ingredients, a little at a time until just combined.
- Once combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula.
- Pop the bowl of dough in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Take the bowl of dough out of the freezer. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough out into 6 scoops.
- Drop the dough ball into the remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar and coat completely.
- Make sure to space the cookies at least 3 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies in the middle rack for 13 minutes or until golden brown on the bottoms. Carefully use a cookie spatula to check.
- When the cookies come out of the oven, reshape. Immediately use a spatula to push the cookies back into a circle shape or use a large circle cookie cutter. If using a cookie cutter, place it over the cookies and rotate quickly in a circle.
- Do not take the cookies off the baking sheet for 5 minutes. If you try, they will fall apart. After 5 minutes, transfer cookies to a cooling rack and enjoy!
Donna
Great recipe. My grandchildren loved them
Lee
So glad!!
Steve
Easy to make and enjoyed by all!
Jennifer Hickey
Another amazing gluten free recipe! Successfully doubled it and decided to roll the dough in sprinkles for the Christmas season! Loved them!
Lee
That sounds like an amazing idea! Thanks so much!!!
Liberty
I accidentally put 4 stars but meant to put 5!!
If you’re thinking about it, JUST DO IT!! It’s so easy and they’re the most amazing cookies I’ve ever had! I’m trying to eat less gluten because I’ve always had really bad bloating and I’m so happy I found Lane and Grey Fare! The texture of these cookies is perfect. I love a chewy cookie. Don’t forget to re shape them after they come out of the oven though!
Lee
Thank you so so much!!!! SO glad!
Maddie
Can I put egg in this instead of corn starch?
Lee
Hi Maddie! Sadly, I cannot test this recipe with eggs due to my son's severe allergy. It actually took me years to try to mimic the texture of a cookie with eggs, so I am not truly sure what adding one would do. If you wanted to try, it's a bit of an ordeal because it wouldn't even be 1 egg. It would be half an egg so you'd have to crack and egg, whisk it up, measure how much that is and then only use half the liquid egg. If you want to try, I would use packed cups of flour (126 grams plus 2 tablespoons), no cornstarch water mixture, half the egg and no milk. Hope it works! Sorry I can't be of more help!
Jo
These look delicious. I am not sure why I would use gluten-free flour to make these vegan (as suggested). Wheat flour is plant based and should be vegan. Can you suggest an equivalency for regular all-purpose flour to be used in this recipe?
Lee
Hi Jo. I am a gluten free blogger. All of the recipes here are gluten free. I have a lot of followers that have dairy allergies, so in each recipe I suggest how to make my recipes vegan. In addition, if you check out the "substitutions and variations" section of this blog post, I explain how to make them with all purpose flour. Hope this helps!