These chewy and soft Paleo sugar cookies are gluten free, dairy free and so chewy and delicious! With these clean, better-for-you ingredients, you won’t even know they’re grain free. They’re perfect for your next party, cookie swap, or just a healthier treat option!
Paleo baking is hard for me. Seriously, I’d be a better NASA astronaut than I would a baker (and I’m not nearly smart enough for the former). Even regular baking isn’t really my jam. I know some people love it, but it’s just too exact for me to enjoy doing frequently. I’m more of a “eh about 1 cup of this, maybe 4 tablespoons of that” kind of girl when it comes to recipes. Which is why my one skillet meals and slow cooker meals are my defaults.
Okay, I’ll get to the point. What I’m saying is that if I can make these, so can you. Granted, it took me a few tries to get it right, but now that it IS, you’ll just mix, roll and bake! Oh, and most importantly, eat.
I made these with cassava flour, which is one of my favorite Paleo flours to use in general. It’s so, SO much better for things like making breaded boneless wings. It’s not as popular as coconut or almond flour, but in my opinion, it’s better. It’s also nut free, which obviously then opens a lot more doors for those with nut allergies who also want a grain free and gluten free flour alternative.
The most important thing to note about these grain free, soft Paleo sugar cookies is that the cookies need to cool almost completely before you start messing with them after they come out of the oven. The cassava flour makes them so soft that they need to cool just a bit more than the average cookie. Then, you’ll be all set to frost them with this vanilla “buttercream” frosting. Or just eat them right off the cookie sheet. No judgements here.
These cookies are made with coconut sugar, which is a great replacement for your regular white or brown sugar in baking. It sounds and tastes a lot like sugar, but it’s glycemic index is dramatically lower (35) compared to standard sugar. This means that your body is much more capable of controlling how fast your cells burn this type of sugar, preventing a sugar spike and sugar crash. I get my coconut sugar on Thrive Market, but it’s widely available at almost all grocery stores now with it’s growing popularity in the health food market today, and among diabetics.
Other Desserts You’ll Love:
Paleo No Bake Layered Berry Cheesecake
No Bake Paleo Banana Cream Pie
PrintPaleo Soft Baked Sugar Cookies (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 egg
- 1 cup cassava flour
- 1/2 cup fine almond flour (can substitute for coconut flour. Do not use almond meal)
- 1/2 cup ghee, unmelted
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Frosting:
- 1 can coconut cream (do not use coconut milk)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly grease a baking sheet
- In a large bowl, mix cassava flour, almond flour, baking powder, coconut sugar and salt together
- Add in ghee, honey, vanilla, and egg and beat until fully combined and dough is sticky and formed
- Roll into 1″ sized balls and place on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between each cookie
- With the palm of your hand, gently press down on each cookie to slightly flatten it (can do this before or immediately after baking)
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely prior to moving!
For the Frosting:
- Chill canned coconut cream in the fridge 12-24 hours prior to use. Pour the coconut cream into a bowl, add maple syrup and vanilla. Beat with a fork or electric mixer until completely smooth and fluffy
Notes
Baking time may vary by oven
Coconut flour and almond flour are a 1:1 substitute
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Becca says
These were so delicious. I didn’t do honey so I did extra sugar and they were too dry so I added an extra egg and they were perfect. So soft with a light crisp on the bottom. I measured the ingredients out before hand and let my 2 toddlers help make them. They loved it.
paleobailey says
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you so much!
Meagan says
These are amazing!!! I had to sub softened butter for the ghee and they turned out perfect. I also added sprinkles to the batter because I wasn’t planning on icing them. They are cheery, colourful and delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Aimee J. says
Very tasty! I subbed the shortening for coconut oil bc that’s what I had. They are soft, delicious pillows! Highly recommend!
JCP says
Isn’t ghee clarified butter? How is this dairy free?
paleobailey says
Hello! The clarification cooking process removes the lactose and casein – the components that trigger milk or lactose allergies. Milk solids are taken out during production, so most with lactose intolerances or mild allergies, including myself, consider this a safe and dairy-free option to regular butter. It’s also acceptable for both Paleo and Whole30, both eating guidelines that do not allow for any dairy. If you know ghee doesn’t work for you, you can google search for a vegan cookie that likely uses vegan butter with a soy base!
Tasha says
I’m not a good baker so I’m always nervous to try anything new but these came out perfectly and I feel so accomplished now haha! Thank you!
Shelby says
These saved my sanity during a very strict diet adjustment for health reasons. I had to modify by taking out the coconut sugar and honey and using xylitol and stevia but THANK YOU for creating and posting this!
Shelby says
Great recipe! I’ve personally never been a huge fan of soft sugar cookies and haven’t missed them since going paleo. But my boyfriend likes them so I thought I’d give them a try. We both loved this recipe! I swapped the ghee for coconut oil and they turned out just fine.
paleobailey says
Thank you so much, Shelby! Really appreciate you taking the time to let me know!
Jen J says
Can I use grass-fed butter (Kerrygold) instead of ghee? Will it turn out similar?
paleobailey says
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be just fine!
Adi says
Hi, My daughter cannot consume ghee on her current diet. Could you suggest an alternative? Thanks!
paleobailey says
Hi there! Without testing with a butter/butter substitute I can’t say for certain what would work. Baking is tricky, so I don’t want to give you the wrong ingredient or measurement 🙂