Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is cream cheese a good substitute for butter in cookies? ›

Can you use cream cheese instead of butter in cookies? Cream cheese will work instead of butter in most cookie recipes! You can even sub in some cream cheese in pie crusts. I would recommend a subbing in half of the butter for cream cheese but in a pinch you can do a full swap out.

Use a Binder

Binders like xanthan gum and guar gum provide structure in gluten-free baking to make up for the missing gluten. This prevents cookies from being too crumbly plus it also helps with freshness.

Another reason is that gluten-free flours, such as almond flour or coconut flour, can behave differently than wheat flour in baking. They may absorb more liquid, for example, which can result in dry or crumbly cookies.

Remember: Xanthan Gum is Your Friend

It might sound scary, but xanthan gum is key for successful gluten-free baking. It helps bind together the ingredients, preventing your cookies from falling to pieces. Be careful to not use too much; no one likes gummy baked goods.

Replacement ratio: 1:1

Cream cheese may change your bake's flavour slightly, so it's best used in savoury dishes where possible.

Store cream cheese cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. While desserts that have a lot of cream cheese (think: cheesecake and cheese pie) should be refrigerated, cookies contain a relatively small amount of cream cheese and are safe to be kept at room temperature.

Using xanthan gum helps provide some of the stickiness that gluten free goods lack, replacing some elasticity. Xanthan gum mimics some of gluten's most essential properties by sticking to flour and its moisture. This helps create moist goods that hold their shape after being baked.

This is because cold dough is less sticky, and it doesn't spread as easily, too. If you're making a gluten-free cookie recipe that you don't want to spread too much (like crinkle cookies), make sure to chill the dough before baking it.

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

As with gluten, this could stop a cookie from spreading too much as it bakes. So I've decided to try adding a hydrocolloid to my gluten-free dough. Some grocery stores sell xanthan gum and guar gum, especially if the stores have a gluten-free aisle. Many gluten-free recipes call for xanthan gum.

Does gluten-free flour taste different in cookies? ›

Baking with gluten-free flour will produce some slight differences in taste or texture. Millet flour tends to have a mild flavor while buckwheat flour lends itself to a more earthy taste. In addition, quinoa flour has a nutty flavor and bean flour can actually sometimes taste like beans.

Instead of proceeding directly to baking, let the gluten-free cookie dough rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. This resting period is crucial for hydration, not leavening. During this time, gluten-free flours absorb moisture from the wet ingredients, altering the dough's texture and consistency.

Flours like quinoa, rice, almond, coconut, or sorghum can also be the base for delicious baked goods but generally cannot be substituted one-for-one in recipes written for all-purpose flour. Instead, look for recipes that have been tested and call for these or other gluten-free flours outright.

Vegetable and Canola Oils: These are some of the most common butter substitutes. These budget-friendly options usually don't taste like much, so you don't have to worry about them affecting the flavor of your finished product. Olive Oil: Olive oil produces light baked goods with subtle notes of fruit.

It's simple to do. Soften the cream cheese just as you would do with the butter. Cream the cream cheese together with whatever sugar you're using. Then just follow the rest of your recipe.

So for 1 cup of salted butter, trade 1 cup margarine or 1 cup shortening plus ½ teaspoon salt; ⅞ cup vegetable oil plus ½ teaspoon salt; or ⅞ cup lard plus ½ teaspoon salt.