Red Hot Cookies Recipe

These red hot cookies are both so delicious! Everyone will love how buttery and soft they are and nobody will EVER know they are gluten-free.

Our gluten-free red hot sugar cookie recipe is delicious and great any time of year, especially Valentine's Day or Christmas. We love to make them in our house and I know you will love to as well!

You are going to love this delicious gluten-free red hot sugar cookie recipe. It is a sweet sugar cookie with red hots on top, giving the cookies their name.

The amazing red colors of the candy really make the cookies pop. Making these cookies is a great way to celebrate the season of love and the winter holidays.

Sugar cookies always make me think of the holiday season and I love their delicious aroma. It just smells like Christmas to me!

For all of the best gluten-free Christmas recipes, you have to check our round-up post. All the delicious gluten free Christmas cookies you should try is there in one place for you. Here are some more gluten free desserts as well.

We served them at our Jingle and Mingle holiday party and I was so honored when everyone said that they were the BEST sugar cookies they have ever had. Nobody could believe they were gluten-free! 

If you want to throw your own holiday party, you should check out our Christmas Party Ideas post. It has everything you need to throw a super fun party.

A tasty holiday mocktail would go great with these scrumptious cookies. We have a whole list of Christmas mocktails that are fantastic for the holiday season.

One of my favorites is our gingerbread martini mocktail which also goes great with any of these easy Christmas cookie recipes with few ingredients.

What you need to make them

You will find this recipe simple and tasty. I love the spicy cinnamon flavor the Red Hot candies give these cookies. If you love candy and cookies, our gluten free stained glass cookies are great as well.

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour & Almond Flour

Sometimes I like to use a gluten-free flour mixture, but for this recipe, gluten-free all-purpose flour works perfectly. We really like King Arthur's gluten-free blend. The almond flour gives these cookies a nice texture too.

Regular flour works as well for this recipe. We use gluten-free because I have celiac disease. To learn more about gluten-free baking, check out our gluten-free flour and starches post.

Red Hot Candy

Red Hots are the most important ingredient of this recipe. Without Red Hots, you won't have Red Hot cookies! My kids have a lot of fun crushing up the Red Hots for these cookies.

How to make them

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add egg, vanilla and almond extracts
• In another large bowl, combine remaining ingredients then slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until well combined
• Refrigerate cookie dough for 1 hour
• Heavily flour your work surface with white rice flour (you don't need too much flour, but you will want enough to be able to work the dough)
• Place half the dough on to surface and top with more white rice flour then roll out dough with a rolling pin and cut out shapes with cookie cutters
• Gently place cookies on a greased (I like using nonstick cooking spray) or silicone mat lined baking sheet (I use a spatula)
• Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until slightly golden brown
• Cool on cookie sheet 3-5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack
• Continue with the remaining dough
• While all the cookies are cooling, whip together butter, powdered sugar and red hot candies to make a delicious red hot frosting
• Top tip: Make sure to scrape sides of the bowl to get all of the frosting. Trust me, you'll want every last taste
• Frost the cookies once they are completely cooled. Put them on a large plate to display and enjoy!

Need an EASY and delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert?
Take a look at my Sheet Pan Meals and More!

NEED MORE GOODNESS? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter for great recipes, entertaining ideas and more!

Red Hot Cookies

4.96 from 22 votes

These red hot cookies are both so delicious! Everyone will love how buttery and soft they are and nobody will EVER know they are gluten-free.

Our gluten-free red hot sugar cookie recipe is delicious and great any time of year, especially Valentine's Day. We love to make them in our house and I know you will love to as well!

PRINT RECIPE SaveSaved!

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Course: cookies, Sweet Treats

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten free sugar cookies, soft cookie recipe, sugar cookies

Servings: 36 cookies

Calories: 231kcal

Author: Chandice Probst

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ⅓ cups butter softened
• ▢ 1 ½ cups sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 3 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (King Arthur gluten-free blend is my favorite, regular flour works as well)
• ▢ ½ cup almond flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder

Red Hot Frosting

• ▢ ½ cup butter softened
• ▢ 4 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoon(s) milk as needed to get the consistency you want
• ▢ ¼ cup completely crushed red hot candies

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add egg, vanilla and almond extracts
• In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients then slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until well combined
• Refrigerate dough for 1 hour
• Heavily flour your work surface with white rice flour and place half the dough on to surface and top with more white rice flour
• Roll out dough and cut out shapes with cookie cutters
• Gently place cookies on a greased or silicone mat lined baking sheet (I use a spatula)
• Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until slightly golden brown
• Cool on pan 3-5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack
• Continue with the other half of the dough
• While all the cookies are cooling, whip together butter, powdered sugar and red hot candies to make a delicious red hot frosting
• Frost the cookies once they are completely cooled

Notes

Because of how buttery and delicious these cookies are, they are a bit more fragile. Just use lots of white rice flour on the surface you are working on as well as on top of the dough when rolling it out.

Top tip: Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get all of the frosting. Trust me, you'll want every last taste

How to store leftovers

Allow the cookies to reach room temperature before storing the leftover cookies. Place them in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer of cookies so they don't stick together. They can sit on the counter for 3-4 days.

Can you freeze them?

Absolutely! Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature first. Then, put them in a freezer-safe bag. You can freeze them with the frosting on, but I usually like to have fresh frosting. It doesn't take long at all to make the frosting for this recipe. They will last 3-6 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 290IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.2mg

This post was originally posted on December 7, 2018 but has been updated with new tips and information on November 17, 2022. Here is the original photo...