Allergen-Friendly Cookie Recipes for Your Holiday Baking!

No need for those with certain food allergies to miss out on all of the holiday cookie-baking fun! You never know - Santa may have a food allergy, too! Try our allergen-friendly alternatives to these classic cookies.

Here’s a little spin on the popular peanut butter cookie, using sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter.

Sunflower Seed Butter Cookies

Yields: 4 dozen

Ingredients:

2 cups sunflower seed butter 2 cups granulated sugar 2 eggs 3 teaspoons sea salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix sunflower seed butter, sugar, and eggs; stir until mixture thickens.
3. Roll dough into tablespoon size balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
4. Using a fork, press a criss-cross pattern into each ball, and top evenly with sea salt.
5. Bake until cookies puff up slightly, about 10 minutes.

Note: Cookies may not turn noticeably golden brown when done.

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These Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies are egg-free, and gluten-free flour is used instead of all-purpose flour.

Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies

Yields: 20 gingerbread men

Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine ½ cup sugar ½ cup unsulphured molasses 2¼ cups gluten-free flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ½ tablespoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg

Preparation:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter or margarine.
2. Add the sugar and molasses and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture no longer feels gritty. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool until lukewarm.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the lukewarm butter mixture into the well.
5. Beat to blend until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead 3 or 4 times on a lightly floured surface, until smooth.
7. Wrap the dough well and refrigerate until thoroughly cool. (The dough can be prepared several days in advance.)
8. Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, and wrap in plastic. Let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours.
9. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease or line 2 cookie sheets.
10. Working with one portion of the dough at a time, roll out to ¼ inch thick.
11. Cut out cookies using a 4- or 5-inch-tall gingerbread man cookie cutter and arrange about 1½ inches apart on the cookie sheet.
12. Bake 1 sheet at a time until the edges of the cut-outs have barely darkened, 7 to 10 minutes.
13. Decorate as desired.

Note: After refrigerating, if the dough feels too soft to roll out, work in a tiny bit more flour.

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Traditional sugar cookies can also be gluten-free.

Sugar Cookies

Yields: 4 dozen

Ingredients:

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 2 eggs 3¹/₃ cups gluten-free flour

Preparation:

1. Combine butter, sugar and vanilla in mixer bowl; cream with paddle attachment until fluffy and very light in color.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
3. Reduce to slowest speed and gradually add flour until dough forms.
4. Using parchment paper, make logs of dough about 2 inches in diameter and wrap up with paper. Twist on both ends and freeze for later use.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F.
6. Remove paper and cut frozen dough into ¼ -inch thick cookies.
7. Lay out cookies on parchment paper-lined sheet trays (about 20 cookies per tray).
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are golden brown on the bottom.