Soft and chewy, and super bright and colorful, these gluten-free Mexican Sugar Cookies are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face!
Make this easy sugar cookie recipe that’s inspired by the bright colors of traditional Mexican cookies for your next special occasion.
Why This Mexican Sugar Cookie Recipe is So Good
- Traditional Flavors: Mexican sugar cookies, called polvorones, are not much different from other sugar cookie recipes. These cookies are flavored with vanilla extract just like they should be.
- Bright, Fun Colors: What makes these cookies Mexican-inspired is the vibrant colors. In Mexico, sugar cookies are often tinted pink (polvorones rosas), yellow, or any other color imaginable!
- Make them gluten-free: We tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free baking flour, but you can use regular All-Purpose flour or any 1:1 substitute you prefer.
Tips and Tricks for Making Mexican Sugar Cookies
- You might or might not need Xanthan gum. If you’re baking with traditional flour or a gluten-free flour that already includes xanthan gum, then you don’t need to add any. If your flour lacks this important gluten-free baking ingredient, you’ll want to add it.
- For food coloring, I suggest using gel or paste food colors. Liquid food coloring won’t give you the saturated colors that you see here.
- You can use regular butter or vegan butter to bake Mexican sugar cookies. I have not tested this recipe with a flax egg just yet, but you can try it if you’d like to make these cookies vegan, too. It works well in our Vegan Pumpkin Cookies recipe.
- These cookies are just as delicious with no food coloring at all, or made in any color you can imagine! Sprinkles make them extra fun, too.
- Don’t overbake these. When you pull them out of the oven, they will be just undercooked. They’ll finish cooking as they cool.
- Expanded out into other themed cookies! I want to make these Mexican Shortbread Cookies gluten-free! It looks delish!
There are so many choices when it comes to gluten-free flours. We typically use a gluten-free all-purpose flour. We have found that Bob’s Red Mill (blue bag) Gluten Free Cup for Cup works well with our recipes. It is essential to get the BLUE bag and not the red bag.
More Easy and Fun Dessert Recipes
All of these desserts are gluten-free, and many are vegan too!
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Mexican Sugar Cookies
Soft and chewy, and super bright and colorful, these gluten-free Mexican Sugar Cookies are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face!
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum until well combined.
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In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth.
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Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.
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Sieve or sift in the flour mixture and fold everything together.
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Divide the mixture evenly between three smaller bowls.
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Add a few drops of red food coloring to one bowl, yellow to the second and blue to the third. Mix each bowlful well. Then chill the mixtures in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Roll the colored mixtures into large balls and dip them in the extra sugar. Each color should make about 4 balls. Place the cookie balls on the prepared baking sheets.
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Bake for 12-14 minutes.
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Leave on the baking sheets for approx. 10 minutes before using a spatula to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
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- You might or might not need Xanthan gum. If you’re baking with traditional flour or a gluten-free flour that already includes xanthan gum, then you don’t need to add any. If your flour lacks this important gluten-free baking ingredient, you’ll want to add it.
-
- For food coloring, I suggest using gel or paste food colors. Liquid food coloring won’t give you the saturated colors that you see here.
-
- You can use regular butter or vegan butter to bake Mexican sugar cookies. I have not tested this recipe with a flax egg just yet, but you can try it if you’d like to make these cookies vegan, too. It works well in our Vegan Pumpkin Cookies recipe.
-
- These cookies are just as delicious with no food coloring at all, or made in any color you can imagine! Sprinkles make them extra fun, too.
-
- Don’t overbake these. When you pull them out of the oven, they will be just undercooked. They’ll finish cooking as they cool.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 large cookieCalories: 204kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 139mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 2gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 335IUCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg