Easy Gluten-free Spritz Cookies
These gluten-free spritz cookies are perfectly buttery, light, and simple to make! They’re also dairy-free and AIP.
Spritz cookies are one of my new favorite holiday cookies, and they win by both taste and aesthetic! They’re very similar to a shortbread cookie but have a more tender and soft texture like a sugar cookie. Similar to my recipes for AIP gingerbread cookies or AIP cut-out sugar cookies, they’re light and fun to decorate, but what really makes these different is a cookie press to give them a gorgeous shape.
These gluten-free spritz cookies are a family favorite in my house. They taste so close to the real deal that no one will ever guess they’re allergen-friendly!
Table of contents
Why you’ll love these…
- They are so cute! I love a fun holiday cookie and these can be made into so many fun shapes and be decorated however you like.
- Delicious flavor! After not being able to enjoy shortbread cookies, I love these cookies for their shortbread flavor, gluten free!
Recipes Ingredients
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Arrowroot starch.
- Coconut flour
- Maple Syrup
- Palm shortening
- Gelatin. This is used as a binder. Collagen will not swap for gelatin.
Substitutions
- Tapioca starch. You can swap this 1:1 for the arrowroot starch.
- Honey. You should be able to swap this out for the maple syrup.
The Tools
The secret for beautiful spritz cookies is a cookie press like this! It looks intimidating, but it’s really easy to use and has instructions on how to use it. You also don’t have to worry about having this just be the kind of thing that you only pull out for Christmas. It has tons of different plates so you can make cookies for various occasions outside of the holidays.
How to make paleo spritz cookies
Here are the simple steps, with photos, to make this recipe. Find full instructions in the recipe card.
Step one. Combine the ingredients to make the dough.
Step two. Add the dough to the cookie press.
Step three. Use the cookie press to stamp the dough onto the baking sheet.
Step four. Bake the cookies.
Step five. Combine the ingredients to make the glaze.
Step six. Dip the cookies in the glaze and allow to set before enjoying!
Tips & Tricks
- Mix up the toppings. I love adding tons of fun toppings to cookies, like my AIP cut-out Sugar cookies. These cookies would also be great with different glaze colors and different sprinkles.
- Store these in the fridge. To keep them fresh, make sure you keep them in the fridge.
Recipe FAQS
Technically, yes! They won’t be as pretty, but it can be done. Simply form the dough into small cookies and bake as you would the pressed cookies.
I have not tried to make this recipe without coconut flour and cannot recommend a swap.
This recipe traditionally uses butter, and palm shortening is a great sub for that. Coconut oil may work, but I have not tried it and cannot guarantee it would yield the same results.
More Related Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies…
- Gluten-Free Italian Wedding Cookies
- Gluten-Free Black-and-White Cookies
- Christmas Cut Out Sugar Cookies
If you tried these Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Easy Gluten-free Spritz Cookies
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Ingredients
For the cookies
- ½ cup arrowroot starch
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 tbsp gelatin
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ⅓ cup palm shortening
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Optional icing
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp coconut butter, melted
- ½ tsp matcha, add for green icing
- Sprinkles, omit for AIP, sub shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven t0 350 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift together the arrowroot, coconut flour, gelatin, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Combine the palm shortening, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and cream together until well combined. Add the combined palm shortening and maple syrup to the dry ingredients and mix well until a dough forms.
- Using a cookie press (like this), set it up according to the manufacturer’s instructions and fill it with the dough. Use a decorative plate of your choice (I used Christmas trees, wreaths, and snowflakes). Place the cookie press plate side down onto the baking sheet and press the lever on the cookie press. Hold it flat on the baking sheet, allowing the cookie to stick to the parchment paper. Pull the cookie press back and repeat. If the cookie dough gets stuck, use a spoon to pull it back carefully. Repeat for all the dough, changing the decorative plates as you go.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden brown and cooked through. Carefully transfer to a baking sheet and allow to cool.
- Make the optional icing by mixing the coconut oil, coconut butter (and matcha for green icing) and carefully dip the top of the cookies, one by one. Place on a plate and top with sprinkles if desired, and allow to set in the fridge until the icing is hardened.
These are delicious! Wow! Thanks!!
So glad you enjoyed!!
These are sincerely the most amazing cookies I’ve ever baked and eaten! And everyone who tried them agreed!! With being on an AIP diet it’s been an adjustment from paleo, these cookies were the perfect treat to replace the ones I had gotten used to.
I couldn’t find my cookie gun, so I just rolled them out and rolled them in pecan pieces, I baked them until they were slightly brown, still following the directions.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Yay!! Thank you so much, Abigail! So glad you liked them!
I made these exactly as your recipe describes. Next time, for my oven, I will reduce the bake time to 10 minutes.
They are perfectly delightful…crisp with a delicate flavor. Thank you Unbound Wellness.
So glad you liked it! Thank you!!
This are the best AIP cookies I’ve tried so far and I’ve tried quit a few. The test is delicate and they are crispy.
I used approx 1/4 tsp beet powder for red icing and it worked well.
Thanks for this and all your efforts
MERRY CHRISTMAS
thank you!!
Can you make these with regular butter?
I haven’t tried but let me know if you do!!
These were delicious… Best paleo cookies ever! My children though I bought them from the store hahahaha…
Small question, could I replace arrowroot for tapioca? Here in the Netherlands arrowroot is very expensive (20 eur per kilo)… If so I could make them much more often than with arrowroot…
Ahh yay!! You probably could do that just fine… I haven’t tried myself but let me know if you do 🙂
I used tapioca and they turned out perfectly 🙂
Wow.. So good and Really easy to do. Next time will double the recipe
Yay! Thank you so much, Lucy!
Hi Michelle! These cookies look amazing… I’m planning to make them. But I was wondering: how do you use the palm shortening. Do you melt it before mixing in with the rest of the ingredients?
No melting needed 🙂 It just goes in solid and has the consistency of softened butter. Enjoy!!
Ah! Thank you for your reply! I think I’ll be making them with regular butter. And make sure that it’ll be softened. I look forward to baking them! Maybe this weekend.. 🙂
I am obsessed with these. Best AIP cookie ever! I just did them in balls and flattened with a fork. They came out great!
Thank you so much, Erin!! So glad you liked them!!
Is pumpkin flour which contains pumpkin seeds AIP diet friendly?
Because I have coconut allergy I use pumpkin flower and I used goose lard, (I had no palm shortening) all ingredients bonded well together and baked evenly, cookies were very crispy !! except they taste a lot like
pumpkin seeds.(:
What is your opinion on a red palm/coconut oil shortening for this recipe..?
I haven’t tried that but it would change the color for sure.
Can food coloring be added to recipe? These are very similar to cookies my mom made every year at Christmas and we would uae food coloring instead of frosting them and would decorate with sprinkles or just leave plain. Can’t wait to try
I haven’t tried but I’m sure you can!!
Is it ok to use coconut oil in place of the palm shortening?
Thank you for this recipe! I’m tearing up because I used to make these with my mom when I was little. I remember the crazy cookie press that made all the fun cookie shapes. Such great memories. I can’t wait to try this!