Gluten-Free Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies

Looking for a fun gluten-free Christmas cookie to try this year? These Gluten-Free Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies are here to deliver! They’re packed with festive color & delicious flavor in every bite.

Okay, can we talk about these EPIC gluten-free Christmas cookies!?

A few months ago, we made these Gluten-Free Kitchen Sink Cookies and I *knew* we had to make a Christmas version. I wanted something that immediately looked happy and festive–a step up from an average chocolate chip cookie.

These fully-loaded Christmas cookies are exactly what I was looking for! This gluten-free holiday cookie recipe makes soft, chewy cookies with a satisfying blend of sweet and salty mix-ins to make them feel extra special. Their happy colors look so cheerful on a Christmas cookie plate, or as part of a holiday cookie box. I bet Santa would even love to see these festive cookies on Christmas Eve!

Ready to make a batch of these cookies? Here’s what you’ll need to get started…

Simple Ingredients For These Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies

• Butter. Softened butter is perfect for creaming. It should just take your fingerprint when pressed. You can use salted butter or unsalted butter here. Your choice!
• White Sugar & Brown Sugar. We’ll use a mix of granulated sugar and light brown sugar for taste and texture. You get a soft, chewy center and delicately crisp exterior. YUM!
• Eggs. Room temperature eggs mix in best, since cold eggs can cause your butter to seize. Bring your eggs to room temp quickly with this trick!
• Vanilla. Plenty of vanilla extract is a must for our kitchen sink cookie base.
• Gluten-Free Flour. We’re keeping things simple with a 1:1 gluten-free flour. I HIGHLY recommend this measure-for-measure gluten-free flour from King Arthur. If you use another brand, make sure it contains xanthan gum so you get the right texture & measure carefully!
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder. For the perfect puff and spread.
• Kosher Salt. To balance the flavors. If you are using fine table salt, you’ll want to reduce the amount!
• Plenty of Christmas Mix-Ins! Now, for the best part–we add everything but the kitchen sink! You’ll use 3 full cups of mix-ins–red and green m&ms, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, gluten-free pretzels, plus some holiday sprinkles for good measure!

How To Make Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies, Step By Step

1. Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
2. Cream Butter & Sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat with paddle attachment (or a hand mixer) 2-3 minutes on medium speed to cream the butter and sugar together until smooth, light, and fluffy.
3. Finish Wet Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the eggs one at a time, fully incoporating each egg before adding the next egg. Then mix in the vanilla.
4. Add Dry Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and add the prepared dry ingredients. Mix until almost fully combined, with just a few powdery patches remaining.
5. Add Mix-Ins. Then, add 3 cups of mix-ins, and the sprinkles. Mix gently to evenly distribute the mix-ins throughout the dough.
6. Chill 30 Minutes & Preheat The Oven. Add the dough to the refrigerator for 30 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. (This will help control the spread of the cookies.)
7. Scoop & Roll. Use a large cookie scoop to form 3 Tablespoon balls of cookie dough. Roll each cookie dough ball smooth between your palms, and place 6 cookies on one prepared baking sheet. (Return the rest of the dough to the fridge in between batches)
8. Bake The Cookies. Place the pan in the oven and bake cookies 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are set and the cookies are just starting to turn golden brown. (Try not to over-bake. They’ll continue to set as they cool.)
9. Immediately Finish The Cookies While Warm. Right after removing the cookies from the oven, place a pretzel and a few extra mix-ins on top of the cookies. If desired, use a large round cookie cutter or a spatula to gently shape the cookies into perfect circles. (Some mix-ins can cause slightly wonky spread.)
10. Cool Completely & Repeat. Allow the cookies to cool 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Repeat this process until all the cookies are baked, alternating baking sheets with each batch so you don’t put cool dough on a hot baking sheet.
11. Serve & Store. Enjoy the cookies right away or store for later. Store cookies in an airtight container 1-2 days at room temperature, or transfer to a freezer bag to freeze up to 2 months.

More Mix-Ins & goodies To Try

These gluten-free Christmas cookies are MADE to be a little extra, and part of what’s so fun about making kitchen sink cookies is mixing and matching all the fun mix-ins. We love a combo of gluten-free pretzels, chocolate chips, sprinkles, toffee bits, and m&ms, but there are so many more options to choose from! Pick some of your favorite mix-ins below to create your own perfect cookie!

• Butterscotch Chips
• Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Chunks – Semi-sweet or dark chocolate
• Dried Cranberries
• Gluten-Free Pretzels (roughly break them up–don’t crush them!)
• Mini M&Ms
• Peanut Butter Chips
• Ruffled Potato Chips – Sounds crazy, but it’s good!
• Shredded Coconut
• Toffee Bits (like Heath Bits ‘O’ Brickle)
• Toasted Pecans (or peanuts or hazelnuts)
• Jimmies Sprinkles (just 2-3 Tablespoons!)
• White Chocolate Chips (It’s fun to use a mix of dark chocolate + white chocolate)

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The BEst Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies:

A Trick For Pretty Cookies. Make sure you add a few extra mix-ins to the top of each cookie right when they come out of the oven. This looks gorgeous and also immediately clues you in to what you’re about to enjoy when you eat one. You can also use a large round cookie cutter to shape the cookies into perfect circles when they’re fresh from the oven.

Use The Right Kind Of Sprinkles! If you’re adding sprinkles to these gluten-free Christmas kitchen sink cookies, make sure that you use sprinkles that won’t just melt in the dough. Stick with jimmies or quins for the best results, but check out our Sprinkles 101 post for more ideas!

Mix Textures AND Flavors. What really sets these gluten-free Christmas cookies apart from, regular chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal cookies is the dramatic combination of flavors and textures. Try to combine different textures (chewy, gooey, creamy, crunchy, crispy, etc.) and flavors (sweet, salty, caramel, chocolate, savory, etc.). When you’re combining the mix-ins, try to choose from several different categories (i.e. crunchy, salty pretzels + gooey semisweet chocolate chips + crunchy toffee bits or colorful m&ms).

🌟 Leave a star rating below when you try our Gluten-Free Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies recipe! We can’t wait to hear what you think!

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