Last fall, my mom was diagnosed with a gluten [1] allergy — which was a pretty big deal in our house considering the majority of our holiday bonding time is spent baking together.
I could tell she was discouraged by her new lifestyle, so my siblings and I surprised her with a collection of new gluten-free cookie [2] recipes. Now, we prefer these gluten-free finds to the original selection we'd grown up baking. Mom never feels left out, and we get to experiment with new festive flavor combinations.
Gluten-Free Vanilla Pecan Snowball Cookies
I'll take powdered sugar snowballs to the face any day — especially if they're packed with pecans.
Get the recipe: gluten-free vanilla pecan snowball cookies [3]
Gluten-Free Vegan Snickerdoodles
These snickerdoodles hit me right in the nostalgia; their smell right out of the oven brings me back to my childhood kitchen alongside my mom and grandma.
Get the recipe: gluten-free vegan snickerdoodles [4]
Toasted-Pecan Almond-Flour Shortbread Cookies
Half dipped in chocolate and decorated with toasted pecans, these cookies are too beautiful to eat. I'll still stash a few aside for myself, but the rest makes for a great gift basket.
Get the recipe: toasted-pecan almond-flour shortbread cookies [5]
Grain-Free Ginger Cookies
Imagine dunking these chewy bites in hot coffee while curled up on the couch in front of the fire — need I say more?
Get the recipe: grain-free ginger cookies [6]
Chocolate-Chip Pumpkin Cookies With Almond Flour
Pumpkin and chocolate-chip cookies are both in my top-five favorite holiday flavors — but why pick just one when you can tastefully combine the two?
Get the recipe: chocolate-chip pumpkin cookies with almond flour [7]
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies With Bourbon-Cinnamon Frosting
Or, you could give pumpkin cookies a sophisticated upgrade with some bourbon-cinnamon frosting. Either way, you can't go wrong.
Get the recipe: pumpkin sugar cookies with bourbon-cinnamon frosting [8]
Double-Chocolate Almond-Butter Cookies
We can't forget about the chocolate-lovers gathering around our holiday table. For them, I'm serving up double the flavor. After all, it's the season of indulging.
Get the recipe: double-chocolate almond-butter cookies [9]
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