Gluten-Free Press Cookies

Chocolate press cookies made with a cookie press: a soft cocoa butter dough pressed into stars, wreaths and flowers, baked crisp and finished with a sprinkle of sugar. They pair well with plain vanilla spritz on a holiday cookie tray.

Prep: 25 min Cook: 20 min Total: 60 min Serves: 48

At a glance: This medium baking recipe yields 48 servings in about 1h (25 min prep, 20 min cook). It uses 9 ingredients — including unsalted butter, granulated sugar, egg — and walks through 7 steps. Updated October 24, 2026. Browse more baking recipes or return to all gluten-free recipes.

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Cross-Contamination Warning for Gluten-Free Press Cookies: When preparing this baking recipe, cookie presses have many small parts and crevices. If yours has been used for dough with gluten, take it apart and wash every disk and the plunger thoroughly. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.

Gluten-Free Notes for Gluten-Free Press Cookies: This butter and cocoa dough uses a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend instead of flour that contains gluten. Use cocoa powder, vanilla, sprinkles and a flour blend labeled gluten-free.

Scale Recipe:

servings

Ingredient amounts update automatically

Ingredients

Shop links on this page are for granulated sugar, pure vanilla extract, gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Buy the package that says gluten-free. A shared production line is the usual risk with these pantry items. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Confirm the product is labeled gluten-free before you buy.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar Shop
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract Shop
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (about 280 g) Shop
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Shop
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (skip if your blend already contains it) Shop
coarse sugar or sprinkles, for decorating (optional) Shop

Instructions

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Use cool, ungreased and unlined metal baking sheets so the dough sticks to the sheet and releases from the press.
2 Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla and salt.
3 Whisk the gluten-free flour blend, cocoa powder and xanthan gum (if using) together, then mix them into the butter on low just until a smooth, soft dough forms. Do not chill it.
4 Fill the cookie press, fit it with a disk, and press cookies about 1 inch apart, holding the press flat on the sheet for each click.
5 Sprinkle with coarse sugar or sprinkles if you like.
6 Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies look dry and feel firm at the edges. Cocoa dough hides browning, so go by touch rather than color.
7 Cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then move to a rack. Let the sheet cool completely before pressing the next batch.

Tips & Notes

Sift the cocoa powder with the flour blend for chocolate press cookies. Cocoa lumps will block the small openings in the press disks.
Judge the press cookies by feel: the edges should be firm and the tops dry. Because the dough is already dark, waiting for color means overbaked, bitter cookies.
If the press cookies won't release, chill the bare baking sheet for 5 minutes. Cold, clean metal grips the dough better than a warm or greased sheet.

Common questions

What cross-contamination risk is specific to Gluten-Free Press Cookies?

Check unsalted butter, softened, granulated sugar, egg, at room temperature before they go into Gluten-Free Press Cookies. Cookie presses have many small parts and crevices. If yours has been used for dough with gluten, take it apart and wash every disk and the plunger thoroughly. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.

Which gluten-free swaps does Gluten-Free Press Cookies use?

Gluten-Free Press Cookies relies on 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend and 1/2 tsp xanthan gum. Keep those gluten-free-labeled products in place of a gluten-containing flour or sauce.

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