Gluten Free Princess Cookies (Egg Free Shortbread Cookies with Oat Flour)
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Made with oat flour and Princess Cake & Cookie Emulsion, these Gluten Free Princess Cookies have a soft, shortbread-style texture and just a hint of something nostalgic you can’t quite put your finger on.
And I’ll tell you right out of the gate that nostalgia is these tastes just like those McDonald’s Land cookies I loved as a kid.
If you know, you know.
And if you don’t… you’re about to.
Why I Started Baking Gluten Free
I didn’t set out to become a gluten-free baker.
I just have a niece who can’t eat wheat flour, and I couldn’t handle the idea of everyone else eating homemade cookies while she sits there with nothing.
That’s just not how we do things around here. Sweets are my love language!
So I started figuring it out. And I’ll be honest – gluten-free baking isn’t hard, but it does have a learning curve. The dough didn’t behave like I had come to know, and the texture felt different.
But once you understand the basics, it’s totally doable and delicious!
Understanding Oat Flour (And Why It Matters)
Oats are naturally gluten-free, but can often be processed alongside wheat.
So if you’re baking for someone who is strictly gluten-free, make sure your oats or oat flour are labeled gluten-free.
How to Make Oat Flour (That’s Actually Smooth)
If you’ve got oats, you’ve got oat flour.
But here’s what I learned the hard way – homemade oat flour can be gritty if you don’t take one extra step.
Here’s how to get it right:
- Blend oats in a coffee grinder or high-speed blender
- Grind until it looks like flour
- Sift through a fine mesh strainer
- Re-grind anything left behind
That sifting step is what takes your cookies from: “these are fine” to “wait….these are gluten free??”
Quick Tips:
- Grind in small batches
- Quick oats grind finer than old-fashioned oats
- If oat flour feels gritty, it needs another pass
While You Have The Oats Out
Since you have those oats out here are a few more of my favorite recipes using them that I use all the time in my kitchen!
What Is Princess Cake & Cookie Emulsion?
Now, for the ingredient that makes these cookies stand out….Princess Cake & Cookie Emulsion
It’s not just flavor – it’s layered flavor.
A little vanilla, a little almond, a hint of lemon, and something nostalgic you can’t quite name.
Emulsions vs. Extracts vs. Flavorings
Quick and simple:
- Extracts: alcohol-based, flavor can bake out
- Flavorings: oil-based, strong but flat
- Emulsions: water-based, flavor stays strong in baking
Why This Recipe Works
These cookies are gluten-free, egg-free, and use simple ingredients – so flavor matters.
Using an emulsion gives you a stronger flavor, better aroma, and a bakery -style finish. Because we don’t just eat with our mouths. Our nose and eyes play a huge role.
Using an Embossed Rolling Pin
Now let’s talk about the part that makes these cookies look like I really had my life together. My embossed rolling pin, this is what gives these cookies that detailed, almost too-pretty-to-eat look, and it’s super simple.
How to use it:
- Roll the dough out with a regular rolling pin first
- Lightly dust with oat flour
- Roll over again with your embossed pin
- Then cut your shapes
What If You Don’t Have an Embossed Rolling Pin?
Then you do what the rest of us have done for years…..YOU MAKE COOKIES ANYWAY!
These are still fantastic without it!
A few simple options:
- use a regular rolling pin and keep them classic
- press lightly with the bottom of a glass that has a pattern
- use a form for a simple design
- just leave them plain, simple, and elegant
Because at the end of the day, they still taste the same. And last I checked, nobody has ever turned down a cookie because it didn’t have a fancy design.
A Quick Note About This Dough
This dough is both sticky and dry. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but it will when you’re working with it.
Just be patient, have extra oat flour on hand, and handle it gently. It can be frustrating if you are impatient like I am, but it is worth it!
Gluten Free Princess Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Princess flavoring
- 2½ cups oat flour or finely ground oats
- Additional oat flour for rolling dough out
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, honey, salt, baking soda, and Princess Cake & Cookie Emulsion until smooth and creamy.
- Add the oat flour and mix until a dough forms.The dough will feel both slightly sticky and dry at the same time – this is normal.
- Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a flattened disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.Chilling helps the dough hold together when rolling.
- Lightly flour your work surface with oat flour. Roll one disc to about ¼ inch thick with a regular rolling pin.
- Lightly dust the rolled-out dough with oat flour and roll again with an embossed rolling pin to create the design.
- Cut into shapes using your preferred cookie cutter and carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until the edges are just set.Do not overbake – these are meant to stay soft.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before moving; they will firm up as they cool.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- Be sure to use gluten-free labeled oats or oat flour if needed
- Dough will feel both slightly sticky and dry—this is normal
- Sift homemade oat flour for best texture
- Do not overbake—cookies will stay soft and firm up as they cool
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates, for exact values consult a nutritionist.
Hey, I’m Jent!
Farmwife Feeds is my little space to share farm life and home-cooked recipes, from my soul to yours. These are the recipes I cook that my family eats. And while you’re here, stay awhile and see some of the farm. I share what’s real, muddy boots and all, so what you see is what you get. Read more…
thank you!!. my sister bought me a totoro character stamp rolling pen for Christmas. I have been unable to find a recipe that is gluten free to use with it. Im going to give yours a try. Do you think I can skip princess flavor and do cinnamon?