Irresistible Gluten-Free Valentine’s Day Cookies: Your Ultimate Guide to Sweet Celebrations

Crafting delicious treats for Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be complicated, especially when you have a fantastic gluten-free recipe at your fingertips. These easy gluten-free Valentine’s cookies are the epitome of sweet celebration, perfect for sharing at a festive party or surprising that special someone with a heartfelt, homemade gift. Get ready to bake a batch of joy that will impress everyone!

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the air fills with a sense of warmth and the desire to create cherished moments. While our celebrations might often be simple, there’s something truly special about preparing a delightful gluten-free Valentine’s dessert to share with loved ones. Whether it’s a quick and fun snack like Valentine’s Chex Mix, an elegant Chocolate Lava Cake, or these adorable Gluten-Free Valentine’s Cookies, homemade treats always add a personal touch.

What makes these Valentine’s Day cookies truly stand out is their effortless preparation combined with an incredibly satisfying result. They are a delightful fusion, inspired by the rich depth of our Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and the playful cheer of our Classic M&M Cookies. Each cookie boasts a perfect balance: beautiful golden-brown edges that offer a slight crispness, a soft, chewy interior, and a burst of festive color from Valentine’s-themed M&Ms. This combination makes them not just a treat for the palate, but also a feast for the eyes, embodying the joy and sweetness of the holiday. They’re almost as much fun to bake as they are to savor!

Beyond their charm and taste, another fantastic aspect of these gluten-free Valentine’s Day cookies is their reliance on simple, everyday ingredients. You won’t need to hunt for obscure items; everything on the list is straightforward and accessible. This ease of ingredient sourcing means you can whip up a batch of these heartwarming cookies without any added stress. Let’s dive into what you’ll need to create these holiday masterpieces:

Simple Ingredients for the Perfect Gluten-Free Valentine’s Cookies

Creating truly exceptional gluten-free cookies begins with understanding the role each ingredient plays. Here’s a closer look at the key components for these festive Valentine’s treats:

• Brown Butter: This is our secret weapon for an elevated flavor profile. The process of browning butter involves gently cooking it until the milk solids caramelize, resulting in a rich, nutty, and subtly sweet aroma that transforms ordinary cookies into extraordinary ones. It adds incredible depth that simply can’t be achieved with plain melted butter. If you’re new to this technique, our comprehensive brown butter tutorial will guide you through every step.
• Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: The synergy of these two sugars is crucial. Granulated sugar contributes to the crispy edges and spread of the cookies, while brown sugar adds a deep molasses flavor, moisture, and ensures a wonderfully chewy texture. This combination delivers the perfect balance of sweetness and texture.
• Eggs + An Extra Egg Yolk: Eggs are essential binders, but adding an extra egg yolk is a clever trick to achieve an even richer, fudgier, and more tender cookie. The extra fat from the yolk provides unparalleled moisture and chewiness, elevating the overall texture of your gluten-free cookies.
• Vanilla Extract: A non-negotiable ingredient, vanilla extract enhances and rounds out all the other flavors. Use good quality pure vanilla extract for the best taste.
• Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour: To ensure simplicity and reliable results, this recipe utilizes a high-quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend. We highly recommend King Arthur’s blend for its consistent performance. When selecting your flour, it’s vital to ensure it contains xanthan gum. Xanthan gum acts as a binder, providing elasticity and structure that gluten-free flours often lack, preventing crumbly cookies. Do NOT substitute with almond flour, coconut flour, or oat flour, as these have different absorption properties and will drastically alter the cookie’s texture and consistency.
• Cornstarch: A small amount of cornstarch works wonders in gluten-free baking. It helps to tenderize the cookie dough, creating a lighter texture and contributing to those delicate, slightly golden edges that contrast beautifully with the fudgy center.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder: These leavening agents are carefully balanced to give the cookies just the right amount of lift and spread. Baking soda reacts with the acidic brown sugar, while baking powder provides additional aeration, ensuring a soft, delightful crumb.
• Kosher Salt: A pinch of salt is vital for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the other flavors in the cookies. If you’re using fine table salt, remember it’s saltier by volume, so start with about half the amount specified and adjust to taste.
• Valentine’s M&Ms & Chocolate Chips: These are the festive mix-ins that make these cookies truly special for Valentine’s Day! We use a delightful combination of red, pink, and white Valentine’s M&M candies and classic chocolate chips. This pairing not only adds fantastic flavor and varying textures but also creates a wonderfully colorful and celebratory look, making each bite a joyful experience.

How To Make Gluten-Free Valentine’s Cookies: A Step-by-Step Guide

For precise ingredient measurements, detailed instructions, and additional expert tips, please refer to the full recipe card located below.

1. Brown & Cool The Butter. Begin by melting the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the butter continuously to ensure even cooking and prevent burning. You’ll notice it start to foam, indicating the water is evaporating. Pay close attention during this stage, as the butter transitions from golden to a rich amber-brown very quickly. Once the milk solids at the bottom of the pan are a beautiful golden-brown, smelling distinctly nutty and sweet like caramel, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Pour the browned butter (including all those flavorful brown bits) into the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Allow it to cool for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until it reaches room temperature and is no longer hot to the touch. This cooling step is crucial to prevent scrambling the eggs in the next stage.
2. Combine Brown Butter & Sugar. Once your browned butter has cooled to room temperature, add both the granulated sugar and the packed brown sugar to the bowl. Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, beat these ingredients on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Continue mixing until the sugars are thoroughly incorporated, and the mixture takes on a consistency resembling wet sand. This creaming process helps to aerate the butter and sugar, contributing to the cookies’ final texture.
3. Incorporate Eggs + Vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully blended into the butter-sugar mixture before adding the next. This allows for better emulsification. Finally, stir in the vanilla extract, mixing until just combined. Vanilla adds a wonderful aromatic depth that complements the browned butter beautifully.
4. Add Dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl (or directly into your mixer bowl if space allows), combine the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed for only a few seconds until the flour is mostly incorporated but not fully combined. Overmixing gluten-free dough can make cookies tough, so less is more at this stage.
5. Fold in Mix-Ins. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl, ensuring all ingredients are well combined. Now, gently fold in the festive Valentine’s M&M candies and chocolate chips. Mix just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Avoid overmixing, as this can crush the M&Ms and develop the gluten-free flour too much.
6. Scoop & Chill The Dough. Using a medium cookie scoop (roughly 2 Tablespoon capacity), scoop the cookie dough into uniform balls. This ensures even baking. Place the scooped dough balls into an airtight container, cover them securely with a lid or plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. For best results and flavor development, chilling for up to 24 hours is ideal. This step is non-negotiable for perfectly textured, thick cookies that won’t spread excessively.
7. Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Pans. When you’re ready to bake your delicious cookies, remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. While the dough comes slightly closer to room temperature, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. This allows you to easily alternate between batches, ensuring your oven temperature remains consistent for each round of baking.
8. Bake The Cookies. Take about 6 cookie dough balls and gently roll them between your palms to smooth out any rough edges and create perfectly round shapes. Arrange them on one of your prepared baking sheets, leaving ample space between each cookie for spreading. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies are ready when their edges turn a beautiful golden brown, and the centers still look slightly underdone and soft. For a crispier cookie, bake closer to the 10-minute mark.
9. Finish The Cookies. Immediately after removing the hot cookies from the oven, gently press a few extra M&Ms and chocolate chips onto their tops. This enhances their visual appeal and adds a lovely textural contrast. For a truly professional, perfectly round shape, you can use a large round cookie cutter or the back of a spoon to gently scoot and shape the edges of the warm cookies into neat circles. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes to set, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Repeat the baking process with the remaining cookie dough.
10. Serve & Store. These gluten-free Valentine’s cookies are best enjoyed once they have cooled to room temperature, allowing their flavors and textures to fully develop. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage, they freeze exceptionally well for up to 2 months. Simply thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to enjoy them again.

Discover More Gluten-Free Valentine’s Day Treats

If you’re looking to expand your repertoire of delightful gluten-free desserts for Valentine’s Day, we have even more fantastic recipes to inspire you. From crunchy snack mixes to decadent cookies, these treats are sure to bring joy to your celebrations.

Gluten-Free Valentine’s Chex Mix

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Bars

Gluten-Free Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Recipe Card

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Gluten-Free Valentine’s Cookies

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• Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You
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  Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
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  Yield: 36 Cookies
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  Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

Description

Bake up a little sweetness for your Valentine with these easy gluten-free Valentine’s Day cookies! They’ll love the golden edges, soft texture & delicious flavors in every bite!

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Ingredients

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, cut into cubes (2 sticks/226 grams) – I prefer salted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed (150 grams)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
• 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk (save the extra white for another use)
• 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour (300 grams)
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (8 grams)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup Valentine’s M&M candies (red, pink, white)
• 1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips

To Top The Cookies:

• 1/2 cup additional M&Ms
• 1/4 cup additional chocolate chips
• flaky sea salt (Maldon), optional

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Instructions

1. Brown & Cool The Butter. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the butter begins to foam. (Watch carefully when the butter begins to foam, as it will turn golden and brown quickly.) When the butter under the foam is golden (like honey) and smells sweet with a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat and transfer to the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl to cool for 10-15 minutes, or until it’s no longer hot to the touch. (Make sure to get all those lovely brown bits!)

2. Combine Brown Butter & Sugar. When the browned butter has cooled, add the sugar and brown sugar. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed 2-3 minutes or until well combined and the mixture looks like wet sand.

3. Add Eggs + Vanilla Add eggs + egg yolk one at a time, blending well after each addition, then add the vanilla.

4. Add Dry Ingredients. Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix for a few seconds (it won’t be fully combined)

5. Add Mix-Ins. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl, then add the Valentine’s M&M candies and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.

6. Scoop & Chill The Dough. Use a medium cookie scoop (2 Tablespoon size) to scoop cookie dough into 2-Tablespoon balls. Place in an airtight container, cover, and chill the cookie dough balls for at least 2 hours, up to 1 day in advance.

7. Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Pans. When you’re ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator while the oven fully preheats to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment (so you can alternate sheets between batches.)

8. Bake The Cookies. Roll 6 cookie dough balls in between your palms to smooth them out and place onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are a golden brown color and the centers look just underdone. (Bake closer to 10 minutes for crispier cookies)

9. Finish The Cookies. While the cookies are hot, top them with additional M&Ms and chocolate chips, then sprinkle the top of the cookie with flaky sea salt, if desired. (For perfectly round cookies, you can also use a large round cookie cutter, to gently shape the cookies into perfect circles.) Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

10. Serve & Store. Enjoy right away once the cookies are cooled, or store in an airtight container 2-3 days. (Or, freeze up to 2 months)

Notes

• For Best Results, Don’t Skip The Chill Time! If you try to bake these delicious cookies without chilling the dough first, they’ll spread too thin and won’t hold together well. Chilling the dough allows the flour to hydrated properly, which gives the cookies a better texture. I know it can be hard to wait, but it’s crucial for this recipe–it makes a big difference!
• Flour. We highly recommend King Arthur measure-for-measure gluten-free flour, but if you use another gluten-free flour blend (like Bob’s Red Mill), be sure it contains xanthan gum so the cookies turn out properly. Do not substitute almond flour, coconut flour, or oat flour in this recipe.
• Measure Correctly. For just the right texture, remember to weigh or measure the flour carefully. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife (the spoon and level method) to avoid adding extra flour to the dough.)

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  Prep Time: 35 minutes
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  Cook Time: 1 hour
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  Category: Dessert
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  Method: Oven
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  Cuisine: American