18 Festive Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies

Sparkly Meringue Snowmen

For my son’s first Christmas home from Iraq, I wanted everything to feel magical. He loves meringue cookies, so I made a big batch of minty snowmen and snowflakes. —Patricia Lindsay, Independence, Kansas

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Guests will stand in line to kiss the cook when these treats are served! For a change of pace, try them with chunky peanut butter, too. —Canada60, Tasteofhome.com Community

Stained Glass Cherry Macaroons

Macaroons are a timeless treat and a family favorite in our house. These merry morsels are always the first to disappear from the cookie tray. —Jamie Jones, Madison, Georgia

Gluten-Free Snowballs

No one will miss the flour in these crumbly, nutty gluten-free snowball cookies. Their melt-in-your-mouth texture will make them the hit of your cookie exchange. —Joan Sarge, Asheville, North Carolina

Cathedral Cookies

Children love the colorful marshmallows in these festive confections, which look like stained glass when they're sliced. They practically light up the room from the serving platter at our holiday parties. —Carol Shaffer, Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Chocolate Amaretti

These classic almond paste cookies are like ones you'd find in an Italian bakery. My husband and children are always excited when I include these goodies in my holiday baking lineup. —Kathy Long, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin

Cherry No-Bake Cookies

I've always loved my no-bake cookie recipe, but I was never able to place at the fair with it. So I mixed in some maraschino cherries, added a few drops of almond extract, and voila! We won a blue ribbon at the county fair in 2010. —Denise Wheeler, Newaygo, Michigan

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Meringue Roses

Eat these pretty treats as is or crush them into a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream. Readers of my blog, utry.it, went nuts when I posted that idea.—Amy Tong, Anaheim, California

Gluten-Free Spritz Delights

My daughter has Down syndrome and loves hosting parties, especially on holidays. Cookies always took center stage until she was diagnosed with celiac disease. I decided then to take on gluten-free baking, and these are the best yet—a cross between a shortbread and a sugar cookie. —Cheryl Costilow, Amherst, Ohio

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Cookies

I need to avoid gluten and have tried transforming my favorite recipes to fit my diet. I came up with these cakelike cookies, and no one ever guesses that they’re gluten-free.

Meringue Kisses

There's a nice chocolaty surprise inside these sweet kisses. They're my husband's top choice each Christmas.—Tami Henke, Lockport, Illinois

Flourless Peanut Butter Thumbprints

I had been searching for a dessert to make for my brother's girlfriend (who is gluten intolerant), and I came across a naturally gluten-free dessert—a flourless peanut butter cookie. After tweaking the recipe a bit and adding Nutella and a sprinkling of sea salt, I finally found the perfect cookie for her. —Dana Hinck, Pensacola, Florida

Spumoni Slices

My sweet rectangles get their name from the old-fashioned tri-colored ice cream. Our whole family prefers them. —Mary Chupp, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Winter Fruit Macaroons

Coconut macaroons with sweetened condensed milk instead of egg whites are my version of a recipe my mom loved. All you do is mix, drop and bake. —Veronica Miller, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania

Peppermint Kisses

These are fun, refreshing and low in fat! —Lynn Bernstetter, Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

Gluten-Free Sugarplums

Lots of moist, fruity flavor and nutty crunch give these sweet/spicy bites a kind of gumdrop richness. They make a delicious addition to cookie trays. Sneak one early—they’ll be gone before you can lick the sugar off your fingers! —Corleen Heidgerken, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Gluten-Free Almond Cookies

My friend loved these gluten-free almond cookies so much, she had to ask for the recipe! Quick and easy, they taste as good as the decadent treats I make using puff pastry and almond paste. Everyone loves these! —Sherri Cox, Lucasville, Ohio