These gluten free snickerdoodles are the classic, super-soft cookies you remember, with that classic, crisp cinnamon-sugar crackle outside. The perfect cookie!
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What makes this the best recipe for gluten free snickerdoodles
If you have childhood memories of snickerdoodles, then I bet your mom's recipe is The Best (says you). I had never even heard of these perfect cookies with the funny name until sometime in the 2000s. Crazy, right?
I don't have anything to compare them to. Yet I'm still certain that this recipe for gluten free snickerdoodles is, in fact, The Best.
And not for nothing, but they make amazing ice cream sandwich cookies in the summertime. ☀️ Try my 3 ingredient no churn vanilla ice cream for the perfect treat.
The cinnamon-sugar on the outside is kind of crunchy, and the inside is a bit chewy and almost cakey but smooth. The trick is to get the cookies to crackle, but not to brown much at all.
You want the color to come mostly from the cinnamon-sugar mixture. This gluten free snickerdoodles recipe gets the job done.
Gluten free snickerdoodle cookies ingredient notes
- Butter – Take your butter out of the fridge about an hour before starting this recipe so that it's soft when you're ready for it.
- Sugar – It adds sweetness, but it's also in the cinnamon-sugar blend that goes on top of the cookie for that amazingly crispy shell.
- Pure vanilla extract – I always recommend using the real stuff for the best flavor.
- Gluten-free flour blend – My recommended gluten free flour blend is Better Batter. When you make your selection, please be sure to learn about the available blends, and the ones you can make yourself, on our all purpose gluten free flour blends page.
- Salt – A tiny bit of salt goes a long way in bringing out the other flavors in this gf snickerdoodles cookies recipe.
- Ground cinnamon — If you can spring for something a little nicer, I highly recommend it — you won't believe the difference.
- Baking soda – A leavening agent and an acid neutralizer, baking soda contributes to the cookie's perfect texture.
- Cream of tartar – This is the ingredient that transforms a gluten free cinnamon cookie into a snickerdoodle. If you have a jar of cream of tartar in your pantry, be sure to double-check the expiration date — fresh works best!
Tricks and tips for making this gluten free snickerdoodle cookie recipe
Measure the gluten free flour correctly
When people ask me why their gluten free baked goods didn't come out right, I usually point to the gf flour. Typically, they used the wrong kind or they used too much. The latter is actually easier to do than you might think.
When measuring your gluten free flour blend for these gluten free snickerdoodles, I always recommend that you use a kitchen scale rather than the scoop and dump method. Measuring your flour by weight is so much more accurate than assuming you've scooped enough (or wondering if you've scooped too much).
Don't skip the cream of tartar
Whatever you do, don’t skip the cream of tartar in this recipe. It gives the cookies their iconic tang and chewiness, transforming them from butter cookies to, well, snickerdoodle cookies.
Cream of tartar is a dry, white acidic powder that’s made when grapes are fermented into wine. You’ll find it in the spice aisle of most regular grocery stores, and it’s super useful for lots of things like stabilizing beaten egg whites instead of using lemon juice.
Use a cookie scoop for easy portioning
To ensure even baking, you want your raw cookie dough balls to be as close in size as possible. This can be hard to do by eyeballing them, which is why I recommend you use a cookie scoop.
With a cookie scoop, you can be sure that each cookie dough ball bakes into a perfect, medium-sized cookie.
Coating snickerdoodle cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar
A proper snickerdoodle has a thick layer of cinnamon sugar that caramelizes slightly in the oven as the cookies bake and crackles as they spread. The key to getting that thick-enough layer of cinnamon sugar is the double coat.
Simply toss the disks of raw cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture once, and chill the dough. Some coating will absorb into the cookies. Toss them again, and that extra layer of goodness is insurance that it’ll crackle in the oven.
How to get thicker, fluffier cookies
If you're a fan of big, thick cookies, this tip is for you. Rather than flatten your cookie dough balls on the baking pan, leave them rolled. The dough will naturally flatten as it bakes, but it will retain some of its girth so that you can enjoy extra-thick, chewy cookies.
You can also shape the dough as directed in the recipe, but chill the shaped and dipped dough before baking it. They'll bake up way thicker that way.
Bake longer for extra crisp
Prefer your gluten free snickerdoodles cookies on the super-crispy side? Leave them in the oven for just another minute or two. Watch them carefully as they bake as it's a thin line from extra-crispy to overcooked.
How to store your gluten free snickerdoodles
You can keep your gf snickerdoodle cookies fresh and crispy for about three days by storing them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Storing the cookie dough
If you're looking for ways to save time when preparing for a big event like a birthday party or holiday celebration, I've got one for you. Simply prepare this cookie dough as instructed, and then leave it the fridge until you're ready to bake. The raw dough will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You also have the option of freezing gluten free snickerdoodles cookie dough for later use. In the freezer, the dough will last up to three months, so it's easy to prepare a batch or two so that freshly baked cookies are always within reach.
The easiest way to freeze cookie dough is to prepare your dough as if you were going to bake cookies. Except, rather than pop them in the oven, place the baking sheet and dough in the freezer instead. Once the dough balls are frozen, transfer them to a heavy-duty, zip-top bag.
Gluten free snickerdoodles: substitutions
Gluten free, dairy free snickerdoodles
At one point or another in their young lives, 2 of my children have had to be dairy free. For that reason, I’ve made these cookies with Earth Balance buttery spread in place of the butter.
I made a gram for gram substitution of the dairy free buttery spread, and the recipe worked perfectly. I did find that they didn’t brown as quickly, so the cookies turned out more pale. No biggie.
I’d recommend, instead, using vegan butter in place of butter in this recipe for a more perfect result. My favorite brands are Melt and Miyoko’s Kitchen.
Gluten free, egg free snickerdoodles
I haven’t tried this recipe with an egg substitute, but there’s only one egg. I think the recipe would work fine with a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel).
Gluten free, vegan snickerdoodles
You'll enjoy vegan-friendly snickerdoodle cookies when you combine my dairy free and egg freee suggestions above, and ensure that your sugars are not made with bone char.
FAQs
Simply put, the difference between gluten free cinnamon cookies and snickerdoodle cookies is cream of tartar. This special ingredient is what gives snickerdoodles the tanginess for which they're known.
No, almond flour is not the right flour for this specific recipe. This recipe calls for a rice flour-based all purpose gluten free flour blend for a softer, lighter cookie — almond flour is just too heavy for a recipe that isn't developed to be made with it.
The best way to judge whether your gf snickerdoodle cookies are ready is to take a peek at them. For a softer cookie, you want to remove the cookies when they're still pale with just a hint of a golden coating. For crisper cookies, bake a few minutes more or until you've got crispy edges.
There are two reasons why your gluten free snickerdoodles may have gone flat while baking: Your dough wasn't chilled so it lost its shape faster while baking or you used out-of-date baking soda or cream of tartar.
Puffy cookies typically result when you don't flatten your cookie dough balls, when you've used too much flour, or when the dough is too cold.
Assuming you used the right amount of each ingredient, dry snickerdoodle cookies are probably the result of overbaking. Remember, baking for a moment longer will give you a crisper cookie, but anything beyond that will give you a dry, hard cookie.
Gluten Free Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
For the cookie dough
- 6 ½ tablespoons (91 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (175 g) all purpose gluten-free flour blend (I like Better Batter here; click thru for appropriate blends)
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
For the cinnamon sugar mixture, for rolling
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, place the butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour, xanthan gum, salt, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, baking soda, and cream of tartar to the wet ingredients, mixing to combine after each addition.
- Divide the dough into 18 pieces of roughly equal size. Roll each piece of dough between your palms until it forms a ball, and then press into a disk.
- Combine the cinnamon and sugar for the rolling mixture in a small bowl. Toss each disk in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until it is well-coated. Allow the dough to sit for 5 minutes to absorb the coating.
- Roll each ball of dough in the cinnamon-sugar mixture once more, and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets.
- Place the rimmed baking sheets in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or they are either pale but flat (8 minutes), or a tiny bit crisp around the edges (10 minutes).
- Cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Linda says
Am I rolling them back into a ball after they have been flattened, coated, and sat for 5 minutes –
“Roll each ball of dough in the cinnamon-sugar mixture once more”
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, LInda. I’m not sure if you’re asking a question, but you roll the cookies in the cinnamon sugar mixture twice to ensure a thick coating.
Helen Scott says
I was wondering if you ever tried these with a sugar replacement. I know, sugar replacement on a sugar cookie! but I have friends who can’t have sugar. Which substitute would work best?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid I can’t say which substitute would work, if any, since I’ve never tried and it’s impossible to really predict, Helen, but I like Lankato brand monkfruit alternative sweeteners. They do tend to be drying, though, so you’ll have to add some water by the drop until you match the dough consistency you see in the photos and video. But it’s just a guess!
Angela W says
I’ve successfully used Truvia blend in these cookies and nobody noticed the difference – but it’s 1/2 sugar, 1/2 stevia.
Nicole Hunn says
That’s rally good to know, Angela! Thanks for sharing that.