Cooking and Serving: 30 minutes | 12 cookies
Ingredients
Step * Expert tips | Ingredient substitutions
Description
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 12 cookies
Ingredients
Step * Expert tips
Ingredient substitutions
Instructions
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
The cinnamon-sugar on the outside is kind of crunchy, and the inside is a bit.
chewy and almost cakey, with a tender crumb. The dappled brown color should come.
mostly from the cinnamon-sugar coating, not from more than just a little.
caramelization on the bottom and sides.
To get them just right, double-coat the soft cookie dough in cinnamon-sugar,.
then bake them at a high temperature for only about 10 minutes. That way they.
crackle as they bake, but don’t brown too much.
KEY INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
ingredients like gluten free flour, cream of tart, sugar, cinnamon, egg, vanilla.
and butter for gluten free snickerdoodles cookies on marble surface with names.
like gluten free flour, cream of tart, sugar, cinnamon, egg, vanilla and butter.
for gluten free snickerdoodles cookies on marble surface with names of.
As you gather the ingredients to make these cookies at home, here’s what each.
does to make these cookies:.
Butter – Adds moisture, tenderness and flavor. Take it out of the fridge.
about an hour before starting this recipe so that it’s at between 68°F and.
70°F when you’re ready for it.
Sugar – Adds sweetness and tenderness because it locks in moisture. The.
cinnamon-sugar blend on top of the cookie also creates a crispy shell.
Pure vanilla extract – Adds depth of flavor. Artificial vanilla has more.
intense vanilla flavor, but the pure kind made from vanilla beans has more.
Gluten-free flour blend – Be sure to choose a blend that provides enough.
support that the cookies don’t flatten too much in the oven, with finely.
ground rice flour as its base. I like Better Batter’s classic blend, which.
has enough xanthan gum already or Nicole’s Best multipurpose, with added.
xanthan gum. If you’re using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 in the blue bag, it will.
work but add another 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum since it has too little. For.
information on making your own blend, see the all purpose gluten free flour.
Salt – Brings out the other flavors and balances sweetness.
Ground cinnamon – Adds a warm spicy flavor and lots of rich aroma.
Baking soda – Reacts with cream of tartar to create rise, and helps the.
cookies brown in the oven.
Cream of tartar – Reacts with baking soda in the oven to create rise that.
then falls a bit to create the signature crackled texture, plus adds a.
tanginess that’s unique to snickerdoodles.
STEP
MAKE THE RAW COOKIE DOUGH.
Whisk together the dry ingredients (gluten free flour with xanthan gum, salt,.
cinnamon, baking soda and cream of tartar) to avoid any clumps which could cause.
pockets of over-risen and under-risen cookie dough.
Beat the butter and sugar for 4 minutes, until the butter absorbs the sugar and.
the mixture becomes fluffy. This aerates the cookie dough and makes a thicker,.
fluffier cookie. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until just combined to avoid.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients, creating a thick, fluffy, sticky cookie.
Wrap and chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator to allow.
the flour to absorb some of the moisture and so the dough is cold. That will.
make the cookie dough easier to handle, and prevent the cookies from spreading.
A hand holding small balloon whisk in small bowl of dry white flour mixture on.
hand holding small balloon whisk in small bowl of dry white flour mixture on.
A white silicone spatula with pale yellow beaten butter and sugar mixture held.
over metal stand mixer bowl with white paddle attachment.
white silicone spatula with pale yellow beaten butter and sugar mixture held.
over metal stand mixer bowl with white paddle attachment.
A metal mixing bowl in stand mixer with egg, butter and sugar mixture on lifted.
metal mixing bowl in stand mixer with egg, butter and sugar mixture on lifted.
Raw snickerdoodle cookie dough partly on white spatula and partly in metal.
snickerdoodle cookie dough partly on white spatula and partly in metal mixing.
Use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to divide the dough into 12 roughly even 2.
tablespoon portions of chilled cookie dough. A #40 cookie scoop works perfectly,.
Place the portions 2 inches apart from one another on a lined baking sheet, to.
give the cookies enough room to spread without overlapping. Roll each piece of.
dough into a ball in clean palms.
Combine the cinnamon-sugar rolling mixture in a small bowl. Place each ball of.
dough in the mixture one at a time and shake and rotate the bowl to coat the.
dough in the mixture.
Replace the dough on the baking sheet and let it sit for about 5 minutes so the.
dough can absorb some of the coating. Repeat the process, coating each ball.
again in cinnamon-sugar. This is how we guarantee that the coating is thick.
enough to crackle and crack as the cookies flatten and bake in the oven.
6 scooped portions of raw snickerdoodle cookie dough evenly spaced on white.
paper lining gray baking sheet on marble counter.
scooped portions of raw snickerdoodle cookie dough evenly spaced on white paper.
lining gray baking sheet on marble counter.
A hand holding one dough ball with more in the background.
hand holding one dough ball with more in the background.
A hand holding small metal bowl with cinnamon sugar mixture, covering ball of.
cookie dough in mixture.
hand holding small metal bowl with cinnamon sugar mixture, covering ball of.
cookie dough in mixture.
A hand holding a bowl with cinnamon sugar mixture, covering one raw ball of.
hand holding a bowl with cinnamon sugar mixture, covering one raw ball of dough.
Bake the cookies in a hot oven, at 375°F, only for about 10 minutes. They’ll.
flatten, rise, and then fall a bit as they crisp on the edges, brown on the.
bottom, and crackle all around.
Let them sit for about 10 minutes on the baking sheet until they’re stable.
enough to transfer off the baking sheet onto a bare wire rack to finish cooling.
6 balls of raw cookie dough, well-coated in cinnamon sugar mixture, on baking.
sheet ready to be baked.
balls of raw cookie dough, well-coated in cinnamon sugar mixture, on baking.
sheet ready to be baked.
A baking sheet with 6 baked brown round snickerdoodle cookies, cooling on wire.
baking sheet with 6 baked brown round snickerdoodle cookies, cooling on wire.
EXPERT TIPS
DON’T SKIP THE CREAM OF TARTAR.
Cream of tartar gives the cookies their iconic tang and chewiness, transforming.
them from butter cookies to these delicious gluten-free snickerdoodles.
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.
CHILL THE RAW DOUGH
It can be frustrating to wait for the cookie dough to chill for an hour before.
shaping and baking it. But chilling the dough is essential to making it less.
sticky, so you can roll it into rounds, and to preventing it from spreading too.
COAT THE DOUGH TWICE
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.
Toss the disks of raw cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture once, wait 5.
minutes for the cookies to absorb some coating. Then toss them again in the.
FOR THICKER COOKIES
You can also shape the dough as directed in the recipe, but freeze the shaped.
and dipped dough until solid before baking it. The edges will be lacy and the.
cookies thicker overall.
6 large, golden brown snickerdoodles, with one cookie broken in half.
large, golden brown snickerdoodles, with one cookie broken in half.
DAIRY FREE
I’ve made these cookies successfully with Earth Balance buttery spread in place.
of the butter, but they do spread a bit more. Try using 7 tablespoons (98 grams).
instead of 8 tablespoons, or 112 grams), to help control the spread. You might.
have more luck using vegan butter, like Miyoko’s, Melt, or Trader Joe’s own.
EGG FREE
I recommend trying a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1.
tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel). Bob’s Red Mill’s egg.
replacer or Just Egg refrigerated liquid egg replacer are also worth trying.
CREAM OF TARTAR
Cream of tartar has two functions in these cookies, and we have to replace them.
both: tangy flavor, and rise from a chemical reaction with baking soda. You can.
replace it with an equal amount of citric acid, if you have that. Otherwise, try.
replacing both 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.
with 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder. For some tanginess, add 1/2 teaspoon freshly.
squeezed lemon juice or white vinegar.
A metal spatula with a snickerdoodle cookie on it.
metal spatula with a snickerdoodle cookie on it.
Store them in an airtight glass container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can also prepare the raw dough ahead of time, shaped and coated, in a sealed.
container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week before baking. Let the dough sit.
at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking, and consider coating again in.
cinnamon sugar in case any has fallen off during storage.
For longer storage of finished cookies, place them in a freezer-safe zip top.
bag, squeeze out as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn, and freeze for.
up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
GLUTEN FREE SNICKERDOODLES RECIPE
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins.
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins.
Chilling/resting time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins.
Total Time: 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins.
closeup image of light brown gluten free snickerdoodle cookie on white paper.
lined baking sheet broken in half.
image of light brown gluten free snickerdoodle cookie on white paper lined.
baking sheet broken in half.
These sweet and tangy gluten free snickerdoodles are soft and chewy. Learn the.
secret to a cinnamon-sugar cookie crust that always crackles!
EQUIPMENT
Hand or stand mixer.
FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH
1 ¼ cups (175 g) all purpose gluten-free flour blend.
FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH
1 ¼ cups (175 g) all purpose gluten-free flour blend.
Notes
* ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
* ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
* ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
* ½ teaspoon baking soda
* 8 tablespoons (112 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
* ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH
* In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, salt, 3/4 teaspoon
ground cinnamon, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
* In a separate large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand
mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the butter, and 3/4 cup
granulated sugar. Beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 4
minutes), scraping down the mixer at least once.
* Add the egg and vanilla and beat at medium speed just until fully combined (1
* Add the whisked dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl,
and mix on medium-low speed until just combined (about 1 minute).
* The cookie dough will be soft and fluffy, but sticky. Transfer it with a
spatula to a large sheet of plastic wrap and close the plastic tightly.
* Chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days, until mostly
SHAPE AND COAT THE DOUGH
* Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
* Unwrap the chilled cookie dough and divide the chilled dough into 12 pieces
of roughly equal size.
* Roll each piece of dough lightly between clean palms until it forms a ball,
then place on a prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart from one another.
* Combine the cinnamon and sugar for the rolling mixture in a small bowl. Toss
each ball of dough in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until it is well-coated,
then replace it on the baking sheet.
* Preheat your oven to 375°F.
* Allow the dough to sit for 5 minutes to absorb the coating, then repeat the
process, tossing each piece of dough in the rolling cinnamon-sugar again and
replacing on the baking sheet.
* Bake in the center of the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until the
cookie dough has spread into a round and is no longer glistening in the
* Cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack
xanthan gum, Nicole’s Best multipurpose plus xanthan gum, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1
gluten free (in the blue bag) with an added 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum. Vitacost
Multi-Blend gluten free flour plus xanthan gum also works very well.
For a DIY version of Better Batter or the original Cup4Cup blend, which would
work well here, too, see our all purpose gluten free flour blends
Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g
| Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron:
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an
Can I make these cookies with almond flour?
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.
Why are my cookies flat?
If you didn’t beat the butter and sugar fully enough, the butter was melted so
it couldn’t be beaten until fluffy, or the raw cookie dough wasn’t chilled
properly, your cookies may bake up flat.
What does cream of tartar do and do I have to use it?
Cream of tartar creates a tangy flavor that goes so well with cinnamon-sugar
cookies, and reacts with baking soda to create a high rise that falls a bit so
the coating takes on a crackled appearance. Yes, you should definitely use it,
but if you want to replace it, see the ingredient substitutions section above
Do I have to use a stand mixer to make these cookies?
No, you can beat the butter and sugar with a handheld mixer with the whisk
attachments. A stand mixer just takes less effort and is usually less messy,