Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Cookies
Crispy edges and chewy in the middle, these gluten free snickerdoodle cookies are perfect for any holiday or with your afternoon cup of tea. Note there is a 2 hour resting time in the fridge to allow the batter to firm up, so give yourself time to let this sit. It will give you better results!
This gluten-free snickerdoodle recipe reminds me of the traditional version I used to make for my roommate in college. I started making them because it was his favorite cookie, and he begged me to make it since he couldn't have his Mom's. I included the snickerdoodle in my holiday baking every year, just for him. Many years have passed since then and I hadn't tried making a gluten-free version of this cookie, assuming it would not be as good. This year, I got curious if I could make a great gluten-free version AND make it without butter too.
Snickerdoodles are known for their cinnamon and sugar coating. They really are a simple cookie, with just a slight vanilla, sugar and cinnamon flavor. I remember Tim always telling me the perfect cookie was a little crispy along the edges but soft and chewy in the middle. So I knew to look for mentions of those textures when I researched the gluten-free recipes already out there. Unfortunately, all of the recipes I found also contained butter, so I had to make my own recipe with a few adjustments and hoped I would get a good end result.
I added a little extra vanilla powder in my batter to pump up the flavor a little. Gluten-free flours and NO butter made this cookie a little flat. Try this Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder from Nielsen-Massey if you feel the same way. ?rel=sponsored
Gluten Free Flours In This Recipe
You’ll need 5 flours for this cookie recipe: brown rice, sorghum, tapioca starch, potato starch and sweet rice flour.
The key to really good gf baking lies in the blends. I teach in my Gluten Free Cooking Course that no one flour replaces the wheat plant, and a blend ensures you get similar results. You need some protein, fiber and starch, and then for the gluten, we use a little xanthan gum.
The rest of the ingredients for this recipe are:
cream of tartar
baking soda
salt
white sugar
dairy-free butter (like Miyoko's)
vanilla extract
2 eggs
vanilla powder - this ingredient is to add more flavor. gluten free flours and vegan butter made this a little flat. I found the cookies to be a little bland the first time around. Adding more vanilla punch helped bring these right in line with the wheat version. Here is where to find vanilla powders.
You will also need some sugar and cinnamon to roll the cookies in.
A printable recipe is included for you at the bottom of the page!
Which Dairy Free Butter Should I Use?
There are so many dairy free butters out there now, Miyoko, Trader Joes, Earth Balance. I’ve tried most of them. Use the one you like the flavor of. I know this recipe works with both Miyoko’s and Trader Joe’s non dairy butters.
All dairy free butters tend to be softer than the regular version. For this reason I find it best to keep the butter really cold, or the cookie dough needs to sit for awhile in the fridge before you bake them.
Why does this cookie dough need to sit in the fridge?
Place the dough in fridge to chill for two hours. When using a non-dairy butter, the dough will be softer than with regular butter. Letting the dough sit and get nice and cold will help it to firm up so the cookies do not spread too much when baking.
It is also a good practice with gluten free flours to let the batter rest. This helps the flours to absorb the liquids and become more cohesive. Without gluten, we need to treat these recipes a little differently to help them adhere together.
How to Make Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Cookies!
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of your standing mixer, beat the sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs until well mixed.
Dump the bowl of dry ingredients into your mixing bowl and mix on low until just mixed. Be careful not to overmix.
Place the dough in fridge to chill for two hours. When using a non-dairy butter, the dough will be softer than with regular butter. Letting the dough sit and get nice and cold will help it to firm up so the cookies do not spread too much when baking.
Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for cookie rolling.
Using a spoon, scoop dough and roll into smallish balls, around 1 inch wide. Roll dough balls in sugar/cinnamon mixture and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake 8-10 minutes. You are looking for the cookies to be a tiny bit soft still as they will harden once they come out of the oven and cool. You should see those beautiful cracks all over the tops of your cookies.
Place the cookie sheet on a cooking rack for about 5 minutes, then slide cookies off onto the cooling rack to finish cooling.
Trouble Shooting: If your cookies flatten completely and are not slightly rounded, the dough is too soft. Place the dough back in the fridge for at least an hour. You can also add a little more flour into the dough, about 2 Tbsp, work it into the dough and then place in fridge for 30 minutes before resuming rolling and baking.
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Printer-Friendly Recipe
Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Recipe (Dairy Free too)
Wonderful cinnamon and sugar cookies with a hint of vanilla. Use your favorite non-dairy butter.
*Note: there is a 2 hour resting time in the fridge to allow the batter to firm up, so give yourself time to let this sit. It will give you better results!
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup brown rice flour +1 tablespoon
- ½ cup sorghum flour +2 tablespoon
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup potato starch
- ½ cup sweet rice flour
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup (or 1 stick) dairy-free butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
- 3 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of your standing mixer, beat the sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs until well mixed.
- Dump the bowl of dry ingredients into your mixing bowl and mix on low until just mixed. Be careful not to overmix.
- Place the dough in fridge to chill for two hours. When using a non-dairy butter, the dough will be softer than with regular butter. Letting the dough sit and get nice and cold will help it to firm up so the cookies do not spread too much when baking.
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for cookie rolling.
- Using a spoon, scoop dough and roll into smallish balls, around 1 inch wide. Roll dough balls in sugar/cinnamon mixture and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 8-10 minutes. You are looking for the cookies to be a tiny bit soft still as they will harden once they come out of the oven and cool. You should see those beautiful cracks all over the tops of your cookies.
- Place the cookie sheet on a cooking rack for about 5 minutes, then slide cookies off onto the cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Trouble Shooting: Test a few cookies before rolling them all out. Bake and if your cookies flatten completely and are not slightly rounded, the dough is too soft. Place your dough back in the fridge for at least an hour. You can also add a little more flour into the dough, about 2 tablespoons, work it into the dough and then place in fridge for 30 minutes before resuming rolling and baking.
MORe recipes to try:
Coconut Cashew Cookies
Vegan Chocolate Fudge
Healthy Chocolate Truffles
**Please note, some of the links on this site are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I can earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. All of the products on my site are actually used by me. I do not recommend anything that is not in my own kitchen and used in these recipes. I am showing you what I use and providing easy links to those products so that you may get the same great results in your own kitchen.