Gluten Free Snickerdoodles
This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
These easy gluten free snickerdoodles are fluffy, chewy and loaded with cinnamon flavor in every bite. They’re made with a combo of almond flour and oat flour and come together in one bowl!
Snickerdoodles are one of Isaac’s favorite cookies, so this year I decided to take a stab at making them a bit healthier. Cue these gluten free snickerdoodle cookies!
These cookies are made with almond flour and oat flour which are packed with protein, fiber and healthy fats and major upgrades compared to white all-purpose flour and most gluten-free flour blends.
Even though these cookies are gluten-free and vegan, they still have that classic chewy snickerdoodle texture and are loaded with cinnamon sugar flavor in every bite! They’re Issac approved and seriously so dang delicious. I can’t wait for you to try them!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
- Delicious – Expect cookies with a soft and chewy interior and crispy edges, all topped off with a sugary cinnamon coating that’s utterly addictive!
- Easy to make – No complicated steps here — these cookies come together in one bowl with only 11 ingredients. And no need to chill the dough.
- Healthier ingredients – These snickerdoodles are made with wholesome ingredients like almond flour and oat flour. They’re also naturally sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar.
- Allergen-friendly – These cookies are gluten free, egg free, dairy free + vegan!
Ingredients Needed
- almond flour – make sure you get almond flour and not almond meal, which are two different textures. Bob’s Red Mill almond flour is my go-to.
- oat flour – you can make your own oat flour or use a store-bought brand! I like using Bob’s Red Mill oat flour but it is really simple to put some oats in a blender and blend them up!
- cinnamon – what’s a snickerdoodle without it’s delicious cinnamon flavor! This is added to the cookie dough and also used to make a delicious cinnamon sugar topping to coat the cookies in before baking.
- cream of tartar – do not skip on this ingredient! It helps give snickerdoodles their distinct texture and flavor. I go into a little more detail about cream of tartar below.
- baking soda and baking powder – leavening agents to help the cookies rise.
- sea salt – brings all the flavors together.
- coconut oil – to bind all the ingredients together and provide a nice dose of healthy fat to the cookies.
- maple syrup and coconut sugar – the sweeteners in these cookies.
- vanilla extract – another flavor enhancer.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Coconut sugar: Brown sugar is a good substitute for coconut sugar, offering a similar molasses-like flavor and moisture content. Regular granulated sugar can also be used but may alter the texture slightly.
- Flour: I don’t recommend substituting the almond or oat flour with another gluten free flour as this recipe was designed to be made with those two flours.
- Coconut oil: If you’re not a fan of coconut oil, or simply don’t have it on hand, melted vegan butter or another neutral oil like avocado oil or olive oil can work as a replacement.
- Maple syrup: Honey or agave syrup can be used in place of maple syrup. They both add the necessary sweetness, though the flavor will be slightly different.
How to Make
This gluten free snickerdoodle recipe is super easy to make! Just follow these four steps for the best
Step 1: Start by mixing the almond flour, oat flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.
Step 2: To the same bowl, add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla extract. Stir until everything is combined.
Step 3: In a separate small bowl, mix together the coconut sugar and cinnamon for your topping.
Step 4: Roll out cookie dough balls and then roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes, in a preheated oven, until slightly golden. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips For Making the Best Gluten Free Snickerdoodles
- Don’t skip the cream of tartar: This ingredient is crucial for that classic snickerdoodle tang and chewiness. It’s what sets a snickerdoodle apart from a simple cinnamon sugar cookie, so it’s best not to substitute it.
- Use a cookie scoop: Use a cookie scoop to ensure all your dough balls are the same size. This uniformity helps them bake evenly, preventing some cookies from getting too crispy while others are still underbaked.
- Don’t overbake: Gluten-free cookies can go from perfect to overdone quickly. Remove them from the oven when the edges are set but the centers still look soft. They’ll continue to cook slightly as they cool on the baking sheet.
- Adjust baking time: For a chewier cookie bake for 8 minutes. For a crispier cookie bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Want thicker, fluffier cookies? Don’t flatten the top of your dough balls down before baking. Just roll your dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place them on the baking sheet.
How to Store
If you won’t be eating these gluten-free snickerdoodle cookies right after making them, you’ll want to make sure you store them properly so they don’t get stale!
Let your cookies cool completely and then layer the cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for about a week. They store really well which makes them great for holiday parties and gifts!
For longer storage, you can freeze these cookies for 1-2 months in a freezer-safe container. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature for about 15-30 minutes or reheat briefly in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cream of tartar is a dry powder made from fermenting grapes into wine, commonly found in the spice aisle near baking soda and baking powder. It’s essential for snickerdoodles, giving them their unique tangy flavor and chewy texture.
The main difference is that snickerdoodles use cream of tartar, giving them a tangy flavor, chewy texture, and crinkled surface, while cinnamon sugar cookies are sweeter and crispier without it.
Flat snickerdoodles can result from overmixing the dough, using expired leavening agents like cream of tartar or baking soda, or baking at too low a temperature, causing the cookies to spread before they set.
Dry cookies often result from either adding too much flour, which absorbs the dough’s moisture, or baking the cookies for too long, causing them to lose moisture and become overly dry. Additionally, not having enough fat in the recipe can make the cookies less moist. To avoid dry cookies, it’s important to measure ingredients accurately, keep an eye on the baking time, and follow the recipe’s recommended amounts of ingredients.
Yes! After you roll your dough balls in the cinnamon sugar, place them on a baking sheet, but instead of placing the baking sheet in the oven transfer it to the freezer. Let your dough balls freeze for about 15-20 minutes then transfer to a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake your cookies you don’t have to thaw them first. Just place the frozen dough balls on your baking sheet and bake as directed. You may need to bake the cookies for a few extra minutes, just keep an eye on them!
More Holiday Cookies to Try
- Almond Flour Crescent Cookies
- Healthy Gingersnap Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Almond Butter Espresso Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Healthy Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Healthy No Bake Cookies
- Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies (Cut-Out Cookies)
Be sure to check out all of my cookie recipes and the full collection of dessert recipes here on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Gluten Free Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 ¼ cup oat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper, set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: almond flour, oat flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
- In a separate shallow bowl, make your cinnamon sugar by stirring together the cinnamon and coconut sugar.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, measure out about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies slightly with your palm or the flat bottom of a glass. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.
- Let cool for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store leftover cookies in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Storage: Let the cookies cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature or warm them briefly in the oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Very, very dry and crumbly. This recipe is begging for a binder. Very disappointed as I have tried other recipes from this site and they were very good.
Oh no! So sorry to hear this! Did you change anything about the recipe? Did you use the cream of tartar? I’ve made these cookies many times without this issue, so I wonder what could be happening.
Yummy. Will definitely make them again. Easy to throw together, quick to bake and very tasty. I shared some with my friends and then had to share the recipe! Thanks!
YAY! I am so happy to hear that you are enjoying this recipe and are sharing it with your friends, thank you so much! I appreciate your review and star rating, it means a lot!
YAY! I am happy to hear that this recipe is a hit, Karen. Thank you for sharing your review and star rating, I so appreciate it!
These are delicious. My friend can’t have dairy soy or wheat. Perfect for her! Thank you
YUM! I am so glad you gave these a try and they turned out perfect for you. Thanks so much for your review & star rating, it means so much to me.
These are delicious!! They come together so quickly and easily and were a hit even in my non-gluten free college house! Perfect for fall
Yay! So glad they were a hit. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Omg these were amazing! The cookie dough raw was also delicious 😂
Ah yay!! So happy to hear these were a hit, Brittney. Thanks for letting me know!
Made these for myself and my 14 year old daughter and they were a BIG hit! Didn’t have oat flour so I subbed Bobs 1:1 GF and they were perfect! Will definitely be making again!
Ah yay! Happy to hear these cookies were a hit, Tina. Thanks for the review!!
I’m not normally a big snickerdoodle fan, but these are amazing! Love the nuttiness you get from the almond flour and coconut sugar. Also really love that these allow my kids a treat while knowing that the ingredients are wholesome and real! Mine came out flatter than the pic, but I think I pushed them down too much. I also got 25 cookies.
So glad you loved these, Caroline!! Thanks for making them and for the review. I so appreciate it!
I would like to try these but I can’t have oats. Do you have an idea of what I could sub for the oat? Must still be gluten free and vegan. Thank you in advance!
Hey Jenna – I haven’t tried it so I’m not 100% sure how the cookies will turn out, but you could try using all almond flour. Let me know if you end up trying it!!
Could tigernut flour be used in place of the oat flour?
I’ve never cooked with that flour before, so I’m not 100% sure how these cookies would turn out, but feel free to experiment and definitely let me know how they turn out if you try them!
This is a decent effort at a healthier snickerdoodle but it won’t be our go-to. The almond flavor was very strong, making it taste more like an almond-cinnamon cookie rather than a snickerdoodle. Not bad, but not a snickerdoodle. I decided to make a second batch with just oat flour, which definitely had a better flavor profile but did result in a slightly drier cookie. Overall both batches were not as moist and chewy as we would have liked – a little more soft/dry and cakey.
So sorry you didn’t love the taste of these cookies, Sara. Oat flour is definitely way more dense of a flour than almond so that’s probably why it turned out to be drier when you used oat flour.
RE: Snickerdoodle recipe
It is somewhat confusing. The dry ingredients don’t list the coconut sugar to add while mixing them together.
So, is there coconut sugar IN the cookies themselves or not. (I DO NOTE THAT coconut sugar & cinnamon is listed at the end again for rolling them in.
Please clarify this as I want to make them ASAP! They sound delicious!!!!
Hey Dar! So sorry for the confusion and thanks for catching that. Yes, there is coconut sugar in the cookie recipe. You should add it in with the wet ingredients. I just updated the post! Let me know how these cookies turn out for you if you end up making them!
My comment is regarding the recipes running in the bavkground(when a recipe is being made). I LOVE this site and all the recipes. However I would like to make some of the recipes I see( running in the background) – while I have my other recipe up to make, but there are just ingredients without measurements AND NO NAME for the recipe so I am not even able to look it up. Please respond with assistance at your convenience. Ty.
Hey Dar – I’m assuming you’re referring to the video recipes that show up on the blog posts. If you click the button on the bottom right corner of the video that says “more videos” you’ll be able to see the name of the recipe in the video playing as well as other videos. Hopefully that helps and let me know if you aren’t able to figure it out. 🙂
Yummy!
Very easy to make although they came out extremely dry!!!! Any thoughts as to why that happened??
Hey Maggie! I’m so sorry to hear that, they definitely shouldn’t have turned out dry. Did you change anything about the recipe? Normally if a cookie turns out too dry it means too much flour was added or not enough liquid or else they were cooked too long. Did they seem overcooked to you?
Hi Brittany,
I wonder if you’ve ever considered adding weight measurements to your baking recipes? It would be so helpful, especially with the use of these alternative flours which can sometimes be a bit dense, to have the weight measurements. This reader may have followed your recipe exactly but if you fluffed your flours before scooping and she didn’t, her cup of flour could have contained more flour than your cup, for example. There can be such a huge difference when people are measuring by volume rather than weight! Not to mention how much easier clean-up is when you go by weight – just tare the scale and add ingredients to the bowl – no cups needed! I hope this is something you’ll consider adding going forward.
Hey Sara – Thanks for your feedback! I’ll definitely look into it. 🙂
These cookies are so good! I like them better than traditional Snickerdoodles. Even my 15 year old loved them. Am planning to make again but a double batch.
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Lori! I’m glad these cookies were a hit! Thanks for trying this recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it!
These cookies were delicious!! Just sweet enough, and I loved the texture. I will definitely be making these again!
Ahh! I love hearing that, Christina! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!
This is looks so good. I’ll definitely try this. I will share also some to my friends in Hawthorn Restaurants. Hope I can get the perfect blend because my friends thinking that I don’t know how to cook. I know they will surprise.
I tried these tonight and they came out tasting great!
The only issue I ran into was that my dough remained quite crumbly and thus the cookies came tad fragile. Of course, I’m new to baking gluten-free, so this might be completely normal!
Hey Yolan, I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. Thanks for trying this recipe! The dough definitely shouldn’t be crumbly. Did it seem dry to you and did you change anything about the recipe?
These look so good! Snickerdoodles are my fave!
Thanks Ali! I hope you get a chance to try them!
Oat flour has gluten, any suggestions of a gluten free substitute for this?
Hi Deanne. You can find certified gluten-free oat flour – Bob’s Red Mill makes it. Or all-purpose gluten-free flour will work too!
These look so good! I know almond flour can be a hard one to replace, but any sub ideas for someone who’s allergic to almonds? 😬
Hey Tori! I haven’t tried it, but you could try using all oat flour instead of the almond flour. Again, I haven’t tried it so I’m not 100% sure the cookies will turn out the same, but definitely let me know how they turn out if you try the recipe without almond flour. 🙂
These look so good! I need to make these for my sister over the holidays!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Can oat flour be made in Vitamix using whole oats?
Yes! Just blend until the oats turn into a fine flour-like consistency.