Gluten Free Snickerdoodles

Fresh out of the oven or cooled, these gluten free snickerdoodles are to die for! Just like traditional snickerdoodles, they are a light, soft, sugary cookie with a crisp, chewy outer shell. The inside is not quite cake-like, but definitely not dense like regular cookies. They are chewier than cake. I surveyed my Facebook followers on how they enjoy their snickerdoodles. Due to the mixed results, I have added several tips at the bottom of this recipe so that you may adjust it according to your preferences. These are made my way. I hope you get to enjoy them your way!

Gluten Free Snickerdoodles

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Yield: Makes 28 2 1/4-inch cookies.

Gluten Free Snickerdoodles

Gluten free snickerdoodles made with Carla's awesome gluten-free all-purpose flour blend recipe. Adjust the recipe to your liking with several provided tips.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup + 1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, at near room temperature, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces (or Earth Balance spread)
  • 1/4 cup + 1/2 Tablespoon shortening (I used organic palm shortening.)
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups + 1 Tablespoon Carla's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend Recipe*
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl; whisk to blend thoroughly.
  2. In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugar, just until blended; add egg; beat just until blended.
  3. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.
  4. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  6. While dough is chilling, mix 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.
  7. Scoop the dough using a 1-inch tablespoon or spring-action scooper; roll the dough into a ball using the palms of your hands; roll in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
  8. Transfer the dough balls to an ungreased baking sheet, spacing at least 2-inches apart.
  9. Bake on the center rack in the oven for 10 minutes.
  10. Transfer the cookies immediately to a metal rack to cool completely and then enjoy.

Tips

*You have a choice of using cornstarch or tapioca starch in my flour blend recipe. I use cornstarch due to my allergies to tapioca. Using tapioca may provides different results, sometimes lighter and higher.

Do not over-roll the dough balls or they will become crispier on the outside and too sweet. You'll find that you'll end up with a heavier cinnamon coating if you pour some of the cinnamon-sugar on top of the dough ball, which creates a darker cookie, and the inherent cracks in the cookies will show up more.

For softer, chewier snickerdoodles add additional sugar and butter, though they will not crack on top.

For heavier cookies I suggest skipping the sifting step. Sifting flour creates lighter batters and dough.

Baking at 350°F creates a more cake-like middle, and they are more tender on the outside. Again, they will not crack on the tops.

Not many of mine cracked, therefore, I would like to experiment with a baking temperature of 425°F in the future. In addition, adding perhaps 1 - 2 tablespoons of flour or cutting back a tad on the butter may help, as well. However, I noticed the largest one cracked well. Perhaps making a bit over 1 tablespoon is best.

Traditionally, snickerdoodles are not made in a mixer, but my curiosity got the better of me. They will turn out a bit heavier when mixed by hand.

7 Replies to “Gluten Free Snickerdoodles”

  1. During baking the cookies all melted together into one big paper thin cookie within minutes. I used Trader Joe’s’ Gluten Free All Purpose Flour instead of your recipe for flour. Could this have been the problem?

    1. Jolie,

      I am sorry to hear you had problems. This recipe calls for my gluten-free all-purpose flour blend recipe using superfine rice flour. Superfine rice flour is much more finer than regular rice flour. I am not sure of the ingredients in Trader Joe’s all-purpose flour, but I can bet it does not contain superfine rice flour. Gluten free flour blends are different. Some even contain gum, while others do not. My flour blend recipe is linked above, but here it is, just in case you can’t find it: https://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-all-purpose-flour-blend/.

      Updated to include: Trader Joe’s flour blend does not contain gum, which replaces the missing gluten in traditional all-purpose flour. If you would have added about 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to the flour mix, it would have worked better.

      Carla

  2. I am confused about the sugar. The ingredients call for 3/4 cup sugar but the instructions call for 1 1/4 cup + 1 TB.
    thanks!

    1. Cindy,

      Thanks for catching that error. The recipe has been updated now, but because your computer may have saved an image of the older version, you may not see the changes right away. The sugar listed in the ingredients list is correct.

      Enjoy!

      Carla

  3. Facebook Comment – April 16, 2013,

    “I am using this recipe at [culinary] school since its baking quarter! I made both this one and regular ones. LOTS of compliments on these, Thanks for the recipes!”

    ~ J.G.

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