A whole food take on the classic, these healthy snickerdoodle cookies are made grain free, refined sugar free, gluten free and dairy free. This delicious cookie recipe still has all of the qualities of the classic snickerdoodle cookie – slightly crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside and rolled in a cinnamon sugar mixture, with a slight tang from the cream of tartare.
These delicious gluten free snickerdoodles go perfectly with my Dairy Free Eggnog or my Oat Milk Hot Chocolate. The holiday season is already packed with so much sugar so why not have a little less sugar these holidays by baking this sweet cookie, made using more wholesome ingredients?
Honestly, this is my favorite cookie to bake at that time of the year and I think it will soon be yours too! I mean, next to my Gluten Free Linzer Cookies and Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies of course!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I am obsessed with this healthy snickerdoodle recipe (personally I think they’re so much better then traditional snickerdoodles) and here’s why:
- They are the perfect healthy cookies for the holiday season!
- Naturally sweetened with coconut sugar and rapadura sugar
- These delicious cookies freeze really well (so you can grab one out when the craving calls!).
- Made using healthier ingredients and low sugar compared to the original recipe.
- This is an easy snickerdoodle recipe that the whole family will love.
Ingredients for Healthy Snickerdoodles
These cookies are an absolute delight to eat while being fun and easy to make! This recipe is based on gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and paleo friendly ingredients that will leave you feeling nourished. We’ve made our own gluten-free flour blend that just works perfectly! To make these paleo snickerdoodles you will need:
Dry Ingredients
- blanched almond meal (also known as almond flour) – using almond flour increases protein, healthy fats and fibre in this cookie recipe.
- coconut flour – coconut flour is essential for getting the texture spot on. It is also very high in fibre, making these cookies gut healthy.
- tapioca flour – tapioca starch is made from tapioca root and helps to create a soft and fluffy flour blend.
- cream of tartar – gives the cookies their classic tartness. It also helps to make them more chewy.
- baking soda
- baking powder
- ground cinnamon
- coconut sugar – coconut sugar is lower glycemic index then white sugar and together with almond meal and coconut flour ensure that this cookie wont cause a blood sugar spike.
Wet Ingredients
- vanilla extract
- coconut oil
- egg
Quantities for the ingredients can be found on the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ingredient Substitutions
This recipe has been tested several times to land on the precise amount ingredients needed to make the perfect cookie. But sometimes we don’t have everything we need so here are some possible substitutions that you can make (please note that these substitutions have not been tested so try these at your own risk).
- tapioca flour – swap for arrowroot starch, potato starch or corn flour.
- cream of tartar – you can make snickerdoodles without cream or tartar, however they will be slightly less chewy and wont have that tang that a good snickerdoodle cookie has.
- coconut sugar – use rapadura sugar or brown sugar instead.
How
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES
Making this gluten free snickerdoodle recipe is easy (and requires no electric beaters, which I love!).
See how to make this recipe below:
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together the coconut sugar and coconut oil. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk until the mixture becomes a caramel like consistency.
Mix the wet ingredients. To a separate bowl, add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and cinnamon and whisk to combine.
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Make the snickerdoodle cookie dough. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir through with a spatula. Add the remaining half and mix to combine. Next, add the tapioca flour to the bowl and stir through. Now you will need to refrigerate the batter for 15 minutes.
Make the cinnamon sugar coating. Add cinnamon and coconut sugar to a small bowl and stir to combine.
Roll into little balls. For this step I like to use a small cookie scoop, as this makes sure that all of the gluten-free snickerdoodles are uniform in shape. Roll the scoops of cookie dough into balls and then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Bake cookies. These cookies will spread when cooking so I recommend only adding around 6 to a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper. Push each ball down to flatten slightly and sprinkle the flattened cookies with extra cinnamon sugar before placing into the oven to bake.
Remove from the oven when the cookies are slightly crispy on the outside (around 7 minutes). You want the cookies to be golden brown. Depending on your oven this could take 10-12 minutes. Start with 7 minutes and check the cookies. If they are very blonde, pop them back in.
Cool. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and to cool to room temperature before eating (if you can wait that long!).
Recipe Notes
A few things to note about this recipe:
- When rolling the cookie dough balls, if the dough becomes too sticky to roll into balls, return to the fridge for a short time.
- These cookies are dairy free and made with coconut oil, which means they will soften when warm. If you live in a warm climate, these snickerdoodle cookies are best stored in the fridge in an airtight container. When softened they still hold together very well and maintain their chewy texture, they just lose their crispness on the outside.
Expert Tips for Making the Best Snickerdoodle Cookies
A few things to note about this gluten-free snickerdoodle recipe:
- When rolling the cookie dough balls, if the dough becomes too sticky to roll into balls, return to the fridge for a short time.
- Use a cookie scoop to get uniform sized cookies.
- To bake more cookies at a time, use an extra large baking sheet.
Storage
Fridge: These cookies are dairy free and made with coconut oil, which means they will soften when warm. If you live in a warm climate, these snickerdoodle cookies are best stored in the fridge in an airtight container. When softened they still hold together very well and maintain their chewy texture, they just lose their crispness on the outside.
Freezer: Store these cookies in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Take individual cookies out and defrost at room temperature before eating.
FAQ
Snickerdoodles are traditionally made using cream of tartar, which gives them their slightly tangy taste. A good snickerdoodle should be soft and almost cake like on the inside, crispy on the outside and rolled in cinnamon sugar.
We have used almond flour in this recipe which increases the healthy fats and proteins. They also contain non-refined sugar and less sugar in total than a traditional snickerdoodle cookie. They are also made dairy free, making them suitable for anyone with a dairy allergy or intolerance. The gluten-free flour blend is high in fibre and makes these cookies gluten-free.
Cream of Tartar (or potassium bitartrate) is a bi-product of wine making. The resulting white powder can be used for baking and is used as a component of baking powder. It can also be used to stabilize egg whites in pavlova or meringue.
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Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Cookies
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- Measuring cup & spoons
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Mixing Spoon
- Baking trays
- Cookie scoop or 1 tablespoon measuring spoon
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour, blanched almond meal
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 2 tablespoons rapadura sugar, or coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, cream of tartare, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon, set aside.1 1/2 cups almond flour blanched almond meal, 2 tablespoons coconut flour, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In another large mixing bowl whisk together the coconut oil and coconut sugar, when combined add the egg and vanilla, whisk together forming a thick caramel looking mixture.1/2 cup coconut oil melted, 1/2 cup coconut sugar, 1 egg at room temperature, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add half of the flour mix and use a spatula to combine, then add the remaining flour mix. When the flour is almost all incorporated add the tapioca flour. Mix to combine. The dough will come together to form a thick soft dough.2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- Chill dough in the fridge for 15 mins.
- While the dough is chilling make the sugar cinnamon coating by mixing the rapadura sugar and ground cinnamon together in a small bowl.2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons rapadura sugar or coconut sugar
- Once chilled, use a cookie scoop or 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop and form balls of cookie dough, then roll and coat in the sugar and cinnamon mix.
- Place on the lined tray allowing room for spreading . Press down lightly and gently shape into a neat round shape.
- Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes. The edges should be slightly hardening and golden but still soft in the middle of the cookie.
- Optional: sprinkle cookies with remaining sugar and cinnamon mix while hot.
- Leave on the tray to cool slightly for 2 mins before transferring them to a wire-rack to completely cool.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
Notes
- If the dough becomes too sticky to roll into balls, return to the fridge for a short time.
- As these are made with coconut oil, they will soften when warm. If you live in a warm climate, these cookies are best stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Nutrition
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