Crispy edges, chewy centers, and yummy cinnamon flavor makes these gluten-free snickerdoodles a delicious treat to enjoy fall, winter and really, year-round.
Cooler weather, turning leaves, the smells of autumn… I’m dreaming of those things being here soon. We’re still having high temps in the 80s and 90s but I’m ready to pack up swimsuits and summer clothes, put out the fall decorations, and fill my house with baked goods that smell of cinnamon. These gluten-free cinnamon sugar Snickerdoodles were the first on my fall baking list and I had to make them right away, despite the hot weather!
I’ve been making this snickerdoodle recipe for several years, so it is my tried and true recipe. I made these last week for my boys to take to their new teachers for meet the teacher night.
I shared the photo on Instagram, which reminds me, are you on Instagram? I often post photos of breakfast, lunches, things I’m baking, and a few family pics too. You can follow me on Instagram here. I’m pretty addicted to it and love interacting with gluten-free friends on there.
Back to these gluten-free snickerdoodle cookies… I prefer the results when I have time to chill the dough at least an hour, versus using right away.
One helpful thing about this dough is that you can make it ahead and let it sit in your fridge for up to 2 days! I love recipes that I can make in steps so I can work on them a bit as I have time. Last month, I made a batch of this dough and then only cooked up a cookie sheet full each day for 3 days so we could enjoy them warm each day!
You can also make these gluten-free snickerdoodle cookies as small 2-bite cookies if you’re wanting to bring them to a potluck style gathering. I made them this way using my small cookie scoop and got 4 dozen cookies from one batch. Here’s a pic of them smaller like that (also made dairy-free which caused them not to spread as much):
Notes on ingredients and substitutions for these gluten-free snickedoodle cookies:
- Gluten-free flour: Try these out with your favorite gluten-free flour blend first. If you don’t have a favorite, some of my favorites are gfJules, Authentic Foods Multi-Blend, King Arthur Measure for Measure, and Gluten Free Mama’s almond blend.
- xanthan gum: If the gluten-free flour blend you use already has xanthan gum or guar gum in it, then omit the xanthan gum called for in this recipe. If your flour blend doesn’t have xanthan or guar gum, then you’ll need to add it like the recipe says. One bag of xanthan gum lasts me over a year, even with all the baking I do! You can buy it here on Amazon.
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar is always included in snickerdoodle cookie recipes. I wondered why too, so I read this article about cream of tartar and found that “It’s what separates a tangy, chewy snickerdoodle from an ordinary cinnamon-coated sugar cookie. The acid in cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their distinctive tangy flavor, and the chew happens because cream of tartar prevents sugar in the cookie dough from crystalizing into crunchiness.” Don’t skip the cream of tartar! And if you haven’t used yours in a while, do check the expiration date. You want it to be fresh so that it works properly.
- Cinnamon: Use a good cinnamon. I was amazed at the difference when I switched from the regular generic cinnamon to this Saigon Cinnamon that Costco sells (and Amazon does here too).
Can you make these gluten-free snickerdoodles dairy-free too? Yes! Try different dairy-free alternatives for the butter. Some just don’t melt as good as others. I wish I could remember which dairy-free butter alternative I used in these cookies above. I’ll definitely try with some different ones and report back. But if you try this dairy-free, please comment with your substitution and how it worked.
I’d love if you would comment if you have a chance to try these! I hope they satisfy your craving!
Gluten-free Snickerdoodle Recipe:
Crispy edges, chewy centers, and yummy cinnamon flavor makes these gluten-free snickerdoodles a delicious treat to enjoy year-round. Everyone goes for seconds of these gluten-free snickerdoodle cookies. If the gluten-free flour blend you use already has xanthan gum or guar gum in it, then omit the xanthan gum called for in this recipe. I almost always make these with gfJules flour but see blog post for other flour recommendations and information about other ingredients. The texture of these cookies will be affected by the type of flour you use and the type of butter/alternative you use. I recommend baking a test cookie, and then adjusting from there. If the test cookie is too thick and puffy, then push the dough balls down to flatten for the rest of the cookies. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Gluten-free Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
for rolling:
Instructions
Notes
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I hope you and your loved ones enjoy this gluten-free snickerdoodle cookie recipe as much as we do!
Stacy says
Do you know how many grams 2 3/4 of Jules’ flour is?
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Stacy, I just went and measured that out and weighed it, and it is 345 grams. Hope that helps! I’ll add it to the recipe too!
Sharron says
Lovely. Jules flour is not available here in Ireland, so I used Doves Farm gluten & wheat free it contains the Xantham gum for anyone trying them here.
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Sharron,
Thanks for commenting and letting us know what flour blend worked well for you. I’m so glad you got to make these and enjoy them!
Jacqui says
Hi Michelle,
Any idea if egg replacer would work in this recipe or suggestions for a specific egg replacer?
Thanks!
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Jacqui,
I haven’t tried this with any egg replacer. If you have a favorite egg replacer that works well in cookie recipes, just give it a try here!
Jennifer says
For people like me, who are too impatient to chill dough, the cookies will still come out tasty. They will be extremely flat, but they aren’t too crunchy or anything. Yum! Just sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over top before cooking.
Also, you can cook some of the dough without chilling, put the rest in the fridge and cook it up properly later.
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Jennifer, So glad you liked them. Great tips too! Thanks for sharing!
crystal says
hey instead of gluten free flour, can you just use regular all purpose flour? is xanthan gum essential in this?
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Crystal,
The xanthan gum is only essential when using gluten-free flour. You can use your regular all-purpose flour in place of the gf flour in this recipe and omit the xanthan gum. Enjoy!
Angela says
Oh my!!! I can’t thank you enough!!! Can’t wait to try these…my favorite cookie…although we called them Roly Polies when I was growing up
Jordan says
It tasted like a REAL snickerdoodle cookie! I substituted cream of tartar for baking powder, and I used Bob Mills gluten free all purpose baking flour. Loved the cookies! Thank you!
Helen says
Did you have to use the xantham gum if use all gf all purpose flour?
Carrie Doll says
what is the final texture supposed be like? I doubled the recipe and it looks like corn meal.
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
Carrie, Eeek! Shouldn’t be like corn meal at all. I’d double-check that you got all the ingredients in the exact amount and that you used a good all-purpose gluten-free flour. The dough should be just like the smooth cookie dough batter you remember from before!
Lauren says
These are some of the most beautiful GF cookies I’ve made. My dough was chilled for 2 hours and the cookies stayed nice and puffy all through cooling. A bit sticky to roll into balls, but I managed that by putting a little potato starch on mt palms every couple cookies. Also, they weren’t fragile to transfer to cooling racks. I did use parchment paper, but I took them off when they were still pretty warm. I used my own flour blend with millet, sweet rice, and potato starch. Only improvement I’d make would be to see if I could get them to be a little less “cakey” next time. But I like doughier cookies.
Jessie Judge says
I’m kind if new to the GF life style, doing it to help improve my over all health and to tame my autoimmune disorders. Your site is a blessing! I love that you have incorporated so many “real life” recipes into a GF version! Thank you so much. My only question is, you mentioned that these can be refrigerated for up to two days. Can GF batters, like cookie doughs, be frozen for future use?
Thanks for your help!
Jess says
Hi there, I’ve been cooking and baking gluten free for a few years now (my boyfriend is gluten and dairy free- by need not want). We’re having company tonight and I wanted to try something different.
When I made these cookies I used Earth Balance margarine and Robin Hood Nutri gluten free all purpose flour. The rest was as you said. My dough before chilling looked heavy and crumbly, like it needed more fat. I chilled for an hour and a half and it stayed about the sane, maybe a little more dense.
I baked for 8mins to test. they stayedfirn balls and didnt flatten out. So I kept them in for 2more mins and they eventually started to crack but again didnt flatten much.
I nice cooled I tested one and am dissapoibted there isn’t much flavour to them.
Might make these again but with alterations.
Kaitlin says
I made these last night using Pillsbury’s GF flour and Baking Powder instead of the Cream of Tartar. They didn’t flatten at all and I decided not to refrigerate them. They were absolutely delicious!! Tasted exactly like non-gluten free snickerdoodles from my childhood. Thank you for this brilliant recipe
Jonah Ferdman-Hayden says
What happens i you don’t use xanthan/guar gum at all?
Heather says
These were so good! My 4 yr old has celiac and loved being able to eat these cookies. One tip I have is we had to flatten the dough after we rolled them because they didn’t spread put very much but these tasted like regular snickerdoodles.
Nicola Wallace says
Wow these are delicious! I didn’t have any cream of tartar so I was going to replace it with lemon juice, but I forgot to add it in! They turned out really well without it, maybe a little puffy but looks aren’t important when they’re this tasty ????
Cheryll says
Tried these with a different GF mix and they turned out great. I was in a hurry so I didn’t chill them but didn’t have a problem. Used Earth Balance instead of butter. Used Xylitol instead of sugar. At first I was disappointed as they didn’t flatten out, stayed balls, and were thick and Cakey. But the next day I tried one and wow, nice subtle crunch on outside and soft inside, a real snickerdoodle taste. Next time I will just flatten them out a bit with a fork before baking. Thanks for a great cookie recipe!
Kimberly says
Bless you for this recipe! My husband was diagnosed with celiac 5 years ago and hasn’t had a snickerdoodle cookie since then… until now! Delicious!
Shirley says
Just made these and they are very good. I used Bob’s Red Mill gf baking flour and added tiny cinnamon chips to the dough. I kept them in the refrigerator for 24 hrs. 1st pan I flatten them a little before baking and they look just like the ones I used to make before having to go gf. 2nd pan didn’t flatten and they were. A little puffier, but same great taste. I froze some of the dough to see how it will work out. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Beverly Jackson says
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. The taste of the Snickerdoodle cookies were wonderful.I do have a question about the texture. I used Authentic foods Milti-blend four as recommend but it came out like c Porn meal. I then looked more closely at the bag and it says “replaces wheat four in most recipes 3/4 cup = 1 cup all purpose wheat flour.” Should I have only used 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons? I do
Anna says
Wow! Wow. These are incredible. I wasn’t expecting them to be as amazing as they were. Usually when I make gluten free recipes, they end up chalky and just unsatisfactory. But these blew me away.
I used Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free all purpose flour and Earth Balance vegan butter sticks. I only ran in to one minor issue, which was that the butter was not combining with the sugar and egg. I just left the mixer on a medium-high speed for around 5 minutes, and the butter dissolved nicely. I chilled the dough for around two hours, and it was lovely and soft so I could roll the balls right away. I baked them for 7 minutes at 400 degrees and they turned out very chewy and perfectly colored. I sprinkled a little bit of the cinnamon sugar on too while they were still hot, and wow were they excellent. I highly recommend these cookies – especially if you are gluten -free dairy -free.