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Nothing smells cozier than cinnamon cookies baking in the oven! Recapture the joy of classic cookies with this Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles recipe.
These delightful low-sugar snickerdoodles are made with a blend of coconut sugar, almond flour, and gluten-free oat flour. They taste like your grandma’s classic cookie, but they are healthier. Take these gf snickerdoodle cookies to your potluck parties or holiday cookie swap, and everyone will be begging for the recipe!
If you like healthy holiday cookie recipes, you will love my chocolate thumbprint cookies and healthy sugar cookies!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tastes Like the Classic Cookie, But Better For You: Whip up a batch of gluten-free snickerdoodles that taste as good as grandma’s but are gluten-free and healthier.
- Only 15 Minutes to Make: These cookies are a great addition to your holiday baking because they are ready in 15 minutes!
- Less Refined Sugar: This recipe uses a blend of coconut sugar and zero-calorie sugar to make delicious cookies that are lower in calories.
Table of Contents
Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles Ingredients
- Butter: Use softened, room-temperature butter for fluffy and soft cookies.
- Coconut Sugar: This naturally derived sugar has a lower glycemic index, so it won’t spike your blood sugar when you eat these cookies.
- Zero-Calorie White Sugar: If you don’t have a zero-calorie sugar, you can use regular white sugar, but be aware that it changes the nutritional information for this recipe.
- Egg: The egg will help bind the dough together and help the cookies turn fluffy.
- Vanilla Extract: Add a little sweetness and vanilla flavor with a splash of extract. You could also use almond extract.
- Almond Flour: This gluten-free flour is lower in carbs and has a higher protein and fiber content than regular flour.
- Oat Flour: Gluten-free oat flour has a lighter consistency and helps regulate blood sugar.
- Cream of Tartar: This acidic powder helps prevent sugar crystallization in baking, so you get soft and chewy cookies.
- Cinnamon: You can’t have snickerdoodles without cinnamon! Try adding more spices, like in my grain-free cinnamon cookies!
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Make Them Dairy-Free: Use a vegan butter instead of regular butter if you want to serve these cookies to friends or family members who can’t have dairy.
- Sub the Cream of Tartar: If you don’t have Cream of Tartar on hand and aren’t able to go out and buy some, you can substitute the cream of tartar and the baking soda for 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder instead.
- Add Nuts or Dip in Chocolate: Chop up pecans or walnuts to give the cookies a little crunch, or dip half of them in chocolate for a fun spin on the classic cookie.
How to Make Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles
Savor the memories of grandma’s snickerdoodles and make these healthy cinnamon cookies. They are gluten-free, have fewer calories, and don’t contain refined oils, but still taste like a cozy holiday evening.
Before you start mixing, preheat your oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugar. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, coconut sugar, and zero-calorie sugar until they are smooth and creamy. You can do this by hand or use an electric mixer to speed the process.
Step 2: Add Wet Ingredients. Next, add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed sugar until just combined.
Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk thoroughly so they aren’t pockets of baking soda or cream of tartar.
Step 4: Combine. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix them until a thick and sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for 45-60 minutes.
Step 5: Roll in Cinnamon Sugar. After the dough is chilled, mix the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar coating. Then, scoop out 1 ½ tablespoons of dough and roll it into balls. Roll each ball in the sugar topping until it is evenly coated. Place the coated dough balls on the baking sheet.
Step 6: Bake. Let the cookies bake for 12-14 minutes in a 350°F oven until the edges are golden brown, and the center looks slightly under-baked. Remove them from the oven and let the cookies cool, and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Then transfer your gluten-free snickerdoodles to a wire baking rack to finish cooling.
Expert Tips
- Spoon and Level Method: With gluten-free baking, it’s best to use the spoon and level method, where you slowly fill your measuring cup and level it off, versus scooping and packing the flour in. Check out my tips for measuring in baking if you need more help.
- Use a 1 ½ Cookie Scoop: For round, almost perfectly portioned gluten-free snickerdoodle cookies, use a 1 ½” cookie scoop. Place the dough in your hands and smooth it into a ball before rolling it in the coating.
- Tap the Baking Pan for Crinkles: For that signature snickerdoodle soft, crinkled center, gently tap the baking pan on the counter after you remove it from the oven. It makes the cookie deflate, creating that flat, crinkled appearance.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Keep leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months. When storing, I recommend placing parchment paper in between them so they do not stick.
- Reheating: You can place leftover cookies in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm them up. Be sure to thaw frozen cookies in the refrigerator for 24 hours before warming them.
- Make Ahead: You can make the dough for these cookies, roll them into balls, and store them unbaked in the freezer. Thaw them in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then bake them according to the recipe card below.
Serving Suggestions
This gluten free snickerdoodle recipe is the perfect, healthy holiday cookie to enjoy at the holidays because the cinnamon and sugar smells so festive. They are so easy to make and ready so quickly, you’ll probably make them more than once. No one will believe these cookies are gluten-free and low-calorie because they taste so good!
- I love a cookie with a cup of coffee on a chilly afternoon. Pair these low-calorie snickerdoodle cookies with my gingerbread coffee creamer for a festive treat.
- Enjoy these delicious cookies after a gluten-free holiday meal complete with Instant pot turkey, no-bread stuffing, yogurt mashed potatoes and all the fixings!
- If you love a cinnamon cookie, but want a snack with a bit more protein and balanced nutrition, try my Greek yogurt muffins.
Healthy Snickerdoodle Recipe FAQs
You possibly overbaked the cookies. The edges should be golden brown, and the center should look underbaked when you pull them out of the oven. They will continue to cook as they sit on the hot baking sheet out of the oven.
It’s likely the dough wasn’t properly chilled. Be sure to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour to avoid spreading due to warm dough.
If you added too much flour, by scooping instead of using the spoon and level method, then your cookies may turn dry and fall apart.
More Delicious Healthy Cookie Recipes
If you tried this Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles (Healthy Recipe)
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 6 tbsp Butter, unsalted and room temperature
- ⅓ cup Coconut Sugar
- ⅓ cup Zero Calorie White Sugar, or regular white sugar
- 1 Egg, large
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ⅔ cup Almond Flour
- ½ cup Oat Flour, or gluten free oat flour
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
For the Sugar Coating:
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Zero Calorie White Sugar, or regular white sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, coconut sugar, and zero calorie sugar until smooth and creamy (1-2 minutes).
- To the large mixing bowl, add the room temperature egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined. Do not over beat.
- In a separate bowl, mix together almond flour, oat flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients then fold them together until a thick and sticky cookie dough forms.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 45 minutes to 1 hour in your refrigerator. You can chill up to 24 hours as long as it's wrapped in plastic wrap so that the dough does not dry out.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the sugar coating.
- Use a spoon to scoop out 2 tablespoons of the dough (about 2 tablespoons) and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the sugar coating until evenly coated and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 F for 12 – 14 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the center is slightly under baked.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire baking rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Use the spoon and level method, where you slowly fill your measuring cup with spoonfuls of flour and level it off, versus scooping and packing the flour in.
- Use a 1 ½” cookie scoop to make perfectly sized dough balls.
- Gently tap the baking pan on the counter after you remove it from the oven to deflate the cookies and give them that signature crinkly appearance.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Why just egg white in these cookies, can you use a whole egg?I get small eggs from my chickens can I use that?
Egg whites add protein and much fewer calories to recipes. Whole eggs while are healthy in moderation, are higher in fat and calories. Most individuals already get plenty of fat in their daily diet so yes, you can always substitute whole eggs in recipes but if your goal is to lose weight that may or may not be appropriate depending on what else you eat in a day. Either that or you adjust the fat somewhere else in your diet for the day.
MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
Oh and on the first part, I have lived my life wondering the worst – not good!
It must be in our DNA!
I love snickerdoodles so I’m super excited that you made a healthier version! Love that you used oat flour too 🙂
Yeah for snickerdoodles! Glad you loved them.
You just said what every woman thinks when they get attention. 🙂 We are funny in that way. And oh my gosh, these cookies look delicious! Thanks for sharing!!
I know…if only men knew what went on in our heads. HAHA
COOKIES!!! YUUUUMMMMMMMM Dude those thoughts are totally normally, what I think we need to do is get you a pair of grease lightening pants so you know he is looking at your butt 🙂
Oh I have skinny jeans. You won’t catch me dead in your Grandma pants. I wore those in middle school. Most uncomfortable things ever! I have no clue how they’re back in style. I’ll leave it to you to bring back & rock the Olivia Newton John look.
I jump to the worst thoughts too! We all should stop and take some time to think before jumping to conclusions!
I love these cookies – so perfect for the holidays!
It’s always the worst conclusion too never something good. Ugh…so hard to change those habits.
Healthy 10-minute cookies! I’m sold!
And the guy probably just thought you looked great in your leggings! 🙂
Haha that’s what I’m hoping for, but ya never know. 😉