Classic Snickerdoodle Cookies made gluten-free with a dairy-free option. This easy cookie recipe is the perfect Fall or Christmas treat that everyone will love!
Do you have a favorite kind of cookie?
My favorites change often, so I’ve probably said that my favorite cookie was Chocolate Chip, or maybe a Thumbprint Cookie. But.. Snickerdoodle Cookies have a special place in my heart!
Growing up, my Mom made everything from scratch. It was an easy way to save money, and sometimes it was healthier that way too.
One of my favorite breakfasts was cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top of buttered toast. Try it. Love it. Thank me later 😉
Cinnamon sugar is one of the best flavors of my childhood, and these Snickerdoodle Cookies take me straight back home.
A soft, simple cookie filled with a little cinnamon (cause this girl likes EXTRA cinnamon!) and rolled in cinnamon sugar, these cookies are gluten-free and can be made dairy-free with no butter (and coconut oil instead).
I’m a little partial to this recipe cause it feels like home to me, but I’m 100% confident that ya’ll will absolutely love it too! 🙂 It makes a great warm, spiced Fall cookie and also a fantastic Christmas cookie to have too (for a Christmas party, or even for Santa!).
Let’s get to making some gluten-free Snickerdoodle Cookies!
To begin, you’ll need softened butter or coconut oil (if dairy-free). Softened means that you can still see the general shape of the stick of butter or scoop of coconut oil, but it’s lightly melting around the edges.
If your butter is too melted then your dough will be too wet, and it will need to chill in the fridge for a bit, or your cookies will spread too far. Not a big deal, but that does take more time which can be frustrating.
Now, add your white and brown sugars to your butter and beat them together with a mixer, “creaming” them together for a few minutes. High altitude friends, lightly cream your mixture together, to lessen the amount of unnecessary air pockets in your cookie dough batter.
Now, add all of your dry ingredients to the same bowl: gluten-free flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Lightly stir them together on top of the wet ingredients, and then stir everything together until you have a thick, smooth and creamy cookie dough batter.
Side note: Snickerdoodle Cookies aren’t really Snickerdoodle Cookies without cream of tartar.
If you’re in a pinch, I think cornstarch (about 2 tsp) does give a similar soft texture to the cookies. You can also just omit it but the cookies won’t be as soft (still tasty though!).
Next up: the cinnamon sugar. In a small bowl add the sugar and cinnamon and stir them together till you have a smooth cinnamon sugar mixture.
Now, using a small cookie scoop, scoop out an overflowing scoop of cookie dough, drop it into the cinnamon sugar mixture, roll it around till completely covered, and place it on your pan. Continue till all of the cookie dough has been scooped and rolled.
You’ll need two baking pans, and you’ll bake your cookies at 350 for about 10-12 minutes, or till the edges of the cookies are set but the center looks a touch underdone.
These soft, classic Snickerdoodle Cookies made gluten-free (and even dairy-free!) are a Fall staple in my household. I got my kids started on cinnamon sugar toast too, and my son GOBBLED some of these Snickerdoodle Cookies up!!
My daughter? She apparently only eats cookies if they have chocolate chips in them.. I think she would stick to my gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies if she had her choice! 😉
Make these cookies, then make some more cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top of your toast (or oatmeal!) in the mornings! I literally have a salt & pepper shaker filled with cinnamon sugar. It’s a special treat in my house that we all love. 🙂
Need more cookies in your life? Maybe with chocolate chips? Check out my gluten-free Double Chocolate Cookies, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies, or Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.
- 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour (I use Bob's 1-to-1 all purpose)
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
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To begin, preheat your oven to 350 and line two pans with parchment paper.
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In a large mixing bowl, add your butter (or coconut oil), white and brown sugars and beat them together with a mixer for 1-2 minutes, to "cream" them together. Add your vanilla and egg and lightly beat them again.
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To the bowl, add your flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir the dry ingredients together lightly, and then stir all of your ingredients together till you have a smooth, thick cookie batter.
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In a small, separate bowl, create your cinnamon sugar topping by adding your sugar and cinnamon and stirring them together till well combined.
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Using a small cookie scoop, scoop an overflowing scoop of cookie dough and drop it into the bowl with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll it around till it's completely covered and place it on the baking pan. Continue till all of your cookies have been coated in the cinnamon sugar mixture and are on the baking pans.
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Bake each pan in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, or till the edges of the cookies are set and the center looks a touch underdone.
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Let your cookies cool completely and then devour!
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these cookies will taste best within the first 4 days.
Hi. I so want to get my cookies to go flat but everytime i make them like leave in the ball, they never go flat. I am at high altitute at 7500 ft. I dont use e butter regular or vegan as have heart problem. I used sunflower oil. What makes the cookie go flat ? Really having problem with that. Just made these and they stayed as a ball. Thank you for any suggestions. Chokey
Hi there. That’s very odd – usually cookies spread too quickly in altitude. I haven’t worked with sunflower oil at all, so take this with a grain of sand. Are you measuring your flour properly (spoon it into a measuring cup then use the back of a butter knife to smooth across the top)? This can make a big difference, rather than one big scoop and shake. Also, have you ever tried adding an extra egg? Also, is your baking soda/powder not expired? Hopefully one of these gives you some ideas. Another thought is adding a few more tablespoons of sugar.
I am just wondering if these can be frozen after rolling in the cinnamon sugar. I would like to have them on hand to bake when needed or let’s be real when wanted😁.
Hi Raquel. Yes, you can definitely freeze the cookie dough BUT it’s best to roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture just prior to baking (after freezing) or it’ll soak in. I’d leave them on the counter while your oven heats up, to defrost a bit. Then, roll them just before baking in the mixture.
Hi,
I made these this morning and they came out perfect!!
now I just have one question, can this recipe be doubled or would I have to make each batch individually
Great to hear! Yes, you can definitely double this recipe.
silly question. after rolling the dough in the Cinn & Sugar mixture, do you flatten the cookie ir does it naturally flatten while cooking?
Not silly – It flattens/spreads while baking.
I make these all the time. They always come out perfect. My niece loves them too. And my aunt, since she does gluten free. Actually, just made the cookies just now. I had forgotten to flatten before baking them. So flattened them after baking.
These were delicious! Saving this recipe, for sure!! We sifted the dry ingredients together before adding to the wet ingredients and then pressed them down before baking (because all the other reviews 😉). Turned out perfect! Thanks!
I followed the recipe as described, and mine came out like donut holes and did not flaten. They were still very delicious! I’m absolutely going to make them again. Any idea what could have caused them to not flaten? After thinking about it I may have used baking powder instead of soda. Would such a small amount result in the balls not flattening?
Hi Dana. Yes, baking soda is much stronger than baking powder so it would’ve made a big difference! I hope if you make them again they turn out just right.
Mine are in the oven right now. I definitely used baking soda and they too look like donut holes with only a couple more minutes to go. Maybe I’ll try flattening the next batch a little.
Well they ended up flattening out some and taste delicious! They’re not as flat as your picture but they’re fine. One cookie somehow is so mis-shaped, one half of it almost paper thin and the other half sort of normal. 😂 That’s the one I tasted! Haha!
Great to hear they at least tasted delicious! What brand of flour did you use? And, any chance your baking soda is a little old? Sometimes that can affect them.
Mine came out like donut holes too, I just flattened them with my spatula when they were cooking. Still yummy!
Hello. I didn’t use butter, nor coconut oil, (both make my stomach hurt), so I used avacado oil, but other than that, followed the recipe exactly. In the end, the cookies tasted weird, kinda like baking soda. I read the reviews and no one seemed to have a problem. Do you think it was the avacado oil?
Thank you!
Hi Addie. I’m sorry they tasted like that. I haven’t ever had that issue. Is there any chance your baking soda is old? If not, you could try them with 1/4 teaspoon instead and see if it’s better.
Ok. Thanks so much!
Cookies were good, but the recipe called for WAY too much baking soda. Good recipe..but maybe 1/4 tsp baking soda instead.
Hi Carmella. I’m sorry to hear that, I haven’t had any issues with that before.
Hi!
I’m really wanting to make these, but every time I combine all the ingredients and follow the directions exactly, the dough is more the texture of sand–definitely not a creamy thick blend like you’ve described. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
Hi Hailey. That’s odd to hear! What kind of flour are you using? I’m wondering if it’s that.
Same! I used whole wheat flour so maybe that’s why?
that is probably it…whole wheat flour would have definitely given them the grainy texture.
These cookies are spectacular! I followed the recipe with no substitutions and have shared it with my grandchildren. When I’ve made these cookies for friends, they have been surprised to learn that the cookies are gluten free. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
These were so delicious. Thank you!
Thank you for the recipe! I replaced the butter with coconut oil, used 1 1/4 cups of cassava flour and 1/4 cup of coconut flour, all organic cane sugar, and cut out the vanilla extract, and they turned out perfectly. We are on a no grain diet and dairy free diet, and it’s nice to find recipes that work for that. Thank you!
Great to hear, thanks Shekinah!
YUM!!! I made these with coconut oil so they would be dairy free. These were some of the best Snickerdoodles I’ve ever had. Instead of the 1 1/2 cups of flour I made a mix using 1/2 cup white rice flour, 1/4 cup white rice flour, 1/4 cup and 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons tapioca starch, and 3/4 teaspoon guar gum. Will be making these again and again!
Love hearing that, thanks for the feedback Beth!
I’m trying to find a snickerdoodle recipe for my boyfriend’s mom. These are her favorite and every time she tries a recipe or store bought they kind of fall apart like sand in your mouth. What’s the consistency of these? I’d love to make some for her.
Hey Nichole. These cookies are pretty soft, especially if you bake them the least amount of time. Not dry and crumbly at all. I think she’d like them! Hope this helps.
I used 1/2 cup weed infused coconut oil. Boom!
Can coconut flour be used in this recipe?
No, Becky, I’m sorry to say but coconut flour does not substitute with other flours well at all. The ratio is very different.
I used solidified coconut oil, monkfruit sugar, and I used 1 cup gf all purpose and 1 cup almond flour… it was sinfully delicious! Thanks!
Can these be frozen to enjoy later?
Yes! I would recommend defrosting them in the fridge first, then on the counter.
Second time making these. I modified it a little. Don’t have cream of tartar. Used baking powder. Made them first time for my family for Sunday’s dinner they loved them! Second time making them for tmw’s family dinner.
I was wondering how many calories in each cookie? Thanks!
Hi Sam. About 126 calories each for 18 cookies.
Can I use almond flour?
We loved these! I used a Plant-Based DF Country Crock Avocado Oil Stick of butter and monk fruit in place of sugar within the cookie. Then used an organic cane sugar (with the cinnamon) to roll them in.
Thank you for the comment Victoria, love hearing that! 🙂
HI, When they came out of the oven they were flat. Delicious, but flat.
I followed all the ingredients to the list even using the same flour.
Thoughts?
thank you!
Joanie
Hi Joanie. Let’s see, my first thought is maybe your butter was a little too soft, so they spread too much? I’ve had that happen before.
That’s so funny because minor didn’t flatten at all which is disappointing
Hi Alle, that’s very weird! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you use softened butter and both brown and white sugar?
Would I be able to make these refined sugar free? Substituting the sugars for monk fruit sugar? If so would it be 1:1..
Hi Kalynn. I’m sorry to say I haven’t worked with monk fruit sugar, so I’m not sure what the substitution would be. I would recommend using coconut sugar instead, if you don’t want to use white or brown sugar.
I have not made these yet and I really want to, but I am allergic to egg and so I was wondering if I could use egg replacer and it would still work?
Yes, an egg replacer should work fine!
Just made these and they were awesome. I made them dairy free as well. Def keeping this recipe handy. Thank you!
So great to hear that, thanks Jodie! 🙂
I made these with maple syrup because I was out of vanilla and I wanted them NOW! They came out perfectly???? perfectly ????. This recipe is a keeper! The batch wont last 4 days in this house ????
Awesome, Candace, love it! 🙂
I only have 1 cup left over of the Bob’s 1:1, but I have both arrowroot and tapioca flour in my pantry. Which one would you recommend for the remaining 1/2 cup? Also, I only have coconut sugar, will that be an okay substitute for the different sugars in this recipe?
Hi there – To my knowledge, neither arrowroot or tapioca flour will substitute very well for regular all purpose gluten-free flour. I haven’t baked with either though so I’m not much help with that, I’m sorry! However, yes coconut sugar should work fine as a substitute for the other sugars.
This is way late, but in my experience, I’d personally probably try to sub with the tapioca.
Made these in Colorado (high altitude) and they came out perfectly. New recipe to add to the collection. Thank you!!
Awesome, great to hear from another high altitude baker!
Can these be made with almond flour? I really want to make them but that’s all I have on hand right now
Hi Eve – I wouldn’t recommend making these with almond flour unfortunately. Almond flour requires much less liquid (like coconut oil or butter) so it would be a big experiment! My grain-free Thumbprint Cookies are made with just almond flour though, so maybe you might like these: http://www.milehighmitts.com/thumbprint-cookies-grain-free-vegan/ Hope that helps!
I made these with Krusteaz gluten free all purpose flour and coconut oil instead of butter and THEY’RE SO GOOD. So hard to find a decent gluten-free and dairy-free dessert. 5/5 stars.
Awesome Monika!! Thank you for leaving the review, I’m so happy to hear that!
Can you use vegan butter in these (instead of butter/coconut oil)?
Hi Lindsey – Yes, a vegan/dairy-free butter alternative should work great in this recipe too!
Do you think that ghee would also work?
Hi Melissa. I don’t use ghee, but from what I know about it yes it should work fine substituted 1 to 1 for the butter/coconut oil. Hope they work well and you enjoy!
Hooray!!! Easy and delicious gluten free cookies. They are so good. Thank u!
YES!! Thank you Carmen for the review, it made my evening!
I made these for a large group of college students. They raved over them and even though only one student had gluten allergies they all thought that the cookies were the best Snickerdoodles they ever tasted.
SO happy to hear that!! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I made these and I haven’t baked in a lonnnng time. I had never baked anything gluten free. These. We’re. AMAZING! You could not tell they were gluten free. They were the PERFECT texture! I will be making these every Christmas!
So happy to hear that Sheryl!! Thank you! You made my day 🙂
I am going to making these and I read you mentioned cornstarch but in the ingredients it’s not there as well as in the instructions, so I was wondering when you would add that in?
Hi Rachel! If you don’t have cream of tartar you can use cornstarch in a pinch. So, the cornstarch isn’t an extra ingredient, it’s just a substitute just in case.
Hi Chelsea!
Do you freeze them in a log or in balls since we have to roll them in the sugar? Exited to be making them for my cookie exchange party!
Hi Tina! Great question. I would recommend freezing them in cookie dough balls. Then taking them out the night before you need them, and putting them in the fridge for them to unfreeze. I would roll them in the sugar mixture prior to baking, and then probably bake them another 1-2 minutes because they will be colder. Hope that helps, and I hope you enjoy them and have a fun cookie exchange party!!
Will this come out ok if I replace the egg with applesauce ?
Hi Vanessa. I’m sorry but I’ve never tried that so I’m not sure that it would work. If you wanted an egg free version I would recommend an egg replacer, or maybe a flax egg but then you’ll probably end up with softer cookies. Hope that helps!
yes, great, thank you!
Hello, can the dough be frozen for a night or two before baking?
Hi Kat – Yes, that should be no problem at all. After freezing them I would recommend letting them thaw in your fridge. Then, they may need to bake a couple minutes longer than the recipe says because they would be considered “chilled” still, and they will probably turn out a little thicker then too which would be delicious (cold dough spreads slower than warm dough in the oven, causing thicker cookies). Hope this helps!
Just a little mistake on the recipe: I made these today and I missed the step of the brown sugar because it wasn’t in the instructions. I will be re-making them later on today Because I know they will be good.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Just add the brown sugar in there the instructions!
Hi Bree – I see what you mean, where I put “sugars,” instead I can put white and brown sugars to be more specific. I hope you remade them and they were delicious!
Can these be frozen?
Hi Jennifer – Yes, these can be frozen and should last a couple months that way.
Hello- tried these for the first time and followed recipe exactly. Mine were very “sandy” in texture and didn’t spread when baked. Did I miss something? Should there be eggs in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi there – I’m sorry, but I accidentally didn’t put an egg in the recipe, when yes there should be one egg in them. The recipe has been fixed now, I’m so sorry for this mistake!!
No worries- thx for the quick reply!