Almond Flour Snickerdoodles are soft, thick and chewy with a classic cinnamon sugar coating. They’re naturally gluten-free, require zero chilling time and have a secret ingredient that helps create the perfect texture!
Table of contents
Many rounds of recipe testing went into these snickerdoodle cookies to make them absolutely perfect. We’re not fans of thin and crispy snickerdoodles in our house, so these had to be perfectly puffy and soft with a slightly crispy and crackled exterior.
The key to the puffy texture is the addition of cornstarch to the cookie dough. Adding just a little helps keep the interior soft, while smoothing the texture and minimizing spread as the cookies bake.
Looking for more almond flour cookies? Try these almond flour cookie butter cookies or these almond flour monster cookies!
What makes these almond flour snickerdoodle cookies so good?
- Pillowy soft, thick and chewy texture.
- Naturally gluten-free.
- No chill cookie dough.
- Perfect amount of cinnamon.
- Hint of tanginess thanks to the cream of tartar.
Ingredients and substitutions
Below is a brief overview of some of the ingredients and recommended substitutions. The recipe card at the end of this post includes the full list of ingredients and quantities used.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter for cookie recipes to control the amount of salt. Make sure you leave time to bring the butter to room temperature so it creams together easily with the sugars.
- Sugars – You’ll need a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar for the dough. I prefer light brown sugar for snickerdoodles as it has less moisture than dark brown sugar so the cookies stay a little puffier. Granulated sugar is a must for the cinnamon sugar coating. I don’t recommend a substitution here.
- Almond flour – Fine blanched almond flour works best for these cookies. Almond meal has a coarser texture so I don’t usually bake with it.
- Cornstarch – Two tablespoons will help keep these cookies soft and thick. (I also tested tapioca flour, but the cookies spread too much, even when I increased the amount, and they had a sandy texture).
- Cinnamon – You need ground cinnamon to go into the cookie dough and to pair with the granulated sugar to roll the cookies in.
- Baking soda – For leavening and helps add a crispy exterior.
- Cream of tartar – Also for leavening, but it also adds the signature tangy flavor to snickerdoodles and contributes to the chewy texture.
How to make gluten-free snickerdoodles
Below is a brief overview of the steps to make this recipe along with photos. For further details, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Measuring ingredients
For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you’ll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you’ll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.
Storage and freezing tips
Storage: Keep the cookies in an airtight container on the counter. They should stay fresh for 3-4 days.
Freezing: Let the cookies fully cool and place in a freezer safe container, either in a single layer or in between layers of parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Key recipe tips
- If the dough feels too soft or sticky, you can refrigerate it for 30 minutes before rolling into balls.
- To ensure the cookies stay soft and puffy, it’s better to underbake these cookies than over bake them.
- Ovens can vary in terms of temperature so start checking on the cookies at around 9 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes. They will firm up as they cool.
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, make sure you use the spoon and level method for your flour. (This will ensure you don’t use too much flour).
Recipe FAQs
A classic snickerdoodle is made with a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar. The cream of tartar is essential for the slight tanginess you taste in snickerdoodles and it helps produce a chewy texture.
Yes, since both almond flour and cornstarch are gluten-free, these cookies are also gluten-free.
To save you time, this is a no chill recipe! If you find that your dough feels a bit too soft or sticky to roll into balls, you can refrigerate it for 30 minutes to help firm it up.
These almond flour snickerdoodles are ready when they have spread and puffed up. The tops will be crackled and they will look a little underdone.
Yes! The cookie dough balls can be stored in a single layer in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. There’s no need to bring the dough to room temperature before baking but note that the frozen cookie dough balls may need another 1-2 minutes to bake.
More cookie recipes
More almond flour recipes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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Almond Flour Snickerdoodles
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Almond Flour Snickerdoodles are soft, thick and chewy with a classic cinnamon sugar coating. They’re also gluten-free and require zero chilling time!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (208g) fine blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus 1/2 teaspoon for rolling
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup (76g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (55g) granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for rolling
- 1/4 cup (58g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugars, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- On low speed, gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for the coating.
- Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough and roll into balls. Roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Arrange the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2-3 inches apart. (I usually bake 6 per pan). Bake 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are puffy and still look a little underdone.
- Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
Notes
- If the dough feels too soft or sticky, you can refrigerate it for 30 minutes before rolling into balls.
- To ensure the cookies stay soft and puffy, it’s better to underbake these cookies than over bake them.
- Ovens can vary in terms of temperature so start checking on the cookies at around 9 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes. They will firm up as they cool.
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, make sure you use the spoon and level method for your flour. (This will ensure you don’t use too much flour)
- Be sure to check out the other sections above the recipe card for more detailed advice and suggestions for making this recipe.
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