Extra Soft Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles (That Don’t Spread!)

Learn how to make the best gluten-free snickerdoodles with this easy and well-tested recipe! Here you find easy tips to make soft, thick and chewy snickerdoodle cookies that don’t excessively spread, bake thin and greasy, or taste gritty. I will teach you how to avoid common gluten-free baking mishaps to make perfected homemade cinnamon cookies!

Love this recipe! I have made them several times for the grandkids and the cookies always come out great, no spread. Learning to bake Gluten-free is a whole different way of baking. I appreciate that you have figured it out and sharing your recipes!

—Jackie

Legendary Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe

After many years of developing easy gluten-free cookie recipes, I’ve learned some simple tricks to perfect homemade cookies. While it’s possible to make classic snickerdoodles by simply swapping out an all-purpose gluten-free flour, you’ll have some regrets.

Substituting a 1-to-1 GF flour will get you to an edible cookie, but we can do better than that. Let’s avoid common GF cookie problems, like overspreading, greasiness, or a gritty texture. We’re making snickerdoodle cookies so good, no one will it’s a gluten-free recipe. 😎

The starches in gluten-free flour blends have a harder time homogeneously blending with fat and moisture. The separation between the flour and butter leads to thin, flat and overly greasy cookies. But I have an easy fix for that!

When researching gluten-free recipes for snickerdoodles I found all the “top” recipes take the dough from the bowl straight to the oven, without allowing time for chilling and rest. After many trials perfecting these homemade gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, I learned chilling cookie dough greatly improves results.

It allows extra time for the butter to coat and saturate the gluten-free flour, softening and relaxing the starches. Not only does this prevent greasy cookies, but eliminates a gritty, ricey texture, especially when paired with my preferred gluten-free flour blend.

There’s one more effortless trick for making soft and thick old fashioned snickerdoodles. Typically cookies rely on only baking soda to provide lift and a chewy texture. However, when developing this gluten-free gingersnaps recipe, I found adding a dash of baking powder makes a slightly thicker cookie that doesn’t excessively spread.

Ingredient Tid Bits

Making a gluten-free snickerdoodle cookie requires basic, kitchen-staple ingredients, so you’ll always be ready to make them! For its signature taste you will need cream of tartar, which might be the only ingredient you may have to purchase.

• Gluten-free flour – There are a variety of brands to choose from, all which will affect the recipe differently because they are made of varying starch blends. I use and highly recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour because the cornstarch in the mix gives a nice chewy finish and it mimics the texture of wheat-flour baked goods.
• Butter – Soften to room temperature. For dairy-free cookies, substitute vegan butter sticks, such as Earth Balance.
• Cream of tartar – The purpose of this is two-fold. It gives snickerdoodles its signature tangy taste and has a similar function of baking soda or baking powder, helping with rise.
• Sugars – A combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar gives a hint caramel chewiness and builds structure.
• Eggs – Helps bind the dough, adds moisture and makes a soft, thick cookie. I have not experimented with an egg-free substitute, but please leave a note in the comments if you do!

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(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa