Hundreds of reviewers agree these cookies are the most delicious almond flour snickerdoodles around! They are crisp, chewy and easy-to-make!
This tried-and-true recipe was originally published in 2013. It was republished with new photos in 2023, but the same reader-favorite recipe!
After the huge success of my almond flour chocolate chip cookies, I was excited to try more almond-flour-based cookies!
My friends and family tell me all the time that they like my almond flour chocolate chip cookies even more than traditional chocolate chip cookies made with regular white flour. I’d say that’s a win!
Like I’ve said before, almond flour is wonderful for baking.
It is even healthier (with more fiber and protein) than whole wheat flour, and bakes up beautifully. In cookies, quick breads, cakes, and muffins it is easier to use than complicated grain-based, gluten-free flour blends.
These snickerdoodles are absolutely delicious! I had high expectations for this classic cookie, and the end result did not disappoint. They are crispy on the outside and soft in the center. They’re the real deal!
These sugar cookies are definitely a welcome addition to our regular repertoire of recipes.
Try making these for your friends and family any time of year. They’re great for the holiday season, cookie exchanges, birthday parties, and summertime alike. And I’m willing to bet your guests will never guess these are gluten-free. They really do taste just as delicious as traditional snickerdoodle cookies!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make
- Chewy center and crisp edges
- Paleo and gluten-free
- Delicious cinnamon sugar flavor
For more almond flour recipes, try these almond flour sugar cookies, almond flour blondies, and almond flour oatmeal cookies.
You also might like these gluten-free snickerdoodles, gluten-free almond cookies, gluten-free ginger snaps and gluten-free biscotti.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Cookie Dough
- Almond flour: Any almond flour will work for this recipe. It gives these cookies a delicious chew and flavor, and it’s easy to bake with! *Note that almond meal is slightly courser than almond flour and will not give you quite the same texture. Look for a label that specifically says almond flour!
- Butter: I like to use a combination of salted butter and palm shortening for this recipe. It makes all the difference in giving these cookies a perfectly chewy texture!
- Eggs: Use large eggs for this recipe. Room temperature is best!
- Organic Shortening: If you’re like me, when you hear palm shortening you probably think of regular shortening with trans fat. Do not be scared off though! Palm shortening has no trans fat and has some of its unsaturated fat removed. It helps these cookies hold their shape, making them a bit crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. I like this brand!
- White/brown sugar: Brown and white sugar are both important for achieving the desired consistency of these cookies. I like to use Domino brand white granulated sugar.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is what makes snickerdoodles so unique and delicious, so don’t skip this ingredient! The cookies have cinnamon in the dough and a cinnamon-sugar coating.
- Salt: I like to use fine sea salt for these cookies.
- Baking soda: Baking soda helps the cookies rise when baking, so they’re nice and chewy!
- Vanilla: I like to use real vanilla extract for all of my baking.
For the Sugar Topping
- White sugar: I like to use Domino brand white granulated sugar for rolling over the cookie dough balls.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is what gives snickerdoodles their familiar and classic flavor!
How to Make Almond Flour Snickerdoodles
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the butter, shortening, white sugar and brown sugar until very creamy.
- Add the vanilla and eggs, mixing until well incorporated.
- Mix in the dry ingredients, including the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the almond flour, 1 cup at a time, into the wet ingredients. Beat well after each addition.
- Mix together the remaining sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl or shallow dish. Roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon rounds in the palm of your hand, or using a large cookie scoop. Then roll to coat in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Drop the coated dough onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, about 3 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Allow the almond flour snickerdoodles to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Storage Instructions
Store almond flour snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days, or store in the freezer for up to three months.
FAQs
Almond flour is a key ingredient in French macarons, and it can be used as an alternative to all-purpose flour in other baked goods, including cookies, cakes, biscuits, and muffins. You can also use almond flour as a gluten-free breading for chicken, fish, and more.
Yes, you can substitute gluten-free flour for almond flour. Just keep in mind that gluten-free flour and almond flour have different properties, and may result in a slightly different texture. The general guideline is to substitute one cup of gluten-free flour for every two cups of almond flour.
Almond flour doesn’t contain a leavening agent, so it’s important to add one to help your baked goods rise and have a fluffy texture. Baking powder or baking soda are common leavening agents for almond flour, or eggs can also be used to help almond flour recipes rise and bind the dough together.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- These almond flour snickerdoodles turn out best when you allow them to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet. They will continue cooking a bit, so it’s okay if they aren’t fully set up. Then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Note that almond meal is slightly courser than almond flour and will not give you quite the same texture for these almond flour snickerdoodles. Look for a label that specifically says almond flour!
- Organic palm shortening gives these cookies an amazing texture. I like to use it in combination with some butter for flavor.
- Brown and white sugar are both important for achieving the desired consistency of these almond flour snickerdoodles. I like to use Domino brand white granulated sugar.
MORE ALMOND FLOUR RECIPES
I hope you love this cookie recipe as much as we do! If you try these almond flour snickerdoodles, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Almond Flour Snickerdoodles (Grain-Free)
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup palm shortening or regular shortening
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups blanched almond flour see note below
For the Topping:
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the butter, shortening, white sugar and brown sugar until very creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs, mixing until well incorporated. Mix in the baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the almond flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix together the remaining sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl or shallow dish. Roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon rounds, then roll to coat in the sugar mixture. Drop the coated dough onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, about 3 inches apart.
- Bake 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown around edges. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Notes
- These almond flour snickerdoodles turn out best when you allow them to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet. They will continue cooking a bit, so it’s okay if they aren’t fully set up. Then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Note that almond meal is slightly courser than almond flour and will not give you quite the same texture for these almond flour snickerdoodles. Look for a label that specifically says almond flour!
- Organic palm shortening gives these cookies an amazing texture. I like to use it in combination with some butter for flavor.
- Brown and white sugar are both important for achieving the desired consistency of these almond flour snickerdoodles. I like to use Domino brand white granulated sugar.
My daughter made these today, including grinding up her own almonds in the blender to use as the almond meal.. We were afraid the dough was too wet, so we added some shredded coconut and then dropped into balls onto the baking sheet. Let me just say.. WOW. Everyone loved these cookies. We don’t even do GF, she was making something for a friend, but these will go into our permanent cookie rotation. Thank you!. :))
Thanks Susy! I’m so glad you like them!
When I used coconut oil in snickerdoodles, they were like cement at room temp [we keep our house at 60′]. Is there a solution to this?
AWESOME! That’s the only way to describe these cookies. I made these with all shortening to substitute the butter (dairy free for me) and flax meal and water for the eggs (egg free for the kid). They came out great! Soft and chewy, like a good cookie should be! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Wow! I don’t usually make GF cookies, but I had some almond flour I needed to use & boy am I glad I did! Instead of palm oil I just used all butter & used regular white & brown sugar. Everyone LOVED these, including my picky toddler. Yay!
Just made these — awesome!!!!! Made as described (used almond meal flour, reg. shortening, white & brown sugar — also, one egg had a double yolk, so I added 1/8 c. King Arthur GF flour). I don’t roll them in my hands as the heat of my hands would cause the fats to melt & stick to me. Instead, I scoop a generous teaspoon of dough & spatula it off into a small Tupperware impressions bowl (that has the sugar & cinnamon in it). Then I move the bowl around in a fast, circular fashion. By physics, this causes the dough to spin around the bowl & form a rounder shape — I can quickly & easily use my fingers to fine tune the shape, if needed, and I place it on a parchment ppr lined alum sheet. I keep them spaced, as described, because they will flatten during baking. But, before I bake them, I do chill them first (about 15 min). This helps them from spreading too much. Easy! Thanks for the recipe.
the best snickerdoodle cookie I’ve ever had, and the best gluten free. these were seriously amazing. and I’m picky.
Yay! That is great to hear!
Made the dough last night, and it’s delicious! If I weren’t making them for other people, I would eat the whole thing raw:)
made these today. they were unbelievably good. wow. will make them again!
I made these today and they were very light with a slightly crisp exterior. I liked the flavor of the almond meal, but there was a bit too much of an “eggy” taste for my liking–I thought two eggs seemed like a lot. I wonder if using one egg would ruin the recipe? Any suggestions?
I have never found them to taste eggy, but that could be a personal preference! You could try substituting one egg for a flax egg and see if that suits your liking!
Can you tell me where to get almond meal at an affordable price? My local grocery stores don’t carry it.
I buy blanched almond flour on Amazon. I either buy it from Well Bee or Honeyville. I also am signed up for Honeyville.com’s emails because they sell it online and sometimes have deals. I hope this helps!
If you live in Washington, Idaho,Nevada, California or Oregon , WINCO Foods carries almond meal in bulk. Costco has good blanched almond flour as well. 🙂
These were AMAZING just like all your other baked goods recipes!! Yes, the batter is slightly more wet than regular dough. So, I just took the dough right off the spoon and put it into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Coat it w/the mix and THEN roll it into a ball. It works like a charm. You da’ bomb, girl!!
Thank you! 🙂 Glad you liked them. Great tip!
Made these today. I used all butter, that’s what I had. At three cups almond flour dough was too wet to roll into balls, even with wet hands. Added almost two more cups almond flour until I could form balls. They didn’t spread when cooking, prob due to extra flour, so I smooshed them with the bottom of a cup. Didn’t get the pretty crackle, but turned out very yummy. Maybe a tad too thick, but that may be because of the extra flour I added. I used honeyville flour. What do you use? Have you ever measured by weight with this recipe?
I made these tonight with all the ingredients, but they seemed to spread out and didn’t look very pretty. Maybe it was the shortening I used? It said it was made with organic palm oil. Not sure! They tasted yummy though!
I’m sorry they spread for you! I used the brand Spectrum or the kind from Tropical Traditions if that helps!
These are amazing!!! I have a friend whose gluten free and needed something quick and delicious to take her , even my fussy chef husband was asking for these!!! Definately going into my favourite recipes
So glad you liked them!
I am baking these now. I couldn’t roll them either. Too wet. I followed directions to the tee. I put them in the freezer for a while and that helped. I rolled my cookies in colored sugar crystals instead of the cinnamon sugar mixture 🙂 very good cookies !!! Will def make again!!