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!
Table of Contents
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.
Erin, could you please try these again or check the recipe details?
I used all almond meal but like several, dough was way too wet to hold a ball shape. Added 3/4 c almond meal and 1/2 c almond flour AND chilled the dough. They held in rolling, the outsides cracked upon cooling but the insides were too moist. I think it might be better to do a 1/2 & 1/2 on the meal/flour combo.
I’m also not sure where to make adjustments in trying the next time – maybe drop the shortening all together? or halve both the the butter and shortening, leaving the flour amount @ 3 c.?
Just wondering if anyone has tried making with cream of tartar. A lot of snickerdoodle recipe for it and it gives them a little Tang!???
Long overdue thanks for a recipe I have made several times and use as a base for other cookies. FYI I always have to chill the dough for at least 2 hours to shape it in balls, also my cookies do not look like the ones in the photo. This recipe works every time I use it with great results. I have tried flavoring with equal amounts of vanilla and orange extract, rolling dough balls in plain sugar to make sugar cookies. Great recipe thank you very much.
Do you have nutrition info breakdown?
Great recipe. I made these in my new convection microwave. I will say they took almost 30 minutes to bake. At 30 minutes they turned out perfectly, crispy and chewy. Thanks so much!
We followed the directions to the t…mis en place to start, and line by line throughout. I also found the dough EXTREMELY wet, more like batter than dough. I chilled it for half an hour and it didn’t improve the texture. They spread into each other when I baked them and I ended up with very thin snickerdoodle bars. They tasted great, but that doesn’t seem so hard to do with a whole stick of butter and 3/4 c of sugar. If anyone is reading the comments before baking, I would recommend cutting the butter and maybe the shortening? I don’t know, but we did not have success with these :(.
Hi!
Have a question… Why do you not use cream of tartar in this recipe? It’s just that it’s used in the original recipe. Thanks! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
If you use sugar it’s not good for you. Can you substitute Swerve?
Thank you for this recipe! I made a quadruple batch for our synagogue Shabbat dinner last week and I’ve been getting requests for the recipe!
A big batch will be traveling to my family’s holiday celebration in a couple of weeks, too. Toda! (Thanks in Hebrew)
Best,
Donna in Connecticut
Just made a test batch of your snickerdoodles – I need cookies for 100 people for a synagogue dinner and some folks need gluten free.
They’re delicious – thank you! I’ll be trying your other recipes, too.
I’m so glad you like them! Good luck making cookies for 100 people 🙂
I do not have a stand mixer; only a hand held mixer. Will it make a difference in the product.
That will work great! Shouldn’t make a difference.
Could I replace the white sugar with all coconut palm sugar, or sub out the white sugar with granulated erythritol??
You could use all coconut palm sugar but the cookies will have a darker color.
OH MY WORD! AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING! My mom has been goutin free for years, and this is the first successful glutin free cookie without zanthum gum. Thank you!
I’m so happy you like them!
Can i replace 1/2 cup butter by 1/2 cup coconut oil when i make your dish? Someone said that butter and coconut oil could be used interchangeably.
Amazing, simply amazing!! I used a splenda brown sugar blend for the brown sugar and Madhava brand organic coconut sugar for the cane sugar. I used Crisco for the shortening. I know the Splenda blend isn’t something that any purist would use, but they are perfect, and the conversation was only 2 tablespoons if it. Yum yum!!