Featured Comment
From Kelly: “I’m obsessed with these cookies and also love the pumpkin version! Definitely a crowd pleaser even for my non-gluten free family.”
From L: “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?? How am I supposed to not eat the whole batch of cookies if you keep creating these wonderful delicious recipes? Oh my goodness. I don’t even like snickerdoodle cookies but these were so good. I only made them since this is my daughter’s favorite cookie. She isn’t even gluten free and she loved them too. These are just incredible and so easy to make. Thank you!”
Recipe Overview
⏱️ Time to Taste: About 1 hour 30 minutes (including chilling and cooling)
✨ Texture: Soft, chewy centers with crisp, cinnamon-sugar coated edges
🥣 Ease: Easy to make, with browning the butter adding extra flavor
🌾 Flour Used: Gluten-free measure-for-measure flour and almond flour
❄️ Freezer Friendly: Freeze the baked cookies or unbaked dough balls for a homemade treat anytime
Gluten-free cookies are my most popular recipes, and these homemade chewy snickerdoodles are the perfect addition to the collection. Like my gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, brown butter gives this gluten-free cookie recipe an extra-rich, nuttiness that goes so well with the classic cookie flavors.
For the chewiest cookies, shortening is a must! I love how it helps create the soft, tender texture that makes these snickerdoodles so irresistible.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these gluten-free snickerdoodles. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: I love the combination of gluten-free measure-for-measure flour (containing xanthan gum) and a little almond flour for the best texture and golden brown finish.
- Butter: In my opinion, browning the butter is a quick, extra step that’s so worth it! It adds a caramelized, nutty flavor that complements the cinnamon sugar for rich, one-of-a-kind snickerdoodles!
- Shortening: I like to use organic palm shortening but any kind will work. It’s needed for moisture and stability so that the cookies have a chewy, tender texture.
- Cream of Tartar: Don’t skip this! Cream of tartar is a classic snickerdoodle ingredient that adds a slightly tangy flavor and ensures the cookies end up light and chewy.
How to Make Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles
Here’s an overview of how to make these cookies. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Brown the Butter: I love the rich, nuttiness that brown butter adds to cookies. Once the butter has browned, make sure you pour the butter into a glass mixing bowl so that it doesn’t burn!
Build the Dough: I firmly believe these cookies aren’t the same without shortening either. Cream it with the sugar, then add in the other wet ingredients, followed by the dry. This dough is so simple!
Chill the Dough: Make sure you plan ahead! This dough needs at least 1 hour to chill so that the flour has time to hydrate. Since it can chill for up to 2 days, I tend to make the dough when I have time, then pop it in the fridge until I’m ready to bake!
Roll and Bake: Coat the dough balls in cinnamon sugar, then bake. Like most cookies, they’ll set a little more as they cool.
What Do Gluten-Free Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Taste Like?
These gluten-free brown butter snickerdoodles have the classic cinnamon-sugar flavor you love, with a nutty, caramelized flavor from the browned butter. They’re sweet with a hint of tang from the cream of tartar for the perfect balance of flavors.
When I want a fall twist on this recipe, I make these gluten-free pumpkin snickerdoodles. They use the same brown butter technique plus cozy warm spices for a fun seasonal treat.
Can I Skip Browning the Butter?
You can use melted butter instead, but the flavor won’t be quite the same. If you’re using dairy-free butter, most brands won’t brown so I recommend skipping this step when making these cookies dairy-free.
Make-Ahead, Storage, & Freezing Instructions
To Make-Ahead: The chilled dough keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days. I also like to freeze the dough balls for longer storage. Freeze them on a lined baking sheet until firm, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. I bake them straight from frozen and just add a couple extra minutes to the baking time.
To Store: Once cooled, the cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
To Freeze: The baked cookies freeze well too! Freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. I separate the layers with parchment paper to avoid sticking. They’ll thaw at room temperature in about 30 minutes.
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles (Brown Butter)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) butter
- 1/2 cup (98g) shortening
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (107g) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons (319g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1/2 cup (50g) almond flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For Rolling:
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Brown the butter: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted start to whisk constantly. First the butter will begin to foam, then after a couple of minutes it will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan. Turn off the heat as soon as the solids turn brown and the butter gives off a nutty aroma. Pour into a glass mixing bowl to prevent burning.
- Add the shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to the bowl with the butter and mix until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until well-combined. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
- Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl for rolling. Shape the dough into rounded 1-inch balls. Roll the dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until set. Let cool for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in June 2020. It was updated with new instructions in August 2026.
Hi Erin, I’ve been baking GF now for about a year. Just off and on trying my hand at it. I ran across your website scrolling. I’ve since baked many of your recipes and they’ve all been delicious. To the point I sell the Brown butter Snickerdoodle, Mint Fudge brownie and the Brown butter Chocolate Chip to a neighborhood Tea Shop with rave reviews and repeat customers! Thank you so much for your hard work and blessing us with fool proof recipes! It even helps my daughter who has celiac disease enjoy some sweets that she thought she’d never enjoy again!
Aww, thank you so much for such amazing feedback, Jonni! We’re thrilled to hear so many of our recipes have become repeat favorites and enjoyed by so many people. Thank you for sharing with us!
We purchased meaningful eats second edition cookbook and anytime we make her cookies, these snickerdoodles are always in our top three favorites! My girls love these cookies along with @meaningfuleats peanut butter / marshmallow cream and chocolate blossoms. So good! You can’t go wrong!
We’re so happy to hear you all have loved so many of the cookie recipes! This snickerdoodle recipe is a go-to for us too. Thank you for your kind feedback and for your support! We’re so glad you’re enjoying the cookbook!
Can I add more butter if I do not have shortening?
I’m obsessed with these cookies and also love the pumpkin version! Definitely a crowd pleaser even for my non-gluten free family. I’m curious if I would be able to use this recipe and incorporate egg nog for another seasonal flavor.
Hi Kelly, thanks so much for your review! Eggnog cookies sounds delicious. We haven’t tried that! It might work to replace the vanilla with eggnog, and add some nutmeg and clove to the rolling sugar.
Every time I try one of your recipes it turns out SO good. Thank you for taking the time to make these! As someone whose son is gluten free and has been since 9 months old, it’s really hard to find GOOD recipes especially for baked goods. This one was a hit!
Made these and your Brownies for the Gluten Free treats for my daughter’s Jr high dance they were a big hit. The chaperones kept eating them saying you can’t tell these are gf.
We’re so happy to hear the snickerdoodles and brownies were both such a hit at the dance! Thank you for sharing this positive experience with us, Kevin. Happy baking!
Hi! This recipe seems like it would be easy to cut in half. Do you forsee any problems if I did cut it in half?
Totally agree, Julie! This one should work great cut in half. We hope you love the snickerdoodles!
Hello Erin. I am thoroughly enjoying your many recipes after going GF last year. Your efforts on all the recipes are very appreciated by those of us who enjoy cooking and baking and are relearning our skills to be GF. I made the Snickerdoodles today and used the browned butter. I have two questions, please? After browning the butter and moving it to a glass dish, do I need to let it cool to room temp before adding the sugars and shortening? Today I let it cool only a little and the cookies came out okay after chilling them but stayed quite round and didn’t flatten much. Should I have flattened them a little before baking? The flavor is amazing and even a little chubby cookie couldn’t deter my husband from having 2 with his coffee. Thanks for helping all of us along this journey.
Hi Roberta, we’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed the cookies! The brown butter doesn’t need to be cooled to room temperature before adding the sugar and shortening. The cookies may not spread much if the dough is too cold when it goes into the oven (if it seems really hard after chilling the dough, you can let it sit out for 5-10 minutes to slightly soften), the material type of the baking sheets, inaccurate oven temperatures, etc. You can gently press them down a little if you want to keep everything as-is though! We hope this helps!
I was wondering, I don’t have almond flour and have no need to purchase a bag of it (other than this recipe) could I just use the same amount of the gluten free flour? Thank you in advance.
Hi Dee, yes you can replace the almond flour with another 1/3 cup of gluten-free measure-for-measure flour. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
My daughter made these last weekend and they were so good.
We’re so glad you all enjoyed the cookies, Karaleen! Thank you for sharing your positive feedback with us!
I just made these ,I added a half of a tsp of ginger to the batter.They are delicious Definitely will make them again.
Ginger sounds like a fun addition, Lisa! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us. We’re so glad you loved the cookies!
Can I use coconut oil?
Hi Laurie! We haven’t tested this recipe with coconut oil, but since it behaves differently than both butter and shortening, it will likely change the texture and spread of the cookies. We hope this helps! Happy baking!
It turned out great! One note: you forgot to mention that we had to smash the balls of cookie dough because the first time we tried the recipe we got cookie balls instead of cookies because there was no instruction to smash. Tasted great though!
WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?? How am I supposed to not eat the whole batch of cookies if you keep creating these wonderful delicious recipes? Oh my goodness. I don’t even like snickerdoodle cookies but these were so good. I only made them since this is my daughter’s favorite cookie. She isn’t even gluten free and she loved them too. These are just incredible and so easy to make. Thank you!
Wow! Thank you for such a kind review! We’re so happy to hear the snickerdoodles were such a hit!
If making ahead of time and freezing, would you wait to roll in cinnamon sugar right before baking? Or can the dough balls be frozen that way?
Hi Taylor, we’d recommend waiting to roll the dough in the cinnamon sugar until right before baking. We hope you enjoy the cookies! Happy baking!
I cannot find the Nutiva shorting you recommend. I think it may no longer be in production. Do you have another brand for shortening that you recommend? I have made the brown butter gluten free chocolate chip cookies (multiple times) and we keep a minimum of 50 in the freezer for emergencies.
Hi Liz, oh thank you for letting us know! We will need to look into the Nutiva shortening further. Other organic palm shortenings will work in its place. Thank you for the additional compliment regarding the chocolate chip cookies! We’re so happy to hear they have become a staple food in your home!
Hi Liz, here is a new link to another organic palm shortening we recommend. Thanks for your patience!
Thankyou for such a wonderful recipe but could you please add the metric measurements as I’m in Australia? Thanks!
Hi Kitty, you’re right we often include those in recipes. We’ve made note of this. Thanks for your comment!