The Ultimate Healthy Snickerdoodles
These snickerdoodles truly are perfect and the best I’ve ever tasted! They’re soft, chewy, deliciously sweet, and have lots of cozy cinnamon flavor in every bite. So irresistible — and a HUGE favorite at my house! If you happen to have leftovers, they should last for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. This recipe is easily doubled to make more too!
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIES
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon (see Notes!)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar or light brown sugar (see Notes before beginning!)
FOR THE COATING
- ¼ cup (48g) coconut sugar or light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp (6g) ground cinnamon (see Notes!)
Instructions
- To prepare the cookies, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until incorporated. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- To prepare the coating, mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until completely combined and no lumps remain.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- {See the Notes below about rolling and shaping before beginning this step!} Using a spoon and spatula, drop a small amount of the cookie dough into the coating. Carefully rock the cookie dough back and forth in the coating. (Do not touch the cookie dough with your hands until it’s fully coated!) Once fully covered in coating, roll the cookie dough into a sphere between your palms, and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough and coating. (Optional: Gently flatten the cookie dough as a spreading “head start” for cookies that are thinner!)
- Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the warm baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s really important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour will make your cookies turn out cakey and dry, rather than soft and chewy. If you can’t incorporate all of the flour into your cookie dough, then stir in room-temperature milk (any kind will work!) ½ teaspoon at a time until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
HOW MUCH SUGAR TO ADD TO THE COOKIE DOUGH – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: This actually depends on how thick or thin you prefer your snickerdoodles! For thick cookies (that don’t spread as much while baking!), use 6 tablespoons (72g) of coconut sugar or light brown sugar. For slightly thicker cookies, use 7 tablespoons (84g) of coconut sugar or light brown sugar. For even thinner cookies, add 2 teaspoons of room-temperature milk (any kind will work!) along with the vanilla extract. (See Nerd Alert #8 in my blog post above for more information and visuals about what each version looks like! I used the last version, ½ cup of sugar + 2 teaspoons of milk, for most of the photos in the blog post above.)
ROLLING THE COOKIE DOUGH IN COATING – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: This cookie dough is sticky, and that’s intentional! It gives these cookies a really soft and chewy texture, and it allows them to spread some while baking. However, that means the cookie dough will stick to your bare hands. So in Step 4, do NOT touch the cookie dough until it’s covered with the cinnamon sugar mixture. The coating then acts as a barrier and prevents it from sticking to your skin!
SHAPING THE COOKIE DOUGH BEFORE BAKING – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For thicker snickerdoodles, roll the cookie dough so that it’s taller than it is wide (aka a cylinder shape). For thinner snickerdoodles, roll the cookie dough into balls, and flatten them slightly before baking.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary!) may also be substituted, but be very careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours.
CREAM OF TARTAR NOTE: I do not recommend substituting for the cream of tartar. It's important for both the taste and texture of these cookies. (See my blog post above for more information!) In a pinch, you can omit it, but it'll change the flavor and texture of your snickerdoodles.
CINNAMON NOTE: I highly recommend using Saigon cinnamon for the best flavor! It’s stronger, richer, and sweeter than common cinnamon. I buy mine online here because it’s so inexpensive and affordable. If you aren’t using Saigon cinnamon, then increase the cinnamon in the cookie dough by ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, 3 tablespoons (21g) coconut flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
VEGAN, DAIRY-FREE + EGG-FREE OPTION: Use coconut oil or stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one). In place of the egg, substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of Ener-G (I whisk this into the dry ingredients!) + 2 tablespoons of warm water + an extra ½ tablespoon (7g) of coconut oil or vegan butter.
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container. When left at room temperature, they should keep for at least four days, possibly closer to a week or more — if they last that long!
DOUBLING THE RECIPE: This recipe is easily doubled!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS AND STEPS, SEE MY BLOG POST AND THE PHOTOS ABOVE!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, vegan option, dairy-free option, egg-free option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.