This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
It’s day 4 of the 7 days of Chickpea Flour Cookies!
Snickerdoodles contain so many of my first independent baking adventures in my childhood home in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is one of the reasons I love them so much.
The recipe I used was from the New Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham. Ms. Cunningham was something of a Bay Area celebrity, at least for people who loved to cook and eat, which made the book that much more fun to follow. I am certain that the reason I chose snickerdoodles as the first recipe to try from the book is largely the name, but the homey flavor and crisp-soft texture won me over at first bite.
Some snickerdoodle recipes produce a flat, cracked-top cookie, but Ms. Cunningham’s recipe yielded plump cookies with a slightly cake-y texture, so that is what I’ve come to prefer and what I aimed to reproduce with my chickpea flour rendition. My recipe, like hers, also includes nutmeg in addition to cinnamon, which I think gives them holiday flair; I love it, but feel free to add cinnamon to the dough if that’s what you prefer.
If you are wondering about the applesauce, it is in the recipe to provide a touch of moisture to the dough in light of my use of coconut oil in place of butter in this recipe. Without the applesauce, I found the cookies to have a great crispy exterior, but not enough of a tender center; with it, they are just to my liking. Happy baking!
Chickpea Flour Snickerdoodles {dairy-free, grain-free, gluten-free}
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 27 mins
- Yield: 36 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1–3/4 cups chickpea flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, warmed slightly until soft
- 1 cup PLUS 3 tablespoons natural cane sugar, divided uses
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together chickpea flour, nutmeg, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil and 1 cup sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg, applesauce, and vanilla, beating well.
- Gradually add flour mixture to coconut oil mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.
- Combine cinnamon remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into 1 -inch balls, and roll in sugar mixture. Place on prepared baking sheets, and flatten slightly.
- Bake in preheated oven for 9 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and cool completely.
These were delicious! I swapped some ingredients based on what I had (butter, brown sugar, flax egg, no applesauce), and thankfully they turned out great. Crispy edges and chewy center. I’ll make them again for sure!
★★★★★
Fantastic, Claire!
I prefer a crispy chewy snickerdoodle. I added 1 tsp. cream of tatar because I like how that works in a cookie. I got perfect (for me) snickerdoodles, a bit chewy with crunchy edges. They are my new favorite cookie! Thank you so much.