

My aunt Marlene’s recipe for Snickerdoodles is printed in our family cookbook. I was the editor of that book way back in 1995 yet some how I have never made these cookies. My mom baked pies, cakes and cookies but I don’t think she ever made these cinnamon-dusted Snickerdoodles either. Funny how that works.
Cookies are high in sugar and fat plus they cook in a short amount of time. On top of that gluten free flour doesn’t absorb fat as quickly as wheat flour so we’ve got a few challenges to overcome. If you’ve put cookies in the oven only to pull out a sheet of greasy, under done cookies, I’ve got the help you need.
When I stumbled upon the cookbook by Luane Kohnke, Gluten-Free Cookies, I was inspired to dig in and learn more.
During the process I baked up a storm, gave away a lot of cookies and loved tasting every batch I made! It really took my gluten free cookies to the next level and I share it all with you in many recipe posts, blog posts and podcasts. You’ll find a list of links at the bottom of this page.
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Do you skip over a recipe when you see it calls for an ingredient you don’t have or don’t want to buy? I think that’s smart and you can do that with gluten free cookie recipes too. But think about your goal; is it experimenting and learning or simply gathering a collection of awesome recipes?
If you’re interested in learning about different flours keep in mind that some recipes are written using a flour blend while others call for individual flours. It may be worth trying those recipes that call for three or four flours, the very recipes you’ve been passing by. I’m used to baking recipes like that now, not all the time but some of the time, so I know you can get used to doing it to.
Get your kitchen set up with the appropriate size containers for the different flours you have and store them where you can easily get at them. Look for two links at the bottom of this page for the posts where I describe how I do this.
Classic Snickerdoodles are a tangy, chewy cookie compared to a plain sugar cookie. Their distinctive tangy flavour is from the acid in cream of tartar making it a key ingredient. The chewiness happens because cream of tartar prevents sugar in the cookie dough from crystallizing into crunchiness.
Sometimes the science of baking is interesting but I could not think of one other recipe I make that uses cream of tartar. I thought about buying some but I polled my foodie friends and they either didn’t have it or the box was more than ten years old.
I made the tough decision that my recipe for Snickerdoodles would use the ‘cream of tartar substitute’. If you think it is a compromise by all means use it. I don’t actually think I could tell the difference between two cookies covered in sugar and cinnamon. If it ever happens that I do a taste test I will definitely come back and let you know what I learned.
Cream of Tartar Substitute Use 2 tsp of baking powder to replace 1 tsp cream of tartar & ½ tsp baking soda. |
Every kitchen needs some tools. Many of my pans are more than ten and twenty years old. It takes time to collect good quality pans but it’s worth the effort in the long run. Pay attention to the pans and sizes you like and what works best for you. Work toward a collection like this so you can bake cookies, brownies, muffins, cakes and anything else you want.
Enough about cookies, now get in the kitchen and start baking! Let me know in the comments below about your challenges or wins baking gluten free cookies.
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