First snowfall. A fire blazing in the wood stove. A cup of tea. A fresh snickerdoodle cookie in hand. I’ve been loving moments like these this Winter — although honestly Virginia winters are more rainy and grey than snowy. These cookies and a spicy chai really perk me up on frigid days, either way.

This is my most requested cookie recipe of 2019, so I simply had to create it for you all. These cookies are soft and cake-y in the centers and crisp on the outsides, with that delightful crackle on top. I’ve coated these cookies in a cinnamon sugar blend which makes them sparkly (worth it for gifting, in my opinion). But you could also roll them in a cinnamon coconut sugar blend for a completely refined-sugar-free cookie.

This recipe is made with gluten free all purpose flour, tapioca flour and almond flour, plant butter, an egg and sweetened with coconut sugar. You could do a chia egg to sub out for the egg (1 chia egg is always 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water). Just make sure you also add a splash of apple cider vinegar to a vegan variation to activate the baking powder, otherwise the cookies won’t rise and spread.

Healthier Snickerdoodles Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins - Bake time: 11 mins - Makes 12-16 cookies depending on size

Notes: 1. I use a 1-to-1 gluten free all purpose flour from Bob’s Red Mill, but any gluten free all purpose flour will do here. You can also use an equal amount of OAT FLOUR instead of the “all purpose gluten free flour” for a fluffy, cake-y cookie. 2. Roll in cinnamon sugar made with cane sugar for sparkle or made with coconut sugar to keep it refined sugar free.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose gluten free flour

• 1/3 cup tapioca flour

• 1/3 cup almond flour

• 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp coconut sugar

• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder

• Pinch sea salt

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) chilled plant-based butter

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar OR cane sugar

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 pinch salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat silicone baking mat.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: all purpose gluten free flour, tapioca flour almond flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, sea salt.

3. Add the plant-based butter one tablespoon at a time and massage into the flour using your hands until mix looks like wet sand and there are no more big butter pieces.

4. Add egg and vanilla and stir with a spatula until the dough comes together into a soft ball.

5. Make the cinnamon sugar: combine the sugar, cinnamon and pinch sea salt in a separate bowl

6. Form golf-ball sized dough balls and roll each dough ball in cinnamon sugar until completely coated.

7. Place each cookie ball onto your baking sheet 1 inch apart -- gently press down on the cookies to flatten to 1/2 thick. Cookies spread and rise a bit as they bake.

8. Bake on the center rack for 11 mins until golden (depending on how big your cookies are you may need to do two batches). Cookies harden as they cool — don’t worry if they seem too soft after 11 mins baking.

9. Cool before eating. Enjoy!