Vegan snickerdoodles are soft, chewy, and bursting with cinnamon flavor. They’re easy to make, gluten-free, and the perfect cookie for Christmas.
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Thick & Chewy Vegan Snickerdoodles
No Christmas menu is complete without cookies, and these vegan snickerdoodles are one of my favorites to make during the holidays. The strong flavor of cinnamon sugar tastes like winter, and will leave your home smelling like a holiday celebration. These cookies are soft, thick, and super chewy, while tasting rich and buttery.
But these snickerdoodles aren’t my go-to Christmas treat just because they’re tasty and just feel so festive. This recipe is also quick and easy, and 100% vegan and gluten-free. It’s a cookie recipe you can feel good about, and if you’re anything like me, it’s a recipe you’ll revisit time and time again.
What You’ll Need
Here are all the ingredients that you need to make these chewy vegan snickerdoodles. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the article for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
For the Cookies:
- Vegan butter – Make sure to use unsalted vegan butter. If you prefer, you can use solid refined organic coconut oil instead of dairy-free butter.
- Cashew butter – You want to use creamy, unsalted cashew butter, which you can substitute with pecan butter if you’d like, or any type of creamy, unsalted nut or seed butter.
- Maple syrup – Be sure to use pure, natural maple syrup. You can also replace maple syrup with any other sticky liquid sweetener, such as date syrup or agave.
- Vanilla extract – Make sure that you use pure vanilla extract.
- Almond flour – You want to use almond flour that is superfine and blanched.
- Coconut flour – Make sure to sift your coconut flour before using, to get out any lumps.
- Baking soda
- Cream of tartar
- Fine sea salt
- Cinnamon
For the Topping:
- Granulated maple sugar – If you prefer, you can use coconut sugar instead.
- Cinnamon
How to Make Vegan Snickerdoodles
Here’s how to make these festive holiday cookies. They only take about 20 minutes!
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Place the vegan butter, nut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir until everything is combined.
- Make the cinnamon sugar. Add the sugar and cinnamon to a bowl, and stir to combine.
- Roll the cookies. Using your hands, roll the cookie dough into balls that are about 1.5 tablespoons of dough.
- Coat the cookies. Take the dough balls and roll them in the cinnamon sugar until they’re well coated all over.
- Flatten. Place the coated snickerdoodle dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, a few inches apart. Gently press to flatten, then top with more cinnamon and sugar.
- Bake. Place the cookies in the oven and bake until slightly brown, about 9-10 minutes.
- Cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool them on a wire rack for at least 25 minutes before eating.
Tips For Success
Here are a few tricks and tips to make sure that your gluten-free snickerdoodles come out perfectly each and every time.
- Use softened butter. It’s important to use butter that’s the right temperature. You don’t want to use melted butter or your dough will be runny, but you do want to use butter that’s warm enough to have softened. Soft butter will mix much better with the other ingredients, ensuring that your cookies are smooth and soft throughout.
- Don’t over bake. Make sure to take the cookies out of the oven when the middle still looks a little undercooked. The vegan snickerdoodles will keep cooking as they cool, and end up with the perfect chewy texture. If you wait until the cookies look firm all the way through to take them out of the oven, they’ll end up overcooked and dense.
- Let them cool enough. Let the gluten-free cookies rest for at least 25 minutes after baking them to ensure the best texture. This will allow the cookies to firm up and become the ideal consistency.
- Make the dough ahead of time. One great tip for any kind of cookie is to make the dough ahead of time. This speeds up the process on baking day, but also gives the ingredients time to meld together. The texture of cookies that have been chilled is also really nice and soft. If you want to make the snickerdoodle dough ahead of time, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or shape into balls and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
How to Store Vegan Snickerdoodles
You can keep these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 10 days. If you like to warm your cookies up before eating them, you can heat them in a toaster oven on medium, in a microwave on high for 10-15 seconds, or in a 250F oven for 3-5 minutes.
Can You Freeze This Recipe?
You can absolutely store these vegan, gluten-free cookies. Just place them in an airtight container in the freezer, where they’ll last for up to 2 months. You can thaw them in the fridge or at room temperature, or reheat them in a 250F oven for 5-10 minutes.
More Vegan Cookies to Bake This Christmas
Here are a few more recipes for vegan cookies that are perfect for the holiday season.
These vegan snickerdoodles are soft, chewy, and perfect for the holidays. They're easy to make, packed with cinnamon sugar flavor, and both vegan and gluten-free.
- 1/4 cup softened vegan butter (or solid refined organic coconut oil, which you want to be a similar texture to softened room temperature butter)
- 3 tablespoons creamy unsalted cashew butter (or pecan butter, or you can also sub with creamy unsalted nut butter or seed butter of choice)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or any other sticky liquid sweetener such as organic agave, date syrup or Lakanto sugar-free maple syrup)
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups superfine blanched almond flour
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour (sifted)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup granulated maple sugar, coconut sugar (or golden monk fruit sweetener for a lower sugar option)
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the nut butter, vegan butter, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth.
Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cream of tartar then stir well until combined. If the dough seems too soft (this could happen if you used melted coconut oil), then you can cover the bowl and chill in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping in a small bowl.
Remove the chilled dough and roll into 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls.
Roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar topping.
Place on baking sheet about 2.5 inches apart. Gently flatten and sprinkle extra cinnamon and sugar on top if desired.
Bake for 9-10 minutes or until slightly brown. Do not overbake. The cookies will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for at least 25 minutes, otherwise they will fall apart.
How to make ahead
You can make the snickerdoodle cookie dough ahead and wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to bake, just roll the dough into balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. You can also roll the dough into balls ahead of time, chill, and before baking roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar. If you go this route, you can freeze the dough for up to 2 months.
How to Store
Store cooled vegan snickerdoodles in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, or keep them stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
How to freeze
These vegan snickerdoodle cookies can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 months in a freezer safe bag or container. When you're ready to enjoy, simply remove from freezer and allow to thaw or bake in a preheated oven at 250F for 5-10 minutes.
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