Snickerdoodles are a fairly simple chewy cookie that is rolled in cinnamon and sugar prior to baking. I was inspired to create a Paleo version of these cookies after my girls gobbled up a box of Trader Joe’s gluten-free, vegan Snickerdoodles. This recipe is every bit as tasty and has more nutritive value, plus it’s way cheaper to make your own!
Store any leftovers in a plastic tub in the fridge (if you have any leftovers! My husband and kids LOVE these!). Makes about 20 cookies.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
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Cook Time: 9 minutes
Yield: 20 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup Blanched Almond Flour
- 1 tsp Coconut Flour
- 1 Egg
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
- ¼ cup Blackstrap Molasses
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground Cardamom
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
Roll in:
- 1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar or Sucanat
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt coconut oil on low power in the microwave or in saucepan on low heat.
2. Combine almond flour, coconut flour, egg, molasses, coconut oil and spices in a medium bowl. Stir well to combine.
3. Add baking soda and stir well to incorporate.
4. Chill dough in fridge at least 30 minutes prior to rolling. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F.
5. Combine sugar and extra cinnamon and place on a small plate or shallow dish. Remove cookie dough from fridge and roll tablespoonfuls into 1-inch balls. Roll cookie dough balls in cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat completely and place on cookie sheet. Do not flatten cookies prior to baking.
6. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!
Roast Chicken and Chicken Bone Broth
where does one find almond flour and is it expensive?
Almond flour is just almond meal (which is just ground up almonds). Very easy to make, here’s a link on how to make it: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/glutenfreeingredient1/ht/makealmondmeal.htm
We actually buy our Organic almond flour at Costco, $5.77 lb. Costco also sells Organic coconut sugar, and even organic coconut oil.
I found it at a local nutrition store along with the coconut flour. I then went into the regular grocery store and found coconut flour there and even though it was a few cents cheaper it wasn’t refrigerated so surely not as fresh. The recipe is delicious!
It isn’t the cheapest flour alternative, typically $6-7 per pound. I bought mine from Honeyville http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/blanchedalmondflour5lb.aspx which was the cheapest high quality almond flour I could find. As a substitute, you could buy Bob’s Redmill Almond Flour (which isnt very finely ground but is pretty easy to find in stores) or Almond Meal (Trader Joe’s has a nice cheap one) and then pulse it a few times in a food processor as a substitute. I wouldn’t do this for cake recipes, but for cookies, it’s not too bad.
I make my own! And I get 64oz of fresh almond milk plus around 4 cups of almond meal. Can’t beat that!
A good online Canadian distributor is http://www.jkgourmet.com/
Thanks!
I’m really excited to try this recipe!!
Let me know how you like them!
WOW, these were amazing! My son can’t have eggs so I made them with a chia seed substitute, and real maple syrup instead of molasses. I found I needed to cook them longer, but my kids were thrilled! By far the best treat I’ve made them since going Paleo 2 weeks ago. Thank you!!
I’m so glad you liked them!
Thanks for telling us about the maple syrup instead of molasses…….going to try them with the maple syrup since I don’t have molasses!
How much chia seeds did you use?
In case Erica does not answer, Sarah discusses chia as an egg substitute here: https://www.thePaleomom.com/2012/11/the-science-and-art-of-Paleofying-part-2-binders.html — Tamar, Sarah’s assistant
A little disappointed…tried this recipe today & found that the cookies don’t flatten out hardly at all and are realllly soft even after cooling for an hour. Any suggestions? I used sorghum syrup instead of molasses and coconut sugar instead of reg. sugar, Bob’s Redmill Almond Flour…do I simply need to bake them longer? I did 9 minutes for each cookie sheet.
also came out looking extremely dark, they almost look burned.
I’m not sure why they didn’t flatten. The only thing I can think of is the extra fiber in the coconut sugar? I don’t typically like Bob’s Redmill almond flour, but I think it would be fine in this recipe (it’s a courser ground flour than the Honeyville’s which I usually use). I certainly don’t think the flour is the problem. How did they taste? Did they taste burned or was it the sorghum syrup changing the color? Maybe with your substitutions, try flattening the cookies and reducing the oven temperature to 325. I would start with 9 minutes baking time, but check them and let them go an extra minute or two if they need it (the goal is to have them just underdone and then finish cooking on the baking sheet out of the oven). Let me know if this works for you!
Mine are very dark to and also turned out like little balls instead of flattening. They r tasty, though!
I prefer soft batch cookies.
Snickerdoodles are known for being extremely thick and fluffy. Also for being very soft. And delicious.
Ah it probably was the sorghum turning them dark…they tasted great so definitely not burned. Thanks so much for the tips I will try making some more soon using your suggestions and post my results.
I made these tonight for the first time, definitely not the last either! I made them a bit too big so they were all hugging on the tray, but that didn’t matter. My family devoured every one of them in just a few minutes. Major raves from us, thanks for posting!
Hi again, I finally made the snickerdoodles again with a finer flour this time and made the temp.adjustments you suggested and voila! They turned out great. Thanks so much for the recipe and the tips – these cookies are a big hit with my whole family.
I made these today and the dough was very wet & gooey even after 30 min in fridge. I had to do more of a drop cookie with coconut crystals & cinnamon sprinkled on top rather than a rolled ball. They tasted great, but wasn’t sure why they were so dark in color and wet. Did I not use enough flour? (Used Bob’s RedMill) and does the blackstrap molasses make them darker? Thanks!
Generally, I don’t like Bob’s Redmill because it’s quite a bit coarser than other almond flours and doesn’t absorb liquid quite the same (so typically you have to us a little more). That being said, I wouldn’t have thought it would make such a big difference in this recipe. Some molasses is more concentrated than others, which might be why your cookies are darker. Sounds like maybe you need more flour, but it’s hard for me to say for sure.
just tried these and I rather like them a lot. wouldn’t call them a snickerdoodle with the molasses but they are a lovely spiced cookie 🙂
I just found these and my kids are going to be thrilled! Thank you, thank you!
I loved these! Followed the recipe. Black strap molasses’s very nutritious not sure why people sub it out. It’s the only sweetener with any nutritional value!
Made these a couple days ago. They didn’t really flatten, but they were still yummy! I love blackstrap molasses recipes – the only (that I know of) healthy sweetener!
Excellent recipe! I had to cook 3 mins longer but probably made them too large. Kids loved them too!
I have been eating exclusively Paleo for about a month and these cookies are the most like traditional cookies of all the recipes I’ve tried. Chewy, soft, an delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Just took them out of the oven…husband is currently eating his THIRD cookie!! Subbed 3tblsp of mayo because once I started mixing everything together, realized I had no eggs! Eeeek! But they turned out excellent nonetheless. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hey thanks for your recipe! How is coconut flour made? Is it considered Paleo?
By grinding up the pulp leftover from making coconut milk or oil. Yes, it’s considered Paleo.
Accidentally added extra coconut flour instead of almond flour when I saw how gooey the batter was – oops! After 9 minutes, the cookies hadn’t flatted AT ALL. Just flattened them by hand and put them back in – hopefully they turn out ok!
Any alternate for Almond flour? Maybe using all coconut flour? I am allergic to gluten and almonds which makes things really difficult!
I would try another nut flour like hazel nut or sunflower sed flour
I can tell you never substitute the flour for ALL coconut flour. I did this in another recipe once and it was a disaster. Coconut flour is highly absorbent and you will have one dry mess. Maybe you could try gluten free all purpose flour since you’re allergic to the almonds?
The best flour sub to almond flour is another nut flour, Hazelnut, sunflower, or what I like best is Cashew flour. I just use TJ brand and it’s delicious. They both react the same way in recipes and it’s lots cheaper 🙂
my dough was crumbly… not sticky like a typical cookie. don’t know what the issue is
Your coconut oil might have been two cold? or your almond flour might have been too dense?
I just made these for my boy. Took them out of the oven and they didn’t look like your at all, they didn’t spread!!! So I re-read the recipe, ops I forgot the egg. I am not allowed egg, so I cooked apple and crumble it on top. I am now enjoying apple snickerdoddle crumble!!!
I made these tonight for Sunday night dinner dessert. I’m not sure about the molassas in this recipe yet as the dough tastes a lot like either a molassas or spice cookie or my hubs said a gingerbread cookie. In any case, the dough was delish! I might try honey next time to see if we like that too. As for the almond flour discussion above, I buy mine from Nuts Online. Love their products and their prices are the best I’ve found in many ways. Thanks for the cookie recipe – the timer is going off as I’m wrapping this up (yay!)
I am not a huge fan of molasses, but these really did turn out great. Not sure I would call them a snickerdoodle, but they are delicious!
they are dark, not like the photo and they didn’t flatten. I made to actual recipe. over all OK.
My daughter is allergic to all seeds/nuts and is gluten and, recently, grain free. I am trying the Paleo since grains cause ezcema in her, but most of the dessert recipe’s have almond flour, and she can’t have that, or any other nut/seed for that matter. Any other suggestions?
Check out:
https://www.thePaleomom.com/2012/12/dark-chocolate-shortbread-cookies-sandies-or-meltaways.html
https://www.thePaleomom.com/2012/11/decadent-double-chocolate-cookies-nut-free-coconut-free-egg-free.html
And anything in the AIP menu (although some have coconut).
Thank you for answering in the comments. It really helps to see why certain things don’t work. It keeps me from chucking the whole recipe after the first try 🙂
Hope you are feeling better. I’m a big (new) fan of your blog and podcast.
Finally got around to making these…omg delicious!!!!
Is there a substitute for almond flour? I can’t use due to almond allergies. Thank you!!
You could try another nut flour like hazelnut or sunflower seed flour. Or here are two alternate cookie recipes that do not contain almonds: https://www.thePaleomom.com/2012/12/dark-chocolate-shortbread-cookies-sandies-or-meltaways.html and https://www.thePaleomom.com/2012/11/decadent-double-chocolate-cookies-nut-free-coconut-free-egg-free.html Here are all of Sarah’s nut-free baked recipes: https://www.thePaleomom.com/category/recipes/Paleo-baked-goods/nut-free-baking Also, all AIP recipes are nut-free. — Tamar, Sarah’s assistant
I made these and they didn’t turn out , they stayed the balls can you tell me what I did wrong ? And they didn’t look near as good as yours.
Too much coconut flour. Try sifting before measuring.
what can I substitute for the coconut flour?
I’m not sure, due to the unique properties of coconut flour. You can read more about Paleo flours in this post: https://www.thePaleomom.com/2012/11/the-science-and-art-of-Paleofying-part-1-Paleo-flours.html If you do use a substitute, please leave another comment and let us know how it turns out. — Tamar, Sarah’s assistant
Turned out beautifully! My picky man loved them. They were just soft and toasty enough. Thanks!
They didn’t turn out at all 🙁 THey didn’t flatten at all and they are crumbly. I followed the directions exactly. The only difference is that my molasses isn’t blackstrap it just says molasses. And they are definitely way darker than the picture. My coconut oil was fully melted and I had made my own almond flour and used Bob’s coconut flour. Any ideas why they didn’t work?
Usually not flattening is a coconut flour problem (too dense). Try sifting the coconut flour first before adding.
Pinned this recipe and finally got around to making them. SO GOOD!!! My cookies stayed puffy and I had to cook them for an extra few minutes. Also, I added about a tablespoon of pure maple syrup because the molasses isn’t quite sweet enough for my taste. Finally, the sucanat caramelized a little too much on the bottom of the cookie, but that created an almost brûlée yummy flavor. Happy accident! I will definitely be making these again!
So, mine stayed in little balls as you said to NOT flatten them prior to cooking! So…? I followed the recipe to a T
Try sifting your coconut flour before measuring. This recipe is VERY sensitive to how the coconut flour is measured.
I am new to the Paleo diet. I also have t1d so what can I sub for the molasses and honey in your recipes? I would also like to make some for mother who has type 2 .
You could try using any lower-glycemic index food you prefer, but may not get the same results. You may simply need to further restrict your intake of Paleo treats or enjoy them only as part of a complete meal. – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
Thank you so much
These came out fluffy and almost pillowy, not quite what I was expecting but they are delicious and my three young children love them. Thanks for another excellent recipe!
Our school is nut free…can I just use sprouted flour?
Any seed flour or even plantain flour should work out okay, but I can’t guarantee any substitutions because they haven’t been kitchen-tested by Sarah. – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
I thought in Paleo you weren’t suppose to have regular sugaR ?
Sarah discusses which sugars are Paleo here: https://www.thePaleomom.com/2012/03/is-sugar-Paleo.html – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
What would you suggest for an egg substitute?
Sarah discusses egg subs here: https://www.thePaleomom.com/2012/11/the-science-and-art-of-Paleofying-part-2-binders.html – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
I was very excited to try this, however was very disappointed with the results. I followed the recipe, however the cookies are very dark and bitter, the molasses is overpowering! Could I use honey instead?
Honey should be fine. – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
Well, mine did not flatten either and were very dark-looking….but on the second batch, I lowered the temp to 325, rolled them only in sugar (no cinnamon) criss-crossed them with a fork like the traditional peanut butter cookie and had to bake them about 14 minutes. They were great!
Could one use regular coconut oil?
Yes. – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
How big is one cup? Thx. 🙂
What would be an alternative to the almond flour? My son has a nut allergy.
We loved these cookies! They turned out great. I sifted the coconut flour before measuring like some of the comments suggested and they looked and tasted perfect! I went Paleo a few months ago and have had no luck with baking until now. My two year old said, “good cookie momma” so definitely toddler approved! Thank you so much!
What is your suggested substitute for egg in this recipe? Thx!
I read the article on egg substitutions, but wanted to see what would work best for this recipe.
Yum, made these cookies today, they didn’t flatten much, (just used ground almonds as live in UK), but they were delish as mini chewy cakes with a crunchy crust, I will make a batch up for bonfire night as they taste a bit gingerbread like, thanks for recipe. Xx
Good morning.
How many grams or pounds is 1 cup?
Thank you very much and Greetings from Germany.
Carsten
I would love to make them but I can’t have eggs. Do you think flax eggs would work?
I just made them with a “flax egg” in place of the real egg. I also used garam masala in place of the cardamom since I didn’t have any. They came out good – flavor was too strong from the garam masala, but the texture was great. Nice and soft, and chewy on the inside. The flax egg worked!
Thanks for sharing!! -Kiersten
I didn’t think these resembled snicker doodles at all. They are tasty, but more like a molasses cookie. Mine did not flatten much either. It always makes be wonder when I follow a recipe exactly and it turns out looking nothing like the picture that’s shown. I guess I’m ok with it as long as they turn out tasty and edible.
what to make something like this for the kids but we have to be nut free due to allergies
Any ideas?
1 tsp coconut flour? Is that accurate?
wondering the same! I’m staring at a very small amount in the mixing bowl. not sure I’ll get many cookies out of this!
Do you have a replacement for the Malasses?
Just made these. They do taste more like molasses cookies. I think snicker doodles have cream of tarter in them.
LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! Mine did not flatten out like yours did, but they taste amazing. I substituted yacon syrup for the molasses since i have diabetes. I ended up with 2 dozen cookies. Maybe I didn’t make them big enough and that’s why they didn’t flatten out as much….I don’t know….but I do know I will be making these again!!! THANK YOU!!!!
Thank you Cindy. I always replace all liquid sugar with yacon so it is nice to hear someone else tried it first and it works.
I just made these and they look NOTHING like the picture. I’m not sure how yours turned out looking blonde, but mine looked like gingerbread. Are you sure there is supposed to be molasses in them? An entire 1/4 cup?
Made these and they were good, though they look nothing like the picture (Molasses seems to make them dark!) They did not really remind me of snickerdoodles either! (ate what the world would deem as “normal” foods till I was in my early 20s in late 20s now….so I still remember the taste 🙂 But still a good cookie.
I agree! I was wondering about honey instead of molasses.
Is there a nut free version of these? I would love to try them with my family, but we have had to go nut free recently and I am looking for treats for my kids so they won’t be tempted to eat things that they cannot due to allergies. 🙁
Could you replace the cardamom with something else? I would have to order it and I was hoping to make them sooner! Thanks!!
Could you give a flour option other than almond? I have a food sensativity to almonds.
Thanks!
Hi! I to would like to know if the almond flour can be substituted. I like the nutritional value but my husband is allergic so would like to be able to make him a batch as well.
These are nothing like snicker doodles. The molasses is way too strong. I like them but my kids didn’t like them at all. Have you tried honey as a replacement???
Hi , yes, I used half molasses and half honey. To me it is a good balance and molasses doesn’t taste too strong. Hope it works for you too! 🙂
I plan to make try these with Maple Syrup and again with Molasses. But right now, we are still enjoying your fabulous Paleo Brownies- so divine! thank you. You are always a step ahead… or maybe I just luv following in your steps. <3
Sugar is not a part of a Paleo diet and shouldn’t be part of any diet.
Hi! I’m enjoying these cookies right now and they are amazing!! I’ve added 1 more Tbs coconut flour, 2 Tbs gound flaxseed and I used half molasses and half honey. I’ve made some balls and flattened them a bit (just like I do for meatballs) then I’ve baked them 8 minutes covered with an aluminium foil and 8 more minutes after removing the foil and I got a perfect balance of crunchy outside and soft inside. Next time I’m not going to roll them in sugar anyway because it’s turned out too sweet , I’m no longer used to such a taste. Lovely winter treat!
Not having a clue of what a snickerdoodle tastes like, I can’t compare this recipe with the original. That being said, I have to thank you for it. I enjoyed it a lot.
Mine only yielded 10 cookies, so I guess I made them very large. They did look like the pics, with the exception that mine burnt a bit on the bottom.
Additionally, I agree with a commenter that sugar makes it non Paleo. I used coconut sugar, but it is still sugar.
Excellent. I made them into a more traditional molasses cookies by adding 1/2 tsp ginger and rolling them in only sugar. Kids love them! They work as mini cookies too, if you like a little more crunch!