This recipe for gluten free lemon crinkle cookies is one of our most beloved recipes. These easy gluten free cookies are light, bright, lemony and sure to become a family favorite!
You know what I like?Easyrecipes.
Ones without excessively long ingredient lists. I made one recipe recently that had about 30 ingredients and was made over the course of two days.
It was totally worth all the trouble, but now I'm in the mood for something ridiculously simple. Thesegluten freelemon crinkle cookies are just that!
If you have a few leftover egg whites, this is a great use for them. I occasionally make a favorite drink of mine,German egg liqueur, and always have so many leftover egg whites.
I know thatangel food cakesuse a lot of egg whites, but they use too many – my egg liqueur recipe (which is way more delicious than it sounds!) only calls for 8 eggs.
For this recipe, you need two egg whites, which you beat and combine with the flour mixture. I normally groan when I see a recipe calling for beating egg whites, but it's actually quicker and less fussy than beating butter.
The dough will be a regular thick cookie dough so you don't have to worry about the eggs deflating or mixing a little too much.
Ingredients for Gluten Free Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Almond flour- Plain, blanched almond flour is the foundation of this gluten free cookie recipe
- Granulated sugar- Basic white granulated sugar does the heavy litfting in sweetening this recipe
- Lemon zest - This recipe calls for two tablespoons of lemon zest which is, give or take, the zest of two medium to large sized lemons
- Salt - You'll need just a pinch of salt to balance to tartness and sweetness of this recipe - I suggest Kosher salt for baking
- Egg whites - You'll want your egg whites at room temperature for best results
- Lemon extract - Lemon extract adds so much flavor - don't skip it!
- Powdered sugar - Put the powdered sugar in a small bowl where you can roll each cookie before baking
How to Make Gluten Free Lemon Crinkle Cookies
1. Preheat your oven to 350° F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. To a medium size mixing bowl, add almond flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest. Mix to combine and set aside.
3. In a separate large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment), beat the egg whites at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the lemon extract and gently fold to combine.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the egg whites. Mix to combine. The dough will be a very thick, not overly moist dough.
5. Form into balls, roll in powdered sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned.
What Kind of Flour to Use for Gluten Free Lemon Crinkle Cookies
This recipe calls for blanched almond flour, which is a flour made from almonds that have had their skins removed. Almond meal and non-blanched almond flour typically have brown flecks from the almond skins.
I originally made these lemon crinkle cookies without the lemon zest and extract, thinking they'd make some fine almond cookies, but they just tasted bland. You definitely want to add some kind of extract!
Thesecookiesare almond flour-based, which is a pretty bland flour to begin with, so without the extract and zest, these crinkle cookies are a blank palate.
Gluten Free Cookie Recipes Variations
I love the idea of using lime zest, coconut extract and rolling these cookies in toasted coconut next time for a tropical version! Doesn't that sound so good?!
By the way, you don't have to roll the cookie dough balls in powdered sugar.
They taste just as good without. The only difference is that they don't crackle.
More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes
- If you don't have almond flour on hand, try theselemon ricotta cookiesfor something different! They're a perfect lemony treat.
- These gluten free chocolate chip pumpkin cookies are perfectly delicious all year long
- Our gluten free peppermint cookies are a favorite gluten free Christmas cookie
- This gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe tastes as good as the classic version you know and love
- Our 3 ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe is naturally gluten free and so good
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FAQs
While we found that multiple factors can affect how quickly the top dries out and thus how many cracks are formed (including the temperature of the dough and how rapidly it spreads in the oven), a simple tweak turned out to be key to producing a maximum number of fissures: rolling the balls of dough in granulated sugar ...
How can I improve my gluten-free cookie texture? ›
Give xanthan gum a try – This is a very common bonding agent in gluten-free baked foods. If your recipes tend to crumble too much then add some xanthan gum to the ingredients and you will get much better elasticity. These tips are amazing for improving the texture and taste of your gluten-free foods.
How do you get gluten-free cookies to stick together? ›
Remember: Xanthan Gum is Your Friend
It might sound scary, but xanthan gum is key for successful gluten-free baking. It helps bind together the ingredients, preventing your cookies from falling to pieces. Be careful to not use too much; no one likes gummy baked goods.
How do you make cookies softer instead of crunchy? ›
Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.
How do I make my cookies chewy instead of crunchy? ›
How To Make Cookies Chewy Without Cornstarch
- Go heavy on brown sugar. It has more moisture than its granulated counterpart, which means the cookie comes out less crispy. ...
- Choose margarine or shortening instead of butter. ...
- Use baking powder instead of baking soda. ...
- Rest your dough. ...
- Shorten baking time.
Almond flour is a grain-free, protein-rich flour that lends well to cookies, cakes, and more! Almond flour is made from blanched almonds, meaning without skins (as opposed to almond meal, which is made from raw almonds with skins). This is why it has a fluffy, light texture and pale golden color.
What is the best flour for gluten-free cookies? ›
Oat Flour. With its creamy, earthy flavor and delicate texture, gluten-free oat flour is a staple of my gluten-free baking recipes. It bakes up soft and smooth, adding necessary starch to many GF baked goods and keeping them moist and tender due to its high fat content and stable protein structure.
Should I add xanthan gum to gluten-free cookies? ›
Using xanthan gum helps provide some of the stickiness that gluten free goods lack, replacing some elasticity. Xanthan gum mimics some of gluten's most essential properties by sticking to flour and its moisture. This helps create moist goods that hold their shape after being baked.
Should you refrigerate gluten-free cookie dough before baking? ›
This is because cold dough is less sticky, and it doesn't spread as easily, too. If you're making a gluten-free cookie recipe that you don't want to spread too much (like crinkle cookies), make sure to chill the dough before baking it.
What happens when you use gluten-free flour in cookies? ›
Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.
Instead of proceeding directly to baking, let the gluten-free cookie dough rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. This resting period is crucial for hydration, not leavening. During this time, gluten-free flours absorb moisture from the wet ingredients, altering the dough's texture and consistency.
Why are my crinkles not spreading? ›
This is down to the ratio of ingredients in the dough, mainly. There is a high proportion of dry ingredients (i.e. flour, cocoa powder, ground almonds) to liquid ingredients (eggs, butter). This results in a drier dough which stops the cookies from spreading when baked.
What are crunchy cookies called? ›
Most English-speaking countries call crunchy cookies "biscuits", except for the United States and Canada, where "biscuit" refers to a type of quick bread. Chewier biscuits are sometimes called "cookies" even in the United Kingdom. Some cookies may also be named by their shape, such as date squares or bars.
Can I bake crinkles without parchment paper? ›
Can you bake crinkles without parchment? Yes, you can bake Chocolate Crinkle Cookies without parchment paper. Grease the baking sheet with cooking spray, oil, or butter. Don't overdo it because it can cause the cookies to spread out too much.
Why are my cookies not puffing up? ›
If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise. Moreover, butter that's warmer than room temperature melts in an instant in the oven, encouraging the dough to spread quickly with it.
Why are my cookies not firming up? ›
Here are some common reasons: Underbaking: Cookies might not have been baked long enough. Ensure you follow the recommended baking time in the recipe and adjust based on your oven's characteristics. Too much moisture: Excess moisture, either from ingredients like eggs or butter, can result in soft cookies.
Why do my cookies not stay crispy? ›
Summer, though welcomed for the sun and fun, also brings humidity that makes your cookies limp -- not so fun. Keep those cookies crisp by storing them in an airtight container. Some people toss a piece of bread in with the cookies to help absorb any excess moisture.
