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
Are you tired of the dinner routine?
Stuck in a rut or looking for fun new recipes to try?
Our Facebook Group is growing every day! If you haven’t joined yet, we invite you to come check it out and join the fun.
You can ask for recipe ideas, talk about cooking techniques, or get help figuring out the right new pan set for you. If you’ve already joined, invite a friend along!
FAQs
Binding agents (such as xanthan gum, guar gum, or flax) help give gluten-free baked goods the elasticity needed to create structure — so if your favorite gluten-free flour mix doesn't contain one, you'll probably want to add one.
Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling? ›
Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling? If the dough is too wet, then it will dissolve the sugar and the crinkle will get lost. In order for a defined crinkle to form, the surface of the dough needs to be dry. If your cookies are not crinkling then there is too much free water in the dough.
How can I improve my gluten-free cookie texture? ›
You need a binding agent in your gluten-free cookies recipe; otherwise, your cookies will fall apart. Some flour blends may already contain a binding agent, so double-check the list of ingredients. If it doesn't, you can add flaxseeds, xanthan gum, or guar gum.
Why do my gluten-free cookies fall apart? ›
Allowing them time to set after baking prevents them from falling apart during transfer. Once they're cooled, they are no longer fragile … but still chewy and delicious!
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.
Do I need to add xanthan gum to gluten-free flour for cookies? ›
Xanthan Gum adds thickness and viscosity to gluten-free breads and other baked goods. Without xanthan gum, your gluten-free baked goods would be dry, crumbly and flat. Because xanthan gum is gluten-free and vegan, it's the preferred thickener for those home bakers with food allergies.
What makes a cookie chewy instead of crunchy? ›
The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.
What makes cookies crinkle? ›
They are rolled in powdered sugar before baking so they form “crinkles” as they expand in the oven. The best part? Just like a good homemade Baklava, these cookies get better as they get a little stale. The outer layer just gets crunchier, while the center stays so gooey.
Is there a trick to baking with gluten-free flour? ›
Mix Batters Longer
While conventional wisdom has taught us not to overmix our batters, we've found most gluten-free batters simply need to be stirred for longer. If you're worried this will turn your muffins and cakes rubbery, have no fear. Gluten-free recipes need to have more structure.
What makes gluten-free cookies grainy? ›
Gluten-free baked goods have earned the reputation of being dry and gritty. That grit—that evil grit! —is the result of gluten-free flours that are often high in starches and rice flour, which take longer to absorb moisture than regular “gluten” flour.
Gluten-free goods tend to brown faster and take longer to cook through. So they need to be baked at a slightly lower temperature, for a slightly longer time. Every recipe is different, but in general, try lowering the temperature by 25 degrees and baking the item for 15 minutes longer.
How do you get gluten-free cookies to stick together? ›
Use a Binder. Binders like xanthan gum and guar gum provide structure in gluten-free baking to make up for the missing gluten. This prevents cookies from being too crumbly plus it also helps with freshness.
Why do gluten-free cookies taste weird? ›
Any taste differences also depend on which flour or flours are used and in what proportions. The variety of gluten-free flours is advantageous in that they can be blended to achieve the results that bakers want. Baking with gluten-free flour will produce some slight differences in taste or texture.
How do you make gluten-free cookies less cakey? ›
Use a Mix of Flours
A cookie made with just rice flour will be too cakey, while one made with only almond meal with be too dense. To mimic wheat flour, you will need to mix flours of different densities with a bit of tapioca or potato starch to lighten it up; the recipe below is a good place to start.
How do you keep gluten-free cookies from spreading? ›
Chill the Dough
Put your cookie dough, already rolled dough or even an entire cookie sheet with cut cookies on it in the fridge when it's too soft. This helps cut cookies hold their shape and overall decreases spreading during baking.
What holds gluten free dough together? ›
The three most common binders are xanthan gum, guar gum and psyllium husk powder. Each one works in a slightly different way to help create the structure we need to hold baked goods together.
How to keep gluten-free cookies from crumbling? ›
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.
