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
If your crinkle cookies are flat, then it could also be that the leavening is off. Make sure to use only baking powder. Baking soda will cause these cookies to spread, while baking powder will help them puff upwards for a nice crackle.
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.
How do you keep gluten-free cookies soft? ›
17 Gluten Free Cookie Baking Tips
- Room Temperature Butter = soft, fluffy cookies.
- Soft Butter = soft cookies, cookie spread.
- Melted or Browned Butter = chewy, flat cookies with crispy edges.
- Cold Butter = thicker, crispier cookies.
The part that makes this a 'crinkle' cookie is the generous coating of powdered sugar that the cookie dough ball gets before going into the oven. As it bakes and spreads on the baking sheet, cracks develop and are exposed, giving the perfect crackle cookie.
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.
What makes a cookie chewy instead of crunchy? ›
If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.
Which gluten free flour works best in cookies? ›
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.
How to make gluten-free cookies less dry and crumbly? ›
Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.
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.
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.
For soft cookies, use: Brown sugar, as it has a high moisture content and retains moisture better than white sugar. Also, when combined with eggs, brown sugar can prevent spreading (taller cookies tend to be softer and fluffier). Shortening instead of butter or in addition to butter.
How do you add moisture to gluten-free cookie dough? ›
Honey and agave as a sugar substitute can enhance moisture as well, but be aware that you should cut down slightly on the other liquids you are using in the recipe, as honey and agave are not solid ingredients. Adding an extra egg or oil can also help, but use caution.
Why won t my cookies crinkle? ›
For this to happen, you need to dry the surface of the cookie by coating them in sugar, use sufficient leavening for the cookie to rise, and bake in a hot oven. Issues with cracking usually derive from the sugar coating, not enough or expired baking powder or baking soda, or the oven temperature isn't hot enough.
Why didn't my crinkle cookies crack? ›
Why didn't my chocolate crinkle cookies crack? The most common reason for cookies that don't crack is either that the oven was not hot enough or the baking powder was expired.
Why don't my cookies come out crispy? ›
Decrease the number of eggs in your recipe, or use egg yolks in place of whole eggs. Too high a ratio of brown sugar to white sugar. Increase the ratio of white sugar to brown sugar, or use all white sugar. Using corn syrup will also help crisp up a cookie when it bakes.
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 didn't my cookies crackle? ›
The oven isn't hot enough. (it needs to set the top before the middle's fully risen) Not enough leavening (it needs to be strong enough to crack the top once it's set) Using a single-acting baking powder (double acting gives extra rise when it gets heated)
