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
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 do you keep gluten-free cookies from falling apart? ›
Chilling helps the flours and xanthan gum absorb liquid, which makes the dough sturdier and easier to handle. Without a proper rest, your cookies are likely to crumble. Think of mix-ins as the Spanx of the cookie world. They are a sly way to ensure that your cookies look like cookies, not misshapen gluten-free blobs.
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.
How do you improve the texture of gluten-free cookies? ›
After adding your dry ingredients, mix the dough for a few minutes (instead of just until combined). This will help the dough develop a bit more structure and get rid of any gritty texture from unincorporated ingredients. After all, you can't develop too much gluten if there's no gluten to begin with.
How do you make cookies softer 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.
How to Prevent the Powdered Sugar from Melting. The trick is to coat the dough with granulated sugar first, and then with powdered sugar. This way, the granulated sugar draws out moisture from the surface to create that crinkled exterior while the powdered sugar remains on top.
How do you 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.
What holds gluten-free cookies together? ›
As with gluten, this could stop a cookie from spreading too much as it bakes. So I've decided to try adding a hydrocolloid to my gluten-free dough. Some grocery stores sell xanthan gum and guar gum, especially if the stores have a gluten-free aisle. Many gluten-free recipes call for xanthan gum.
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.
How do you know when crinkle cookies are done? ›
The chilled dough also makes for fudgier, softer cookies. How do you know when crinkle cookies are done? You'll know the crinkle are done when they look soft on the top, barely set on the edges and start to develop the signature cracks on top. Typically, this takes anywhere from 10-12 minutes depending on their size.
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 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.
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.
Should you let gluten free cookie dough rest? ›
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 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.
