I have always loved Snickerdoodles, but it occurred to me today that I have never made a vegan version before.
A Snickerdoodle is a type of sugar cookie that is rolled in cinnamon sugar and has a beautiful crackled surface. They are often over-looked when it comes to cookies, but I just love their simplicity and short ingredient list.
You can make Snickerdoodles crisp or soft depending on your preference and you can also determine their thickness with an adjustment to the temperature of the dough before cooking. If you bake the dough at room temperature the cookies will be flatter and spread out more, but if you bake the dough when it has been chilled in the fridge the cookies will remain thicker and more pillowy.
This Vegan Snickerdoodle is the first cookie in my Favourite Vegan Holiday Cookies feature. From now until the end of the holiday season, I will be featuring a new vegan holiday cookie at least once a week. If you have any suggestions for cookies you would like to see, let me know. I won’t be able to get to all of them, but I will try to make popular requests! :)
Shall we begin?
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Snickerdoodles
These vegan Snickerdoodles have a crisp edge with a soft centre and they are a breeze to throw together. Instead of all-purpose flour, I amped up the nutrition in these cookies by using whole wheat pastry flour. I also reduced the sugar substantially while still creating a delicious tasting cookie. If you prefer, you can use 1 cup of all-purpose flour for a more classic Snickerdoodle. This recipe makes about 10 cookies, but it can easily be doubled if you’d like a bigger batch.
Inspired by Joy of Baking.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar* (see note)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 flax egg (1/2 tbsp ground flax + 1.5 tbsp warm water)
- 1/4 cup Earth Balance (or butter)
- Cinnamon sugar: 1 tbsp sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon, mixed together
Directions: In a small bowl, mix the 1/2 flax egg. Set aside. In a medium sized bowl cream the sugar, Earth Balance (or butter), and vanilla until incorporated. Add in the flax egg and beat for about 60 seconds. In another bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together (cream of tartar, baking soda, flour, and pinch of cinnamon). Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir well. Use your hands to knead together the dough. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, preheat the oven to 375F and take about 1.5 tbsp of dough and shape into a ball. Roll in cinnamon sugar and then press the ball with a fork to flatten slightly. Repeat 9 more times to make 10 cookies.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. (If you want chewy cookies bake for 10 minutes and if you want crispy cookies bake for 12 minutes.) Cool for about 10 minutes. Makes 10 cookies.
Note: I have heard that you might be able to get away with substituting the cream of tartar and baking soda with baking powder. However, I have not tested this out myself. If you try this leave a comment and let me know how it worked out.
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There are not many ingredients at all in these cookies! Very easy to throw together.
I also made a mini-batch because sometimes you just want a handful of cookies and not enough to feed the entire neighbourhood. ;)
However, you can easily double or triple this recipe should you wish.
Cream together your Earth Balance (or butter), sugar, and vanilla…
Beat in the 1/2 flax egg…
Add dry ingredients…and stir.
It will look something like this. Now get in there with your hands and squish it all together!
Form a slightly flattened ball and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Chilling the dough results in a slightly thicker and more pillowy cookie. However, if you don’t mind flatter Snickerdoodles you can bake them right away. The cooking time might differ slightly though.
Make your cinnamon sugar.
I reduced the sugar a lot in this recipe and I got away with it because I knew the cookies would be rolled in cinnamon sugar. There is no sense in making a super sweet cookie when you will be rolling it in sugar. The result was PERFECT too!!
After chilling, roll into 10 balls.
Roll in cinnamon sugar.
Flatten slightly with a fork.
Easy!
Now bake for 10-12 minutes at 375F. I baked mine for 10.5-11 minutes and the result was a crispy edge and a soft middle.
I am in love with the slightly crunchy edge and soft centre and light cinnamon flavour.
These Snickerdoodles are definitely in my top 5 cookies of all time!
What are your favourite holiday cookies?
I made these with gluten free flour and 1/4tsp xantham gum and they turned out AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for sharing info about gluten free! I would love to make these!
I just made these and they are absolutely delicious! I used coconut oil because I didn’t have earth balance, and replaced the baking soda and cream of tartar with baking powder. The result was great, they have crispy edges and soft middles. They are just as good (if not better) as any non-vegan recipe. They were super easy to make and I love that the recipe doesn’t make too many. They will go along perfectly with my secret Santa gift ;] Thank you!
I was searching and almost to the end of these posts when, thank goodness, I found yours stating that coconut oil replaces butter just fine. Thanks!
I made these and the dough was extremely crumbly, so I was unable to press the balls down with a fork. I didn’t substitute anything and followed the recipe exactly. They tasted alright though.
I made these for a friend who is vegan and they were a huge hit with everyone! In fact, my non-vegan friends (and myself) were all astounded that they are so darn addictive and delicious AND completely dairy-free!
I just made these and I made them gluten free :) it was so simple to make and they turned out amazing!!
I would like to make these, but they need to be gluten free. How would I go about that?
Would substituting the earth balance butter for crisco butter shortening work? My local grocer doesn’t carry Earth Balance products
Hi! I got impatient while making these. Well actually I got extrememly hungry SO I decided to not wait to refridgerate the dough and replaced the cream of tartar with 1/8 tsp baking powder, THEY TURNED OUT PHENOMENAL! THANK YOU SO MUCH
I have been making these every year since you posted the recipe! Best Christmas cookie ever!
Just made these, and they are AMAZING. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi. I’ve never made snickerdoodles before. I decided to try your recipe. I have a question. The dough seems very dry/crumbly to me compared to cookie doughs I’m used to. Is this the way its supposed to be? When I go to push them down with the fork, they break apart and I have to piece them back together. And they don’t ‘grow’ like your did. They stay the size I rolled, then mashed them. Did I do something wrong?
Thanks for posting this. My brother has been extremely ill and is on a super strict diet. He misses sweet treats sooo much. He has to be dairy free and sugar free. I’m going to try this receipe and use half smart balance, half coconut oil, and for sweetener I will use a mixture of monk fruit and stevia. I will let you know if it is worth trying.
i used a banana in mine. Waiting for them to come out now!!
I used baking powder to substitute the cream of tar tar and baking soda and it was divine! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe :) Happy holidays and Merry Christmas!!
This is my first vegan Christmas and my dad loves the snickerdoodles that I make almost every year. I made a double batch of your veganized recipe and they turned out so nicely, I’m not going to tell him that they’re vegan!
Loved them!!
Is it possible to replace the flax egg with a chia egg? I don’t have ground flax, only chia seeds and was wondering if it would be the same proportions/whether it would even work in the recipe! These look so good and I really want to try to them!
Hey Salma, Oh that’s a good question! I haven’t tried a chia egg before. Chia tends to absorb a bit more moisture than flax does, so that’s my only concern. You might be able to try a 1/2 tbsp of chia seeds or even 1 teaspoon in place of the 1/2 tbsp ground flax? If you try anything let me know how it goes!
I can not wait to try these. Snickerdoodles have been my sons favorite for over 35yr.(they are 37&39 now). Now to do the vegan gluten free version and see if they notice. I will let you know. ☺
Oh, you’ll have to let me know how they go over! Thanks Robin :)
I made these using AP flour and coconut oil. I also replaced the baking soda and cream of tartar with 3/4 tsp of baking powder. My dough came out very crumbly, so I added a few tablespoons of almond milk until I got a cookie dough consistency. I baked them for 10 minutes, and they came out great! Crispy around the edges and soft on the inside.
Hey Lacey, I’m so glad these worked out even with the tweaks! Thanks for letting us know. :)
How far ahead of Christmas can I make these if I put them in an airtight container?
Hi Grace, I don’t find cookies are super fresh after the first day so I would probably make them the day of for best enjoyment ;)
I think an issue some are having is that replacing cake and pastry flour with all purpose isn’t one for one. You need to use less all purpose flour. You can find conversions online.