How to make gluten-free cookies less gritty?

—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. Letting your cookie dough sit for 60 minutes can make the difference between a cookie with a gritty mouthfeel and one that you would never guess is gluten-free.

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.

Which gluten-free flour is best for cookies?

What's the best gluten-free flour for baking? Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking mix is my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for baking. It has a mild texture and plenty of "stick" thanks to a blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, and sorghum flour, plus some starches and xanthan gum.

How do you improve the texture of gluten-free cookies?

Use xanthan gum or guar gum : Gluten-free flours lack the elasticity and structure that gluten provides, so adding a binder like xanthan or guar gum can help to hold the ingredients together and give your baked goods a better texture.

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.

What happens when you use gluten-free flour in cookies?

Gluten free flours often contain lots of water grabbing gums and starches so we have to ensure that there is enough water present to fully hydrate the gums and gelatinize the starches. When starches do not gelatinize, the baked good can have a gritty texture , and this commonly happens with flours such as cornflour.

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.

Why is gluten-free so grainy?

Gluten-free bread can have a gritty texture because it often lacks the gluten that helps give regular bread its soft, chewy texture . Gluten-free bread can be made with a variety of ingredients, including rice flour, tapioca flour, and almond flour, which can give the bread a more coarse texture than regular bread.

How to fix gritty cookies?

Gritty Cookie Fix: The only way I know to eliminate the grittiness is to let your cookie batter sit for 20-30 minutes .

How can you improve the texture of gluten-free baked goods?

Besides eggs, which are protein-based, two starch-based products often used to bind and thicken gluten-free baked products are guar gum and xanthan gum . These products are largely interchangeable and are used in small amounts (1/2 to 1 teaspoon per cup of flour) to add volume and texture to baked goods.

Is there a gluten-free flour that is not gritty?

Tapioca Flour (Paleo, Grain-Free) It has no flavor and is very fine in texture. It is useful for thickening.

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Last Updated on April 6, 2024 by Jean Choi Leave a Comment

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These gluten-free lemon crinkle cookies have a tart and bright fresh lemon flavor with perfect texture- a soft and chewy center with crispy outer edges. Featuring gorgeous crinkles with a powdered sugar coating, these cookies are as pretty as they are tasty!

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free) | What Great Grandma Ate (1)

What Makes This Recipe Great

This lemon crinkle cookie recipe is the perfect dessert for Spring and Summer, but the snowy appearance makes them suitable for the winter holiday season too. Made with simple ingredients and a gorgeous crinkle look, these cookies are perfect for lemon lovers any time of year!

Full of lemon flavor and beautiful to look at, these Lemon Crinkle Cookies are soft and chewy and absolutely delicious. I know you will love them as much as I do! Happy Baking!

If you love lemon desserts, try these Gluten-Free Lemon Bars, this Lemon Drizzle Cake, or these No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake Bars.

Ingredient Notes

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free) | What Great Grandma Ate (2)

gluten-free all-purpose flour: Use a gluten-free flour mixture with xanthan gum – I used Bob’s Red Mill.
baking powder
sea salt
butter: Melted and cooled.
large eggs: At room temperature.
granulated sugar
fresh lemon juice
vanilla extract
fresh lemon zest
powdered sugar

Step-by-Step Instructions

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free) | What Great Grandma Ate (3)

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free) | What Great Grandma Ate (4)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
In another large bowl, combine the melted butter, eggs, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Whisk until smooth.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir together until a soft dough forms – it will be a runny, batter-like cookie dough.
Chill the cookie dough for at least 2 hours up to overnight. The dough will firm up more but will still be a bit sticky.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare two shallow bowls, one with granulated white sugar and the other with powdered sugar.
Shape the dough into balls using a 2 tbsp cookie scoop. You can dust the scoop with some powdered sugar beforehand to keep the dough from sticking.
Roll each of the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar until fully coated.
Place on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart, working in batches if they don’t all fit (keep any remaining dough not being baked right away in the fridge).
Bake for 9-12 minutes until they spread a little and get puffy with cracks on top.
Cool the baked cookies for 10 minutes, then use a spatula to carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. They’ll be soft and delicate but will set as they cool. Enjoy!

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free) | What Great Grandma Ate (5)

Expert Tips

Make sure to chill the dough before baking. Crinkle cookies, in general, start out as a soft dough. Chilling allows the dough to firm up a bit and prevents it from spreading too thin.
The dough will be runny when you first mix it, almost like a cake batter. That is normal, it’ll firm up once chilled.
You can make the dough up to 3 days ahead of time. Just chill in the fridge until you are ready to roll and bake.
I used a whisk for this recipe, which is all I needed but you can you a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment if desired. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.

Storage Tips

Store any leftover lemon cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. You can also freeze these cookies for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely, then store them in a freezer bag or container in the freezer. Thaw for a few minutes and enjoy!

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free) | What Great Grandma Ate (6)

Recipe FAQs

Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling?

There are a few reasons why your cookies may not have the crinkle appearance. Dough consistency, chilling time, and sugar coating are three key reasons why this happens. Be sure to follow the recipe steps to ensure you have the proper dough consistency, chill the dough for the correct amount of time, and dip in both the white sugar and powdered sugar coating.

More Cookie Recipes

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Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies

If you make this recipe, please leave me a star rating and comment below! I love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Follow me on Instagram for even more delicious recipes!

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 22 cookies (approx)

Calories: 102kcal

Ingredients

1¾ cup gluten free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum – I used Bob's Red Mill
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 tbsp butter melted and cooled
2 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 2 lemons or 3 for a stronger lemon flavor

For rolling

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
In another bowl, combine butter, eggs, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Whisk until smooth.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stir together until a soft dough forms – it should look runny like cake batter.
Chill the dough for at least 2 hours to overnight. The dough will firm up more but will still be a bit sticky.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare two shallow bowls, one with granulated sugar and the other with powdered sugar.
Shape the dough into balls using a 2 tbsp scoop. You can dust the scoop with some powdered sugar beforehand to keep the dough from sticking.
Roll each dough in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar until fully coated.
Place on the baking sheet 2 inches apart, working in batches if they don't all fit (keep any dough that's not being baked right away in the fridge).
Baking for 9-12 minutes until they spread a little and get puffy with a cracks on top.
Cool for 10 minutes, then use a spatula to carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. They'll be soft and delicate but will set as they cool. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)

Calories 102Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 23mg8%

Sodium 83mg4%

Potassium 27mg1%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 117IU2%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 18mg2%

Iron 0.4mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

Expert Tips

Make sure to chill the dough before baking. Crinkle cookies, in general, start out as a soft dough. Chilling allows the dough to firm up a bit and prevents it from spreading too thin.

The dough will be runny when you first mix it, almost like a cake batter. That is normal, it’ll firm up once chilled.

You can make the dough up to 3 days ahead of time. Just chill in the fridge until you are ready to roll and bake.

I used a whisk for this recipe, which is all I needed but you can you a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment if desired. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.

Storage Tips

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Regarding other affiliate links and affiliate relationships: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsem*nt, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free) | What Great Grandma Ate (2024)

What Makes This Recipe Great

Ingredient Notes

Step-by-Step Instructions

Expert Tips

Storage Tips

Recipe FAQs

More Cookie Recipes

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

For rolling

Instructions

Notes

Expert Tips

Storage Tips

FAQs

How to make gluten-free cookies less gritty? ›

Is there a gluten-free flour that is not gritty? ›