Easy Chewy Gluten-Free Lemon Crinkle Cookies

yields: cookies

prep time: 10

cook time: 10

Chill time: 10

total time: 30

With loads of fresh lemon, these gluten-free lemon crinkle cookies are super easy to make and taste like fresh lemon curd. Made with an almond flour base, the sugary crackles bake up crisp with a tender melt-in-your-mouth center and a perfect balance of tart and sweet. Adjust the bake time for either an intensely chewy or a pillowy soft cakey cookie, both are equally delicious!

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Ingredients

170 g (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) sweet rice flour, also called mochiko; do not substitute white or brown rice flour
140 g (1¼ cups) super-fine blanched almond flour
147 g (1¼ cups + 1 tablespoon) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest, from 2-3 lemons
1 large egg, room temperature
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, sift together the sweet rice flour, almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar over medium speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and mix in the lemon zest on high for 1 minute. Mix in the egg, followed by the lemon juice and vanilla until thoroughly mixed, scraping down the sides as needed. Note: the dough will seem to separate at this step, don't worry and carry on!
With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients until just combined, scraping down the sides and bottom as needed. Try not to over mix the dough or the almond flour will release moisture.
Scoop 2-tablespoon-sized balls (I recommend a medium cookie scoop) onto a small baking sheet close together. Chill the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days in the fridge (cover if storing for longer than 2 hours) or 10 minutes in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
With your palms, roll each chilled cookie dough into a smooth ball. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl and roll each cookie dough ball in the powdered sugar, packing it on tight. Transfer coated balls to a baking sheet, placing them 2 inches apart.
In batches, bake the cookies on the middle baking rack for for 10-13 minutes (10 minutes for chewy cookies, 12-13 for cakey cookies). For chewy cookies, the centers beneath the cracks will still look a bit moist and underbaked. For cakey cookies, the bottom edge will just ever so slightly turn golden brown while the centers look just set. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Nut-Free Substitutions

My daughter requested these for her birthday at her (nut-free) school, so I developed this nut-free version. The taste is almost identical with a slightly more wholesome flavor and less pronounced yellow color.

For a nut-free version, replace the almond flour, sweet rice flour, and tapioca flour with the following measurements:

140g (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) sweet rice flour
119g (1 cup + tablespoon) tapioca flour
112g (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) gluten-free oat flour

Bake for just 12 minutes.

Make-Ahead & Storage Instructions

Chill the unbaked cookie dough balls in the fridge for up to 3 days, either before or after they've been rolled in powdered sugar. To freeze, store the unbaked cookie dough balls without the powdered sugar coating for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes as you preheat your oven, roll them in powdered sugar, and bake, adding 1 minute to the bake-time. Or, store fully baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.