These gluten-free Lemon Crinkle Cookies are soft, chewy, and full of lemon flavor! Perfect crinkles and crackles to add to your cookie plate. Dairy-free, egg-free.
This post is in partnership with Rodelle. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Salted Plains!
It's cookie season! To kick things off this month, you are going to want to check out this recipe for gluten-free crinkle cookies.
Not only are these lemon crinkles gluten-free, they are dairy-free and egg-free as well. Keep reading for the recipe!
Ingredients for Lemon Crinkles
Often gluten-free cookies use eggs as a binding agent. In eggless cookies, like these lemon crinkle cookies, it can be a little trickier to achieve the right amount of binding and texture.
In this recipe, tapicoa starch acts as the egg replacement. This also makes for a deliciously chewy cookie.
Here are the major ingredients you will need:
- Tapioca starch
- Organic cane sugar
- Almond flour
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- Lemon extract
- Gourmet vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Organic powdered sugar
In such a simple cookie, the quality of the extract that you use can really make a difference in flavor. Here, Rodelle's Lemon Extract and Gourmet Vanilla Extract are used together.
The Lemon Extract gives a pop of zestful citrus while the Gourmet Vanilla Extract complements with a rich vanilla bean flavor.
How to Make Crinkle Cookies
No chilling is required for these lemony cookies! Here are the steps to making vegan crinkle cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine tapioca starch and water in a small bowl, set aside.
- Add sugar, maple syrup, lemon zest and juice, tapioca starch slurry, and coconut oil to a small bowl.
- Whisk to combine and add vanilla and lemon extracts.
- Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients.
- Stir until a dough forms.
- Roll dough into balls and roll in plated powdered sugar.
- Place sugar dough ball on prepared baking sheet in rows.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until set on the outside.
- Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack.
You can never have too many lemon recipes. These lemon sugar cookies are ones to try. Even more lemon desserts are below!
More Lemon Cookies and Bars Recipes
Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Snack Cake
📖 Recipe
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch + 3 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
- ½ cup (116g) organic cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (one lemon)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon Gourmet vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (240g) almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For Rolling
- ¼ cup organic powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tapioca starch and water in a small bowl, stir to combine and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine organic cane sugar, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, and tapioca starch slurry. Whisk to combine. Whisk in melted coconut oil, followed by vanilla and lemon extracts.
- Add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Pour liquid mixture into bowl with dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are completely incorporated. If needed, use your hands to thoroughly combine ingredients into a cohesive cookie dough.
- Place organic powdered sugar on a plate. The dough may be sticky, so dampen your hand with water or spray hands with cooking spray. Use a tablespoon to scoop out dough, then roll into a ball. Place ball on plate with powdered sugar, roll to coat, then place on prepared baking sheet. Space cookie dough balls about an 1 ½ inches apart. Repeat until cookie sheet is filled with even rows.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are set on the outside. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 4-5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Stella
Can I leave out the tapioca starch and add more
Almond flour?
Tessa
Hi Stella! The tapioca starch plus the water act as the egg substitute and help create the "crinkle" effect. The best substitutes for that would be cornstarch or arrowroot starch (or even potato starch). If you replaced the tapioca starch with almond flour, you'd still want to add the water but the consistency and the texture of the cookie would be different.
Liz
These look delicious. I can’t wait to try them!
Brynne
I'm a sucker for anything lemon. These are great!
Tessa
Thanks! They are a bit addictive. :)