Babycakes Snickerdoodles

Erin McKenna has done it again. Created an adorable vegan and gluten-free cookbook.  These snickerdoodles are delicate & light.  A little persnickety in the way that they are gorgeous and crispy when they come out of the oven. However, give them an hour or so and they adopt soft bellies.  Still delicious, they just aren't that crisp.

Being that we aren't vegan, I do love using eggs in baked goods.  So I left out the flaxmeal and added one large egg.  Perhaps if I hadn't done just that they would have stayed crisp?  If you like Snickerdoodles or even if you don't (as I've never been a Snickerdoodle lover) you'll surely like these.

Thanks Erin for another lovely book!

Snickerdoodles

adapted from Babycakes Covers the Classics by Erin McKenna

Makes 36

1 1/2 cups plus 1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 cups rice flour

1/4 cup ground flax meal (I used 1 Large egg)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted refined coconut oil or canola oil

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon until evenly incorporated.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 1/3 cups sugar, the flour, flax meal (or substitute the egg), baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.  Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix with a rubber spatula until a thick dough that resembles wet sand forms.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Working in batches, drop the dough by the teaspoonful into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll around to coat the dough all over.  Place on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.  Gently press each cookie with  fork to help them spread.  Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and continue baking for 7 minutes more, or until the cookies are crispy around the edges.  Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes before serving.