Healthy Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles (paleo-ish & nut-free)

Happy Friday! As I was planning out my content for November, I realized that almost every other recipe idea was a new cookie. So, being the contemplative, dessert-obsessed person that I am, I gave this a lot of thought. And I came to the realization, that, to me at least, cookies are the perfect dessert. They are super easy to make – require minimal prep and clean up, almost always delicious, super portable, keep very well, AND they are intended to be eaten with your hands so extra dishes are not really required in order to consume them. I mean, what could be a more perfect sweet situation than that?! These Healthy Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles are the newest edition to my mounting cookie recipe collection, and I must say, they might just be the coziest to date. Packed with all the spices you’d expect in a good chai blend (basically all the soothing, warming spices), these cookies are as deliciously comforting as a frothy chai latte, but in cookie form! Which, going back to my argument above, is the best form anything could possibly take.

What Do These Chai Snickerdoodles Taste Like?

These Healthy Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles are like a classic snickerdoodle in appearance and texture; crispy edges with a soft and chewy center and rolled in a simple cinnamon sugar mixture to give the crust a little extra oomph in texture. The dough, however, is spiked with a healthy dose of all the spices that make a good chai blend, with the likes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and cloves which really impart the flavor of chai in the cookie. All these warming spices, in concert with the inviting cookie texture, will make you feel like you’re biting into a mug of well spiced chai sitting by a toasty fire in your favorite fuzzy socks. Yep, if there ever was a cookie made of pure cozy vibes, these Chai Snickerdoodles are it.

How Do You Make Snickerdoodle Cookies?

I’m not about a crazy cookie process, I feel like it takes away from the simple, unpretentious beauty of the cookie. Cookie baking should be uncomplicated, and these are just that. They whip up in just one bowl, and while the ingredient list may look a bit lengthy, it’s mostly spices, the cookie dough is made with just 8 main ingredients. I do recommend chilling the dough for a bit before baking, but a quick trip to the freezer while you heat the oven should be enough time if you’re in a hurry. Here’s a look at the steps:

1. Combine the wet ingredients together until they are light and fluffy. I always use my stand mixer, but these can easily be mixed by hand.
2. Add the dry ingredients and stir until everything is just well combined. Make sure not to overmix. I find it’s best to scrape down the sides of the bowl once between mixing to ensure an even distribution of the ingredients without over-stirring the dough.
3. Chill the dough. Ideally the dough would be chilled for two hours in the fridge. However, you can definitely get away with chilling the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes while you prepare the baking sheet, sugar coating, and heat the oven.
4. Scoop the dough into balls once it’s chilled. I always use my cookie scoop to easily make even balls of dough.
5. Roll the dough in a simple cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the dough balls on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart.
6. Bake for 9-11 minutes. I like these cookies best when baked for 9 minutes, they are soft with a very moist center and just crisp edged. Bake for longer if you like a firmer cookie.
7. Let cool on baking sheet for just 3 minutes to let firm up a bit, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
8. Enjoy that cookie goodness!

These can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Then transfer to the freezer for longer storage. And, as with most baked treats, I enjoy these best eaten straight out of the freezer. Or warmed up a bit in a toaster oven/microwave. Really, they are amazing at any temperature.

What Ingredient Do I Need To Make Paleo Sncikerdoodles?

These healthified cookies are made better-for-you by using simple, real ingredients. They are made with no refined flours or oil. They are paleo(ish) as they contain no grain, gluten, or dairy. I say “paleo(ish)” because I use organic cane sugar instead of my usual coconut sugar. These can easily be made with refined sugar free by replacing the cane sugar with coconut sugar in both the dough and the cinnamon sugar coating.

Here’s a quick rundown of the ingredients:

Cassava Flour & Tapioca Flour – These form the base flours for these cookies and I find that it’s the closest to using a traditional white flour without having to use processed or refined ingredient. Which also makes these gluten and grain free. I recently discovered that Amazon has the best pricing for cassava flour, compared to the health food stores near me and, surprisingly, Thrive Market. And I use Bob’s Red Mill for the tapioca flour.

Avocado Oil & Tahini- I love this combination of fats for cookies and cookie bars. The tahini adds the perfect amount of dense chewiness to the baked goods while the avocado oil adds additional moisture without making them feel heavy. Both of these ingredients are incredibly neutral so do not distract from the flavors of the bars. Feel free to sub olive oil or melted and cooled coconut oil for the avocado oil. And sub tahini with any other single ingredient (no added oils and sugars), thin, and drippy nut/seed butter. Some good options are sunflower seed butter or natural almond butter. Always be sure to stir the nut/seed butter well in the container before measuring and do not use the compacted paste-y bottom part.

Cane Sugar – I used an organic cane sugar from Whole Foods (but this brand is also great) instead of my usual coconut sugar, to give these more of that authentic snickerdoodle flavor and appearance. You can easily replace the cane sugar with coconut sugar if you want to keep these strictly paleo and refined sugar free.

Spices – As these cookies are all about the spices, I highly recommend using good quality spices for these. My brand of choice for most spices is Frontier Co-op. I find their spices are of good quality and conscientiously sourced. This is the perfect time of year to go through your spice drawer and ditch any that are no longer good! I always ignore the use by date and go with the sniff test. Open each container and if the spice has little to no odor, it’s past its prime and time to replace!

These cookies are the perfect delicious and uncomplicated treat that brings all the comfort without any drama. And while being made with simple, real ingredients they are a dessert you can feel good about enjoying! These Chai Snickerdoodles are really wonderful for fall, but I think, these would be great anytime of year when you need a little hug delivered in delicious cookie form, because that might be the best way to describe these sweet little treats.

paleo friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free), refined sugar free option, nut-free, vegan possible

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