Gluten Free Mini Snickerdoodle Sandwiches

Snickerdoodles are my all-time favorite cookie. They remind me of my mom because if she ever spontaneously made cookies, it would be these. Probably because they are fairly simple and require minimal ingredients (almost every household should have these ingredients!) Well, I made these sandwiches before for my fiance to take to work, but that was when I wasn't baking gluten free. This time, I decided to make them miniature and also gluten free. Boy let me tell you, they are as soft as fluffy pillows. They just melt in your mouth! Give them a shot, you won't regret it. 

*Makes: 50+ cookies

Ingredients

For dough:

• 1 stick plus 5 tablespoons (13 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/8 cups (400g) gluten free plain flour 
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon combined with 6 tablespoons sugar for rolling 

For spread:

• 1 large tablespoon of peanut butter
• 1 large tablespoon of nutella

Directions

Step 1: In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy (I heated the butter up for 20 seconds or until it started to melt but not melt all the way). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla until well blended.

Step 2: Add the flour, xanthan gum, salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, baking soda, and cream of tartar to the wet ingredients. Beat the batter well until it becomes thicker.

Step 3: Separate the dough into four equal portions, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap or foil (whichever you have handy), and refrigerate until chilled firm (at least 1 hour).

Step 4: Once the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Line rimmed baking sheets with foil and grease with cooking spray. Set them aside.

Step 5: Slice each portion of dough into 1/2 inch thick pieces to form medium to large balls. Slice them into 1/4 inch pieces to form smaller balls to make for your miniature cookies (I made small, medium, and large cookies). 

Step 6: Roll each of the pieces of dough between your palms until it forms a ball. Toss each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until it is well-coated. Place the balls of dough into the freezer for about 10 minutes, until firm again. Roll each ball of dough in the cinnamon-sugar mixture once more, and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets. Flatten them with the bottom of a glass to give them all the same look, or you can just cook them without flattening them.

Step 7: Place the rimmed baking sheets in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 8 (or 9-12 minutes if you want them a bit crispier). Cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Step 8: If you want to add the peanut butter & nutella mixture to make a snickerdoodle sandwich, just mix 1 large tablespoon of nutella with 1 large tablespoon of peanut butter. Then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then spread a small amount between 2 cookies and enjoy with a cold glass of milk! Enjoy.