I am always looking for new and interesting ways to add variety to my diet. Store-bought gluten-free products rely a lot on rice so it’s important to explore other options. These gluten-free cinnamon mesquite cookies are the perfect way to do that. The mesquite flour adds a wonderful warm spice flavor to this recipe.
Chewy Cookies vs. Crispy Cookies
I really don’t have a preference when it comes to the texture of cookies. I love them all, whether they’re soft, chewy, crispy or cakey.
The key to getting chewy cookies is to form the cookies and then refrigerate for at least an hour before baking. This way the cold dough will spread less when baked and will retain more moisture.
If you like crispy cookies, warmer dough is better. The dough will spread quickly in the oven and they will dry out more. So place your uncracked eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes, get your butter to room temperature and take the pan straight to the oven after dropping the dough.
If you’re a lover of crispy cookies try my Ginger Lace Cookies and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Lace cookies, For a softer cookie try my recipe for chewy gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, gluten-free m&m’s cookies, gluten-free funfetti cookies or my grain-free one-bowl lemon almond flour cookies. Here is my full list of gluten-free cookie recipes.
Gluten-Free Flours
This recipe uses a combination of several different flours.
I start with a standard gluten-free flour blend. I have used several different flour blends for these cinnamon mesquite cookies and they all worked well. My custom blend of sorghum, millet and brown rice flours with potato and tapioca starches is my favorite. See the notes in the recipe for a super simple DIY gluten-free flour blend or my blog post on gluten-free flours.
This is the recipe for my special flour blend that I love for this recipe and many more of my gluten-free recipes:
- 1 c sweet white sorghum flour
- 3/4 c millet flour
- ¼ c brown rice flour
- 2/3 c potato starch
- 1/3 c tapioca starch
If you prefer a store bought blend, I like King Arthur Flour All Purpose Gluten-Free flour the best. Omit the xanthan gum in the recipe if your flour blend contains xanthan gum, guar gum or inulin.
Now for the good stuff. Half of the flour is the standard gluten-free blend. The other half is a combination of mesquite flour and teff flour.
- Mesquite flour comes from the pod of the mesquite tree (common in the southwest US and Mexico). It has hints of cinnamon and caramel and is wonderful in baked goods. I enhance the cinnamon flavor by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to this gluten-free recipe.
- Teff is an ancient grain believed to have originated in Ethiopia. It is higher in protein and fiber than your average flour grain and has a wonderful nutty flavor.
Cookie Sweeteners
Many cookie recipes use a combination of brown sugar and granulated white sugar. I am a fan of both in cookies but I also love coconut palm sugar (doesn’t taste like coconut). It has a similar flavor to brown sugar but is more heavy on the caramel flavor and less on the molasses.
I highly recommend giving it a try.
Cinnamon Mesquite Cookies (Gluten-Free)
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Ingredients
- ⅔ gluten-free flour blend
- ⅓ mesquite flour
- ⅓ c teff flour
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp xanthan gum.
- ½ c sugar
- ½ c coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1 stick 4 oz soft unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder
Icing (optional)
- ½ c powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp milk milk substitute or water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free flour blend, mesquite flour, teff flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, & xanthan gum.
- In a separate bowl, cream the sugar & coconut palm sugar with the softened butter. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Stir in the dry ingredients and drop about 2 Tbsp per cookie onto a baking sheet.
- Chill in the fridge at least 1 hr. (especially if you like chewy cookies). If you prefer crispy cookies do not chill. Take them directly to the oven.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F
- Bake for 10-12 mins
- Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.
- Make the icing
- Sift the powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. Stir in the milk/water with a whisk. If its too thick, add a teaspoon of water and stir. A little water goes a LONG way.
- Use a squeeze bottle, piping bag or a spoon to drizzle the icing onto the cookies. Allow 10 minutes for the icing to set.
- Store the cookies in a sealed container to maintain the soft and chewy texture.
Notes
2/3 c potato starch
1/3 c tapioca starch
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