These are the most perfect gluten free gingerbread cookies ever!! They're wonderfully soft, but still hold their shape when baked, and have the right amount of spice and molasses flavor.
I recently found this recipe on Pinterest and modified it to suit my tastes and, of course, to make the cookies gluten free. I reduced the amount of flour and added the zest of an orange for a little bright fresh holiday flavor.
I always thought gingerbread cookies were kinda stale and dry at best. I never really knew they could be as good as these! They're so soft and wonderfully spicy, what the heck was I thinking not making them all this time????
And to boot, this recipe doesn't require the dough be chilled before rolling out! That's an added bonus, especially when you're in the thick of the bustling holiday season.
The Ingredients in Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Kim's All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend -- you can use whatever blend you'd like as long as it has xanthan gum in it.
- Butter -- nothin' but butta cuz it's the best!
- Brown sugar -- helps create the soft chew, and also ramps up the molasses flavor.
- Molasses -- always found in gingerbread, it helps the cookies stay moist and chewy longer than regular sugar.
- Eggs -- used as a binder and to help the cookies rise a little bit.
- Baking soda -- helps the cookies puff slightly.
- Salt -- flavor booster.
- Ginger, cinnamon, and allspice -- the perfect spice combo. Lots of ginger as they are gingerbread after all.
- Orange zest -- if desired (adds to the holiday spice flavor).
- Vanilla extract -- enhances all the other flavors.
Making the Dough
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Slowly pour in the molasses and mix until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients in increments, pulsing so you don't end up with a cloud of flour and spices.
- Divide the dough in half. Wrap one in plastic wrap and let sit on the counter while rolling out the other half.
Rolling Out the Dough and Cutting the Cookies
This dough is a breeze to work with! It's so much like my gluten free sugar cookie dough that I will most likely always do both for Christmas now.
Roll out the dough to about ⅜-inch thick. Keeping the cookies thick means when they bake, they'll stay soft. If you want a crisper cookie, roll the dough thinner.
Cut out the cookies with cookie cutters (I made mine all gingerbread men using this cutter) and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes and remove from the oven to cool on a wire rack.
What's the Best Type of Icing to Use on These Cookies?
The classic icing for gingerbread cookies is royal icing. But you can't go wrong with any icing in my opinion! You'll find my recipe for royal icing here, but you can also use a simple American buttercream like this one. Just note that buttercream will crust over, but it won't dry hard.
You can also serve these cookies without any decoration and they'll be just as tasty! When making them, I'll admit I might have eaten a few of them plain, you know, for testing purposes😉
What are your favorite cookies to make at Christmastime? I'll bet these perfect gluten free gingerbread cookies might just make your top five list, even if you don't think you like gingerbread!
Perfect Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (2½ sticks or 283 g) butter, at cool room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at cool room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- â…” cup (210 g) molasses
- 5¾ cups (805 g) Kim's gluten free flour blend (or any flour blend with xanthan gum)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ tablespoon ground ginger
- 4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- zest of one orange
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add molasses and beat until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl.
- Turn mixer down to low and add flour mixture, a little at a time, pulsing to combine, until all the flour mixture is incorporated.
- Divide mixture into two and place one half on plastic wrap. Wrap it tightly and let it sit on counter while you roll out the other one.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Roll out half of the dough on lightly floured surface to about ⅜ inch thick. Cut out cookies with cutters and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat with the other half of dough.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking, until slightly puffed. Remove from the oven and leave on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring cookies to cooling rack to cool completely before decorating as desired.
Notes
Inspired by 6 Cakes & More's No Chill No Spread Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Linda Wilkins
Could you substitute coconut butter or Nutiva shortening for the butter in this recipe to make them dairy free?
Kim
I don't see why not, Linda. I would give it a go 🙂