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.
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 orange zest, vanilla, and 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.
To Make Thin Icing:
Whisk all icing ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Dip cookies in icing to fully coat. Let dry on wire rack. Icing will set hard.
Notes
*To freeze before baking, the unrolled dough can be frozen as is, just wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap or placed into a ziptop bag. Freeze for 2-3 months. **To freeze cutout cookies before baking, place cookies on lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Remove from baking sheet and carefully place in ziptop bag. Freeze for 1-2 months. When ready to bake, remove cookies from bag, place directly on baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. ***To freeze baked cookies, place carefully in large ziptop bag OR place in layers in an airtight container. Freeze for 1-2 months. Remove and keep wrapped to thaw on counter before decorating.