T-minus less than one week before Christmas! Do you have a little bit of holiday baking left inside you? If so, I’ve got a magical, classic Christmas cookie recipe with a signature crackle that you’ve just got to try. Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies are packed with sugar, spice, and everything nice – I cannot TELL you how delicious these will make your house smell!
We’ve checked nearly all the “getting ready for Christmas” crafts and activities off our list:
- Cutting out Easy Cinnamon Ornaments: check
- Decorating Gluten Free Sugar Cookies: check
- Making glue + cotton ball snowman on construction paper: check (and omg, so adorable)
- Mixing and eating an obnoxious amount of Chocolate Peppermint Puppy Chow: check and check!
All that’s left to do is make a Fruit Christmas Tree (I’m taking one for the team and “letting” my Mom do this with all the kids on Christmas Day. ;) ) then we’re ready for Santa! He is going to love these heavily spiced cookies that are sugary and crisp on the outside, and nice and moist (I said it) on the inside. I know we’re not supposed to talk about eating raw cookie dough on the Internet but my God you guys, this cookie dough!! Best I ever had.
One word of warning, or rather a heads up, you will need to make the Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookie dough several hours or a day before baking as it needs time to chill after mixing up, so plan accordingly. Also, DON’T OVER BAKE these cookies! I found 8 minutes to be the perfect amount of time to achieve a crisp, crackly exterior, and doughy, dense interior.
Alright friends, slap on your (gluten free) flour-covered aprons and let’s bake!
How to Make Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies:
Start by beating 3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks) softened to room temperature and 3/4 cup brown sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add 1 egg, 1/4 cup molasses, and 1 teaspoon vanilla then beat until combined.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 2 cups gluten free baking flour blend (I use Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 Baking Flour in the blue bag,) 1 teaspoon each baking soda, cinnamon and ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix into the wet ingredients in two batches.
Scoop the (delicious) dough into ~1-1/2 Tablespoon portions then roll into balls and roll through a small dish with 1/2 cup sugar. Place the dough balls on a parchment paper-lined half sheet pan then bake until the edges are light golden brown, 8-9 minutes, at 375 degrees. Last step is to “rap” the baking sheet on the counter. Just hold it a few inches above the counter then drop it flat on the counter. This will help the cookies spread out a touch, and give them a better crackle!
Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. I hope you adore these fabulously spiced and special cookies! Enjoy!!
More Gluten Free Christmas Cookies You’ll Love!
- Gluten Free Sugar Cookies (Dairy Free Friendly)
- Soft Batch Pumpkin Gingersnap Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies
Description
Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies are soft and chewy, festive, and full of warming spices. Perfect for the holidays and cookie lovers!
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free baking flour blend (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Directions
- Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt to a medium-sized bowl then whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add softened butter and brown sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer, or a large glass bowl if using a handheld mixer, then beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add egg, molasses, and vanilla and then beat until smooth.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add dry ingredients in two batches, mixing until just combined before adding the second batch. Refrigerate dough until firm - several hours or overnight.
- When you're ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature while the oven preheats to 375 degrees - this let's the dough soften just enough to roll. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper, then add granulated sugar to a bowl.
- Scoop dough in ~1-1/2 Tablespoon portions, roll into a ball, then roll in the sugar. Place dough balls onto prepared baking sheet 2" apart (I bake one dozen cookies at a time) then bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown around the edges and crackly on top. DO NOT OVERBAKE! I found 8 minutes to be my perfect bake time. Rap the cookie sheet on the counter then let cookies cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour in the blue bag.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
These sound so great and I already have a ton of the ingredients on hand, which makes it even better!
Perfect, Melissa! I hope you love them!
Can I use the Earth Balance sticks for these cookies?
Hi Sarah! I didn’t test with vegan butter so I can’t say for sure how it would affect the texture. I have used Earth Balance in many past baked goods though, and it’s always worked out. ;)
Just FYI, your pinnable/printable version doesn’t have the bake temp on it! Just made them! Thanks!
Hi Julia! Can you email me a screenshot of what you’re seeing? kristin@iowagirleats.com. I see the temp in the printout on my end!
I made these last night using plant based dairy free olive oil sticks. They turned out fantastic.
Wohoo! Thanks for letting us know about the dairy free option, Kelly!
Saving this recipe! I made ginger cookies on Christmas day and they were the biggest pain in the …..!!
These look so simple & delicious! :)
Super simple – I hope you give them a try, Ashley! :)
I made these today and I’m thrilled with the recipe!! I love how they look, taste, and did exactly what your post said they would do! I look forward to trying more recipes from your website.
These are absolutely delicious!
The cookies are delicious! Wonderful flavor and soft in the middle, which I love.
These look delicious and I’m so excited to try them! Are there any adjustments you would need to make for baking at high altitude?
Can maple syrup be substituted for the molasses?
Hi Tara! Unfortunately not.
These are absolutely fantastic! I added a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger, and mine took 12 minutes to bake. They were still raw at eight minutes. They are so delicious and the texture is wonderful. A new favorite!
Not sure what could have been the problem, but after 10 minutes of bake time and letting them cool completely, they were still raw on the inside. I had to put them back in the oven. My second batch did better, as I baked them for 15 full minutes (nearly double the recommendation). Other than that, I followed the recipe to the letter. I do have to say, after adjusting the bake time, the cookies turned out delicious! Yummy flavor, perfect for a cool fall Sunday morning!
Can I use a vegan butter for this recipe if I want to make this dairy free?
Should be totally fine!
Very tasty cookies, but they did not rise or become nice and fluffy. Maybe I needed more baking powder or adding baking soda. The gluten free flour I used had a gum in it, so I didn’t add any extra gums (such as xantham). Followed the ingredients exactly. So, not sure what went wrong! Hopefully I can tweak it because they definitely tasted great.
Renee, did you refrigerate the dough as described in the recipe? If not, the cookies will not be fluffy, as you mentioned.
I used the Earth Balance sticks and they were delicious!!!! Excellent recipe. My son who dislikes all kinds of baked sweets ate half the batch 😳
These turned out so well! Made some for my brother-in-law and boss(both gluten-free). They loved them and so did we! Your recipes never disappoint!
Just made these using Walmart’s Great Value GF baking flour. Depending on your oven, they may take longer. In mine, it took 8-1/2 minutes. They make 3 dozen if you roll them into 3/4″ slightly-flattened cookies. They are SO yummy! A winner!
These were a hit with other the gluten free members of my family and everyone else. I added crystallized ginger for an extra kick. Thanks for the recipes.
These cookies are amazing! They don’t taste Gluten Free even to people about don’t eat GF. We definitely won’t wait until next Christmas to make them again. They were soft and moist and chewy. My husband – who eats GF because I do – loved them.
I used a mixture of half King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour and Maninis All Purpose Gluten Free flour. I used Earth Balance Stick Margarine to make it Dairy Free.
I will definitely look at your site the next time I need a new recipe.
These are the absolute best molasses ginger cookies I have ever had! I tried a different recipe last year and when I baked them they spread like pancakes! These keep their form, they are soft inside and crispy on the outside! Flavor is perfect. I made these for Christmas this last year and to make them extra special, dipped half of the cookie in white chocolate. Love them plain or with the white chocolate. Thank you for such an awesome recipe!
So thrilled to hear this, Lindsey!! Thank you so much for letting me know. LOVE the chocolate dip idea – I’m going to try that!!