Soft Batch Apple Cider Gingersnap Cookies are soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced. They're the most delicious, gluten free fall treat!
Honey, I baked!
Chewy, gooey, apple cider and molasses-spiked, sugar-rolled, all-fall Soft Batch Apple Cider Gingersnap Cookies! Because:
- It’s finally baking season! Although the days haven’t become quite as nippy as I’d like, I’m still in that shuffling around the house in my slippers mode and the only thing I like making in my slippers better than chili, is cookies.
- I needed another recipe to use up the apple cider I bought for a batch of Sparkling Maple Bourbon Ciders (CHEERS).
- Since my Celiac Disease diagnosis I’ve barely baked a thing, and figured it was high time to change that. These cookies are the perfect reason to come out of my baking hibernation!
These Soft Batch Apple Cider Gingersnap Cookies are absolutely wonderful. Think of the softest gingersnap you’ve ever eaten then add a hint of autumnal flavor from adding both apple cider and unsweetened applesauce to the cookie dough. These babies warm the soul.
Bonus: the dough needs to chill in the fridge for 2 hours or up to overnight (or heck, even a day or two,) so you can make it ahead of time then bake when you’re craving a warm, chewy batch of cookies.
Let’s bake!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by creaming together 1/2 cup softened butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer, or in a large bowl if using a hand held mixer.
Next add 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/4 cup apple cider, and 1/4 cup molasses – plus an egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix until combined. FYI: the mixture may look curdled but it’s fine!
Finally, whisk together ginger, cinnamon, and cloves with 2-1/3 cups gluten free baking flour blend WITH a binder. I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch. Cover the cookie dough then refrigerate for at least two hours, or up to one or two days.
Baking time! Scoop the cookie dough directly into a bowl of granulated sugar then roll to coat and place onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees then cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Be careful to not over bake these cookies so they land firmly in “soft batch” territory!
Sugar, spice and everything nice: that’s what Soft Batch Apple Cider Gingersnap Cookies are made of. I hope you love these soft and sweet gluten free cookies as much as we do – enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-1/3 cups gluten free baking flour blend WITH binder, see notes
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Cream together butter and 1 cup sugar in a mixing bowl on high speed until light and fluffy. Add applesauce, apple cider, molasses, egg, and vanilla then mix until combined – mixture may look curdled. In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients then add to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch. Cover then refrigerate for at least two hours or up to overnight (dough will be soft.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees then line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop cookie dough by the Tablespoon into a bowl of 1/2 cup sugar then roll to coat and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes then let cool for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks. Do not overbake.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days. and drained.
- I like Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I accidentally just made a sandwich with these and cinnamon ice cream. I don’t want to sound dramatic, but it was life changing.
UMMMMM – brilliant!!!
Would the baked cookies be able to be frozen for a couple weeks? Or could I freeze the dough for a couple weeks before baking? I’m in a wedding, and the bride asked each member of the bridal party to make 8 dozen cookies for her cookie table. I’m hoping to make the dough and either freeze it until a few days before the wedding, or make the cookies now and freeze them until the day before the wedding. Any thoughts? Thank you!!
I think the baked cookies would freeze/thaw really well!
Just an additional little tip for all of you. With any recipe requiring molasses, spray the measuring cup with non-stick spray. Then measure your molasses. It will slide right out!
Hi Kristin! I just wanted to let you know that I’m featuring this amazing recipe in my post 102 Gluten Free Cookie Recipies. I’m also pinning it to my Gluten Free Cookie Madness Board. :)
You are more than welcome to share this amazing resource with your readers or link to this post if you’d like! Thanks so much for the inspiration! Here’s the url: 102 Gluten Free Cookie Recipies
These will be great to try for my daughter who is allergic to everything. I will have to substitute the butter and eggs, but I still bet they will taste delicious!
I was so excited to try these but they didn’t quite work. :( I did use regular AP flour as we have no gluten issues. They baked unevenly, like they weren’t well-mixed but the Kitchenaide should have eliminated that. They were also flat. I may try again with more flour and ginger. Any other ideas? (I followed the instructions as written.)
Aw man, I’m sorry Belinda! Some readers and I have had great success with this recipe, though I do know some other readers have experienced what you have. Is there any chance you’re at a higher altitude? That’s the only thing I can think of besides making sure your baking soda has not passed its expiration date!
I also used regular all purpose flour and the batter was not stiff enough…rolled everything in sugar before my first batch came out of the oven though so I’m stuck with flat cookies! I chilled the dough overnight and kept it in the fridge between baking rounds.
wish i would have seen ALL THE comments before i wasted expensive flour. my cookies ran all over the place also. and caught them before it hit the oven.
I’m sorry to hear that, Sandy! Was your dough well chilled?
These look & sound fab! Must try!
I don’t know if it is the difference between regular flour and the gluten free that you used, but when I made these the dough was more of a batter and was not even stiff enough to scoop. The first batch spread all over the cookie sheet. After adding 1 1/2 c. more flour they were scoopable, but still really too soft to roll in the sugar. When I added the extra flour it diminished the spice taste and the cookie turned out really blah tasting. I found these totally disappointing!
Hey Kim! The GF-AP swap shouldn’t make a difference. Did you let the dough chill thoroughly? The dough right out of the gate is very soft and needs to be chilled. Let me know!
Gingersnaps are one of the hubby’s favorites, so these will be baked promptly!
Should I use margarine instead of butter for chewier cookies? I plan on reg flour if that makes a difference.
These cookies are very soft and chewy with butter. You can use margarine if that’s what you have on hand though!
Yum! I’m heading to the grocery store to get all of the ingredients now. Can’t wait to try these!
XX,
S. Roderick
http://www.currenthabits.com
yum I love that these have apple cider in them! sounds amazing!