The easiest ever gluten-free gingerbread cookies. You can make them either soft or hard. The entire family will enjoy this delectable dessert!
What could be better than gingerbread on a cozy winter day?
I’ve made plenty of gingerbread recipes in the past (fluffy gingerbread cookies, moist gingerbread cake and a quick gingerbread mug cake). They are all incredibly delicious, but they are all a twist on the traditional gingerbread recipe.
This time, I wanted to get as close as I could to the special original gingerbread, without too much fuss, and without of course, the gluten. This recipe turned out so well, I could not be more pleased.
One of the things I really enjoy about this recipe is that you can easily customize it to be either semi-soft, or nice and crisp. Don’t expect fluffy and soft, like the fluffy gingerbread cookies linked about, but if you cook these for 8-10 minutes, you will get soft and chewy gingerbread.
These really are the easiest ever gluten-free cookies!
To make these spectacular cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- All-purpose gluten-free flour
- Baking soda
- Brown sugar
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cloves
- Molasses
- Vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
To make the dough, you will simply mix the flour, baking soda, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in a bowl. Add in the molasses, vanilla extract, unsalted butter and egg. Stir until ingredients are well-combined. Using your hands may be helpful, as the dough is very thick. You want to ensure that there are no clumps of butter or egg.
Cover bowl and allow dough to chill for 1-2 hours, preferably overnight. When ready to bake cookies, remove half the dough from the fridge and roll it out using a rolling pin to approximately 1/4 inch thick. I recommend using two sheets of parchment paper, one on either side of the dough. Flour the dough as needed to reduce sticking.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Use cookie cutters to form the dough into the desired shapes. Carefully move cookies onto baking sheet, with 1/2 inch between cookies. Repeat until all dough is used up.
Bake for 8-10 minutes for soft cookies, and 12-14 minutes for more crisp cookies. If making gingerbread houses, you may need to bake 15-16 minutes. Allow to cool fully before removing from baking sheet. Store at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Can this recipe be used to make a gingerbread house?
Yes, it sure can! There are a couple caveat to this; one is that you need to cook the gingerbread until it is very crisp, so that it can hold it’s own weight, and the weight of the other walls.
You also cannot make a gingerbread house that is too big. I would recommend walls no larger than 5 inch x 5 inch, and you want to make sure the walls are sufficiently thick. Do not make the walls any thinner than 1/4 inch. A little thicker is better.
How can I make icing for these cookies?
Icing is super simple to make. You will want roughly 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. If you don’t want to buy the stuff in the grocery store (they usually add corn starch), you can grind your own granulated sugar in a food processor or high-powered blender. Then, simply mix in enough milk or water to form a thick paste.
Use a piping bag, or a ziploc bag with a tiny slit in the corner to pipe the icing onto the cookies. Allow to harden before stacking the cookies.
If you give these easiest ever gluten-free gingerbread cookies a try, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest so you don’t miss a recipe!
You may also enjoy:
Easiest Ever Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour of choice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1-3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Mix flour, baking soda, brown sugar, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and cloves in a bowl. Add in molasses, vanilla, room temperature unsalted butter and egg. Stir to combine. Using your hands may be helpful to incorporate fully, since the dough will be dense.
- Cover bowl and allow dough to chill for 1-2 hours minimum. Overnight is better, if possible. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F.
- Split dough in half, and return one half to the fridge. Roll out the other half to approximately 1/4" thickness, adding flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. I find that rolling the dough out between two layers of parchment paper works best, in combination with flouring the dough.
- Using your favorite cookie cutters, form the desired shapes. Move cut cookies to a baking sheet with approximately 1/2 inch between cookies. They will not spread much, but they do need a bit of room. Repeat until all dough is used up.
- Bake in preheated oven. If you like soft gingerbread, bake for 8-10 minutes. If you like harder gingerbread, bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from baking sheet. Store at room temperature for up to 7 days.
