Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookie Recipe! (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links to products I recommend. I receive a small commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase using my link.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These gluten free gingerbread cookies are easy to make and have all the spice and bite of classic gingerbread cookies but without the gluten. They don’t spread much and have lovely smooth tops, perfect for decorating!

There is just something about the rolling, cutting, baking and decorating of gingerbread cookies that is sure to get me in a festive mood.

But, there are few things more disappointing than making cookies that crumble and break when you try to decorate them.

If you’ve ever made and decorated gluten free gingerbread cookies before, only to be disappointed when the cookies fell apart, you may not be inclined to believe me when I tell you that these gluten free gingerbread cookies will not do that. But they won’t. Really!

They’re The Best gluten free gingerbread cookies to decorate. Yes, I said what I said and I stand by it.

I’m going to tell you a bit about these cookies and some tips for making them successfully, but as always, if you want to skip to the recipe card, hit the jump button above 👆🏻

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookie Recipe! (1)

What makes these the best gingerbread cookies:

  • Rich gingerbread cookie flavour
  • Smooth flat cookie surface for easy decorating
  • Crunchy edges, with slightly softer middles
  • They are super sturdy – no crumbly broken cookies here!
  • They hold their shape, without spreading much
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookie Recipe! (2)

Ingredients:

Gluten Free Flour:Use a good quality gluten-free all-purpose or baking flour blend to make these cookies, whether it’s a homemade mix or a store-bought gluten-free flour mix. I use myhomemade gluten-free baking flour blend, which is made from tapioce starch, potato starch and brown rice flour. If you’re using a store-bought blend, your cookies may differ slightly from mine, depending on what flours and starches are in the blend. If you have any issues with crumbling or grittiness in your cookies, then your flour is the first place to start troubleshooting.
Ground Ginger and Ground Cinnamon:Make sure you check the best-before date on your ground spices, if they’re out of date then the flavour won’t be as good. Having said that, you can also adjust the level of spiciness in these cookies to suit your own tastes. I happen to be a big fan of ginger (so I put plenty in, but if you like things a little mellower then you can always reduce the ginger.
Xanthan Gum: This is what binds the cookies together and stops them crumbling. If using a store-bought gluten-free flour blend, check the ingredients to see if it includea a gum ingredient (usually xanthan or guar gum, but sometimes just labelled “thickener”). If it includes one of these, leave out the xanthan gum from the recipe.
Baking Soda
Butter– You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. If you’re using unsalted, add a pinch of salt to the dough.
Brown Sugar – You can use dark brown sugar or light brown sugar.
Vanilla Extract
Molasses (or Golden Syrup):Molasses gives that classic rich gingerbread flavour with a slight hint of bitterness that counteracts the sweetness. Choose a light or dark molasses, but don’t use blackstrap molasses, as it is too bitter. If you don’t have molasses on hand, you can use golden syrup instead. It gives the cookies a slightly lighter colour and flavour but they’ll taste just as good. And if you can’t find either then leave it out. Your dough may just be slightly drier, and the cookies may be crunchy rather than soft.
Egg + Egg Yolk:The egg helps bind the dough together, but the extra egg yolk adds smoothness to the baked cookies.

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookie Recipe! (3)

How to Make Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies

  • Start by sifting together the dry ingredients and giving them a good whisk to combine them well.
  • Then you’ll beat the butter, brown sugar, molasses (or golden syrup) until they’re creamy.
  • Beat in the egg and the egg yolk until combined, then mix in the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions.

I like to do all this in my stand mixer, but you can use an electric handheld mixer. If doing that, it’s best to stir in the flour by hand to avoid making a mess or making your mixer motor angry!

Rolling and Cutting the Cookies

You can roll the gingerbread cookie dough out straight after making it – it’s easier to roll at room temperature. But if your kitchen is warm and your dough is too soft, you can chill it for a few minutes to firm it up before rolling, if needed.

Roll out the dough on a large piece of parchment paper (non-stick baking paper) that has been dusted with a little more gluten free flour, or some cornstarch (I keep cornstarch in a little shaker for this purpose). Dust the top of the dough as needed to stop it from sticking to the rolling pin, but try to be sparing so it doesn’t dry out the cookies.

Some bakers suggest using a second sheet of parchment on top of the dough to roll it out, but I prefer not to do this, as it can trap little air bubbles on the top of the dough, which make little pock-marks in the tops of the cookies.

Then chill the rolled-out dough until it’s nice and firm – which makes cutting out the shapes and transferring them to your waiting baking tray infinitely easier. No warped and creepy gingerbread people here, please-and-thank-you.

Arrange the cut out shapes on a prepared baking sheet, then pop the tray in the fridge until the shapes are nice and firm again. I know it’s an extra step, but it really does help.

Once chilled, the cookies should be baked until they’re slightly golden on the bottom. The exact amount of time will depend on the size and shape of your cookies. Keep an eye on the first tray as they bake, then make a note of that time for the following trays.

If you like crunchy gingerbread cookies, you can bake them for a little longer.

FREEZING THE COOKIE DOUGH

This dough is perfect to make in advance and freeze!

To freeze blocks of dough, shape the dough into flat rectangles around 1 inch thick, wrap well with plastic wrap, then pop them in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag and freeze. Bring the dough out of the freezer an hour or two before you’re ready to roll it out.

To freeze the cut out shapes, place the shapes onto a baking paper lined cookie sheet, and freeze until they’re firm. Layer the shapes between pieces of baking paper in an airtight container, and freeze. You can bake these from frozen, just place them onto your baking sheet, and bake for 2-5 minutes longer than the suggested baking time.

The dough will be fine in the freezer for up to three months.

Gluten freeGingerbread Cookie Making Tips:

  • Adjust the spices in these cookies to suit your own tastes. If you like extra spicy cookies, you can experiment with adding other spices. Cardamom, allspice or cloves would all be nice additions.
  • You can re-roll the dough scraps as many times as you need to, there is no worry of overworking the gluten, because there isn’t any.
  • For perfectly flat cookies, when they come out of the oven use afondant smootheror any other flat object togentlypress down the tops of the cookies. I use this tip for my gluten free sugar cookies, too, and you can see it in action in that post.
  • If you don’t want to decorate the tops of the cookies with icing, you can sprinkle the tops of the cut-out cookie dough with granulated sugar or sanding sugar, if you like.
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookie Recipe! (4)

Decorating the cookies

You can decorate these gluten free gingerbread cookies however you like. The most popular icing for gingerbread cookies is royal icing, but you could use fondant if you prefer.

Make sure whatever icing you choose, you check the ingredients to make sure they’re gluten free!

I usedroyal icingto decorate my little gingerbread people.

I just tinted the royal icing in a few pastel colours + dark grey for the eyes, popped the icing into piping bags fitted with small round nozzles (Wilton #1 and #2) and piped on the details. If you’re new to piping, you can always practice your design on a piece of baking paper first.

I’ve had these ‘bitten’ gingerbread people cutters for goodness knows how many years now. I’m 99% sure they were Wilton brand but I can’t seem to find themanywhereonline now. Like they’ve completely vanished off the face of the earth.

If you want this look, but can’t find the right cookies, you can simply use your favourite gingerbread person cutters, then use a scalloped cutter to cut out a ‘bite’ from the top. Easy!

You can, of course, use any of your favourite cookie cutters for this, it’s not just a gluten-free gingerbread man recipe, it can be anything you like!This past year I made Christmas trees and little stars as well.

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookie Recipe! (5)

Shipping the Cookies

These cookies are so sturdy that a few years back, I sent a box full of little gluten free gingerbread people to my friend who is in the army and was stationed overseas at Christmas.

I was over the moon when they arrived and she sent me a picture of them looking just as perfect as when they left my kitchen. So not only are they perfect to decorate, they’re perfect to post to friends and family and for a cookie exchange!

Tips For Shipping Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies:

  • Bag the cookies, individually or in pairs, back to back. Seal the bags with a heat sealer if you have one, or use zip-lock bags.
  • Choose a very sturdy cardboard box to pack the cookies in.
  • Line the box with bubble wrap.
  • Place the cookies in layers, with layers of bubble wrap in between.
  • When you gently shake the box, you should hear as little movement as possible. if you can hear the cookies moving, add more bubble wrap.
  • For extra protection, place the box inside a slightly larger box, and pack the gaps with more packing materials (bubble wrap or scrunched up paper).

More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes:

Gluten Free Vanilla Sugar Cookies – the perfect gluten free vanilla cut-out cookies.
Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies – rich chocolate gluten-free cookies.

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookie Recipe! (6)

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies

These gluten free gingerbread cookies are easy to make and have all the spice and bite of traditional gingerbread cookies. A perfect festive holiday treat!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Cuisine: American

Category: Cookie and Biscuit Recipes

Author:

Makes: 40 medium-sized cookies

Ingredients

  • 625 g gluten free flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons ground dried ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 200 g butter at room temperature
  • 200 g brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 100 g molasses OR 130g golden syrup
  • 1 whole egg at room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk at room temperature

Instructions

  • Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, xanthan gum and baking soda into a large bowl and whisk to combine well.

  • Place the butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and molasses or golden syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl, if you’re using an electric hand mixer) and beat on medium speed just until well combined and creamy.

    Beat in the egg and egg yolk.

  • With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the dry ingredients. You may need to stir in the last bit by hand. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and knead briefly until the dough holds together. Split the dough in half.

    (If making the dough in advance, then pat each ball of dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Let the dough come to room temperature before rolling.)

  • Roll out each half between two sheets of non-stick baking paper, until about 5mm thick. (See post for tips). Chill until firm.

  • Heat oven to 170°C (about 340°F). Lower the temperature by 10° if using a fan-forced oven.

  • Cut out shapes using your favourite cookie cutters. Arrange them one inch-ish apart on baking paper lined baking trays.

  • If you have the time, put the trays in the fridge for 15-20 minutes for the dough to firm up again before baking. This helps reduce spreading.

  • Bake for 8 – 12 minutes or until very lightly golden on the bottom. The exact baking time will depend on the size and shape of your cookies, so keep an eye on them. Cool for 5 minutes on the trays, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

  • Decorate as desired, and once the icing is dry, store in an airtight container. They will keep well for several weeks.

Notes

Gluten Free Flour – I recommend using my gluten free flour blend for these cookies. If you’re using a different gluten free flour blend, check the ingredients and if it contains a gum ingredient (usually Xanthan or guar gum) then omit the xanthan gum from the recipe.

Decorating – If decorating with royal icing, make sure the icing/confectioner’s sugar and meringue powder you use are gluten-free. Same deal if you’re using a packaged royal icing mix. Time spent checking ingredients are safe is never wasted.

Freezing the dough – This dough freezes well, wrap well in plastic wrap and pop into an airtight container or resealable plastic bag before freezing. Thaw until the dough is a workable temperature, then roll and bake as usual.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cookies | Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g

Nutritional Disclaimer: Any nutritional info provided is a computer generated estimate and is intended as a guide only.

Enjoyed this recipe?Tag @sweetness.and.bite on Instagram, and hashtag #sweetnessandbite so we can see it! ❤

Gluten free Recipes You May Also Like…

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookie Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep gluten-free cookies from falling apart? ›

Use a Binder

Binders like xanthan gum and guar gum provide structure in gluten-free baking to make up for the missing gluten. This prevents cookies from being too crumbly plus it also helps with freshness.

Do gluten-free cookies take longer to bake? ›

Gluten-free batters need a longer bake time.

Because gluten-free batters contain more liquid than traditional versions, they typically take longer to bake. If you remove them from the oven too soon, you may develop a gummy, mushy texture.

Why did my gluten-free cookies not rise? ›

13- Make sure your baking soda and/or baking powder are fresh. These are the leavening agents in your cookie recipe and if they are no longer active, your cookies won't puff up and may spread more. Try a fresh container if they've been open longer than 3 months. 14- Use a tried and true gluten free cookie mix.

Why are my gluten-free cookies dry and crumbly? ›

Another reason is that gluten-free flours, such as almond flour or coconut flour, can behave differently than wheat flour in baking. They may absorb more liquid, for example, which can result in dry or crumbly cookies.

How do you make gluten-free cookies less dry and crumbly? ›

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

What holds gluten-free cookies together? ›

It might sound scary, but xanthan gum is key for successful gluten-free baking. It helps bind together the ingredients, preventing your cookies from falling to pieces.

What to avoid for gluten-free baking? ›

Some baking ingredients that contain gluten (and thus are not suitable for a gluten-free diet) include:
  • Wheat.
  • Semolina.
  • Spelt.
  • Durum.
  • Emmer.
  • Einkorn.
  • Rye, sometimes referred to as pumpernickel.
  • Barley.
Mar 29, 2021

What is the key to gluten-free baking? ›

Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture. However, it's very important to drive off this extra moisture during baking, or you'll wind up with a gummy texture. The best way to do this? Longer baking times.

How do you know when gluten-free cookies are done? ›

While visual cues like the toothpick test and pressing the top of the cake will still help, the best way to determine if your baked goods are perfectly done is with a timer and oven thermometer. This is because gluten-free treats often look underdone and slightly wet inside after baking.

Should I add xanthan gum to gluten-free cookies? ›

Using xanthan gum helps provide some of the stickiness that gluten free goods lack, replacing some elasticity. Xanthan gum mimics some of gluten's most essential properties by sticking to flour and its moisture. This helps create moist goods that hold their shape after being baked.

Should you refrigerate gluten free cookie dough before baking? ›

This is because cold dough is less sticky, and it doesn't spread as easily, too. If you're making a gluten-free cookie recipe that you don't want to spread too much (like crinkle cookies), make sure to chill the dough before baking it.

Should you let gluten free cookie dough rest? ›

Instead of proceeding directly to baking, let the gluten-free cookie dough rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. This resting period is crucial for hydration, not leavening. During this time, gluten-free flours absorb moisture from the wet ingredients, altering the dough's texture and consistency.

Why do gluten-free cookies taste weird? ›

Flavor Differences

All gluten-free flours have a different taste. Some gluten-free flours are naturally sweet, some are nutty, while others have a strong flavor. When you're just getting started baking gluten-free, experiment with as many different flours as you can.

How do you make gluten free cookie dough less sticky? ›

Tips for Making Perfect Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

If your dough is sticky: You may have a sticky dough if you're baking at high altitude. Incorporate 2-3 Tablespoons more flour into the dough then refrigerate until firm and bake.

How do you thicken gluten-free cookies? ›

Chilling the dough for at least several hours results in cookies that are extra-thick and chonky because it allows the flours to absorb more moisture.

Why is gluten-free baking crumbly? ›

This might be due to the lack of gluten but can be for many other reasons. Lots of gluten free flour is rice based and this can result in a dry and slightly gritty texture. The Juvela gluten free White and Fibre Mix have been developed to be as comparable to gluten containing flour as possible.

How do you keep cookies from being crumbly? ›

If you overmix the dough, the cookies will be dry and crumbly. The best way to fix this is to add more liquid to the dough. This can be done by adding milk, water, or even melted butter. You may also need to add more flour to the dough if it is too wet.

How do you keep gluten-free cookies from getting gritty? ›

As long as you have the time, it's better to let your batters and doughs sit. This will give flours and starches time to absorb liquid, which will prevent your recipes from developing a gritty, sandy texture. We recommend covering your batters and doughs and letting them rest for at least half an hour.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Errol Quitzon

Last Updated:

Views: 6127

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (59 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Errol Quitzon

Birthday: 1993-04-02

Address: 70604 Haley Lane, Port Weldonside, TN 99233-0942

Phone: +9665282866296

Job: Product Retail Agent

Hobby: Computer programming, Horseback riding, Hooping, Dance, Ice skating, Backpacking, Rafting

Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.