Description
Delicious soft gluten-free gingerbread cookies perfect for the holiday season. These cookies are made with a blend of warm spices and molasses, creating a classic gingerbread flavor, and are ideal for making festive shapes like gingerbread men, snowflakes, and ornaments.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 3/4 cup butter or vegan butter, softened (170 grams / 1.5 sticks)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (100 grams)
- 1/2 cup molasses (120 grams)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour (e.g., King Arthur Flour) (420 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- A few tablespoons additional gluten-free flour for flouring the work surface and cookie cutters
Royal Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar (240 grams)
- 3-4 Tablespoons milk (almond milk recommended, or any preferred milk)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter (or vegan butter) and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and mix well to combine.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, kosher salt, and baking soda.
- Mix Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a smooth dough forms. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more gluten-free flour as needed.
- Chill the Dough: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight. This helps the dough firm up and makes rolling easier.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Surface: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly flour your work surface and cookie cutters with gluten-free flour.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: On the floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes (gingerbread men, snowflakes, ornaments, trees, etc.). Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the edges are firm and set but cookies remain soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Prepare Icing: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust milk amount to reach desired consistency for decorating.
- Decorate Cookies: Once the cookies are completely cooled, use the prepared icing to decorate as desired. Allow icing to set before serving or storing.
Notes
- Use gluten-free measure-for-measure flour for best results – King Arthur Flour is a reliable brand.
- Chilling the dough is essential for easier rolling and cutting and to prevent cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- For vegan cookies, use vegan butter and substitute the egg with a flax or chia egg if desired.
- Adjust powdered sugar and milk when making the icing to achieve the desired thickness for piping or spreading.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week; decorate just before serving for best appearance.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 186 kcal
- Sugar: 16.7 g
- Sodium: 159.1 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.2 g
- Fiber: 0.7 g
- Protein: 1.4 g
- Cholesterol: 23 mg
