After formerly running a gluten-free cookie subscription box for 4 years, I’ve made more batches of gingerbread cookies than I can count. This recipe is the one I kept coming back to, and the one my subscribers asked for again and again.
These cookies bake perfectly flat with crisp edges and a slight chew in the center, which makes them ideal for decorating. No puffy middles, no spreading into blobs. Just clean lines and shapes that hold up beautifully whether you’re piping royal icing or keeping them simple with a dusting of powdered sugar.
I’ve tested this recipe with both Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 and King Arthur Measure-for-Measure flour blends, so you can use whichever you have on hand. The spices are warm but balanced. Plenty of ginger and molasses flavor without being overpowering.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- gluten-free flour blend – I have tested this recipe with both Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur Baking Measure-for-Measure Gluten Free Flour Blend. Both of these flour blends are meant to be a 1:1 swap for all-purpose flour and both already contain xanthan gum. There are other flours under both of these brands that DO NOT contain xanthan gum and are structured differently. Be sure you are using the correct flour blends.
- Unsalted butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter instead of salted butter. The salt content in salted butter can vary, so using unsalted butter lets you control the amount of salt that you add to the recipe to ensure that your gingerbread cookies are not too salty.
- Molasses – Blackstrap molasses is also known as black treacle in some parts of the world. Molasses will give these gingerbread cookies their classic flavor and brown color. Molasses also gives these cookies a little bit of chew in the center and keeps them very moist. Don’t skip the molasses!
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar keeps these cookies moist and chewy with a touch of additional molasses flavor. If you’re in a pinch, you can use granulated sugar instead.
TIP
For best results, use a food scale and follow the metric measurements stated in the recipe card. Baking with a food scale is far more accurate for dry ingredients, especially gluten-free flour that can vary easily depending on the way you scoop it.
How to Make Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
This section walks you through the process with photos so you can see what the dough should look like at each stage. The full recipe with measurements and detailed instructions is in the recipe card below.
For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe, and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.
Recipe FAQs
I haven’t tested it for a gingerbread house, but the dough holds its shape well so it should work. Roll it a little thicker (closer to 1/3 inch) and bake a few minutes longer so the pieces are sturdy enough to stand up. Let them cool completely before assembling with royal icing.
The most common reasons are the dough wasn’t chilled long enough or the butter was too soft to begin with. Make sure you chill for the full 3 hours, and start with butter that’s softened but still cool to the touch. If your kitchen runs warm, pop the cut shapes in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.
I’ve tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 (blue bag) and King Arthur Measure-for-Measure. Both work great and already contain xanthan gum. I can’t guarantee results with other blends.
No. These flours absorb liquid differently and won’t work as a substitute here. If you need an almond or coconut flour recipe, look for one specifically developed for those flours.
Expert Tips
Storage instructions
Dough
- Refrigerator: Up to 3 days, wrapped tightly in plastic.
- Freezer: Up to 6 months. Wrap in plastic and place in a freezer-safe bag. You can also freeze cut-out shapes on a baking sheet until solid, then stack them in a container with parchment between layers. Bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Baked Cookies
- Room temperature: Up to a week in an airtight container.
- Freezer: Up to 3 months in a freezer bag or container. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour. If decorating, use white icing or wait to frost until after thawing. Colored icing may run on defrosted cookies. I like to wait to decorate the cookies until after defrosting, which is a great way to get ahead of cookie decorating for the holidays!
More gluten-free cookies to try
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Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten-free flour blend - see notes, 420g
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger - 5g
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - 3g
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves - 1g
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg - 1g
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt - 6g
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder - 2.5g
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter - softened to room temperature (113g)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar - 150g
- 1/2 cup molasses - 170g
- 1 large egg - 50g
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, kosher salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the molasses, egg and vanilla extract and mix an additional 2 minutes, until combined.
- Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing in between each addition, until no more streaks of flour remain.
- Turn the dough out onto parchment paper or plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours until chilled.
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Dust your surface and rolling pin with additional gluten-free flour or confectioners’ sugar. Roll out the cookie dough to ¼ inch thickness and cut with desired cookie cutters.
- Place the cookie dough shapes onto the prepared baking pans, leaving about 1-2 inches in between each cookie. Keep remaining dough in the refrigerator or freezer if you are baking in batches.
- Bake at 350F for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies are fragrant and the center of the cookie no longer looks shiny.
- Let sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Once cooled, decorate cookies as desired with royal icing or your favorite icing recipe. Let the decorations harden completely before serving.
Notes
- Flour Notes: This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour and King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour. Both of these flours already contain xanthan gum so there is no need to add it to the recipe. If your blend does not contain xanthan gum, you will need to add it to the recipe. I recommend adding ¾ teaspoon of xanthan gum to this recipe.
- How to Measure Flour: For best results, follow the weight measurements instead of the volume measurements. Scooping the flour with a measuring cup can be very inconsistent and may result in too much flour, making your gluten-free gingerbread cookies very dense and dry.
Nutrition
