These gluten-free gingerbread cookies are soft, chewy, and so adorable! Perfectly spiced with a classic gingerbread flavor, you won't be able to tell these Christmas cookies are gluten-free! Eat them plain or decorate with your favorite royal icing recipe. They're a great addition to any Christmas dessert table or place a few cookies in a treat bag for an easy edible gift idea!
3/4tspxanthan gum - if your gluten-free blend does not already contain it
2teaspoonsground ginger - 5g
1teaspoonground cinnamon - 3g
1/2teaspoonground cloves - 1g
1/2teaspoonground nutmeg - 1g
1teaspoonkosher salt - 6g
1/2teaspoonbaking powder - 2.5g
1/2cupunsalted butter - softened (113g)
3/4cupbrown sugar - 150g
1/2cupmolasses - 170g
1large egg
2teaspoonpure vanilla extract
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Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum (if using), 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
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.
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.