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+ servings
Overhead photo of gluten-free gingerbread men decorated with white cookie icing on a white table with red ribbon and holiday sprinkles.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Classic, spicy gingerbread cookies made with absolutely zero gluten. Perfect for cut-out cookies or gingerbread houses, enjoy them as-is, dusted with powdered sugar, or decorated with icing and sweets.
Prep: 45 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Chill 2 hours
Total: 3 hours
Yield:24 cookies

Equipment

  • stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl
  • stand mixer or hand mixer
  • Flour sifter
  • medium mixing bowl
  • whisk
  • Plastic wrap
  • Oven
  • baking sheet
  • parchment paper
  • rolling pin
  • Cookie cutters
  • cookie spatula
  • wire cooling rack
  • tools to decorate cookies optional

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • ¾ packed cup brown sugar light or dark
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
  • 2 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum; plus more to flour work surface
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

To Prepare Cookie Dough

  • Add softened butter and brown sugar to stand mixer bowl (or large mixing bowl). Using stand mixer (or hand mixer), mix ingredients together on low speed 30 seconds, then increase speed to medium. Continue mixing 1 to 3 minutes, until ingredients are creamed. Mixture should be fully combined, light, and fluffy. Note: Be careful not to overmix. Overmixing will make mixture greasy and soupy. If you overmix, discard mixture and start again.
    Overhead view of butter and brown sugar creamed together in a large mixing bowl.
  • Once butter and sugar are creamed, pause mixer and crack egg directly into mixing bowl. Add vanilla extract and molasses, then resume mixing on low speed. Mix until ingredients are just combined, approximately 1 minute.
  • Sift flour through sifter and directly into medium mixing bowl, making sure any clumps are broken up. Once flour is smooth, add baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Whisk dry ingredients together to incorporate.
    Overhead view of gingerbread cookie dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
  • While mixing on low speed, slowly pour flour mixture into butter mixture, adding dry ingredients in gradual increments and mixing well between each addition. Once entire flour mixture has been added, mix on low until thick cookie dough forms.
  • When ingredients are fully combined into thick cookie dough, cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap or lid and place bowl in refrigerator. Chill dough at least 2 hours and no more than 3 days.
    Gluten-free gingerbread cookie dough in a large glass mixing bowl.

To Bake Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper and set baking sheet aside. Cover large section of kitchen counter or similar flat area with light layer of flour. Lightly flour rolling pin.
  • Remove mixing bowl from refrigerator and transfer chilled dough to floured surface. Roll dough into evenly flat sheet approximately ½-inch thick. Add flour to rolling pin as needed, being careful not to add too much.
  • Use cookie cutters to cut sheet of dough into shapes. Carefully lift cookies off parchment paper and transfer to baking sheet. Place cookies approximately ½ to 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Repeat process of rolling dough and cutting shapes until dough is completely cut.
  • Place baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake cookies 10 minutes, then check doneness. Continue baking 1 to 4 minutes as needed until cookie edges are firm and the centers are just set.
  • Carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Let cookies rest on baking sheet 5 minutes, then carefully transfer cookies to wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Serve gingerbread cookies plain, or decorate cooled gingerbread cookies as desired.

Notes

  • Gluten-Free Flour: Your flour needs to contain xanthan gum for the cookies to have the right texture. If you're using a flour without xanthan gum, you'll need to add some yourself.
  • Number of cookies will vary depending on size(s) and shape(s) of cookie cutters used.
  • If you're unsure about the doneness of your cookies, it's better to slightly underbake them than to overbake them. They'll continue baking while they rest.
  • If your dough becomes sticky or unmanageable while you're rolling and cutting, pop it back in the fridge and chill it as many times as you need to.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1cookie | Calories: 129kcal | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 93mg | Total Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Net Carbs: 21g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Recipe By:Sam Guarnieri