Our gluten-free gingerbread cookies are going to become a family favorite! These cookies can beat any traditional flour version. Packed with molasses, ginger, and cinnamon, they are a must-try holiday cookie recipe.
Kids of all ages will have a blast making homemade gingerbread cookies and then decorating as they wish. Gingerbread men and women are just two options for cut-out cookies. Opt for gingerbread Christmas trees, snowflakes, presents or any other shape. Enjoy eating these cookies at home or gifting them to family and friends.
Making cut-out cookies and decorating has become a tradition that our kids look forward to every holiday season. Other traditions include making Cinnamon Rolls on Christmas morning and Cornbread Dressing to serve for Christmas dinner. What traditions do you have in your home? Share below!
You will quickly see how quick and easy it is to create this classic Christmas cookie gluten-free. Check out our decorating tips at the end and even more gluten-free baking ideas that have all been kid approved!
Equipment
- stand mixer with whisk attachment
- 2 baking sheets
- parchment paper
- measuring cups and spoons
- medium-sized mixing bowl
- whisk
- plastic wrap
- gingerbread cookie cutter
- spatula
- Rolling Pin
- Flipper
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ✅
- 2 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- white and green prepackaged icing ✅
*Tested with Cup4Cup multipurpose flour. Cannot guarantee similar results if a different brand is used as all gluten-free flour blends are not created equal.
How To Make
Start off by blending the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract. Blend in medium speed until blended, scraping the sides as needed.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, cloves, xanthan gum, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients. Blend on low to medium speed until blended.
Divide the dough into 2 or 3 sections. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Gently press the balls down to flatten them. Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours. Cold dough is key to rolling the dough successfully.
Roll the Dough
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prep the baking sheets. Preheat the oven by lining with parchment paper.
After the dough has chilled, remove one section of dough at a time, keeping the other dough cold. Place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and cover with another piece of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until about 1/4 inch thick. Use fresh parchment paper for each section of dough or if it starts to stick.
Use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. Gently remove the excess dough. If the dough starts to stick leave it. Use a flipper to gently pick up the gingerbread. At this point it’s easier to remove the excess dough. Place the gingerbread men onto the prepared baking sheets. Place the extra dough into a ball, rewrap in the plastic wrap or parchment and place into the refrigerator. Remove a new section of dough to work with. Repeat until all dough is used.
Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool on the baking tray before decorating.
Decorating Gingerbread Cookies
Decorate however you choose. We went simple with eyes, a smile, zigzag pants, and 3 buttons using prepackaged gluten-free icing.
Additional decoration ideas (always check the packages for a certified gluten-free label before purchasing):
- Peppermints
- Chocolate chips
- Sprinkles or colored sugar
- jelly beans
- dried fruit
- chopped pecans or peanuts
Expert Tips
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Before you start, make sure your butter, egg, and other ingredients are at room temperature. This ensures even blending and a smoother cookie dough.
- Creaming Butter and Sugar: When mixing the butter and brown sugar, aim for a light and fluffy texture. This step is crucial for creating a good structure in your cookies. Creaming for 2-3 minutes is a guideline, but the consistency matters more. The mixture should be paler in color and visibly increased in volume.
- Molasses Measurement: When measuring molasses, it’s a good practice to lightly grease the measuring cup with a bit of oil or cooking spray. This will help the molasses slide out more easily.
- Blending and Scraping: While blending the wet ingredients, periodically scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula. This ensures that all the ingredients are evenly incorporated and there are no pockets of unmixed butter or sugar.
- Dry Ingredient Whisking: When whisking the dry ingredients, especially the flours, make sure they are well combined. This prevents clumps and ensures even distribution of leavening agents like baking soda.
- Measuring Flours: For accurate measuring of flours, use the “fluff and scoop” method. Gently fluff the flour with a spoon, then scoop it into the measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge.
- Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is used in gluten-free baking to mimic the binding properties of gluten. Make sure to evenly distribute it in the dry ingredients to avoid gummy spots in the finished cookies.
- Mixing Dry and Wet Ingredients: When adding the dry ingredients to the wet, mix on low to medium speed until just combined. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies.
- Chilling the Dough: Chilling the dough is crucial for preventing spreading during baking. The cold dough holds its shape better. If you find the dough too firm to work with after chilling, let it sit at room temperature for a short while before rolling.
- Rolling the Dough: Roll the dough between parchment paper to prevent sticking. Rolling between parchment also means you don’t need to add extra flour, which can alter the consistency of your cookies
- Baking Time: Keep a close eye on the cookies while baking. They can go from perfectly baked to overdone quickly. Generally, when the edges are just slightly golden, it’s time to remove them from the oven.
- Cooling: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them firm up without breaking.
FAQ
Yes! The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance if storing in the fridge or up to 3 months in advance if storing in the freezer. Keeping dough on hand to pull out over Christmas break as the kids are home from school on a search for something to do can be a lifesaver. Defrost the dough overnight if frozen.
For softer and chewier cookies, bake for 7-8 minutes. If crisp cookies are desired, bump up to a 9-10 minute cooking time.
Place any dough that has become too sticky back in the fridge or freezer to chill. As the butter starts to melt from either handling the dough too much in our hands or rolling then it will become sticker. Chilling will help to harden the butter within the dough making it easier to roll again.
Yup, easily freeze in an air tight container or Ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Kids In The Kitchen
Cooking tips and suggestions for kids making this recipe.
- When blending cutter and sugar, make sure there aren’t any chunks of butter before adding other ingredients. Keep blending until all chunks are incorporated and the mixture is fluffy.
- Dry ingredients should always be added to the wet ingredients when baking.
- Chilling dough helps cookies from spreading out when cooked and makes it easier to roll and press shapes into the dough.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Room Temperature: Once your gingerbread cookies are fully cooled, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. If decorated with icing, allow the icing to fully set before stacking the cookies. If you need to stack the cookies in the container, place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper between the layers to prevent them from sticking together or smudging the decorations.
Flash Freeze: If you want to freeze the cookies, it’s a good idea to “flash freeze” them first. Place the decorated or undecorated cookies on a baking sheet, ensuring they’re not touching, and put the sheet in the freezer. Once they’re frozen individually, you can pack them together. Layer the frozen cookies with parchment paper or wax paper between them, and then wrap the stack tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Alternatively, you can place them in airtight containers or resealable freezer bags.
Thawing: When you’re ready to enjoy your frozen cookies, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature inside the packaging to prevent condensation from forming on the cookies.
More Gluten-Free Desserts
Let kids have fun in the cooking expressing their creativity while baking. Check out all these fun and delicious treats!
- Gluten-Free Apple Cake
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars
- Bundt Cake (Gluten-Free)
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Three Easy Gluten Free Dessert Recipes the Whole Family will Love
- Gluten Free Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Gluten Free Christmas Desserts
- Mini Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donuts
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- stand mixer with whisk attachment
- 2 baking sheets
- gingerbread cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ✅
- 2 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour tested with Cup4Cup multipurpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- white and green prepackaged icing ✅
Instructions
- ⭐️Blend the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract. Blend in medium speed until blended, scraping the sides as needed.6 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, cloves, xanthan gum, and salt.2 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour, 1 cup almond flour, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ⭐️Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients. Blend on low to medium speed until blended.
- Wrap dough and refrigerate. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 sections. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Gently press the balls down to flatten. Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours. Cold dough is key to rolling the dough successfully.
Roll the Dough
- Preheat the oven and prep the baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prep the baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough flat. After the dough has chilled, remove one section of dough at a time, keeping the other dough cold. Place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and cover with another piece of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until about 1/4 inch thick. Use fresh parchment paper for each section of dough or it starts to stick.
- Cut out the gingerbread. Use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. Gently remove the exess dough. If it starts to stick leave it. Use a flipper to gently pick up the gingerbread. At this point it's easier to remove the excess dough. Place onto the prepared baking sheets. Place the extra dough into a ball, rewrap in the plastic wrap or parchment and place into the refrigerator. Remove a new section of dough to work with. Repeat until all dough is used.
- ⭐️Bake. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool on the baking tray.
Decorate
- Decorate the gingerbread with icing. Decorate however you choose. We went simple with eyes, a smile, zigzag pants, and 3 buttons.white and green prepackaged icing
Notes
Make Ahead
The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance if storing in the fridge or up to 3 months in advance if storing in the freezer. Keeping dough on hand to pull out over Christmas break as the kids are home from school on a search for something to do can be a lifesaver. Defrost the dough overnight if frozen.Sticky Cookie Dough
Place any dough that has become too sticky back in the fridge or freezer to chill. As the butter starts to melt from either handling the dough too much in our hands or rolling then it will become sticker. Chilling will help to harden the butter within the dough making it easier to roll again. CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination. The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.Nutrition
If you enjoyed these recipes make sure to leave a comment and a star rating below!
Then follow us on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. We love seeing what you come up with!
Leave a Reply