Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies  Same great flavor and terrific texture but without the gluten!
I’ve been cutting back on our family’s gluten intake the past few months and so have been experimenting with more gluten free baking.  During the Christmas season it’s always a tradition to make and decorate gingerbread cookies with our kids and I went for a gluten free version.  Experimenting with different flours and ratios of ingredients I now have a gluten free gingerbread cookie recipe that I think you’ll agree is awesome.
You’ll note that the recipe calls for half butter, half coconut oil but you can use one or the other for the entire amount. Â Butter lends a great flavor while coconut oil does that as well but also has the advantage of contributing more moistness. Â Butter tends to dry out baked goods whereas oil keeps things moist. Â So I recommend either the combination of the two or using coconut oil entirely.
You’ll also notice that the ingredients don’t include typical gluten free ingredients like tapioca starch, potato starch and corn starch. Â Those are extremely high in carbs and spike blood sugar (pure starch!) and just aren’t necessary to get a great gluten free product. Â Neither is xanthan gum. Â These cookies use a combination of flours that all work together to create a great texture and flavor.
Gingerbread tastes bests after the flavors have had some time to meld so although the cookie dough is ready to use after 2 hours of chilling, it’s even better if you wait a full 24 hours or longer.
These cookies also freeze really well. Â Once they’ve cooled completely simply place them in a ziplock bag or in an airtight container and freeze them. Â Then let them thaw completely before frosting them.
If you do a lot of gluten free baking, or any baking, I highly recommend getting a good grain mill. Â Gluten free flours in particular are expensive and you can save a lot of money buying bulk whole grains and grinding your own flour. Â The other benefit is that you can enjoy extremely fresh flour. Â The natural oils in grains that contain so much of their nutrition lose their efficacy not long after they’re ground.
I buy my grains in bulk and grind them fresh as needed.
I use and LOVE my German-made KoMo Classic Grain Mill. Â A solid piece of German engineering with a 15-year warranty, this grain mill grinds grains as finely or coarsely as you want and it’s an absolute workhorse. Â If you’re looking for the highest quality grain mill that gives you full control over the outcome and produces stone-ground flour in a matter of seconds, I cannot recommend the KoMo Classic Grain Mill more highly. Â I use it nearly every day.
Happy baking!
Best Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup gluten free oat flour
- 1/3 cup brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup white rice flour
- 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil melted and slightly cooled (or 6 tablespoons coconut oil instead of butter)
- 4 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon quality pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.In a separate large bowl, beat the butter, oil, molasses and sugar until combined then add and beat the egg and vanilla extract until combined.Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat until combined. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. It's critical that the dough is thoroughly chilled while working with it.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the rack on the middle shelf.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch or slightly thicker (if it's too sticky, roll it between GF floured parchment or wax paper). Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes and carefully transfer them to a lined cookie sheet using a knife or spatula.Bake for about 8 minutes. Let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting them. Store in an airtight container (or they'll get rock hard).
Amy says
These cookies look perfect! I love that they are a little healthier than traditional cookies! Such a fun tradition!
Erren says
These look gorgeous and they’re perfect for the kids to decorate!
Brandy | Nutmeg Nanny says
That mill grain is amazing! These are the cutest cookies!
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
These are so cute and good tip on chilling the dough!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
These are just adorable little gingerbread men. I love these! Might just have to make them for my sister in law!
carrie @ frugal foodie mama says
I just adore gingerbread men during the holidays, and these look perfect! :)
Katerina @ diethood .com says
I LOVE gingerbread cookies!! These are SO adorable!!
Sabrina says
It wouldn’t be the holidays without gingerbread cookies! These look delicious!
Amy Stafford says
There is nothing better during the holidays than a good gingerbread cookie and I love that you made these gluten free.
Sara Maxwell says
Kimberly, I made these this morning and they are AWESOME! They smell heavenly and the texture is perfect for gingerbread cookies. Also there isn’t that “weird” aftertaste that a lot of gluten free recipes have. This will be my go-to recipe for gingerbread, thanks so much!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
Such an interesting mix of flours! I like. :)
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
Can I tell you how thrilled I am that you don’t use any nut flours? THRILLED! I look forward to trying these cookies.
christine says
gingerbread is my favorite holiday treat. I’m always impressed to see a recipe turned gluten free. Great job!
Krista says
I love these! I need to get this recipe on my kids dessert menu!
Joanie @ ZagLeft says
These cookies are so cute, I love the tradition of baking gingerbread cookies during the holidays. It’s great that this recipe freezes well so I can get a head start on the baking. Thanks for sharing your GF version.
Mike Thompson says
SUPERB! I followed the recipe exactly and these really are the best gluten free gingerbread cookies I’ve tried. Great texture, awesome flavor. For others who have commented having a hard time working with the dough, it MUST be really cold. Don’t ignore the step to chill it overnight. I also roll it out between wax paper. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Mike, I’m so glad you enjoyed them, thank you!