Gluten free gingerbread cookies are already a tradition in many gluten free kitchens. Whether you make gingerbread men, Ninja-bread men, glittery snowflakes, tiny cutouts or my fancy gingerbread Christmas Tree, the holiday season is all about cookies for some of us.
Cookie baking is an activity to be enjoyed. I love the aroma of gingerbread in my kitchen and Christmas music playing in the background, even if I'm by myself. Giving away holiday cookies is part of my tradition. I fill cellophane bags and cute boxes, use festive ribbon and give with abandon. Julia Child would have liked that.
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Ingredients
I had to use a different flour blend to finally make the gingerbread cookies I remember. The combination that worked is what I now call my Cookie Flour Blend. It includes almond flour and brown rice flour, two favourite flours for gluten free cookies.
- gluten free Cookie Flour Blend (brown rice flour, almond flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum)
- cocoa
- ground ginger
- cloves
- cinnamon
- baking soda
- butter
- sugar
- egg
- molasses
- cream
See recipe card for exact amounts.
How To Make a Gluten Free Cookie Flour Blend
Tips For Making Gluten Free Cookies
Over the years I keep learning and sharing how I adjust recipes to successfully bake gluten free cookies. I share those in my post, Tips for Making Gluten Free Cookies, as well as sprinkled throughout my many cookie recipes.
On the theme of holiday baking here are three other posts that might interest you.
- A Recipe Round Up of Holiday Baking
- Recipe Round Up of Gluten Free Cookies
- PODCAST INTERVIEW on A Canadian Celiac Podcast - Episode 43 Baking Gluten Free Cookies
Organize Like a Celiac
Do you have a file of favourite Christmas recipes? The web is too big to randomly search and find gluten free recipes that will work every time.
Smart gluten free cooks have some system to save personal and family favourite holiday recipes. Try new gluten free recipes and add your absolute favourites and you'll never run out of ideas for what to bake.
Variations for Gingerbread
When it comes to gingerbread you're only limited by your imagination! I like to make Ninja-bread men when I'm with kids, my Star Cookie Christmas tree as a special gift, and every holiday shape you can think of (to eat daily during the holiday).
Yet after a few hours of rolling and cutting cookies the fun must come to an end. I just roll out the last piece of the dough and create some kind of scene. This is one I did to ring in 2019.
Equipment
To make my gingerbread cookie Christmas Tree I make sixteen stars using a set of four star cookie cutters. The wooden base that holds the cookies is dowling from the craft store. My dad made me the small wooden squares that hold the dowling so you'll need to find someone who can do that. To top my tree I cut two tiny cookies and used icing to hold them together. This set of six stars would give you lots of options.
Here are some more tools for a cookie baking spree.
- two cookie sheets (no edges)
- two jellyroll pans, also known as baking sheets, with ¼-inch sides all around (used for cooking but helpful for a cookie baking spree)
- metal scoops in various sizes for muffins, cookies, meatballs, ice cream and of course cookies!
- If you love gingerbread men you might like these Ninjabread men or a larger set of Karate Cookie Cutters.
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 610 grams gluten free cookie flour blend* 4½ cups
- 1 tablespoon cocoa
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon cloves
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- 14 tablespoon butter , room temperature (1 cup less 2 Tbsp)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoon whipping cream (or coffee cream)
- sweet rice flour for dusting
Instructions
- Whisk dry ingredients together, set aside.
- In an electric stand mixer cream butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Turn down speed and add egg. Beat until mixed.
- With machine running pour in molasses and cream, mix to combine.
- Reduce speed, slowly add dry ingredients beating until dough is formed.
- Divide the dough directly onto 3-6 pieces of wax paper. Flatten into disks, lightly dusting both sides with flour only when needed. Fold paper to cover, refrigerate 2 hours.**
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Working with one piece at a time, lightly dust dough with flour rolling to ¼ or ⅜ inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters returning dough to fridge at any point during rolling and cutting if it is too soft. You want cookies that hold their shape when being transferred to baking sheet.
- Bake cookies on middle rack of 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes. Thinner cookies will cook more quickly. Thicker cookies are best for ornaments and gingerbread houses.
- Set baking sheet on cooling rack for several minutes before transferring cookies or the parchment sheet to cooling racks.
- Store cookies in air tight containers. Double wrap for maximum freshness.
Notes
Nutrition
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New here? I'll help to get you from overwhelmed and frustrated to confident and cooking gluten free food everyone wants to eat, as quickly as possible. Start with these 29 Tips for cooking with GF flour.
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Ratiba
Hi Cinde ,
I’m very very thankful for your recipe My cookies just cooled down I did not resist and had one it is super tasty like the ones with a regular flour .
The recipe is perfect !!!
Bravo
Cinde Little
Tiba, I'm so happy to hear that! I haven't made gingerbread since last December but I absolutely love it. Thank you so much for sharing. Happy baking!