As far as I’m concerned, the best part of making rolled gingerbread cookies (besides eating them) is letting your children decorate them. If the thought of the mess scares you, you can flat ice them with royal icing first, let it dry until it is completely set and then give the kids edible food markers and let them have at it.
If you love gingerbread and gingersnaps, this recipe is for you. I am a fan of both, so as far as gingerbread recipes go, the flavor of this one is very much on the gingersnap side. If you like a milder flavor, cut back on the ginger and the clove a little, and you will still have a delicious, sturdy cookie. This recipe makes cookies that are sturdy enough to stand up to decorating or being made into a house and being packaged for gifts, but not so hard that it will break your teeth.
As with all of my recipes, this recipe will work with most 1:1 gluten-free flour blends available in the store or with either of my copycat 1:1 flour blends.
If you are interested in the history of gingerbread check out this quick read from The Smithsonian.
Want to Learn More About Making Holiday Cookies?
If you would like to become more confident making cookies, you’ll love my Holiday Cookie class. Instead of just following one recipe, you’ll learn the techniques, ingredient choices, troubleshooting tips, and step-by-step methods that help you get consistent results every time. Plus, every class includes multiple recipes, printable guides, flavor variations, and plenty of chef tips that go far beyond what I can fit into a single recipe post.
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If you’re ready to really master gluten-free baking, I’d love to welcome you into my Gluten-Free Baking Bootcamp. Bootcamp is my guided membership where you’ll get access to my complete library of classes (150+), bake/ cook live on zoom with me every month, weekly live Q&A sessions, recipe conversion help, and an incredibly supportive community of gluten-free bakers. Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been baking for years, you’ll always have expert guidance whenever you need it.
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Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 690 grams 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ginger, ground
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- ½ teaspoon cloves, ground
- 168 grams unsalted butter, soft soft
- 140 grams shortening
- 200 grams light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (100g out of shell)
- 308 grams molasses
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer running, slowly add the eggs and molasses, and beat until well combined.
- On low speed, add in the flour mixture, and mix until a soft dough is formed.
- Divide the dough into two roughly equal pieces. Flatten into disks. Wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours or until firm enough to roll.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
- On a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out half of the dough to ¼-inch thickness (keep the other half of the dough refrigerated until you are ready to roll).Dip your cookie cutters in flour, and cut out as many cookies as possible.*
- Place cookies 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets, and bake 10-12 minutes, until the edges are starting to brown.Leave cookies to cool on the pans for about five minutes, and then move to cooling racks until cool enough to frost.
- Frost as desired with royal icing.
Notes
Nutrition
Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 1 pound confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 6 tablespoons water (may need to adjust)
- flavoring extract (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat confectioners' sugar, meringue powder, water and extract (if using) together on medium speed for five minutes. Start the mixer on low to avoid being covered in confectioners' sugar.I start with six tablespoons of water, but you may need to add more if you live somewhere that is dry, or you like a looser icing for flooding cookies.When lifting the paddle up, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 10-15 seconds. If it's too thick, add more water. If it's too thin, add more sifted confectioners' sugar.
Yum
Great recipe! Made Gingerbread cookies which were fantastic. This dough was easy to work with and the cookies made were very flavorful.