Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies! Chewy, soft and sure to become your new go-to Christmas cookie!
Soft Molasses Cookies. Molasses Crinkle Cookies. Soft Ginger Cookies. Whatever you call them – these cookies are sure to become your go-to Christmas cookie!
These cookies are soft with the perfect amount of chew. They are spiced with ginger and coated in a festive sparkly sugar that gives them a delicious crunch.
I’m usually a total chocolate girl – but I’m alway surprised how much I love these cookies! For more holiday cookies try these gluten-free gingersnaps, gluten-free gingerbread cookies or gluten-free shortbread cookies.
Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies
There are a few tricks to making perfectly soft, non-grainy gluten-free molasses cookies.
The first is to add a secret ingredient – almond butter!
Almond butter is definitely not the first thing you think of when it comes to molasses cookies. But trust me! It’s the key to soft, chewy cookies in this recipe. A little almond butter adds structure, chew and richness. And don’t worry – you won’t even know it’s there.
The next trick is to use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend. I like to use King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour that I buy on Amazon. I like how it comes in big, easy-to-use bags. (Not sponsored!)
I’ve found that gluten-free flour tends to be a little denser than regular flour. When swapping it in for recipes it’s best to decrease the amount of flour slightly.
I originally tried this recipe with 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour but found the cookies had a a much better consistency with 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour.
After you mix the dough together it’s important to give it a 1-hour rest. This gives the gluten-free flour time to hydrate and really makes a difference. It’s key for non-gritty gluten-free cookies!
When you’re ready to bake, I like to scoop these cookies out using a cookie scoop then roll them in some cane sugar. Organic cane sugar works great for this since the texture is a little coarser.
It gives the cookies a delicious crunch and festive sparkle!
You can easily make these cookies dairy-free or refined-sugar-free if needed. Just use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks in place of the butter to make these dairy-free.
To make these cookies refined-sugar-free substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar and skip rolling the dough in cane sugar.
With all these tricks friends and family will never guess these cookies are gluten-free! They make a welcome addition to any Christmas cookie plate!
Tricks for Perfect, Soft Gluten-Free Cookies
Almond butter: Provides structure, richness and chew
Add the right amount of flour: Use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend and add just the right amount
1-hour rest: Gives the flour time to hydrate and prevents grittiness
Roll them in sugar: For extra crunch and a little holiday sparkle!
For more recipes check out these gluten-free Christmas cookies (hint: they’re buttery drop-style sugar cookies!)
Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies
I like making these with King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Flour.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup butter or vegan butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
Optional:
- Raw sugar or granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl, mix together the egg, sugar, vanilla, almond butter, molasses, and butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly until combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Place about 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl, if using. Scoop out 1-2 tablespoon-sized balls of dough and roll in the sugar. Place on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center has set. Cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
More favorite Christmas cookies…
These are delicious molasses cookies . Can I add chocolate chips to this recipe??
Hi Donna, yes you should be able to add 1/2 to 1 cup of chocolate chips without a problem (mini chips would work well). We’d love to hear how it goes! Happy baking!
We love this cookie recipe so much we make them year-round.
Yay! We’re so glad this recipe has become such a go-to for you, Glori! Thank you for your kind feedback.
They turned out great! Just waiting for them to cool! Thanks for the recipe!
Can the cookie dough be made several days in advance and refrigerated? I’m looking forward to making these for a cookie exchange. Sounds wonderful!
Hi Amanda, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 day ahead of baking. Beyond that, we’d recommend freezing the dough (it will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer). You can then thaw it in the fridge overnight before baking. We hope this helps and the cookies are a hit at the cookie exchange!
I have just made the Molasses cookies and the buns. The molasses cookies went flat. Tasted great but no shape! Help!!
Hi Kelly, we’re glad you enjoyed the flavor! The main reason cookies spread is if the butter is too warm, both when added to the mixture and when the dough goes in the oven. Chilling the dough is key! Other contributors can be using a different blend of gf flour, the oven temperature being too cool, a problem with your dry-wet ratio, the material type of the baking sheet, etc. We hope these ideas help!
I made these for Thanksgiving and they were delish! Even the non-gf people loved them. Can they be frozen?
Thank you for the positive feedback, Patti! We’re so happy to hear the cookies were such a hit! Yes, you can freeze them. Just let them cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag. You can use parchment or wax paper to separate layers and avoid sticking. They can be frozen for up to 3 months, then thawed at room temperature.
Just took these out of the oven and they look nothing like the photo! 🙁 They have completely flattened out and run into each other so they’re all sort of attached. Which is fine I’ll break them apart when I move them to the rack but I’m wondering why they fell so flat. Any thoughts?
Hi Jennifer, we’re sorry you had this experience! If all measurements were correct and no substitutions used, most likely it was a heat issue, such as the dough/butter being too warm or the baking sheets playing a part (different material types conduct heat differently). We hope these ideas help!
Thanks for the quick reply! No subs and all correct measurements (although i know with the GF flour technically it’s better to use weights than volume but I did as the recipe said) They are DELICIOUS!!! Next time I will use a different baking sheet and maybe lower the oven temp a bit and see what happens… am I better off putting directly on the sheet or using parchment paper?
I have made these for a couple years now from your recipe. I love a good ginger cookie and when I saw this recipe, I figured this was the one! I really do double the ginger, but everything else is just right and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Makes my Christmas Merry!
My new favorite recipe! I made these for a cookie exchange and had to make more to replace the ones I ate while cooking them. 🙂 I left the dough in the fridge for about 8 hours and they turned out perfect. Two suggestions – keep dough cold and use raw sugar to roll the dough. The dough is much easier to roll when cold. Still tastes great with perfect texture when dough sat out while waiting for a pan to cook, it was just easier with cold dough. They were a huge hit with my friends. I’ll be making these again and again!
Wow! These are wonderful. Have always loved pfeffernusse but never thought that anything could compare in gf baking.
These are found on the ‘may be frozen’ page. Are they frozen after being scooped out before baking?
I plan to add allspice and a scant amount of cloves when I make them again, which will be soon, to replicate the pfeffernusse! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
These are delicious and soft!
Thank you for your recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I just made these cookies! Absolutely delicious! Yummy!!
I’m so glad you liked them!
What can I use instead of almond butter? We have a nut allergy y in the house. Could I use more regular butter?
Hi Diana, we haven’t tried these with a substitution, but I would avoid using more butter. The dough will probably spread too much! The nut butter acts as a binder—sunflower butter is probably the most similar! We’d love to hear what works for you!
These are divine. As someone who hasn’t had gluten or dairy in over 20 years I missed a perfect soft molasses cookie. Even my friends with no dietary restrictions love them!
Made them tonight. Flavor is good but the texture seems a bit grainy… Any ideas what I may have done incorrectly?
I’ve made these once so far – I used a pure cane sugar syrup from a local rum distillery and swapped out the almond butter with pecan butter. They were phenomenal, and everyone that tried them loved them. So soft and chewy, even a week later. I’m making two more batches today!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Pecan butter sounds delicious 🙂 Thanks for the comment!