The Best Gluten Free Frosted Gingerbread Cookies
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These are absolutely the best Gluten Free Frosted Gingerbread Cookies you can make this holiday season! Soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced, these cookies will impress even your friends who eat gluten!
If you are looking for more gluten free cookies, check out some of my other favorites like The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies, or my Eggless Chocolate Dipped Almond Cookies.
Table of Contents
I am obsessed with gingerbread cookies, to say the least. During the holidays I probably eat them every single day! And, while I am not gluten free, I really want to ensure that everyone feels welcome here with recipes you all can enjoy, no matter your dietary restrictions. So, these are the best frosted gingerbread cookies that are also naturally gluten free!
Whenever making gluten free cookies, I prefer to use a mix of almond and coconut flour. I find that this simple mix creates the best texture that is most similar to all purpose flour. While I provide easy substitutions for many of my cookie recipes using the organic gluten free flour blend we used at my bake shop, I personally love the almond flour and coconut mixture even more.
These organic cookies have a rich molasses flavor and are full of holiday spice. If you were a fan of our famous gingerbread cookies at my bake shop, then you will love these!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Soft & Chewy: These Gluten Free Frosted Gingerbread Cookies are perfectly soft and chewy without the wheat! Gluten plays a big role in chewy cookies, and removing gluten can make dough less springy, therefore harder or crumbly as opposed to soft and chewy. But, with the combination of molasses, pumpkin, and cashew butter combined with almond flour and coconut flour, these frosted gingerbread cookies are both soft and chewy!
Perfectly Spiced: These Gluten Free Frosted Gingerbread Cookies are perfectly spiced with my favorite combination of gingerbread spices: cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. You can also make my Homemade Gingerbread Spice Mix and use that in place of all three spices too.
Naturally Gluten Free: Many of my recipes have a note to substitute gluten free flour. I do test those recipes using what I believe is the best all purpose gluten free flour for an easy substitute, the Organic Namaste Perfect Flour Blend. But there is something to be said for developing a recipe to be specifically gluten free because you can use different amounts of different gluten free flours to get the best absolute balance for a specific recipe, and that’s what I have done with these Gluten Free Frosted Gingerbread Cookies.
Ingredients
- Butter: I use Organic Valley Salted Butter, you can use your favorite. Just be sure the butter is softened before beginning the recipe.
- Cane Sugar: I use organic cane sugar as it's less processed than granulated white sugar.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Using organic dark brown sugar provides the most rich and dark molasses flavor, which is key for gingerbread cookies. So, don't use light brown as they won't have as much flavor.
- Molasses: I use organic blackstrap molasses.
- Vanilla Extract: Be sure to use a high quality vanilla extract, not imitation.
- Pumpkin Puree: I use organic pumpkin puree as this makes these gluten free cookies extra chewy. It's also a great egg replacer making these cookies naturally eggless too.
- Cashew Butter: This also helps with chewy factor in these frosted gingerbread cookies.
- Almond Flour: I use organic almond flour.
- Coconut Flour: I also use organic coconut flour for the best texture.
- Spices: I use the classic trio of spices for gingerbread cookies (in my opinion) which is organic cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. You can also use my Homemade Gingerbread Spice Mix in place of all three spices, if you make this ahead of time.
- Baking Soda: Use baking soda, not powder. Be sure to check out my post the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder for more info on leavening agents.
- Salt: Use fine sea salt.
- Powdered Sugar: Make sure to sift powdered sugar so the frosting is smooth and free of lumps.
- Milk: Use whole milk for the best flavor.
Tools Needed
- Scale: Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
- Stand Mixer: I use my stand mixer for ease, but if you prefer to use a hand mixer you can also do that.
- Baking Sheets: You'll need two half sheet pans to bake these gingerbread cookies.
- Parchment Paper: I use nontoxic parchment paper when baking organic cookies, always! If you have a high quality cookie sheet, you can skip it if you grease it.
- Mixing Bowl: You'll need a mixing bowl to mix up the glaze.
- Whisk: I use a whisk to mix up the glaze.
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Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2
To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, dark brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined.
Add the pumpkin puree, cashew butter, almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and sea salt in that order. Mix on low until combined into a smooth dough.
Using your hands, form the dough into 24 balls and place on the prepared baking sheets at least 1-inch apart. Flatten them slightly so they are about 2-inches in diameter.
Step 3
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are slightly cracked and dry around the edges. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
Step 4
To make the icing: In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar and milk and whisk to combine into a smooth glaze.
Using a butter knife, frost the cookies with the icing and place back on the baking sheets.
Baker's Tips
- Make sure your butter is soft. The best way to do this is to allow butter to soften on the counter at room temperature. If you must microwave it, only microwave for 10 seconds per ½ cup. If you have to do multiple intervals, that’s okay, but this will help prevent it from melting portions of the butter. But the best way is to plan ahead and soften naturally!
- If you would like to make these cookies vegan, you can easily use vegan butter in place of butter and you can use coconut milk in the icing! My favorite options for this are Miyoko's Vegan Butter with Sea Salt and coconut milk.
- I use pumpkin in this recipe, which is completely necessary for a soft and pillowy texture! It’s also a great way to use up leftover pumpkin from Thanksgiving!
- I use cashew butter in this recipe as it has the most neutral flavor. I believe coconut butter will also work, but I haven’t tested this.
- Coconut flour is a must for this recipe to be successful! Don’t substitute it for anything else as coconut flour is very unique when used in baked goods.
- The icing on the cookies needs to set, but the cookies need to stay covered to keep their soft and chewy texture. The best way to do this is to ice all the cookies, place them back on the baking sheet and then place the baking sheet in the freezer overnight. This is my top trick for setting cookies with icing! The following day, you can remove from the freezer and then the cookies may be stacked in an airtight container.
FAQ's
If you are not gluten free, then check out my recipe for classic Frosted Gingerbread Cookies that is made with regular all purpose flour.
If you have a nut allergy, check out my Frosted Gingerbread Cookies and use the gluten free substitute in Notes at the bottom of the recipe as that option is nut free.
Yes, just replace the butte with your favorite vegan butter. My top recommendation is Miyoko's.
Cookies with icing on top are tricky because you have to allow the icing to set before storing them. And, these cookies are soft and chewy so you can't leave them out while the icing dries, or they can dry out! My trick for allowing the icing to set while preserving the quality of the cookies is to place all the cookies on a sheet pan after they've been iced and place the whole pan in the freezer overnight. This will set the icing and the cookies are fine if they are frozen and they will be protected from the dry air. You do have to remove them the following day and package them up, do not leave in the freezer like that, even if you plan to freeze them as leaving them uncovered can cause freezer burn. So remove cookies and place in a tupperware or cake dome out on the counter to enjoy for the week. You can store the tupperware in the fridge and they'll last longer and in the freezer even longer.
Craving More?
The Best Gluten Free Frosted Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
Dough
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 113 grams cane sugar
- 113 grams dark brown sugar (packed)
- 85 grams blackstrap molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 57 grams pumpkin puree
- 48 grams cashew butter
- 284 grams almond flour
- 57 grams coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Icing
- 340 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, dark brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined.
- Add the pumpkin puree, cashew butter, almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and sea salt in that order. Mix on low until combined into a smooth dough.
- Using your hands, form the dough into 24 balls and place on the prepared baking sheets at least 1-inch apart. Flatten them slightly so they are about 2-inches in diameter.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are slightly cracked and dry around the edges. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets.
- To make the icing: In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar and milk and whisk to combine into a smooth glaze.
- Using a butter knife, frost the cookies with the icing and place back on the baking sheets.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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I’ve been looking for gingerbread recipe ever since I went gluten-free a few years ago and this one definitely scratched that itch! Really great flavor and texture. Make it, you won’t be disappointed!
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoy them as much as I do!
Literally the best gluten free gingerbread I’ve ever had!