These gluten free gingersnaps have crackly, sugar-coated tops, lightly crisp edges, and soft, chewy centers. Ground ginger, cinnamon, and molasses give them their warm holiday flavor, and the dough is ready to bake without chilling.
I love a ginger cookie that has plenty of spice without losing that soft center. These are especially easy to fit into a busy baking day: make the dough, roll it in sugar, and bake.
Despite the name, these are soft and chewy gingersnaps, rather than thin, crunchy cookies. That's the texture this recipe is designed to make. They're lovely on a Christmas cookie platter or packed up to share.
If you're planning more holiday baking, try my Gingerbread Cheesecake, Gluten Free Gingerbread Loaf, or Gingerbread Bars.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No chill time. You can scoop, roll, and bake the dough as soon as it's mixed.
- Soft centers and crackly tops. Rolling the dough in granulated sugar gives the cookies their sparkly finish, while the centers stay chewy.
- Classic gingerbread flavor. Ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, and molasses make these a natural addition to a holiday cookie platter.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Gluten free flour
My favorite gluten free flour is Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1. If you are using a different blend, it needs to contain xanthan gum. And because this is a cup for cup flour, you can use AP flour if you are not looking to make these gluten free.
Brown sugar
You can use either light or dark brown sugar in this recipe. You will get a bit of a deeper flavor with dark brown sugar.
Molasses
Use regular, unsulphured molasses for the flavor in these cookies. I use Grandma's Original or Wholesome Sweeteners. Avoid blackstrap molasses here; its flavor is much stronger.
Egg
The recipe calls for one egg to bring the dough together. For an eggless version, I've also included the Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer option in the recipe notes: mix 1 tablespoon egg replacer with 2 tablespoons water and let it thicken for a few minutes before adding it to the dough.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Whisk the dry ingredients
Start by combining the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Give it a whisk to make sure it's fully combined.
Mix the wet ingredients
Use an electric mixer to cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the molasses, egg (or egg replacer), and vanilla and continue beating.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.
Roll and bake
Pour some granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Measure out tablespoonfuls of cookie dough and roll into balls. Roll each cookie dough ball in the sugar, then arrange on your lined baking sheets. Repeat until all of the cookie dough has been used.
Bake at 350ยฐF for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for at least 30 minutes so they have time to set before you move them.
Expert Tips for Perfect Ginger Snaps
- Weigh the flour if you can. The recipe uses 259 grams of gluten free flour. Measuring by weight helps keep the dough consistent from batch to batch.
- Flatten the dough balls slightly after rolling them in sugar. This helps them bake into wider cookies; leave them rounded if you prefer thicker, puffier cookies.
- Give them time to set on the pan. Gluten free cookies can be delicate while hot. Leave these on their baking sheets for at least 30 minutes before moving them.
How To Store & Freeze
Store the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies or the dough for up to 3 months. If freezing baked cookies, let them cool completely first and separate layers with parchment paper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unsulphured molasses is made with ripe sugar cane and does not require sulphur dioxide for preservation. Most molasses you will find at the grocery store will be unsulphured. Sulphured molasses is made with cane sugar that has not matured yet and, for this reason, is preserved with sulphur dioxide and may have more of a chemical taste.
Yes! All you have to do to make these ginger snaps dairy free is use your favorite non-dairy butter.
This recipe makes cookies with lightly crisp edges and soft, chewy centers. They aren't intended to be thin, crunchy gingersnaps. Flattening the dough balls slightly before baking helps them spread into the shape shown in the photos.
Yes. You can freeze the baked cookies or the dough for up to 3 months. Let baked cookies cool completely before storing them in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
Watch How To Make This Recipe
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Love baking cookies for the holidays? My cookbook includes more than 50 festive recipes for holidays and celebrations, from cookies to cakes and other desserts.
๐ Recipe
The Best Gluten Free Gingersnaps
Ingredients
- 1 ยพ cups (259g) gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ยฝ cup (113g) unsalted butter room temperature
- โ cup (133g) brown sugar packed
- ยผ cup (60ml) unsulphured molasses
- 1 egg*
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
- granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.1 ยพ cups (259g) gluten free flour , 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar until smooth. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated.ยฝ cup (113g) unsalted butter, โ cup (133g) brown sugar, ยผ cup (60ml) unsulphured molasses, 1 egg* , ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Using a tablespoon, scoop out cookie dough and roll into balls. Roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar, then arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Use your palms or the back of the spoon to flatten each cookie dough ball. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for at least 30 minutes.granulated sugar for rolling
Notes
-
To make these cookies without eggs, I recommend Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer. You will need 1 tablespoon of the egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons water. Once mixed with water, the egg replacer must sit for just a few minutes to thicken.
- You can make the cookies as large as you would like. I prefer to measure out 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie.ย
Lily Jones says
Just tried this recipe, I love it!!! And so do my non GF required siblings.
I used flax egg, 1 tbs ground flax seed 3 tbs water, worked great.
So fluffy and moist, I added more ginger and cinnamon. I did refrigerate it for 30 minutes because my kitchen was warm.
Absolutely amazing!! time to make more โบ๏ธ
Taleen Benson says
Yay, thank you so much Lily! So glad you all liked them.
Diane says
I don't want to use egg replacer but your recipe just says "or egg". How many eggs and what size egg?
Taleen Benson says
It would be 1 egg instead of the egg replacer.
April Brase says
I love the layout of your recipe. A lot less scrolling up and down. Thank you! Cookies turned out perfect.
Taleen Benson says
I'm so happy to hear that, thank you!
Sara Kiss says
Didnยดt work out for me at all. Firstly they fell apart completely despite the fact I let them cool down til the end. Secondly they are so sweet we could barely eat them. A real shame...
Brit says
This was one of the first gluten free baking recipes I've made and I have to say, I'm impressed! I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour and a standard egg. I have never baked with molasses before and I wasn't sure whether to use "fancy" molasses or "cooking" molasses, but I decided to take a chance on fancy molasses and found it made for the perfect balance of sweetness in a cookie. Thanks for sharing!
Taleen Benson says
I'm so glad to hear that, Brit! Thank you!
Susan N says
Thank you so much for this recipe that is so carefully written! Iโm an experienced gluten-free baker, using recipes from well-known cooks and not so well-known cooks and I love the way you detailed everything so carefully including grams for the amount of flour and listing the ingredients under each step. I used an egg because I donโt need to avoid eggs. I made 20 cookies and they turned out perfectly.I baked them for 10 minutes. I actually tried a gluten-free flour that I hadnโt used before and it was the Walmart brand Great Value flour and that worked out fine. I plan to make more to give to friends at Christmas!๐
Taleen Benson says
Thank you so much for the comment, Susan! I'm so glad you loved them.
Angela Garcia says
These cookies were fabulous! My 4 yr. old grandson is gluten, dairy free and I was wanting to find some goodies to make when he and his family come in for Christmas. My husband loves ginger cookies and had a really hard time staying out of the container.
Taleen Benson says
I am so happy to hear that, Angela! Thank you for your comment and I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed these.
Cristi says
Made these for Christmas Eve and they were outstanding! My father said they were the best ginger snaps heโs ever had and I have to agree. You truly have a gift. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Taleen Benson says
I'm so happy to hear that Cristi, thank you so much for the comment! Merry Christmas!