Soft and Chewy Gluten-free Gingerbread Cookies

This post may contain affiliate links. Click for complete disclosures. 

These Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies are always a hit around the holidays; no one will even know that they are totally gluten-free!

Gingerbread cookies are probably my absolutely FAVORITE Christmas cookie of all time. My husband actually doesn't like gingerbread, but that's okay because that means that there are more of these completely delicious cookies for me to eat around the holidays. I mean, really, besides a sugar cookie, what cookie is more commonly known during the holiday season?

Now that I am thinking about it, I need to make these more throughout the year because, well, they are just that good!

Why You'll Want to Bake these Cookies all Season Long

• Easy to make!
• They are slightly crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside!
• It can be made ahead or frozen!
• Full of holiday flavors!
• Perfect for adding a bit of fun to your cookie trays!

Ingredients in Gingerbread Cookies

• Cassava Flour
• Arrowroot Starch 
• Guar Gum
• Baking Soda
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Salt
• Brown Sugar
• Molasses
• Vanilla
• Butter
• Eggs

REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER FOR FREE AND RECEIVE WEEKLY RECIPE NOTIFICATIONS AND SUBSCRIBER ONLY BONUSES.

YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW GRAIN FREE TABLE ON PINTEREST TO MAKE IT EASY TO SAVE YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES!

Things to do!

Chill the dough - This might sound like an obvious thing with a cutout cookie, but it also helps give the cookies time for the flavors to develop in these cookies. I usually like to let the dough chill overnight, but at least two hours or so will help a lot.

This dough is soft. If you find it hard to roll out it out after chilling, you can do a few things. Freeze the dough for about 30 minutes, roll it out while still cold, and cut the dough cold. I also like to roll it out to my thickness and then pop it back into the freezer flat for just a few minutes before cutting the shapes. You could lightly dust the dough with arrowroot starch, but I try to avoid adding a lot of extra, so it doesn't mess with the final texture once the cookies are baked.

Measure the flours by weight - I find with using gluten-free flours to get the most consistent results measuring by weight helps a lot. If you don't have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend you get one, they aren't that expensive, but they can make a huge difference when baking gluten-free.

Freeze the cutouts before baking - This doesn't take long; about 10-15 minutes will do, but this helps the cookies bake more evenly and helps prevent them from spreading as much.

Making Ahead or Freezing

You can easily make this gingerbread cookie dough ahead of time. Just make the dough, and it can rest in the fridge wrapped up for up to a week.

You can freeze the dough wrapped in plastic wrap and sealed into a freezer bag for up to 3 months if you prefer.

You can even bake the cookies ahead of time and then freeze them as well. Just make sure they are completely cooled before doing so.

When you want to bake them, just let the dough defrost slightly so it's soft enough to roll and cut out your cookies.

Making Gingerbread Cookies

1. Cream the butter, molasses, and brown sugar.
2. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. Measure out the flours and whisk them together with the remaining ingredients.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix until combined and a soft dough is formed.
5. Transfer the dough to the center of some parchment paper or plastic wrap, covering and pressing the dough into a disc.
6. Chill the dough for at least two hours or overnight.
7. Once the dough is chilled, place roll it out to the desired thickness. I like my cookies slightly thinner than ¼ in.
8. Place the cut cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for about 15 minutes.
9. Bake the cookies (without defrosting) for 10-12 minutes until the edges just start to look a little golden.
10. Allow the cookies to cool and then transfer to a baking sheet to completely cool before decorating.

Decorating Gingerbread Cookies

I know a lot of people use royal icing to decorate gingerbread cookies, but if I'm honest, I'm not a fan of it on these cookies. I much prefer a milder, slightly sweeter frosting, that of course, is still easy to decorate with.

My Favorite Cookie Frosting for Gingerbread:

• 2 TBS Butter
• 1 C Powdered Sugar - I use Wholesome Sweet Brand since it's grain-free. If your powdered sugar brand just says "powdered sugar" as the ingredient, it likely contains cornstarch.
• ¼ teaspoon Vanilla
• Milk of Choice until you get the consistency you want.

Mix everything together and color if desired. This can easily be doubled or more if you are making lots of cookies you need to decorate.

Storing Gingerbread Cookies

I store gingerbread cookies in a sealed container at room temperature. They never last longer than a week in my house, but if you want to store them longer than that, I would suggest popping them into the freezer.

More Holiday Treats

Cutout Sugar Cookies 

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Chewy Fudge Brownies

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #grainfreetable or @grainfreetable on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with!