Indulge in the holiday spirit with our Chewy Gluten-Free Ginger Molasses Cookies - soft, chewy, and bursting with festive spices. Perfect for your holiday cookie tin!
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It's time for holiday baking with the perfect holiday cookie that's gluten free, refined sugar free (no brown sugar or white sugar in this cookie recipe), vegan (with flax egg) and paleo friendly, like my chocolate fudge tahini cookies and flourless almond butter cookies.
As the holiday season approaches, fill your home with the irresistible aroma of freshly baked cookies that everyone will love! Ready in under 30 minutes, no chilling required, plus they're dairy free! The ultimate holiday treat that's bound to win over any crowd!
These gluten-free cookies are perfect for your holiday cookie exchange, and are an invitation to celebrate the season with every chewy, spiced bit like these easy almond meringue cookies and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
So gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and let's create a batch of cookies that capture the essence of the holidays, Christmas, or simply to pair with a warm cup of cocoa.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Gluten Free Molasses Cookies
- What are Molasses Cookies
- Gluten Free Molasses Cookies Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Gluten Free Molasses Cookies
- Expert Tips
- Gluten Free Molasses Cookies Recipe Variations
- What to Serve with Molasses Cookies
- How to Store Molasses Cookies
- GF Molasses Cookies Recipe FAQs
- More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You'll Love These Gluten Free Molasses Cookies
- Festive flavors: a delightful blend of warm spices for that perfect holiday taste in gluten-free cookies. Ginger molasses is a classic holiday flavor.
- One bowl: the easiest kind of recipe, and the best part is less dishes, especially if you weigh your ingredients!
- Under 30 minutes: quick to whip up and bake, these no-chill chewy molasses cookies will become your favorite cookies!
- Soft and chewy: experience the joy of bite-after-bite of irresistibly chewy cookies.
- Versatile: ideal for holiday cookie tins, exchanges, or cozy evenings by the fireplace.
Serve these chewy ginger molasses cookies alongside these peppermint coconut macaroons, chocolate covered raspberry bites or this delicious low sugar carrot cake.
What are Molasses Cookies
Molasses cookies are soft, spiced cookies sweetened with molasses for deep, caramel-like flavor and a chewy center. Think warm gingerbread vibes in cookie form. They're usually rolled in coarse sugar for a sparkly crackled top, scented with ginger and cinnamon, and baked just until set so the middles stay tender.
Gluten Free Molasses Cookies Recipe Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make gluten free ginger molasses cookies:
Ingredient Notes:
- Almond Flour: Adds a nutty richness to the cookies and is a great gluten free alternative to all purpose flour. I like to use Bob's Red Mill super-fine blanched almond flour, not almond meal.
- Coconut Flour: This gives a nice crumb and makes the cookie a little more dense, like in this banana bread recipe.
- Eggs: Give structure to the cookies. Swap with a a flax egg for a vegan option: 1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water; set for about 15 minutes.
- Blackstrap Molasses: It infuses a distinct, richer more robust molasses flavor, though any molasses will work.
- Coconut Sugar: A natural sweetener that complements the spices.
- Warm Spices: Add ground ginger, cinnamon, and allspice for that festive touch. Swap in a tablespoon of fresh ginger like in these ginger apple muffins.
See recipe card below for all ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Gluten Free Molasses Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Add coconut oil, coconut sugar, molasses, egg and vanilla extract to a large or medium bowl.
- Whisk until well combined.
- Add almond flour, coconut flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda and sea salt.
- Mix until well combined and a dough forms. Let sit for a few minutes for flours to absorb liquids.
- Add extra coconut sugar or monk fruit sweetener, or both to a small bowl for rolling cookie dough.
- With cookie scoop, scoop dough into your hands and roll into balls. Roll through coconut sugar and place on cookie sheet.
- Gently flatten to about ¼-inch thickness. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.
Top Tip: Resting dough for a few minutes before handling allows flours to absorb liquid, soften, thicken and reduces stickiness.
Expert Tips
- Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature for the best results.
- Feel free to shape the cookies to your liking, but keep in mind that they won't spread while baking.
- For optimal results, I recommend weighing the ingredients when making these delicious cookies.
Gluten Free Molasses Cookies Recipe Variations
- Extra ginger: Add finely grated fresh ginger or a pinch of candied ginger for a little heat.
- Citrus twist: Fold in orange zest for brightness that plays well with molasses.
- Chocolate moment: Mix in mini dark chocolate chips or drizzle cooled cookies with melted dark chocolate.
- Spice swap: Try cardamom or allspice in place of some cinnamon for a cozy twist.
- Sugar finish: Roll in coconut sugar or turbinado sugar for extra crunch on top.
- Sized your way: Bake smaller for lunchbox treats or larger for bakery-style cookies; adjust bake time accordingly.
What to Serve with Molasses Cookies
- Warm sips: Chai tea, ginger tea, cinnamon rooibos, or a creamy oat milk latte.
- Cool pairings: Whipped coconut cream, vanilla banana ice cream, or a scoop of roasted banana cinnamon ice cream for cookie sandwiches.
- Fruit board: Orange segments, sliced pears, or apples with a little cinnamon.
- Dips and drizzles: A light drizzle of date caramel or a swipe of tahini for a not-too-sweet contrast.
How to Store Molasses Cookies
- Make Ahead: Make the cookie dough ahead of time, and refrigerate for a few hour or overnight. This can enhance the flavor and make it easier to handle.
Room Temperature: Once cookies are baked, store in an airtight container at room temperature for two day. - Refrigerator: For longer storage, store in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freezer: Place in an single layer in an airtight container or zip-top bag, separating layers with parchment paper. Freeze for up to three months.
GF Molasses Cookies Recipe FAQs
I don't recommend trying different flours like a gluten-free flour blend, as I have not tested the recipe with other flours.
While there's no exact substitute for molasses, you can try maple syrup or honey, though you will not have the same caramel-like flavor. I have not tested the recipe with these substitutes.
This recipe is designed for drop cookies, but you can experiment with rolling the dough and using cookie cutters. Adjust the baking time accordingly, checking around 6 or 7 minutes.
Usually too much leavener, overmixing, or too much flour. Measure leaveners carefully, mix just until combined, and weigh your flour with a kitchen scale. Bake until the edges are set and the centers look slightly soft. If your dough seems dry, add a teaspoon or two of non-dairy milk to bring it back to scoopable.
Molasses cookies are soft and chewy with a deeper molasses flavor. Gingersnaps are baked longer for a crisp snap and lean more on ginger-forward spice. If you want snappier cookies, bake a minute or two longer and use a touch less coconut oil; for softer cookies, pull them from the oven as soon as the edges set.
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 small bowl
- 1 cookie sheet or baking sheet
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (56 grams) unrefined coconut oil melted and cooled
- ¼ cup (40 grams) coconut sugar plus extra for rolling
- 3 tablespoons molasses I use blackstrap molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature or 1 flax egg*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cup (168 grams) fine blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup (30 grams) coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger or 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together coconut oil, coconut sugar, molasses, egg and vanilla.¼ cup unrefined coconut oil, ¼ cup coconut sugar, 3 tablespoons molasses, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add almond flour, coconut flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda and salt. Mix until well combined and dough forms.1½ cup fine blanched almond flour, ¼ cup coconut flour, 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add extra coconut sugar or monkfruit sweetener to a small bowl for rolling cookie dough.
- With a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop cookie dough into your hand and roll into a ball.
- Roll cookie dough balls in coconut sugar and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Gently flatten the dough with your hand or bottom of a glass to about ¼-inch thick. Cookies will not spread in oven.
- Repeat until all dough is finished, scraping sides of bowl with rubber spatula to scoop up all the goodness.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before tranferring to cooling rack to cool completely.
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Notes
- For best results, ensure all ingredients are at room temperature.
- I recommend weighing the ingredients when making these delicious cookies.
- *Use a flax egg for a vegan option: 1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water; let sit for about 5 minutes.
- Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for two days and in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Karen Douglass says
Thank you for this great recipe with nice ingredients! I always experiment by cutting the sugar in half, especially since rolling in sugar; rolled half in coconut sugar, the other half in golden monk fruit. We liked the coconut sugar better. 🙂
Used fresh ginger but will try dried next time (or my hubby said "both!"). Look forward to making these again!
Jacqui Wilson says
Thank you for the lovely comment Karen. I'm so glad you enjoyed the cookies, and I love the suggestions you're making with the sugar. I'm going to try both gingers too!
Julia Straford says
I LOVED these cookies. Unbelievably good! Perfect for the holiday season and my family had a lot of fun making them together.
Highly recommend!
Jacqui Wilson says
Hi Julia,
I'm so glad you enjoyed the cookies. We love them too!