These Gluten-Free Gingersnaps are everything that is right with fall. They're ultra soft, chewy, with slightly crispy edges and loaded with the perfect amount of ginger and molasses flavor. All you need is 11 ingredients and 20 minutes to make!
My husband has asked me for YEARS to make develop a gingersnap recipe. I have made them for him a few times, but never managed to get them on the blog. Then, when I realized that I needed to eat a more gluten-free diet, I struggled to develop a gluten-free version that would live up to the original - until now!
These gluten-free gingersnaps are the perfect addition to your fall dessert menu! They are great on their own, or sandwich them with my Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting for an extra decadent treat! My other favorite use for these chewy yet crispy and flavorful cookies are to use them as the crust for my Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake. You won't regret it!
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Why You'll Love Gluten-Free Gingersnaps
- The PERFECT make ahead treat! Making gluten-free gingersnaps is an excellent way to get a jumpstart on holiday baking. Not only does the dough come together quickly, but they are actually better when you make the dough ahead of time! Just scoop the dough balls onto a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, add them to a ziptop bag and they stay good in the freezer for 3 months. In fact, I made this dough in September, and I plan to use them to make Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake for Thanksgiving!
- Super versatile! Gluten-free gingersnaps are great on their own, but they are also delicious when made into sandwich cookies or used as a crust for your favorite cheesecakes!
- A great gluten free dessert option. These cookies make the best gluten free sweet treat for any dessert spread. It can be tough to find a gluten free choice when you're at large family gatherings. Bring these, and even your family and friends who don't eat gluten-free diets will be impressed.
Tools You'll Need
- Dry measuring cups
- Glass liquid measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Stand mixer
- Tablespoon sized ice cream or cookie scoop
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
All you need for the wet ingredients is granulated sugar, molasses, vanilla extract, an egg, and 1 ½ sticks of butter.
For the dry ingredients, you need gluten-free all-purpose flour (be sure to use a 1:1 ratio flour), salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
Substitutions
- Regular all-purpose flour - If you want a delicious gingersnap cookie recipe, but you don't need to avoid gluten, then this recipe works great with regular all-purpose flour. I prefer to use something that is a little lower in protein, like White Lily All-purpose flour, as it creates a more delicate texture in the cookie.
- Non-dairy butter - I have not tested this recipe with a non-dairy butter option, but recipes I have tested with non-dairy butter work very well, so I imagine it would work the same. Just know that is has not been personally tested.
- Spice adjustments - Some people like a "spicier" gingersnap, so feel free to add a bit more ginger for that extra kick. You could also add more cinnamon for more flavor. I do not recommend adding more cloves, as this changes the flavor A LOT.
How to Make Gluten-Free Gingersnaps
- Start by creaming together the butter, granulated sugar, and molasses until it is well combined.
- Next add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined. Be sure to scrape down the bowl.
- Finally, add the gluten-free all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves.
- Cream the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, scraping down the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well combined.
- Using a 1 tablespoon sized cookie or ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture onto the a parchment lined cookie sheet, so the dough balls are just barely touching. Place dough in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Once the dough has chilled, place the desired number of dough balls on the cookie sheet, so they are about 2 inches apart. Any remaining dough can be placed in a freezer safe zip top bag for up to 3 months.
Bake the cookies at 375 degrees Farenheit for 10 minutes, turning halfway through baking. Let cool completely.
Prep Ahead Options
- Measure the wet ingredients and dry ingredients - The cookie dough ingredients can be measured ahead of time and kept separate until ready to bake. I sometimes do this after my kids have gone to bed, so I get a jump start on baking the next day!
- Make the cookie dough ahead of time - The dough balls are great made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months!
- Bake the cookies ahead of time - If you plan to use gluten-free gingersnaps as a cheesecake crust, they are best made a day or two ahead. Once you bake the needed amount of cookies, place them in a zip top bag and leave at room temperature. They will begin to slightly dry out, which will make it easier to pulverize the cookies when making cheesecake crust.
Serving Suggestions
These cookies are delicious on their own! But they taste great when sandwiched with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting or as the base for a yummy cheesecake. You could also crush them and serve them atop your favorite ice cream. YUM!
Gluten-Free Gingersnaps FAQs
When baking, I most often use gluten free all-purpose flour that is a 1:1 ratio with regular all-purpose flour. I sometimes do add other ingredients, like tapioca starch or arrowroot, but it is not necessary in this recipe. Bob's Red Mill is the only 1:1 gluten free flour I trust every time!
Cloves can sometimes be a very strong flavor, and not everyone likes it in baked goods. If you are not a fan, simply omit and replace with the same amount of cinnamon.
Yes, some cookie dough is delicious when baked right away. I find, however, with gluten-free cookies, the dough is much more tender and not always as stable, since there is no gluten to create more structure. Therefore, it's much better to always chill your cookie dough before baking. I actually also prefer this method, because it allows me to plan ahead and have dough pre-made. Plus, making cookie dough ahead of time and freezing it is a great way to ensure you always have cookie dough in the freezer when a sweet craving hits!
No! Not everyone has a stand mixer, and this recipe comes together just as easily with a hand mixer. It may require a bit of extra time in the initial creaming process, but it will work just a well to use a good quality hand mixer.
Tips and Tricks for Success
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl - You must always scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl when making cakes and cookies. This is the only way to be sure all the ingredients are well combined. If there is extra sugar or butter stuck on the bottom of the bowl that is not properly incorporated, it will melt out of the cookies, and create inconsistent shapes and flavors.
- Chill the dough - As I said before, sometimes people prefer to bake cookies right away, but for gluten-free baking, it really is best to chill the dough ahead of time. Use it as an excuse to stay ahead of the game!
- Be sure your spices are FRESH - I can't tell you how many times I've gone through the spice cabinet at my parents' house and found spices that expired 2 YEARS AGO. For the ultimate flavor in spices, be sure they are not expired. Even if they are close to the date, I toss them out and buy new.
More Fall Recipes You'll Enjoy
Gluten-Free Gingersnaps
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature (1 ½ sticks)
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups gluten free all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the butter, granulated sugar and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on medium speed and cream together until lightly fluffy. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, and turn the mixer on medium speed, mixing until combined. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the gluten free all purpose flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Turn the mixer on low, and mix just until combined. Turn the mixer off, and remove from the stand. Scrape down the bowl, and fold together the cookie dough until well combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop the dough, using a 1 tablespoon sized ice cream scoop. Place the dough balls so they are touching on the baking sheet. Once all the dough is scooped, place in the freezer, and allow to freeze for at least 1 hour. Once the dough balls are frozen you may move them to a freezer safe zip-top bag to store for later use or bake them right away.
- To Bake: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, turning halfway through baking. Remove from the oven, and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the baking sheet and placing onto the cooling rack to cool completely.
