How can I improve my gluten-free cookie texture?

Give xanthan gum a try – This is a very common bonding agent in gluten-free baked foods. If your recipes tend to crumble too much then add some xanthan gum to the ingredients and you will get much better elasticity. These tips are amazing for improving the texture and taste of your gluten-free foods.

How do you keep gluten-free cookies from falling apart?

Chilling helps the flours and xanthan gum absorb liquid, which makes the dough sturdier and easier to handle . Without a proper rest, your cookies are likely to crumble. Think of mix-ins as the Spanx of the cookie world. They are a sly way to ensure that your cookies look like cookies, not misshapen gluten-free blobs.

What makes gluten-free cookies rise?

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.

Why are my gluten-free cookies dry and crumbly?

One of the most common gluten-free baking tips is “let your batter rest”. Letting the batter rest gives the gluten-free flours and starches more time to absorb the moisture . In theory, it will turn your dry, crumbly cakes into delicious, moist masterpieces.

Which gluten-free flour works best in cookies?

Almond flour is a grain-free, protein-rich flour that lends well to cookies, cakes, and more! Almond flour is made from blanched almonds, meaning without skins (as opposed to almond meal, which is made from raw almonds with skins). This is why it has a fluffy, light texture and pale golden color.

What is the best flour for gluten-free cookies?

Oat Flour . With its creamy, earthy flavor and delicate texture, gluten-free oat flour is a staple of my gluten-free baking recipes. It bakes up soft and smooth, adding necessary starch to many GF baked goods and keeping them moist and tender due to its high fat content and stable protein structure.

The Best Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (2024)

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These are the best gluten-free gingerbread cookies you will find! These gluten-free gingerbread cookies are soft,moist, and shapeable, can beeasily prepped ahead of time, and aresweet and delicious, just like gingerbread cookies should be!

Say hello to moist, soft, gingery gluten-free cookies just in time for Christmas!

The Best Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (1)

When I first found out that I had Celiac Disease, there wasn't the selection of products that are easily found in today's mainstream grocery stores, the majority of the selection that did exist tasted like dirt on cardboard.

So it's safe to say that things have come along ways in the last 6-7 years, even though there is still a lot of gluten-free products out there that.....

well....taste like blah.

One of the first Christmases after my diagnosis, my mom tried baking a bunch of different gluten-free Christmas cookies in hopes of finding a cookie for me that actually tasted like a cookie.

She almost made me cry the first time I bit into these gingerbread cookies.

It had been sooooo long since I had enjoyed a "real" cookie.

A few days later on Christmas Day, I opened up my gift from my parents and inside was the cookbook with the gluten-freegingerbread cookies recipe!

Since then, I have used that same cookbook recipe and tweaked it a bit so that the ingredient list is easily accessible to the friends and family who have asked for the gingerbread cookie recipe.

Best Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies:

The cookies are soft, formed, tasty, and sweet, everything that most gluten-free cookies are not.

The dough is also easy to prepare ahead of time, they are easily managed into shapes, and won't crumble away when you pick them up {am I even still talking about gluten-free cookies?!?}!!!

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookie Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour, white rice flour will work in a pinch
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup confectioners sugar
½ cup dark molasses
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
tapioca flour

How to make Gluten-Free Gingerbread cookies:

Combine the brown rice flour, cornstarch, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside.
In another mixing bowl, combine the butter and the confectioners sugar together. With a mixer on high, mix the ingredients for 1-2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and vanilla extract and mix with the mixer for 1 more minute, until combined and smooth.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, being careful to mix thoroughly with the mixer between each new addition. Divide the mixed dough into 2 halves. Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap and press flat. Place both halves in the fridge to chill for 1 hour (and up to 1 day).
Preheat your oven to 350*F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
Dust the area where you will be rolling out the dough with tapioca flour. Roll dough out (making sure to dust your rolling pin with flour as well!) to a thickness of ¼ inch, cut out your cookies into shapes, and place on the baking sheets.
Place the baking sheets in the middle oven racks for 8-12 minutes, or until the cookies become slightly more brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and place on cooling racks.

How to store leftover gluten-free gingerbread cookies:

Once completely cooled down, store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Doubling or tripling your batch of gluten-free gingerbread cookies:

I say GO FOR IT!!!

Simply double or triple the ingredients as you are baking through this recipe.

Because of the larger amount of cookie batter from doubling or tripling the recipe, the only difference in the entire recipe will be to create all those extra cookies in extra batches in the oven.

How to serve gingerbread cookies:

Once the best gluten-free gingerbread cookies are allowed to cool, I sprinkle them with powdered sugar {I think it looks even more fancy and Christmassy} and then they are good for the taking.

Many people like to decorate their gingerbread men with icing and sprinkles. So fun - just make sure you are putting toppings on your gingerbread cookies that are gluten-free!

Needing an easy gluten-free icing recipe? Grab Shay from What the Fork Food Blog's easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe!

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice flour, white rice flour will work in a pinch
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup confectioners sugar
½ cup dark molasses
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
tapioca flour

Instructions

Combine the brown rice flour, cornstarch, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside.
In another mixing bowl, combine the butter and the confectioners sugar together. With a mixer on high, mix the ingredients for 1-2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and vanilla extract and mix with the mixer for 1 more minute, until combined and smooth.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, being careful to mix thoroughly with the mixer between each new addition. Divide the mixed dough into 2 halves. Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap and press flat. Place both halves in the fridge to chill for 1 hour (and up to 1 day).
Preheat your oven to 350*F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
Dust the area where you will be rolling out the dough with tapioca flour. Roll dough out (making sure to dust your rolling pin with flour as well!) to a thickness of ¼ inch, cut out your cookies into shapes, and place on the baking sheets.
Place the baking sheets in the middle oven racks for 8-12 minutes, or until the cookies become slightly more brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and place on cooling racks.
Once completely cooled down, sprinkle with a little extra confectioners sugar. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container.

Notes

This recipe is adapted from the Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies book by Ellen Brown

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24Serving Size: 24 Servings
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 129Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 55mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g