Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free Option)

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These Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies have a sweet molasses flavor with the perfect amount of ginger and cinnamon spice. They have a soft and chewy center with crisp edges and a crackly sugar-coated topping.

Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies With Powdered Sugar Sprinkled on Top.

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Why You Will Love These Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
Gingerbread Crinkle Cookie Ingredients
How to Make Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
Substitutions & Variations
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
FAQ
More Christmas Cookies You'll Love
Recipe
Reviews

Why You Will Love These Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies

Crinkle cookies are a classic Christmas cookie favorite, and these gingerbread crinkle cookies are perfect for the holiday season. They have a soft pillowy center with a classic molasses gingerbread flavor, and similar to my gluten-free chocolate crinkle cookies, they are finished with a dusting of powdered sugar that melts in your mouth. Here are some more reasons why you will love these ginger crinkle cookies:

Festive and flavorful, warm spices with the perfect texture! These soft gingerbread crinkle cookies have a classic gingerbread flavor with a pillowy soft center and crispy edges.
These chewy gingerbread cookies can be made gluten-free. You can make this crinkle cookie recipe gluten-free by using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-free Baking Flour.
Easy to make and perfect for the Christmas season. These rolled gingerbread crinkle cookies are so easy to make, no cookie cutters are needed! It's the perfect Christmas cookie for any Christmas party or cookie exchange.

You’ll need the following ingredients to make these soft and chewy gingerbread crinkle cookies:

Ingredients for gingerbread crinkle cookies. Gluten-Free Flour, molasses, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, butter, sugar, powdered sugar, egg, spices, baking soda, baking powder, salt.

Unsalted Butter: Melted butter or refined coconut oil (for a dairy-free option) gives these crinkle cookies a soft and chewy center.
Dark Brown Sugar: Enhances the molasses flavor and adds moisture to the cookie.
Molasses: I love using Wholesome or Grandma's unsulphured molasses for this recipe, not blackstrap molasses.
Egg: One large egg at room temperature will help bind the ingredients.
Vanilla Extract: Using a high-quality vanilla extract is recommended for best results.
Flour: I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-free Baking Flour but you can also use regular all-purpose flour at the same measurement in grams. I recommend using a food scale to measure the flour accurately.
Spices: The perfect balance of spice is ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It gives these cookies a cozy and delicious gingerbread spice flavor.
Baking Soda & Baking Powder: A combination of baking soda and baking powder gives these cookies a lift and just the right amount of spread.
Salt: Enhances the flavors.
Granulated Sugar & Powdered Sugar: Rolling the chilled cookie dough balls in granulated sugar and then powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) helps create the crinkle effect.

Find the printable recipe card with full instructions and measurements below.

How to Make Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies

Steps for gingerbread crinkle cookies. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Whisk the melted butter, dark brown sugar, and molasses together until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set the bowl aside.
Step 2: Whisk together the butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Add the melted butter and dark brown sugar to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer with a whisk attachment. On medium speed, beat together for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add the molasses and continue to beat until combined.
Step 3: Add the egg and vanilla extract. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and whisk until combined.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl, and mix on medium speed until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl if needed, folding in any remaining flour.

Step for making gingerbread crinkle cookies. Chill the dough. Scoop and roll the dough into balls, then roll in granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Bake.

Step 5: Chill the dough. The dough will be thick and sticky. Cover the bowl with foil and transfer the dough to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours (overnight is best) or up to 24 hours before baking.
Step 6: Scoop and roll the cookie dough. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the dough chills over 4 hours and is stiff, let the dough come to room temperature for 15 minutes, then proceed to bake. Pour the granulated sugar and powdered sugar into two small bowls. Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized balls (35 grams each weighed on a food scale). Roll each cookie dough ball into a uniform shape, then gently roll in the granulated sugar to coat followed by the powdered sugar. Make sure to generously coat the balls of dough in the powdered sugar until no visible parts of the dough can be seen.
Step 7: Bake. Place 6 cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet spacing 2 inches apart and bake for 12 minutes. Do not overbake.
Step 8: Transfer to cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute. Carefully transfer each cookie to a wire rack to cool. Serve once they have reached room temperature.

Gingerbread crinkle cookies on a white marble stand with the center exposed and a glass of milk int he background.

Substitutions & Variations

Less molasses flavor: To cut back on the molasses flavor, divide the amount (10 tablespoons) in half, and use an equal amount of honey (5 tablespoons of molasses and 5 tablespoons of honey).
Add zest: 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon zest or orange zest adds an unexpected burst of tangy citrus that compliments the gingerbread spices perfectly.
Gluten-free option: I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-free Baking Flour but you can also use regular all-purpose flour.
Dairy-free option: Replace the melted butter with any neutral oil such as melted refined coconut oil, for a dairy-free option.

Expert Tips

Be generous with the powdered sugar: For the signature crinkle exterior, you'll want to roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar and then in powdered sugar to create the perfect crinkle exterior. Each ball of dough needs to be rolled in the powdered sugar until it is completely coated.
Chill the dough! Chilling the dough will enhance the flavor and help hydrate the flour to prevent the cookies from spreading in the oven while they bake. The cookie dough needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Weigh your ingredients. You can use regular all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour for the recipe. The measurement in cups may differ, but the weight in grams is the same, therefore I recommend weighing your ingredients on a food scale to ensure accuracy for these delicious gingerbread crinkle cookies.

Storage Instructions

Storage: Store gingerbread crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Scoop, measure, and roll the cookie dough into balls, then place the cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and into the freezer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the gingerbread cookie dough balls and transfer them to a freezer-safe container. You can freeze the cookie dough balls (without the granulated sugar and powdered sugar) for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw dough balls on a cookie sheet in a single layer for about an hour before baking

FAQ

How do you prevent the powdered sugar from melting into the cookie?

You want to coat the cookie dough balls in both granulated sugar and then powdered sugar, AND be very generous with the powdered sugar! As soon as the cookies come out of the oven quickly transfer them to a wire rack to cool. The heat from the pan will also cause the powdered sugar to melt into the cookies.

How far in advance can I make the gingerbread crinkle cookie dough?

You can make the dough 3 days in advance before baking.

Why did my crinkle cookies not crinkle?

If the dough is too wet or too warm, then it will dissolve the sugar and the crinkle will get lost. For a defined crinkle to form, the surface of the dough needs to be dry. Adding the granulated sugar to cold dough helps the powdered sugar to stick without melting into the dough. You also want to make sure to not roll the crinkle cookies too large.

More Christmas Cookies You'll Love

I hope you love this gingerbread crinkle cookies recipe as much as I do! If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.

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