Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies Recipe (Gluten-Free Option)

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.

Course cookies

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 12

Chill Time 2

Total Time 2 42

Servings

Calories 207kcal

Author Rebecca Taig

Ingredients

Gingerbread Crinkle Cookie Dough

12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup (150g) dark brown sugar, packed
⅔ cup (160ml ) unsulphured molasses, (not blackstrap)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 ¾ cups (374g) all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour (Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour) see notes below
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

For Rolling

½ cup (50g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar

Instructions

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.
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.
Add the egg and vanilla extract. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and whisk until combined.
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.
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.
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 ball of dough 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.
Bake. Place 6 cookie dough balls on a baking sheet spacing 2 inches apart and bake for 12 minutes. Do not overbake.
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.

Notes

- 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.

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