Gluten-Free Soft and Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies are soft and chewy with hints of cinnamon and ginger. The perfect Christmas Cookie this holiday season!

Course cookies

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 9

Chill Time 2

Total Time 2 39

Servings people

Calories 145kcal

Author Rebecca Taig

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 cups + 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour, (290 grams) Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Wet Ingredients

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, (141 grams)
½ cup dark brown sugar, (100 grams)
½ cup sugar, (100 grams)
⅓ cup unsulphured molasses (85 grams)
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For Rolling

¼ cup granulated white sugar

Instructions

Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt until combined. Set the bowl aside.
Cream the butter and sugars. Add the softened butter and both sugars to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Cream together on high speed for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add the molasses. Mix for an additional minute.
Add the egg and vanilla extract. Continue to beat until combined.
Pour in the dry ingredients. At low speed mix until a dough forms. The dough will be thick and sticky.
Refrigerate the dough. Cover the bowl with foil and transfer the dough to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours before baking.
Prepare the baking sheets. Preheat 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 2 hours and is stiff, let the dough come to room temperature for 15 minutes, then proceed to bake.
Scoop and roll the cookie dough. Pour the extra granulated sugar into a small bowl. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the dough into even portions, (30 grams each). Roll each ball of dough into a uniform shape, then gently roll in the sugar to coat. Place 6 cookie dough balls on a baking sheet spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies. Place one baking sheet at a time in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges look golden and set and the centers look slightly underdone. (We love the texture at 9 minutes!)
Round out the cookies. If desired, you can use a large circular cookie cutter or circular glass to coax the cookies into perfect circles while they are hot from the oven. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to continue cooling.

Notes

To store: Molasses cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To freeze: Once the cookies are cooled, you can store them in a freezer-safe zip-lock bag, in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To make ahead: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. If the dough is too hard to start with, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Tips

Measure your flour: Measuring the flour is very important and that is why I recommend using a food scale. Too much flour will result in cakey-dense cookies, and too little flour will cause the cookies to overly spread.

Chill the dough: The chilling process is crucial for both flavor and texture. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours if not overnight. The texture should be somewhat like playdough and workable when rolling. If the cookie dough starts to warm up the cookies will flatten and spread. Between batches, I recommend placing the dough back in the refrigerator.

Cracked tops: In order to get those beautiful crackly finished tops, you'll want to make sure your dough is chilled, and that the baking soda is fresh. If they do not appear cracked when removing the baking sheet from the oven, you can bang the baking sheet on the counter three times to help them flatten.

Do not make the cookie dough balls too big: Scoop, measure, and roll the cookie dough balls no larger than 30 grams, to avoid overly large cookies that may spread.

Round out the cookies: For perfectly round cookies, I use a large cookie cutter or glass to coax the cookies into perfect circles while they are hot from the oven. Allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

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