With crispy edges and a soft & chewy center, these gluten free ginger snap cookies have it all. They're made with molasses, ginger, and a touch of coconut sugar and taste just like a traditional ginger snap! The perfect holiday cookie!
Is it really the holiday baking season without a ginger molasses cookie?? I think not. The combination of spicy ginger and sweet molasses just screams warm and cozy. Exactly what I want in my holiday cookies if you ask me.
I like to call these sophisticated cookies because they are made with some classy ingredients. These are really adult-only ginger snap cookies. So whip up a warm batch, grab a cocktail, curl up next to a fire, and get ready to get COZY!
You'll also love my oatmeal gingerbread cookies and gluten free oatmeal cream pies!
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Recipe characteristics
- Naturally gluten free and dairy free with paleo options
- Soft and chewy texture
- Coated in extra coarse cane sugar
- Great for holiday baking
- Subtle hints of ginger and molasses
Ingredients and notes
- Almond flour - This is the main gluten free flour used in these cookies.
- Tapioca flour - Used to help keep the cookies nice and soft when baked. Substitute with arrowroot starch if needed.
- Egg - Helps to bind all the ingredients together. I have not tried this recipe with an egg substitute.
- Coconut sugar - Used to sweeten the dough. Substitute with light brown sugar if needed.
- Almond butter - You won't even taste it. This is used to add a fat source to the cookies. Use cashew butter or sunflower butter if needed.
- Coconut oil - Also helps to keep the cookies moist. Substitute with melted butter if needed.
What are ginger snaps?
Ginger snap cookies get their name from their crispiness. When you break them in half, they should make a snap kind of sound. This is the "traditional" ginger snap cookie at least.
However, soft and chewy ginger cookies have come about and I personally think they provide the ultimate texture. They have a bit of crispiness around the edges and on the top (due to the cinnamon sugar which I'll get to below) but have this incredible chewy inside. It's like the perfect combination of chewy and crunchy and just what we have with these gluten-free ginger snaps!
Step by step directions
These gluten free ginger snap cookies are so fun to make! You'll need a few typical cookie ingredients plus a few holiday baking essentials like molasses and ginger.
Step 1 : Whisk together the dry ingredients
Because these cookies require two different types of flour and a variety of spices, whisking them together is a must. This ensure the flavors and spices are well incorporated and not clumped together in one area of the dough. You can do this with a whisk like I did above or with a fork.
Step 2 : Prepare the rest of the dough
To prepare the dough, simply beat the wet ingredients together until creamy. Then add the flour mixture which you whisked together in step 1 above. The dough will be quite sticky and thick - this is good!
Step 3 : Roll in cane sugar
Finally, scoop the dough using a medium-sized cookie scoop and roll it into a ball in between your hands. Then roll the ball of dough in a shallow bowl filled with cane sugar to coat. I used organic cane sugar for this to achieve those pretty white specks. However, to make these cookies fully paleo-friendly, simply swap the cane sugar for coconut sugar.
Expert tips
- Make sure to whisk the dry ingredients together. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Because there are some rather "sticky" ingredients used in the dough (molasses, almond butter, etc.), if you just throw the dry ingredients into your mixing bowl, spices and flours won't be evenly dispersed in the dough. So like, you could get a cookie that as all the ginger spice in it...not good. It's easy to mitigate by mixing the flours and spices together beforehand.
- If you find that the dough it too sticky to form into balls, place the mixing bowl in the fridge for a couple of minutes which will help with the stickiness. I should warn you though, you hands will get a tad messy when you roll the dough in between your hands.
- Use a medium-sized cookie scoop. To really capitalize on the soft and chewy texture, use a larger cookie scoop than you might typically use. This will ensure your cookies are really soft baked.
- Leave room on the baking sheet for the cookies to spread. These cookies will spread in the oven. Be sure to leave a good 2 inches in between the dough so they don't run into each other when baked.
- Make it a big batch! Lastly, these cookies get even better with time. Like softer and chewier and just even more delicious. So if you have some left over, store them in an air-tight container out on the counter and enjoy them for the week!
For more festive cookies, check out my:
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Recipe
Soft and Chewy Ginger Snap Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 egg - room temperature
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup almond butter - creamy
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoon coconut oil - melted and cooled
- 3 tablespoon molasses
- ⅓ cup organic cane sugar - sub. coconut sugar to make paleo
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cloves; set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the egg, coconut sugar, and almond butter together until creamy. Add the vanilla, coconut oil, and molasses and continue to beat until well incorporated.
- Slowly fold in the flour mixture and mix until no flour clumps remain.
- Pour the cane sugar or coconut sugar into a shallow bowl. Use a large cookie scoop about 2-oz) to scoop the dough and roll it into balls in between your hands. Roll the ball in the bowl with the sugar to coat.
- Place the cookie dough ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Bake for 13 - 15 minutes until the edges are dark brown and crispy. Let cool before enjoying! To store, place cooled cookies in an air-tight container and keep out on the counter for up to a week
These are yummy! I used coconut sugar and made a flax egg to keep it vegan. The whole family enjoyed them!
Excellent cookies! Super soft and chewy. My husband and I thought the recipe needed more ginger, so I will experiment with that next time.
Just made these with my girls and they were incredible. Great recipe that's easy to make so thank you!
Hi Julie! This makes me so happy to hear! Cookies are so fun to make this time of year.
Hi, can I use normal molasses instead of black strap?
Could I replace the coconut sugar with honey? I'm allergic to coconut
Hi Grace! Honey will be tricky with this recipe as you want a sugar with the same consistency (honey would give the batter too much liquid). Have you heard of monk fruit? I would try that or pure cane sugar or another sugar substitute that is in granular form.
Hope that helps! Let me know how it works out 🙂