Chewy Gluten-Free Ginger Cookies

These gluten free ginger cookies are soft and chewy with a crunchy exterior. They taste like Christmas, and are served with an optional maple glaze!

This recipe was originally published on December 16, 2021. It was updated with new photos and information on September 22, 2022.

Why you’ll love this gluten-free ginger cookie recipe:

There are so many reasons why these cookies are so delicious!

• Chewy - These cookies have an irresistible chewy center! They’re a great option for someone looking for a gluten free ginger snap recipe but who prefers a soft and chewy cookie.
• Crunchy - These cookies have a crunchy exterior thanks to the sugar it gets rolled in before baking.
• Light molasses flavor - If you don’t like the strong molasses flavor of classic gingersnaps and gingerbread cookies, you’ll love these! It’s made without molasses so the light molasses flavor comes only from the brown sugar.
• Maple glaze - The glaze is super easy to make, and while optional, is absolutely scrumptious!
• Spicy - My recipe is a little extra spicy compared to the classic gingersnap with the addition of grated fresh ginger.

To frost or not to frost the cookies?

Frosting or icing on cookies in general can be quite controversial. Some people love it and others, not so much.

The maple icing in this recipe is completely optional! Without the icing, the cookies taste more like traditional ginger cookies, and the spicy ginger flavor shines through. On the other hand, the icing adds an extra sweetness that mellows out the spiciness and adds depth to the flavor.

If you let the icing harden, it’ll also add some extra crunch!

Ingredients

• Gluten-free flour blend. Choose a blend that is meant to be used as a 1-to-1 substitute for regular all-purpose flour.
• Salt. Use finely ground salt for this recipe. I used Himalayan pink salt.
• Baking soda. Baking soda helps to leaven the cookies, as well as the browning and spreading of the cookies.
• Baking powder. The baking powder adds a lift to the cookies.
• Ground spices. This gluten free ginger cookies recipe uses a delicious mix of ground cinnamon, cloves, and ginger!
• Fresh ginger. A little grated ginger bumps up the ginger flavor and adds extra spiciness to these cookies.
• Butter. I recommend using unsalted butter for this recipe, but if you only have salted butter you can reduce the amount of salt to half.
• Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds both sweetness and moistness to these cookies.
• Maple syrup. Maple syrup adds depth to the flavor as well as chewiness!
• Egg. I highly recommend using a large egg for these chewy ginger cookies because it adds more moisture.
• Vanilla extract. I highly recommend using pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste in this recipe!
• Granulated sugar. You can use either organic cane sugar, turbinado sugar or raw sugar.

How to choose a good gluten-free flour blend:

When choosing a gluten-free flour blend for this recipe, look for blends that are labeled as “1-to-1” or “measure for measure” and are meant to be used as a direct replacement for regular all-purpose flour.

Make sure the blend has rice or oat flour as its base, instead of chickpea flour. Chickpea flour may provide a good texture, but it can leave an unpleasant flavor in your gluten free ginger snaps.

Most importantly, make sure your gluten-free flour blend includes xanthan gum! Xanthan gum is what will provide the structure to the baked goods, and without it, they'll be gummy or fall apart.

Some brands I recommend are Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour and King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour.

Substitutions

• Gluten-free flour blend - If you are not gluten-intolerant, feel free to substitute regular all-purpose flour.
• Brown sugar - You can use either dark brown or light brown sugar to make these gluten free spice cookies. You can also use half brown sugar and half granulated sugar.
• Maple syrup - You can swap it out for either honey or corn syrup.

How to make gluten-free chewy ginger cookies

1. In a bowl, combine gluten free flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Set it aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy and light in color.
3. Scrape the bowl, add the egg and beat until combined. Add the vanilla and grated ginger, and beat again.

4. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl to ensure there aren’t any bits of flour at the bottom of the bowl, and beat again.
5. Cover the bowl and chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Using a cookie scoop (mine holds 4 teaspoons), scoop out the cookie dough and roll the rounded side into granulated sugar and place it on the baking sheet. Leave 2 inches between dough balls. Bake for 7-9 minutes and let them cool on the baking sheet.
8. If making the maple icing, melt the butter and maple syrup in a small pot over low heat while whisking. Once the butter has melted, remove from the heat and whisk in powdered sugar and salt. Spoon over each cookie and let it set.

Why do you chill cookie dough before baking?

It’s important to chill the cookie dough for two main reasons: the flour needs to hydrate, and it prevents the cookies from spreading too much.

Flour, especially gluten-free flours, take time to properly hydrate. By letting your cookie dough rest in the fridge, you can prevent a crumbly and gritty texture in your gluten-free gingerbread cookies.

Chilling the cookie dough will also allow the butter to cool, so it doesn’t spread as much in the oven. If you don’t chill your dough, you can end up with flat, dry disks instead of chewy cookies.

More recipe pro-tips:

• Scrape the bowl. It’s essential to scrape the bowl using a spatula to make sure all the ingredients have been combined. If you have little pockets of unmixed ingredients, you can end up with unevenly baked cookies.
• Use a cookie scoop. Using a cookie scoop is the easiest way to make sure all of your cookies are the same size! The cookie scoop I use holds 4 teaspoons (20ml).
• Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. By using a piece of parchment paper, your cookies won’t stick to the baking sheet!
• Use a kitchen scale. A kitchen scale is the best way to accurately measure your ingredients, and I highly recommend it!
• Use a large round cookie cutter. Use a large round cookie cutter to enclose a cookie immediately after it comes out of the oven, and shake it around to shape the soft cookie into a perfect circle.

Storage and freezing directions:

Storing: To store these chewy ginger snap cookies, put them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days before they begin to dry out and get stale.

Freezing: Wrap each cookie and put them in a freezer bag or airtight container to store in the freezer. You can either thaw them in the fridge overnight or heat them in the microwave or oven to warm them up.

Can I freeze the cookie dough?

Yes! Scoop out the cookie dough and lay them out on a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil and put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Put the balls of dough in a freezer bag or airtight container and keep them in the freezer for a month.

When you’re ready to bake them, take them out of the freezer while the oven preheats and roll them in sugar before putting them on your parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Variation: making these cookies dairy-free

To make this recipe dairy-free, omit the butter and use ⅔ cup (151g) vegan butter and ⅓ cup (73g) refined coconut oil.

Make sure to use refined coconut oil and not virgin or extra virgin coconut oil, as they will add a coconut scent and taste to your cookies. If you can’t find refined coconut oil, you can also use shortening.

Frequently asked questions

More holiday cookie recipes:

• These gluten-free thumbprint cookies are buttery, super pretty, and a great way to use up your leftover cranberry sauce!
• Gluten-free Christmas cookies are THE holiday cookie to have on your cookie table! Soft centers with crisp edges, of course.
• Chocolate marshmallow cookies and double chocolate chip cookies are so chocolatey and delicious!
• If you want decorative cookies, make these reindeer cookies or my matcha Christmas tree cookies.