These gluten free ginger snaps are the crispy, spicy drop cookie you’ve been searching for! They’re fun to eat, thanks to their satisfying “snap”, and absolutely full of delicious flavors the whole family will love.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- That rich molasses & brown sugar flavor is enhanced by ginger, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg resulting in an absolutely delicious cookie that’s perfect year-round, but especially in the winter.
- In addition to being gluten free, these cookies also have less sugar than other traditional cookies.
- It’s a great make-ahead dessert for holiday parties or any time at all! Store the fully-cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. If stored properly, they’ll last 5 to 7 days.
- The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Follow the steps below, chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for an hour, then place the chilled dough in an airtight container or zipper bag. When you’re ready to bake them, let the dough sit out for 30 minutes or so, then roll in the cinnamon sugar topping and bake as instructed below.
Gluten Free Ginger Snaps Ingredients
Blackstrap Molasses – Molasses is a thick, dark, natural syrup that results from boiling cane sugar. Blackstrap molasses, specifically, comes from boiling the sugar an additional time, giving it the darkest color and boldest flavor. It has less sugar than light or dark molasses and is a little salty.
Ginger – With a slightly sweet, spicy flavor, ginger root and powdered ginger are common seasonings in Asian and Indian foods. In addition to being tasty, ginger also has a lot of health benefits. Most notably, it’s a natural remedy for stomach ailments like indigestion and nausea.
How to Make Gluten Free Ginger Snaps
The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!
In one bowl, mix together butter and brown sugar, then add the remaining wet ingredients and mix until combined. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Bring everything together and blend until you have a smooth, gingery dough. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Now for the fun part! Use a cookie scoop with a release handle to portion the dough into balls. Roll the dough balls in a light coating of cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake the ginger snaps at 350° and soak up the spicy, warm aroma that’s filling your kitchen now. YUM! The cookies will crack as they bake, giving them that classic ginger snap appearance.
Take them out of the oven and let them rest on the pan for 3 to 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely, then serve!
Chef’s Tips
- When you’re measuring gluten free flour, always spoon the flour in the measuring cup and level it off.
- The ginger snaps will puff a little in the oven, but as they cool, they’ll flatten into a crispy cookie. After you take them out of the oven, let them rest on the warm pan for 3 to 5 minutes to finish baking before you transfer them to a cooling rack.
- These cookies are very fragrant, so be careful how you store them. Keeping them with other cookies may cause the other cookies to pick up the scent and flavor of the ginger snaps, so it’s best to store them separately.
- Be careful not to overbake your gluten free ginger snaps. Because the dough is dark, it’s harder to gauge when they’re ready. Keep in mind they’ll continue baking on the sheet pan after you remove them from the oven, too.
What Do We Mean By “Healthy?”
Our recipes focus on real ingredients and homemade elements. We try to avoid processed flour and sugar, like white flour or white sugar. Our recipes often swap less healthy options (like a commercial, deep-fried tostada) for an easy homemade version.
Our recipes are not necessarily low fat or low calorie, and we aren’t afraid of fat or carbs! Some of our recipes will be “skinny,” low carb, keto, paleo, dairy free, grain free, gluten free, Whole30, or vegan, and they will be labeled when they qualify for any of these diets. All our recipes are easy and family friendly!
More Gluten Free Recipes
- Gluten Free Pecan Pie
- Gluten Free Gingerbread
- Peanut Butter Pancakes (Gluten Free)
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
- Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
We hope you loved this recipe as much as we did! We’d love for you to give us a star ★ rating below, and follow us on Instagram! For more delicious, healthy recipes, be sure to check out 40 Aprons.
Gluten Free Ginger Snaps
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Whisk
- Cookie scoop (optional)
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
For the Ginger Snaps
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour level
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum see Notes
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar using a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Add egg, molasses, and vanilla. Beat until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum (if using), ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and baking soda until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined and smooth.
- Cover bowl and chill dough for at least 1 hour. Once chilled, use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to scoop dough into balls.
- Mix sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a separate bowl.
- Roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place coated dough on parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Space dough balls approximately 2 inches apart, to avoid dough spreading together during baking.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until crispy on the edges. Cookies should have a cracked exterior. Let cool for 3 to 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
- You only need to use xanthan gum if your gluten free all-purpose flour doesn’t contain it already. Check the label!
- Store the baked cookies in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days.
- Baked ginger snaps can be frozen in an airtight container for 2 to 3 weeks.
- Unbaked ginger snap dough balls can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, let the dough sit out for 30 minutes, then roll the dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture and bake as instructed.