Easy Gingerbread Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside, these easy gingerbread cookies are insanely cute, can be made into whichever shape you like, and are perfect for Christmas and the holidays! Bake a batch or two of these cookies for homemade gifts, or simply to snack on or decorate the house during the festive season! This version is totally gluten-free and dairy-free, but no one would know!

Christmas is Almost Here!

I can’t believe that Christmas is literally just around the corner, and as Christmas decorations start to appear and light up the city, the much needed holiday cheer inevitably starts to brighten up my mood.

Christmas baking has also started at my house, and over the past few weeks, I’ve made crunchy almond biscotti, snickerdoodles, and of course, we definitely can’t miss out on gingerbread cookies!

What are Gingerbread Cookies?

Gingerbread basically refers to a wide category of baked goods, which tend to be flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg or cinnamon, and sweetened with honey, sugar or molasses.

In this case, gingerbread cookies are basically cookies made with gingerbread, and are often shaped in the form of a little man (gingerbread man), while other forms with seasonal themes are also very common.

These cookies are often baked during the Christmas holiday season, and in my opinion, the cookies shaped in the form of little men are very cute and definitely bring plenty of holiday cheer!

A Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Version

I wanted to create both a gluten-free and dairy-free version so that both Celiacs and those with lactose-intolerances can also enjoy, so I’m using a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend instead of normal wheat flour, and I’ve substituted butter with coconut oil.

Turns out that these cookies are amazingly good! Crispy on the outside and still soft and chewy inside, these are great for snacking on even without icing sugar. But hey, if you feel like decorating them, go ahead!

They’re perfect as homemade gifts to treat our family and friends this festive holiday season, and great for bringing in holiday cheer, especially after what a long and intense year this has been!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:

• Coconut Oil: I prefer using refined coconut oil as it has a neutral taste (as opposed to extra virgin coconut oil that has a strong coconut flavor and smell). You can also use palm shorting if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use unsalted butter in equal quantities.

• Sugar: I like using light brown sugar, but feel free to use normal white sugar or dark brown sugar if you prefer. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend using Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener (which is a 1:1 sugar substitute that has zero glycemic index).

• Molasses: Molasses are essential in this recipe (in addition to the sugar) to add moisture and give the cookies the soft, chewy interior. It also imparts the characteristic dark brown color to the gingerbread cookies.

• Ground Ginger, Cinnamon, Cloves: These spices impart the characteristic flavor of gingerbread to these cookies, so I would definitely not omit them.

• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: I like using a gluten-free flour blend consisting of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, corn starch, tapioca starch, or potato starch) as this helps to keep the texture lighter.

How to Make Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

1. Cream Sugar and Oil

In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and coconut together until you get a light and fluffy mixture (approximately 2 minutes).

2. Add Egg and Molasses:

Add the beaten egg and the molasses and whisk well to combine until you get a thick, dark brown paste.

3. Sift Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, sift in the gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and ground cloves.

4. Prepare Dough

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet paste mixture. Mix very well until you get a homogeneous dough.

5. Chill Dough

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 90 minutes (important – don’t skip the chilling!).

6. Preheat and Line

Preheat oven to 350F and line two large baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.

7. Roll Dough & Cut Out Shapes

Once dough is chilled, roll dough out in segments to 1/2 inch thickness on parchment paper (or a smooth surface sprinkled with gluten-free flour). Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes of choice. Gather and re-roll any scraps of dough as needed.

8. Bake

Place cut dough pieces at least 3-inches apart on prepared baking sheets (approximately 6 pieces of dough per sheet). Don’t overcrowd the cookies as they will expand as they bake (unless you want your gingerbread cookies to be holding hands!) Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, before removing from the oven.

9. Cool Completely

Let the cookies cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack to finish cooling down completely before storing or decorating.

Helpful Tips/Tricks:

• Line Baking Sheets: It’s super important that you line your baking sheet with either a silpat or parchment paper so that the dough doesn’t stick to the sheet. I personally love baking with a silpat as it always ensures that my dough never sticks, but if you don’t own a silpat, parchment paper will work just as well.

• Let Cookies Cool Completely: These gluten-free gingerbread cookies can be a little fragile fresh out of the oven, so it’s important that you be patient and let them cool fully before eating or handling them for decorating. It’s best to let them cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet before gently moving them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Note that the cookies will harden slightly as they cool.

• Crispier Cookies: If you prefer crispier cookies, simply bake cookies for an extra 2-3 minutes.

• Different Shapes: Feel free to use a variety of different cookie cutters (think stars, hearts, animals, letters, etc) to cut out different shapes! I used a gingerbread man cookie cutter because I wanted it to feel festive and Christmassy, but you can also make these cookies when it’s not the holidays. Simply cut out shapes depending on what holiday or season it is!

Recipe FAQs:

Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:

• Crunchy Almond Biscotti (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Easy Coconut Macaroons (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Buckwheat Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Double Chocolate Almond Coconut Cookies (Gluten-Free)
• 8 Amazing Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes

Holiday Recipes to Enjoy:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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