Ginger Molasses Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Ginger Molasses Cookies are soft and chewy with warming ginger, fancy molasses and a sugary crusted top. They’re also dairy-free and gluten-free, and come together quickly with no chilling time.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve made about eight batches of these cookies over the last few weeks. And it wasn’t to perfect the recipe. It rarely happens, but these cookies turned out just the way I wanted them to on the first try. I just kept making them because they kept disappearing before I had a chance to take any photos!

Why you’ll love these chewy ginger molasses cookies too

• It’s a small batch recipe, yielding about 15 cookies. This is great if you only need a few cookies and don’t want to spend hours baking multiple batches.

• These cookies freeze well, so you can bake them now and store them in the freezer for Christmas.

• While you need an electric mixer to make them, the cookies are still super easy to make.

• There’s no need to chill the dough, so you can have freshly baked molasses cookies in less than 30 minutes.

• They’re great for those with a dairy or gluten sensitivity as they’re made without dairy, and they include almond and buckwheat flour, so they’re grain-free and gluten-free.

Details on a few ingredients

Sugars: There are two types of sugar required for these cookies. The cookie dough is made with coconut sugar, which is similar to brown sugar, but it’s minimally processed. The cookies are rolled in brown cane sugar, which has a course texture that creates a crispy exterior. You can also roll the cookies in regular cane sugar, turbinado sugar or even granulated sugar.

Molasses: I used fancy molasses in this recipe, which adds a warm, deep flavour and pairs nicely with the ginger. You can also buy blackstrap and cooking molasses, but I haven’t tested this recipe with either of those varieties.

Almond flour: I use it in this recipe to keep the cookies gluten-free, but also to add moisture and a chewy texture.

Buckwheat flour: This is a grain-free flour made from whole grain buckwheat groats so it’s high in dietary fibre. You can buy light or dark buckwheat flour and either one works in this recipe.

How to make ginger molasses cookies

• Use an electric mixer to beat together the sugar, almond butter and coconut oil until smooth. Add in the molasses, and then beat in the egg and vanilla.

• In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to the wet mixture until a dough forms.

• Use a cookie scoop to measure out and shape the dough into balls. Roll in sugar.

• Arrange two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 9-10 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

How do you store these cookies to keep them soft and chewy? How long will they last? To keep them soft and chewy, the cookies are best stored at room temperature in a covered container. When they’re fresh out of the oven, they will have a crispy exterior but they will soften up when stored. If stored properly, they should last for 3-4 days.

Can you freeze them? Absolutely. Once fully cooled, just arrange the cookies in a single layer in a freezer-safe container, or in between sheets of wax paper, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, defrost at room temperature.

Can you make these gluten-free ginger cookies with another type of flour? In order to keep these cookies grain-free and gluten-free, I used a mixture of almond flour and buckwheat flour. While buckwheat flour is sometimes used as a replacement for whole wheat flour in baking, I haven’t tested this recipe with other flours, so I can’t say for certain if they will work.

Do you need to roll these ginger cookies in sugar before baking? No, you can bake these cookies without rolling them in sugar. They just won’t have a crispy, sugary exterior, but they’ll still be soft, chewy and delicious.

The cookie dough is too soft to roll, what should I do? If you find the cookie dough is too sticky or soft to roll, you can chill the dough for half an hour before rolling. Just let the rolled cookies sit at room temperature for a few minutes before baking. If the cookie dough is cold, the cookies won’t spread as much as they bake.

I don’t have coconut sugar, what can I use instead? If you don’t have coconut sugar, brown sugar is a perfect substitute. The dough will be a little softer and the cookies will spread a bit more, but the resulting cookie will be super soft and chewy.

I don’t have almond butter, can I use butter instead? In order to keep these cookies dairy-free, I haven’t tested them with butter. If you don’t have almond butter, you can try using another type of nut or seed butter. It will change the taste of the cookies, but the texture should be the same.

Additional recipe tips and substitutions

• Make sure your coconut oil is soft, but not melted, so it creams together easily with the almond butter and sugar.

• Use room temperature ingredients. If your ingredients are too cold, the coconut oil may start to harden in the cookie dough.

• The cookies will puff up in the oven but will sink a bit as they cool.

• I used a 1.5-inch cookie scoop to measure out the cookie dough, which resulted in about 15 cookies. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a tablespoon instead.

• To keep these cookies gluten-free, make sure your spices are certified gluten-free.

More cookie recipes

• Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Chewy Ginger Cookies

• Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

• Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies

• Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you make these gluten-free ginger molasses cookies, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below!

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Ginger Molasses Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Leanne
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 15 cookies
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Ginger Molasses Cookies are soft and chewy with warming ginger, fancy molasses and a sugary crusted top. They’re dairy-free and gluten-free, and come together quickly with no chilling time.

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup almond butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons virgin, cold pressed coconut oil, softened
• 3 tablespoons fancy molasses
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup brown cane sugar (for rolling)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add the coconut sugar, almond butter and coconut oil to a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat together until creamy. Beat in the molasses, and then the egg and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, sift together the flours, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt. On low-speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until a dough forms.
4. Add the cane sugar to a plate. Shape the dough into 1.5-inch balls (I use a cookie scoop to measure), roll in sugar and arrange about two inches apart on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 9-10 minutes and remove from oven. Let cool on pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

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Notes

1. Make sure your coconut oil is soft, but not melted, so it creams together easily with the almond butter and sugar.
2. Use room temperature ingredients. If your ingredients are too cold, the coconut oil may start to harden in the cookie dough.
3. The cookies are rolled in brown cane sugar, which has a course texture that creates a crispy exterior. You can also use regular cane sugar, turbinado sugar or granulated sugar. You can also bake these cookies without rolling them in sugar.
4. I used a 1.5-inch cookie scoop to measure out the cookie dough, which resulted in about 15 cookies. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, you can just use a tablespoon.
5. If the cookie dough is too sticky or soft to roll, you can chill the dough for half an hour before rolling. Just let the rolled cookies sit at room temperature for a free minutes before baking. If the cookie dough is cold, the cookies won’t spread as much as they bake.
6. Be sure to check out the detailed sections above the recipe card for additional advice and suggestions for making this recipe.