bakingglutenfreememories There is something very cozy and warming about molasses and spices when combined together. It is the perfect thing for winter and colder weather. I remember making soft gingerbread cookies with my grandma and I thought it was one of the best things ever.
My soft gingerbread cookies are made with a combination of gluten-free all-purpose flour and teff flour. Teff is rich in nutrients and minerals and I discovered it has a gingerbread-like taste and texture from using it in other recipes. Also, instead of chilling the dough for hours in the refrigerator like many recipes call for, my recipe requires just 20 minutes in the freezer!
These soft gingerbread cookies are free of refined sugar by using blackstrap molasses, coconut sugar, and maple syrup for sweeteners. I personally prefer these cookies without icing, but I made an optional ginger icing using powdered sugar for those that like their cookies a bit sweeter. Even with the icing, they are not overly sweet. Rather, the ginger icing nicely compliments the cookies and gives them a refreshing flavor. The icing also makes the cookies pretty to look at.
How to Make Soft Gingerbread Cookies
1. Add the flours, spices, and salt to a medium sized bowl and whisk them together.
2. Then add the butter, coconut sugar, molasses, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Cream them together using a large spoon.
3. Next, add in the eggs, mixing them into the batter until it is nice and smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix together until it becomes a sticky dough, using the spoon to form it into a ball. (as pictured)
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
7. Remove the bowl from the freezer and sprinkle flour on a pastry board or smooth surface.
8. Flour a rolling pin or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Roll out the dough sideways and up and down until it is about 1/4” thick. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter of choice.
9. Keep gathering the scraps of dough, forming it into a ball, rolling, and cutting it out until you have used up all of the dough.
10. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 10 minutes.
11. Let the cookies cool for 4 minutes before moving them with a spatula to a cooling rack. Make the icing and decorate once the cookies are completely cool.
Storage Tips and Notes
- Store the frosted cookies in an air tight container at room temperature for 1 day or in an air tight bag in the freezer
- Store the cookies without icing in an air tight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for best results
- To make the icing also refined sugar free, simply use powdered maple sugar in place of regular powdered sugar
- Another option instead of the icing is to sprinkle the tops with sugar
Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour (262g)
- ½ cup teff flour (82g)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup coconut sugar (70g)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup blackstrap molasses (I like Plantation Organic Blackstrap Molasses) (115ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Ginger Icing Ingredients
- ⅔ cup organic powdered sugar (or use powdered maple sugar) (92g)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1½ tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, add the King Arthur flour, teff flour, salt, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. Use a wire whisk to mix it all together.
- Then take a large mixing bowl and add in the softened butter, coconut sugar, molasses, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Use a large spoon to cream them together.
- Next, add in the eggs and mix them until the batter becomes nice and smooth.
- Pour the flour mixture into the batter and stir until it is blended well and the batter becomes a sticky dough. Use the spoon to roughly form the dough into a ball.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Remove the bowl from the freezer and sprinkle flour onto a pastry board or a smooth surface. Keep the flour handy for adding more if needed.
- Then flour a rolling pin or wind it tightly with plastic wrap. (the dough is rather sticky so I prefer the plastic wrap method) Place the dough on the floured surface and roll it out sideways and up and down until it is about ¼'' thick. Then use a cookie cutter of choice and cut out the dough into shapes.
- Keep gathering the scraps of dough, forming it into a ball, rolling and cutting out shapes until it is all used up. Keep adding more flour as needed.
- Then place the cookies on a baking sheet and in the oven on the middle rack. Bake them for 10 minutes or so. (the cookies will appear slightly doughy on top when they're ready, but they firm up while cooling)
- Allow the cookies to cool for about 4 minutes before using a spatula to move them to a cooling rack. Make the icing (if preferred) and decorate the cookies once they are completely cool.
Ginger Icing Instructions
- In a small bowl, pour in the powdered sugar and ground ginger. Use a wire whisk to mix them together.
- Then add in the water and whisk it constantly until the sugar dissolves and it becomes like a smooth paste.
These sound amazing! I love Gingerbread in the winter and Teff is a wonderful addition!
Thank you, Michielle! I hope you get to try them!