Gluten-Free Gingersnap Cookies: Crisp, Spicy Recipe You’ll Love

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These gluten free gingersnaps are soft, chewy, and warmly spiced — an essential bake for the holiday season. They come together quickly with no chill time required, making them perfect when you want fresh cookies fast.

If you enjoy these gingersnaps, you might also like my gingerbread cheesecake, gluten free gingerbread loaf, and gingerbread bars — all of which showcase the same cozy spice profile in different forms.

I bake gingersnaps and gingerbread every holiday season. While some reach for eggnog, I reach for spicy, molasses-forward cookies that smell like winter in the oven.

The combination of ground ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, and unsulphured molasses gives these cookies deep, festive flavor. They’re just spicy enough to be interesting and sweet enough to be comforting.

These cookies are a great homemade gift: soft in the center with a slightly crackled sugar exterior. If you know someone who loves bold ginger flavor, surprise them with a tin of these.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No-chill cookie dough — ready to bake right away.
• Warm, classic holiday flavors from brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and molasses.
• Beautiful texture: soft and chewy inside with a slightly crisp, sugared exterior.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Gluten free flour: A cup-for-cup blend such as Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 works well because it contains xanthan gum. If you’re not avoiding gluten, you can substitute all-purpose flour.
• Ginger: Ground ginger is the star — use fresh, high-quality ground ginger for the best flavor.
• Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar both work; dark brown provides a deeper molasses note.
• Molasses: Use unsulphured molasses for a clean, rich flavor.
• Egg replacer: To make eggless cookies, use an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer. You can also use one large egg if you prefer.

Step-By-Step Instructions

STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and fine sea salt until evenly combined.

STEP THREE: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the room-temperature unsalted butter with the packed brown sugar until smooth. Add the unsulphured molasses, egg (or prepared egg replacer), and vanilla extract, and beat until combined.

STEP FOUR: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.

STEP FIVE: Pour granulated sugar into a shallow dish. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough, roll into balls, and coat each ball in granulated sugar. Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Gently flatten each ball with your palm or the back of a spoon if you prefer a slightly thinner cookie.

STEP SIX: Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the warm baking sheets for at least 30 minutes so they set properly before transferring to a cooling rack.

Expert Tips

• Weigh your flour for accuracy — the recipe calls for 259 grams of flour.
• Gently flattening the dough balls yields a slightly thinner cookie with more crackle; skipping that step gives you a thicker, puffier cookie.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes to finish setting; they’ll firm up as they cool.

Frequently Asked Questions

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📖 Recipe

The Best Gluten Free Ginger Snaps

Soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced — these gingersnaps are ideal for holiday baking.

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 32 mins

Servings 16 cookies

Calories 148

Author Taleen Benson

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups (259g) gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ⅔ cup (133g) packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup (60ml) unsulphured molasses
• 1 egg* (or egg replacer)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Granulated sugar for rolling

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the molasses, egg (or prepared egg replacer), and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.
• Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough, roll into balls, and coat in granulated sugar. Place on prepared sheets and flatten slightly if desired. Bake 10–12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for at least 30 minutes before transferring to a rack.

Notes

• To make these eggless, use an egg replacer (1 tbsp egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp water; let thicken for a few minutes) in place of the egg.
• You can make cookies larger or smaller — I prefer 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie for consistent results.

Nutrition

Calories: 148 kcal
|
Carbohydrates: 23.2 g
|
Protein: 1.2 g