These gluten free ginger cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with warm molasses and ginger flavor. Real crystallized ginger gives them an extra bite of flavor in every cookie. Rolled in coarse sugar, they bake up with that classic cracked top everyone loves in a good ginger cookie.
These cookies have become a holiday tradition in our house, especially with my brother, who requests them every single year. The combination of molasses, warm spices, and real crystallized ginger gives them so much more depth than a typical ginger cookie.
Roll them in coarse sugar before baking and you'll get that beautiful cracked top every time.
If you are looking for more fall spice recipes try my Gluten Free Gingerbread Bundt Cake, my Gluten Free Gingersnap Cookies, my Gluten Free Gingerbread Scones or my Gluten Free Gingerbread Pancakes.
You can find all my cookie recipes here: Gluten Free Cookies Recipes
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Soft, chewy texture with a crackled sugar coated top
- Real crystallized ginger for extra bite and flavor
- Perfect for holiday cookie trays
- Simple pantry ingredients
Tips for the Best Cracked Tops
If your dough feels warm or soft, chill it in the refrigerator for an hour or two before scooping and baking. This helps the cookies hold their shape and develop that classic cracked top as they bake.
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Top Tip
Don't skip rolling the dough balls generously in the coarse sugar before baking. It's what gives these cookies their signature crunchy, sparkly coating and helps create that crackled look on top as they spread in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, gluten free ginger cookies do tend to take longer to bake than cookies made with a gluten flour. The outside of the cookie will be browned, but they may not be cooked through in the center.
If you are having this issue you can lower the oven temperature and bake the cookies a bit longer. I also only bake one baking sheet at a time of gluten free cookies. They need to be evenly heated to cook correctly.
The gluten free flour you use is really important for the texture of your cookies. If you use a coarse ground gluten free flour your cookies will have a gritty texture. I recommend gluten free Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour, both are finely ground and have consistently turned out well for my baked goods.
This usually means the dough was too warm when it went into the oven. Try chilling the dough for an hour or two before scooping and baking, this helps the cookies hold their shape and develop that classic cracked top.
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Gluten Free Ginger Cookies
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 31 cookies 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These gluten free ginger cookies are soft, chewy, and full of warm molasses and ginger flavor. Real crystallized ginger gives them an extra punch, and the sugar coating creates a beautiful cracked top. They're a must for any holiday cookie tray.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 Tbsp. Molasses
- 2 ½ cups Gluten Free Flour
- 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp. Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp. Ground Cloves
- ½ tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 ½ tsp. Baking Soda
- ½ cup Crystalized Ginger, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup Demenara Sugar
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer beat together the butter and brown sugar until they are light and fluffy. Then add the eggs and molasses. Beat until blended together.
In a separate bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat just until they are combined.
Add the chopped crystalized ginger and beat to combine into the dough.
If your dough feels warm or soft, chill it in the refrigerator for an hour or two before scooping and baking. This helps the cookies hold their shape and develop that classic cracked top as they bake.
The dough will be thick. Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon scoop the dough and then roll in the demerara sugar. Place on the baking sheet and smash slightly with the palm of your hand.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will be cracked on top, slightly firm to the touch and golden brown when done.
If you made this recipe please leave a star rating and comment below. It helps other readers find this recipe and means so much to me.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
I'd love to hear how these gluten free ginger cookies turn out for you! Leave a comment and star rating below, and let me know if they become a holiday tradition at your house too. Don't forget to pin this recipe so you can make it again all season long.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer beat together the butter and brown sugar until they are light and fluffy. Then add the eggs and molasses. Beat until blended together.
In a separate bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat just until they are combined.
Add the chopped crystalized ginger and beat to combine into the dough.
If your dough feels warm or soft, chill it in the refrigerator for an hour or two before scooping and baking. This helps the cookies hold their shape and develop that classic cracked top as they bake.
The dough will be thick. Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon scoop the dough and then roll in the demerara sugar. Place on the baking sheet and smash slightly with the palm of your hand.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will be cracked on top, slightly firm to the touch and golden brown when done.
Jacqueline says
I was so disappointed! I did everything according to the recipe, even using one of the recommended flours. They turned out cakey, dry and tasted chalky. I wish I could find a good GF recipe...
smallfarmbiglife says
I'm really sorry this recipe didn't work for you Jacqueline. These are my brothers favorite cookies and I've made this recipe many, many times for him. These cookies should be really chewy and moist with the nice crunchy sugar coating on the outside. If you didn't substitute any ingredients I'm not sure why your cookies turned out dry. ~Elaine
Sharon Westburg says
I made these, but they did not crack on top. The first ones I flattened a little before baking and the were very flat. The second bake I didn’t flatten and they were better but still no cracking on top. Used Bobs Redmill 1 for 1
smallfarmbiglife says
Hi Sharon. I'm sorry to hear this recipe didn't work for you. Did you roll the cookies in the coarse sugar? Maybe your dough was too warm and it would help to refrigerate the dough for an hour or two. I've made these cookies many times and I always get the cracking on top like the photos show. Best, Elaine
Karen h says
Ingredient quantities aren’t displayed?
smallfarmbiglife says
Hi Karen. There is a recipe card on this post that has all the ingredient quantities and the instructions. You can either use the jump to recipe button at the top or scroll down to the recipe card toward the end of the post. ~Elaine