Gluten Free Molasses Cookies

These gluten free molasses cookies are soft, chewy and perfectly spiced. They've always reminded me of the classic cookies from the Archway box, with all the deep flavor of molasses and all the right spices. And you can bake them right away, since there's no need to chill the cookie dough!

These molasses cookies remind me of Archway brand's. A bit darker on the outside, soft and pale on the inside, they have just the right amount of warm allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves for a little bite and all the warmth of the season.

Typically, soft and chewy cookies get their texture from a lot of butter, but these gluten free molasses cookies have only 4 tablespoons of butter in the whole batch. Their texture, instead, comes in part from the molasses that also gives them a lot of their depth of flavor.

They're so soft and chewy that they don't even become solid when you freeze them. So you can easily bite into one right out of the freezer.

Recipe ingredients

• Gluten free flour blend: You can use any of my recommended gluten free flour blends in this recipe, but be sure to add 3/8 teaspoon of xanthan gum if you use Nicole's Best, or another blend that doesn't already contain xanthan gum. If you use Better Batter, don't add any more xanthan gum.
• Baking soda: If the cookies are baked right away, adds a bit of rise, and helps the cookies brown in the oven.
• Salt: Brightens and balances the other flavors.
• Ground spices: cloves, ginger, allspice and cinnamon are the spices that you'll find in pumpkin pie spice, plus nutmeg. They're in different proportions, but the flavor profile is very similar, so you can use 1 1/4 teaspoons total of that instead if you prefer. They provide warmth, bite, and a peppery flavor.
• Granulated sugar: Adds a simple sweetness and makes the cookies tender.
• Butter: Adds moisture, tenderness and flavor. We use unsalted butter so we can control the amount of salt in the recipe and because the moisture content of salted butter is actually different. If your butter is salted, just leave out the added salt.
• Molasses: Made from ripened cane sugar without any preservatives, unsulphured molasses has the deep, rich flavor of dark caramel.
• Eggs: Bind the other ingredients together, provide rise in the oven, and also give the cookies a tenderness and slightly cakey texture.

How to make gluten free molasses cookies

Make the raw cookie dough

• In a large mixing bowl, place all the dry ingredients (gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, all the warm spices) plus granulated sugar and whisk to combine.
• Add the soft butter, molasses, and beaten eggs, then mix to combine.
• The raw cookie dough will be pretty sticky and soft.
• Since the raw cookie dough is so sticky, wet your hands before you handle it.

Shape the cookie dough and bake at 325°F

• Using two small spoons or a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop that's a bit overfull, scoop portions of about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough.
• Shape each into a ball gently with your wet fingers.
• Place the dough about 2 inches apart on lined baking sheets, and use wet fingers to press each into a 1/4-inch thick disk.
• Bake at 325°F for about 10 minutes or until no longer shiny. They will be a bit crackled-looking.
• Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet (about 10 minutes).

Recipe tips & tricks

Use wet hands to handle this very soft dough

Since this cookie dough has so much molasses, it tends to be relatively sticky. I like to portion it with a #50 ice cream scoop, but it’s sticky enough that it can be challenging to get all the dough off the scoop mechanism.

Wet the cookie scoop, and your hands when you use them to handle it. The moisture will create a barrier between your hands and dough, and keep it from sticking.

If you’re having trouble scooping the dough or removing the portions from your scoop, try chilling the dough a bit. You do want it to be room temperature when the baking sheet goes into the oven, though, so let it warm up at room temperature a bit before baking.

Measure your gluten free flour carefully

Gluten free flour tends to be heavier than traditional wheat flour, so it's especially important that you measure out the correct amount to achieve the perfect texture for which molasses cookies are known.

When measuring out your gluten free flour blend, ditch the measuring cup and use a digital kitchen scale instead. Measuring by weight rather than volume is the best way to replicate this recipe.

Don't crowd your cookie sheet

You might be tempted to space the cookie dough closer together so you don't have to use multiple baking sheet. But since the cookies spread about an inch in every direction, you need to leave room between each dough ball, or you'll end up with one giant cookie.

Give your cookies time to cool

Let the baked cookies cool right on the baking sheet. They're very delicate when warm and will crumble or squish if you don't let them cool first.

Storage instructions

These are really soft, tender cookies that don't dry out quickly. They'll stay fresh covered in a covered dish on the counter for at least 3 days. If it's warm and humid in your kitchen, the cookies may get a little sticky, since they're so soft.

Freezing them

For longer storage, these cookies freeze really well. Since they're soft and a don't have any especially crispy parts, it's best to freeze them on a baking sheet first in a single layer. After about an hour, they'll be frozen enough to pile them into a freezer-safe ziptop bag.

You can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. They don't freeze solid, so you can eat them right from the freezer or let them sit for 30 minutes at room temperature first.

Ingredient substitution suggestions

Dairy free

The dairy in these cookies comes only from the 4 tablespoons of butter. If you're dairy-free, I’d recommend trying to replace the butter with vegan butter like Miyoko’s Creamery or Melt brand.

I don’t recommend using Earth Balance buttery sticks in place of butter, since they contain too much moisture and salt. The cookies are already soft and spread just the right amount.

Egg free

There are two whole eggs in this recipe, and they are a very important part of the texture and structure. You could try replacing each with one “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel) or one “flax egg.”

Vegan

If you'd like to make a vegan molasses cookies, you can try following the substitution notes above for eliminating dairy and eggs, and be sure that your sugars aren't processed with bone char.

Serving suggestions

For a more festive look, try rolling each wet ball of dough in coarse sugar to make crackle top molasses cookies, like we did with our fancy gluten free drop sugar cookies. Then, flatten as directed, and when the cookies bake, the sugar will melt and crack to give you tons of visual appeal and a crispy layer.

Try icing the tops after they cool like we do our soft gluten free pumpkin cookies. You can also drizzle royal icing over the top of the cookies, or dip half of each cookie into white chocolate. While the icing or chocolate is still soft, add a few colorful holiday sprinkles.

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