We're deep into cookie season here, with only one weekend between now and Christmas Day. My big cookie job for the year (15 boxes filled with gorgeous happen-to-be-gluten-free cookies for all the hard-working people on my husband's creative team at his office) is d-o-n-e done, but the cookie-baking is still going on. Can't stop, won't stop! But at this point, we're down to the wire and that means we're keeping it simple. Today's recipe for soft and chewy gluten free ginger cookies couldn't be simpler. One bowl slice-and-bake cookies to the rescue!
Rolling them in coarse sugar before baking is not absolutely necessary, but it is really, really recommended. I roll mine in Sugar In The Raw brand coarse sugar, and it helps create a beautiful crust on the outside of these soft and chewy, lightly spiced cookies.
If you want perfectly round cookies (which is much less important than, say, the coarse sugar rolling bit), just press the cookie slices a little here and there to coax the raw dough into a more perfect round.
These soft gluten free ginger cookies didn't take the top spot in my cookie gift boxes this year (that honor went to our deceptively easy snowman sugar cookies this year because, well, they're adorable and so freaking festive I can't stand it), but they just smell like Christmas. With these on your cookie plate or gift box, no one will doubt that 'tis the season!
Soft and Chewy Gluten Free Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (42 g) unsulphured molasses
1 egg (50 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coarse sugar, for coating (I used Sugar in the Raw)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, salt, ginger, cloves, pepper, baking soda, baking powder and sugar, and whisk to combine well. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, molasses, egg and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough will be very soft but should hold together well and be smooth. Transfer the dough to a large piece of unbleached parchment paper and shape into a cylinder about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Roll the cylinder tightly in the parchment, rocking it back and forth to create a proper cylinder shape, then twist the ends to seal. Place the shaped dough on a flat surface and place in the freezer to chill for about 10 minutes or until firm enough to slice.
Place the dough on a cutting surface, rock it back and forth to round the bottom edge again, and unwrap the dough. Using a sharp knife and a smooth motion, slice the dough by cross-section into 24 equal pieces, each about 1 cm wide. Press each of the pieces of dough into the coarse sugar firmly enough for the sugar to adhere to the cookie dough on all sides of each piece. Place about 2 1/2-inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheets.
Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake until lightly golden brown all over and set in the center, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes or until firm.
Kristi says
I made these over the weekend and they were so good! I have been asked for the recipe 3 times and my non-GF husband loved them. Thanks Nik!
Beth says
So I made these last night – super easy to make. But due to the late hour, I didn’t get to try them before wrapping them up in the gifts I was handing out today. I didn’t worry about it, as these are from Nicole – I knew they would be super. All morning, I have received rave reviews to the point where I’m going to have to go home and make more to make sure I have enough to give out to my family! And everyone (wheat eaters and GF’ers alike) have asked for the recipe. I just direct them to the website. Thank you so much, Nicole!!!!!!!
Ann C says
I made these tonight and can’t stop eating them! Thanks for another great recipe!!
Nicole Hunn says
That’s awesome, Ann! These really are some of my favorites. Something about a thin and chewy ginger cookie with that sugar crust. Mmmmm….
taita J says
hello all the way from australia :-) was wondering if these will easily work into gingerbread men? the last recipe i tried was a disaster, the dough kept getting soft and i just gave up by the end of it because i’m too old to be rolling out doughs that break, melt and stick :-/
Nicole Hunn says
Please use the search function on my blog for “gingerbread men” cookies taita. I have a recipe for crunchy gingerbread men cookies and one for “soft gingerbread men.”
Beth says
Hi Nicole,
Would you freeze the dough or the baked cookies? I tend to do my baking on the weekends and with Christmas on a Friday I need hints on how to keep the cookies fresh….. Thanks for all you do!
Nicole Hunn says
You could freeze either, actually, Beth. I’ve frozen the dough, and sliced and baked when it was still frozen (you might need to add a minute or two to the baking time), and frozen the cookies themselves. Both work beautifully!
Nima says
Hi Nicole! I’m going to be making these today. I’m behind on making MY Christmas cookies! I’m wondering, though, if it’s possible to remove the ad that’s right in the middle of the recipe? It prints with the recipe, causing huge space gaps on the page. I had to copy and paste into Word to get rid of the ad. It’d just be handy to print from your beautiful site! Which I LOVE by the way! (And of course, I have your cookbooks. Trying to convince my daughter gluten-free isn’t all that bad, haha.)
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Nima, when I click on the print icon at the top or bottom of every page, I get a page like this, which doesn’t have any ads. Are you clicking the print icon for the printer-friendly version? There aren’t even any photos on that printer-friendly page, unless you click “toggle photo,” and even then it’s just a recipe photo.
Nima says
Hi Nicole – Right now on this page, there is an ad between “Ingredients” and “Directions.” Yesterday, when I clicked on the print icon, that ad also carried over into the recipe print screen, taking up a lot of space. But today, the ad doesn’t show up on the print screen. Maybe it was just a temporary glitch! Seems to be okay now. Thanks for the reply! :)