This chewy Gluten-Free Ginger Snaps recipe is dairy-free, sweetened with coconut sugar, and made with simple ingredients. Perfect for holiday sharing.
These chewy ginger snap cookies are the perfect gluten-free cookies for your holiday dessert tray. With a spicy ginger flavor, this sweet cookie hits all the flavor notes!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Gingersnaps are a holiday spice cookie everyone loves to see on the cookie tray.
- Gluten-free and dairy-free, these are perfect for those with allergies.
- This an easy recipe with simple ingredients and delicious flavor for happy holidays!
And while you are in the mood for holiday cookies, you might want to check out these keto sugar cookies! Or if chocolate is what you seek, these gluten-free oreo balls are always a hit.
Ingredients and substitutions
Here are a few quick notes about the ingredients in this recipe. You can see a complete ingredient list and instructions in the recipe card below.
Molasses - You may find it bitter on its own, but blackstrap molasses is the perfect natural syrup that will give gingersnaps a deep color.
Coconut sugar - This also helps color the cookies, and adds a complex flavor instead of using white sugar.
Almond flour - This is a great cookie base, making gluten-free cookies that work as well as their wheat counterparts.
Coconut oil - When used with an egg, this is the glue that helps these cookies keep their shape. Vegan butter can be substituted.
Cinnamon and ginger - These are the classic spice cookie profiles and will give these cookies the right bite.
Step-by-step instructions
Before you start: Preheat the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment.
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk to combine coconut sugar, egg, and molasses. Add in coconut oil and vanilla.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine. It will be thick!
Step 3: Scoop dough with a cookie scoop and roll cookie dough balls in sugar before placing them on the prepared baking sheets.
Step 4: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are set on the outside. Let rest for 5 minutes before cooling on a rack.
Tips
- Almond flour cookies are fragile when warm, so it is important to let the baked cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes to set before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- This is a sticky dough, so having wet hands or spraying them with cooking spray will help you to shape them easily.
- Want to make gluten-free ginger cookies vegan? Sub 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch (tapioca flour) mixed with 3 tablespoons of water as an egg replacer.
FAQs
These chewy cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Almond meal is made from raw, unpeeled almonds and is generally coarser. It is a great option for breading and other applications. Almond flour is made from peeled (blanched) almonds and is ground finer.
More gluten-free cookie recipes
Love this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating on the recipe card below and let me know what you think in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Chewy Gluten-Free Gingersnaps
Ingredients
- ½ cup (72 g ) coconut sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (240 g ) almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- ¼ cup organic cane sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine coconut sugar, egg, and molasses. Whisk to combine. Whisk in coconut oil, followed by vanilla.
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add wet ingredients and stir until evenly combined. If needed, use your hands to thoroughly combine ingredients into a cohesive cookie dough.
- Place organic cane sugar on a plate. The dough will be sticky, so dampen your hand with water (I keep a small bowl of water nearby), use a tablespoon to scoop out dough, then roll in-between your hands into a ball. Place ball on plate with sugar, roll to coat, then place on prepared baking sheet.Gently press halfway down on the ball with your palm.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are set on the outside. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Cookies are best fresh and will soften over time.
Notes
- Make it vegan: Sub 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch mixed with 3 tablespoons of water as an egg replacer.
Paulina
Hi! Can I substitute brown sugar for the coconut sugar?
Tessa
Hi Paulina - I have not tried brown sugar as a swap, but it is usually a good sub for coconut sugar. It will be a bit sweeter than coconut sugar, so you might want to reduce the amount slightly. Brown sugar tends to have more moisture than coconut sugar as well. Not a bad thing, but could change the texture a tiny bit.
Connie
I have made these before. Very good. Has anyone tried to make these without eggs...have a vegan son and gluten-free friend. Trying to make one cookie for both.
Dawn Leonard
These taste great! I wanted to leave a 5 star rating since someone left 2 stars. It made me think twice about baking them. I'm glad I did. These were easy and baked up nicely. The kids said they tasted greater and better than the first batch of Paleo ginger cookies that I made from a different site. Thanks!
Tessa
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate that. :) I'm so glad to hear that your kids enjoy them too!
Lisa
I meant to comment on these last week-so delicious! My kids and I made them together, and they lasted about three hours before they were gobbled up. They are chewy and perfectly gingery. Thank you!
Tessa
Hahaha, I'm glad to hear they didn't last long! Always a good sign. :) Thanks so much, Lisa! <3
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen
Oh my - I can't stop looking at these! They're chewy perfection!! I have to make them ASAP!
traci | VanillaAndBean
Better late than never! Growing up, my spice exposure was pretty much limited to chili pow, cumin and garlic pow... so I had a world of spices waiting for me! Isn't it fun finding new favorites! These cookies are magic and are perfectly crinkly! Delicious work, Tessa!
Tessa
Hahaha, sounds about right! Usually, chocolate wins out over anything for me, but not anymore! ;) Thank you, Traci! xo
Sherrie
Ginger is MAGIC! I'm glad you're fully embraced in it now because these cookies sound wonderful and right up my alley.
Tessa
Agreed! The fact that they are beating out chocolate cookies for me right now is huge. ;)
Aysegul Sanford
I love that you used coconut sugar in this recipe. I just baked a sugar cookie with it and now it is my favorite.
These cookies are so timely and beautiful. I can only imagine how delicious they must be.
Happy holidays my friend. <3
Tessa
Yes! I was so excited to see those coconut sugar cookies you were working on. Coconut sugar gives such a wonderful depth and hint of caramel flavor.
Thank you, friend! <3
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes
I absolutely love this idea. Glad you're on team ginger now. I have loved ginger cookies since I was a kid. These look like the perfect texture! Love how easy these are too.
Tessa
Definitely team ginger. I lost so much time! ;) Thanks, Katie!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
I have a good friend who eats gluten-free, so I know what I'm making her for the holidays! I'm sure she's going to love them! They look perfect Tessa!
Tessa
Yay! What I love most about these cookies is that you can easily fool the non-suspecting gluten eater. ;) Thanks, Mary Ann!
Jess @Nourished by Nutrition
Molasses crinkles have always been my favorite holiday cookie. The cinnamon and ginger combination is so cozy. These gingersnaps are so similar, I'm positive these cookies will be my new favorite. Plus, I love the ingredient list of these cookies. The more wholesome ingredients you can use the better, but a cookie still has to be a "cookie". You seem to have found the perfect balance!
Tessa
I'm with you - the more wholesome the better, but obviously still has to be "cookie" enough! :) I hope you love these, Jess! xoxo
Joyce @ Sun Diego Eats
These look amazing, my sister loves gingerbread cookies and I love that they're chewy!! We'll have to make to try to make these for Christmas :)
Tessa
Thanks, Joyce!! The molasses makes these chewy in the best ways. I've been making myself wait to make more - I cannot stop eating them. Haha. Hope you're having a great week. xo