Gingerbread Cookies

Pick up a bunch of gluten-free candies and let your kids go wild decorating these tasty crispy cookies.

The 4 main types of molasses are that are produced during the boiling/refining process; fancy, cooking, blackstrap, and light. Each with their own slightly different taste:

Fancy Molasses
This is the highest grade of molasses and is the pure juice of the sugar cane, which has been condensed, inverted and purified (and is also the sweetest). This molasses can be used ‘raw’ on poured on pancakes or spread on toast, to all your baked goods recipes.

Blackstrap Molasses
This is the final by-product of refining molasses. It has been highly-concentrated into a thick, dark mass with a slightly bitter taste, due to the majority of the sugar crystals being removed. Its bold flavor are great in recipes liked baked beans, or even gingerbread if you want a less sweet product.

Cooking Molasses
A blend of fancy molasses and blackstrap . It has the best of both worlds, with a thick, dark consistency, but less sweet straight fancy molasses. The addition of the blackstrap gives it a fuller-flavored taste. Use cooking molasses in all your cooking or baking needs.

Light Molasses
This a product made from fancy molasses with the addition of glucose-fructose and other ingredients. It is specially-formulated to be a calorie-reduced option.

Once the dough has been blended and is smooth, divide it into 4 balls, and shape into flattened discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hours (to overnight).

Let dough warm slightly, then roll out dough between two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper, to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Once cookies are cut out, place on a parchment or silicon lined baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes before placing in a preheated oven.

Gingerbread Cookies

Marla Hingley

Pick up a bunch of gluten-free candies and let your kids go wild decorating these tasty crispy cookies.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup fancy molasses
• 1/4 cup cooking molasses or blackstrap molasses or more fancy molasses
• 3 1/4 cups GF all-purpose baking flour
• 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Decorating Icing - Royal Icing

Instructions

 

• Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in egg and molasses.
• In another bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cloves and cinnamon. Pour half into the molasses mixture, mixing well before adding remaining half.
• Divide into 4 balls, and shape into flattened discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hours (to overnight).
• Let dough warm slightly, then roll out dough between two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper, to a thickness of 1/4-inch.
• Cut out with cookie cutters then place cookies onto a parchment or silicon lined baking sheet using a spatula, and freeze for 15 minutes.
• Bake at 325°F for 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to rack, let cool completely before icing.

Notes

Fancy molasses is the sweetest of all the molasses variations, and blackstrap is the least (it's actually quite bitter). Cooking molasses is a combination of both fancy and blackstrap. Depending on how sweet you want your gingerbread, blend/substitute as desired.
The amount of cookies you can make with this recipes varies depending on the size of cookie cutter you are using. It can make 6 large gingerbread men, or up to 24 small ones.

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