Gluten free gingerbread cookies have brought some fun traditions into our home. I can’t take all the credit for this one though.
I grew up with italian cookies at every holiday. Although they are absolutely amazing, gingerbread was not one of the many flavors. It wasn’t until my oldest son had kindergarten cooking class that I first experimented with gingerbread cookie dough. And yes, I said cooking class. What could have been an allergy mom’s worst nightmare, was actually pretty amazing. More on that later.
I needed to bring a gingerbread cookie dough to class so my son could make his own gluten free gingerbread cookies. I remember looking at many recipes. All of them had so much ginger and may additional spices.
I wasn’t pleased with the recipes I tried, they were all very strong in their “ginger” flavor. So I decided to create a recipe that would be more appropriate for my family. A sweet mild gingerbread cookie that would delight us all, especially my son.
This recipe is not just good for cookies
Last year I was thrilled to add gingerbread cookies to our Christmas and this year I am even more excited to add a gingerbread house to our traditions. It was our first try and I must say, we were very happy with the results. My son was so happy to just be able to lick the icing and have the freedom to eat as much as he desired.
I think the one important lesson in making these cookies was in the decorating. I first used glaze to make the details on each gingerbread man and it was too runny. My results were less than desirable.
The second time I decorated, I tried using one of my icing recipes and I was so happy to be able to keep control of it and get the detail I wanted. The thicker the icing the better.
Now it’s a few days until Christmas and I have many presents to get wrapped. I am so thankful that we have come so far on this journey to be able to add these fun traditions to our Christmas. I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we have and that it makes your holiday that much more special. This is such an amazing way for kids to show their creativity.
If you haven’t joined my Stay Gluten Free Facebook Community yet (it’s FREE to join, click here now), it’s a great way to get connected with people just like you. We discuss everything from recipes, grocery store finds and places to eat out safely. I hope to meet you there.
It’s been so fun sharing my holiday cookie recipes with you. I am so thankful for this community that has embraced me and my recipes. I wish you and your family a very safe, happy holiday season.
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What are some holiday traditions you would like to bring back since becoming gluten free?
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Brown rice flour
- 2 cups Bob Red Mill all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Arrowroot
- 1 tbsp Xanthan gum
- 2 tbsp Ground ginger
- 2 tbsp Ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 2 1/2 cups Granulated sugar
- 2 cups Coconut oil not melted
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup Vanilla extract
Instructions
- In large bowl combine flours, arrowroot, xanthan, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg and whisk together.
- In bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment combine the sugar and coconut oil (not melted). Mix until smooth.
- Add applesauce, and vanilla. Mix on until smooth.
- Add 1 cup of the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with spatula. Continue to add the remaining wet ingredient mix 1/2 cup at a time.
- Continue to form dough by hand.
- Cover and chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes. You can also chill the dough longer if you plan to make the cookies at a later time.
- When you are ready to shape cookies preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- When removing dough from the refrigerator if it seems too hard, let it sit for 10 minutes or so (it will need to sit out longer, the longer it has been chilling). You can also work the dough with your hands. It may seem crumbly, but that is just the coconut oil that has solidified.
- Roll out the dough in between 2 pieces of parchment paper using a rolling pin and "cut out" your cookies with cookie cutter.
- Bake 11-13 minutes, be careful that they do not brown to quickly as all oven's internal temperatures may vary.
- Remove from oven and let cool on tray for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove cookies from cookie sheet and place on wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate your gingerbread cookies.
- Serve and enjoy!