GLUTEN-FREE GINGERBREAD COOKIES
The Gingerbread Cookies are undoubtedly the quintessential Christmas Cookies, indispensable during the holidays.
Originally, they were shaped like little men, but over time, the same dough has been molded into houses, bells, Christmas trees, or stars and used to decorate the tree.
What characterizes the Gingerbread Cookies is their intense and bold spice aroma due to the presence of Ginger, as well as cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg in the dough for a super tasty result.
I have previously published the original classic recipe for Gingerbread Cookies (you can find it HERE) and today I present to you the version of GLUTEN-FREE and dairy-free Gingerbread Cookies so everyone can enjoy their flavor.
The Gingerbread Cookies have a slightly soft texture, not too crunchy, and their typical dark color is given by molasses, which slightly recalls the taste of licorice, but since it’s not easy to find, especially in Italy, it’s replaced with honey, although I encourage you to look for it because it’s not the same.
Great to enjoy with a cup of tea for a snack or at breakfast with milk just like the classic Christmas Cookies (you can find more than 30 recipes HERE).
The recipe to prepare the GLUTEN-FREE AND DAIRY-FREE GINGERBREAD COOKIES is very simple: you just need to create a kind of spiced shortcrust pastry just like the classic tart and once baked, decorate them with colored royal icing, drawing whatever you like best.
To create these gingerbread cookies, I used various shaped cutters like trees, stars, bells, but nothing prevents you from changing the subject and using the cutters you already have at home to obtain ginger and cinnamon cookies that are super tasty and will win over both young and old alike.
Once ready, you can not only eat them but also use them to decorate the tree or place them in transparent bags or cookie boxes and gift them for Christmas.
I am almost certain that once you try these gingerbread cookies, you won’t stop making them!
If after trying these gingerbread cookies you want to taste other Christmas desserts, I suggest
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 24 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: New Year, Christmas
- Energy 316.87 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 54.92 (g) of which sugars 25.68 (g)
- Proteins 3.76 (g)
- Fat 10.87 (g) of which saturated 1.62 (g)of which unsaturated 8.91 (g)
- Fibers 5.33 (g)
- Sodium 79.97 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour (gluten-free all-purpose flour mix)
- 3.5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2/3 cups brown sugar
- 3.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup water (cold)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2.5 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- nutmeg (1 pinch grated)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- A few drops food coloring
Tools
- Bowl
- Sieve
- Rolling pin
- Cookie Cutters
Steps
Place the olive oil, vegetable oil, water, maple syrup (or honey), brown sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix everything with a hand whisk.
In another bowl, mix the gluten-free flour mix with the baking powder and cocoa powder, then add ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sift the mixture.
Gradually add the dry ingredient mix into the bowl with the liquid ingredients and mix with a spoon. Then transfer everything to a work surface (do not dust with flour, or they will no longer be gluten-free!) and knead by hand until you get the classic shortcrust consistency. If you see the dough sticking to the surface, you can dust lightly with tapioca or cornstarch. Form a dough ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the freezer for 25 minutes.
Take the dough from the freezer and work it slightly with your hands to make it elastic again. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a surface “floured” with tapioca or cornstarch to a thickness of about 0.2 inches. Cut out cookies with the cutters of your choice and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Use scraps to knead again, roll out, and create more cookies.
Bake the Gingerbread Cookies in the middle rack of the oven in static mode at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes. Once ready, take them out and let them cool before removing them from the baking tray. Your gluten-free Gingerbread Cookies are ready to be glazed, but you can also enjoy them as is!
To prepare the sugar glaze, simply mix the powdered sugar and water in a bowl with a hand whisk. You can add food coloring one drop at a time to achieve the desired color intensity. Once ready, the glaze for decorating the gingerbread cookies should be transferred to a piping bag or a parchment paper cone with the tip cut off to create a thin hole. Once you have decorated the cookies, let them dry for at least 20 minutes; then they will be ready to be eaten or packaged as sweet Christmas gifts!
NOTES
TIP: To prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface and not using flour to dust, which would negate all the efforts made so far to obtain Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies, I recommend rolling the dough directly on parchment paper before cutting the cookies.
BAKING: The baking times are indicative and depend not only on the type of oven but also on the thickness of the cookies. You may need between 19 to 21 minutes maximum of baking.
STORAGE
GLUTEN-FREE and DAIRY-FREE GINGERBREAD COOKIES can be stored in a cookie tin at room temperature for one week.
