This gluten-free molasses cookie recipe is made with almond flour, molasses, and loads of flavorful spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
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If you love making cookies around the holidays, you may have found yourself searching for a delicious molasses cookie recipe. In fact, that’s probably why you’re here reading this post right now.
Molasses cookies are a popular holiday cookie, because they’re loaded with flavor from dark and rich molasses and delicious warm spices, like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
If you’ve been looking for a gluten-free alternative to your favorite molasses cookies, you’re in the right place.
This gluten-free molasses cookie recipe is also dairy-free and egg-free, so if you’re looking to avoid either of those ingredients for health reasons, this recipe will work perfectly for you.
These molasses cookies are made gluten-free by using almond flour instead of a traditional all purpose flour. I like to use almond flour for a lot of my baking, because it’s nutrient dense with vitamin E, fiber, and protein.
Almond flour doesn’t have the same consistency as all purpose flour that contains gluten, but these cookies are still completely delicious and you won’t miss the gluten one bit.
Is molasses gluten-free?
As long as molasses only contains one ingredient: sugar or molasses, you’ll know that this is a gluten-free ingredient and safe for a gluten-free diet.
It’s a good idea to review ingredients lists before buying to be sure there is no hidden gluten in the product and look for the term “gluten-free” on the label.
Read on: Is molasses gluten-free?
How to make molasses cookies gluten-free
To make molasses cookies gluten-free, I’ve opted to use almond flour. Like some of my other cookie recipes, I feel good about giving my family treats that have *some* form of nutrition.
We get enough sugar and carbs in our diets, I’d rather try to find some small ways to bump up the nutritional value in every area I can.
Almond flour is full of healthy fats, fiber, and protein, so even when my son wants a second cookie, I can feel good that he is filling up on more than just sugar and carbs that’s going to make him crash after 30 minutes.
Read on: 101 gluten and dairy-free cookie recipes
How to make molasses cookies dairy-free
To make molasses cookies dairy-free, I simply omitted any dairy from the recipe and use coconut oil or vegan butter in place of normal butter that a traditional recipe would call for.
Read on: 25 Gluten-free dairy-free Christmas cookies
How to make molasses cookies egg-free
These molasses cookies aren’t made with any eggs at all.
Are you wondering how to make cookies without eggs or dairy without them falling apart?
Believe it or not, these stay firmly together with just the use of the almond flour, molasses, coconut oil, and maple syrup. You don’t even need to add a flax or chia egg to get them to bind.
It’s like magic, but this recipe really does work without needing any extra eggs or binding ingredients.
Ingredients for gluten-free molasses cookies
You don’t need too many ingredients for delicious gluten-free molasses cookies. Here are the ingredients I use in my recipe.
Almond flour
Many molasses cookies call for all purpose flour, but I like to swap out the flour in this recipe for almond flour.
I like that these cookies are full of healthy fats, and have more nutrient density than cookies made with traditional flour.
Molasses
These wouldn’t be molasses cookies without molasses. This rich sweet ingredient gives a ton of flavor to these classic cookies.
Baking Powder
To give the cookies a little bit of a chance to rise in the oven, I add some baking powder.
Maple Syrup
Since I decided to keep the refined sugar out of this recipe, I followed the same idea that I did for my gluten-free chocolate chip cookies and used maple syrup instead. It provides a nice rich sweetness, but you need much less of it than sugar.
It also helps give some liquid to this recipe when we’ve already omitted an egg.
Spices
These molasses cookies get loads of flavor from cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. This cookie wouldn’t be the same without these warm spices, making it a perfect treat for the fall or holiday season.
Now that you know what’s in these gluten-free molasses cookies, let’s talk about how to make them step by step.
How to make gluten-free molasses cookies
Making these gluten-free molasses cookies couldn’t be easier. Your kids might even want to help out with mixing and rolling.
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. While the oven is preheating, prepare your baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
Make the cookie dough
In a bowl, combine almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Stir to combine. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla extract. Stir well until everything is well combined.
Scoop the molasses cookie dough
Using rounded tablespoons or a 1 ½-inch cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough out onto your prepared cookie sheet.
The smaller you make the cookies, the more cookies you’ll have and the faster they’ll bake. You will have at least 12 cookies, maybe more depending on the size of your scoop.
Roll the dough into cookie dough balls
Roll the dough between your palms to create a smooth surface for each cookie dough ball.
Press the cookies
These cookies don’t rise much, so you’ll want to use your fingers to gently press the cookies into discs.
I like to put a plastic sandwich bag over my hand to do this task to make for easy cleanup, but it isn’t necessary if you don’t mind getting your hands a little sticky.
Bake the gluten-free molasses cookies
Transfer to the oven and bake for 12 to 13 minutes.
Cool the cookies and enjoy
Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before moving off the baking sheet, otherwise the cookies may fall apart. Enjoy with a glass of dairy-free milk or cup of coffee.
Do I need to chill the dough?
These cookies come together very quickly and don’t require chilling before rolling out the dough or baking.
How to store gluten-free molasses cookies
These cookies soften up after about a day at room temperature in an airtight container. If you want them to last longer, you can store them in the fridge to extend their life and texture.
Gluten-free Molasses Cookies (Dairy-free, Egg-free)
This gluten-free molasses cookie recipe is made with almond flour, molasses, and loads of flavorful spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut oil or vegan butter, melted
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp molasses
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- In a bowl, combine almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Stir to combine.
- Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Stir well until everything is well combined.
- Using rounded tablespoons or a 1 ½-inch cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough out onto your prepared cookie sheet.
- Press the cookies into discs using your fingers, as these cookies don't rise much in the oven.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying.
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If you love molasses cookies and are looking to avoid gluten, dairy, and eggs, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think in the comments!
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