Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookie Recipe

Ali Segersten 456 comments
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookie Recipe

My children have so much fun cutting out and decorating these lovely gluten-free Christmas cookies! Just look at these photos, what is not to love? This time of year takes me back to baking gingerbread and sugar cookies with my mother. My brothers and I would decorate dozens of cookies with beautiful colored sprinkles and bright white icing. I wanted to share that experience with my own children, only with a healthier, gluten-free version. Thus, this recipe was born! It uses coconut sugar as the main sweetener, along with a powdered coconut sugar icing. Although coconut sugar is definitely a low-glycemic sweetener, it is still sugar, and these cookies are to be considered a sweet treat.

My recipe below calls for sweet rice flour. This type of white rice flour is made from sticky rice, or glutinous rice. It helps hold the cookies together without the use of gluten flour or gluten-free binders. I prefer to use this superfine sweet rice flour. Superfine flours are ground so finely that they lack the grittiness typically found in other types of rice flours. 

You can follow my blog post for How to Make Powdered Coconut Sugar if you would like to use a more nutritious sugar in the icing. We like to decorate these cookies with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. You can definitely get creative here with the toppings. 

Recipe from our Meal Planner

Gingerbread Hazelnut Cut-Out Cookies

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Hazelnut Cut-Out Cookies
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookie Recipe
Servings
24 cookies
Cook Time
12 minutes
Prep Time
30 minutes

These gluten-free cut-out cookies are fun to make with your children during the holidays! I use a powdered coconut sugar icing, which has a rich caramel flavor. You can refer to my blog post on How to Make Powdered Coconut Sugar in order to make this icing. Use currants, raisins, sliced almonds, natural sprinkles, or anything else you can imagine to decorate them. I find the dough is best if it is refrigerated overnight. You can make the dough after your children are in bed and then bake the cookies with them in the morning.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 cups hazelnut meal
1 cups sweet rice flour
½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons ground ginger
1 pinches ground nutmeg

Wet Ingredients

1 cups coconut sugar
½ cups butter
¼ cups blackstrap molasses
1 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Coconut Sugar Icing

½ cups powdered coconut sugar
3 teaspoons non-dairy milk (I use almond milk)
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions

cookies:

  1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
  2. In a separate, smaller bowl beat with an electric mixer (or vigorously whisk) together the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix together.
  3. Form into a ball, cover, and place into the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight. 
  4. When the dough is firm and chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  5. Place a large piece of parchment or waxed paper down onto a clean, flat work surface. Lightly flour the paper with sweet rice flour.
  6. Take part of the dough and roll it out to a little less than 1/4 inch of thickness. Put the remaining dough back in the fridge to keep it chilled.
  7. Cut the dough out using your favorite holiday cookie cutters. Carefully peel away the dough around the cut-outs.
  8. Then take a thin spatula and lift the cookies onto a lightly greased cookie sheet (or parchment-lined cookie sheet). 
  9. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes depending on how crisp you like them. A few more minutes of baking makes them crispy. Just watch them so they don't overcook.
  10. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Then repeat with remaining dough.
  11. Let cook completely before frosting.

Coconut sugar icing:

  1. Place powdered coconut sugar in a small bowl, whisk in the milk and vanilla.
  2. Use to ice cooled cookies.
  3. You might need to make more depending on how much icing you like on your cookies. 

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Posted In
cookies Christmas Coconut sugar dessert gluten-free holidays Thanksgiving Recipes xanthan-free recipes baked goods hazelnut flour recipe

About the Author

Alissa Segersten

Alissa Segersten, MS, CN, is the founder of Nourishing Meals®, the personalized meal-planning platform for whole-food cooking, therapeutic diets, and everyday family nourishment. A functional nutritionist, cookbook author, and pioneer in whole-food nutrition education, Alissa has spent over two decades translating nutritional science into practical tools for everyday life. As a mother of five, she understands the importance of making nourishing, home-cooked meals part of everyday life. Her work bridges functional medicine, therapeutic nutrition, and the art of feeding a family.

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Comments

Jess (visitor) 14 years ago

I also shared this on google! :)+1

Jess (visitor) 14 years ago

I also shared this on facebook....

Jess (visitor) 14 years ago

I can't wait to try this recipe! Thank you!

Jess
jlsaven@gmail.com

Rose (visitor) 14 years ago

I posted to facebook. :) I'm so excited about all of these give aways! :)

Anonymous (visitor) 14 years ago

These look amazing! Just what we need for a Saturday afternoon with tea. Thank you!
Anthroeats@gmail.com

Unknown (visitor) 14 years ago

These look absolutely delicious and I can't wait to try them. Your book is a bible in my household and I have turned many others onto the Elimination Diet, who all say that it has changed the way that they eat and live. Thank you for all that you do!

Anonymous (visitor) 14 years ago

Thanks for the great recipe! Would love to be a winner!

Colleen M.
marsbarmom@cox.net

Rose (visitor) 14 years ago

Can't wait to make these! We just enjoyed your buckwheat pancakes tonight for the 2nd time. Thanks! (I do not know if this is a 2nd comment or not...)

Liz (visitor) 14 years ago

I can't wait to try these gingerbread men!

Rebecca (visitor) 14 years ago

Love the recipes on the blog; i was looking for a ginger cookie recipe.

Diamond (visitor) 14 years ago

Gingerbread is something I didn't appreciate until I began gluten free baking. I love to see the different versions for it.

Lydia McD. (visitor) 14 years ago

Posted this on ForkYes!'s twitter account. Can't wait to try it...

Jackie (visitor) 14 years ago

I am a newby to going gluten free. Your recipes look easy and delicious! Can't wait to use them.

Thank you!

Lydia McD. (visitor) 14 years ago

Thank you! I'm a big fan of yours and recommend you to all my clients, especially since they're all curious about an elimination diet.

Hannah (visitor) 14 years ago

I have been looking for a good gingerbread cookie recipe! I can't wait to make these. Thanks for posting.

Laura (visitor) 14 years ago

Perfect timing! I can't wait to make these with my kids.

Andrew Z (visitor) 14 years ago

Tweeted @healthyhomos

Jess (visitor) 14 years ago

These look fabulous! I can't wait to try them for the holidays.

Kim (visitor) 14 years ago

These are exactly what I've been looking for.I can't wait to try them.

Anonymous (visitor) 14 years ago

I shared on facebook!

Shannon at
kgcollector@va.metrocast.net

Anonymous (visitor) 14 years ago

These look incredible! Can't wait to try!

shannon at kgcollector@va.metrocast.net

Jessica (visitor) 14 years ago

I am on an elimination diet and I was just thinking about how much I'm going to miss having holiday baked goodies. This series is a wonderful idea!

Anonymous (visitor) 14 years ago

I'm a big fan of gingerbread. Can't wait to try this recipe. cindym119atgmail(dot)com.

Elisabeth (visitor) 14 years ago

Gingerbread are my favorite! I love the way you decorated them with almonds and chocolate! Beautiful! Cant wait to try your recipe! Thanks for sharing!!!

alloeli @ yahoo dot com

Unknown (visitor) 14 years ago

Thanks for the recipe! Any nut-free suggestions to substitute for the hazelnut meal?

jenjer (visitor) 14 years ago

I posted this giveaway on FB.

jenjer (visitor) 14 years ago

Thank you for the cookie recipe! This is my first Christmas with my son being on a gluten free diet. I'm always looking for new recipes!

Unknown (visitor) 14 years ago

Thanks for the great recipe. Dee

Maggie (visitor) 14 years ago

Yay! Vitamix! I hope I win. I've been wanting one for years! : )

Marissa GF (visitor) 14 years ago

YUM! Hazelnut flour sounds good!!!!
Thanks for the opportunity to enter the giveaway and thanks for the great recipe! Happy Holidays!

Brandie Quinlan (visitor) 14 years ago

Thanks Ali & Tom for your passion to Whole foods... you have been a blessing in my kitchen & overall health :)

facebooked
brandieq@gmail.com

Judy Grasso (visitor) 14 years ago

I love your site and the cookbook. I followed the 28 day elimination diet and not only did I loose 14lbs, I feel great. I discovered you/your site through Whatcom Locavore. Keep up the great job. Can hardly wait for the new cookbook.
Judy.Grasso@gmail.com

Brandie B (visitor) 14 years ago

I cant wait to try this recipe out!

Facebooked & googled it

brandieq@gmail.com

Brandie B (visitor) 14 years ago

I found out two months ago that I am allergic to dairy, eggs, sugar, almonds, & shell fish. Its been a huge transition but I never felt better. My Naturopathic doctor recommended your website. I have tried so many recepies and love them all. My favorite was the pumpkin cheescake. I currently dont have a vitamix and have been asking my husband if we can get one, its a little on the spendy side but I can see how valuable it would be with all my new allergies.

I have posted this blog on facebook and my google account.
crossing my fingers to win ;)

Laura (visitor) 14 years ago

Thanks for doing this. I will have to check out your Facebook page!
Laura Harmasch

Margaret (visitor) 14 years ago

I shared on FB :-)

Margaret (visitor) 14 years ago

The gingerbread cookies sound delicious! What a fun activity to do with my 4 year old.

The Joy Of Life (visitor) 14 years ago

Eliminating wheat from my diet has improved my lifestyle so much. I love all the new recipes lately that show gf food can actually be delicious.

dragonbratfly at gmail etc.

Anonymous (visitor) 14 years ago

I would like to try hazelnut flour. I will be exploring your blog too, since I am new to it.


LLW
jlslwood@frontier(dot)com

Josie (visitor) 14 years ago

I have been itching to make some gluten-free roll-out cookies. Your recipe looks wonderful!

Christy (visitor) 14 years ago

I keep falling in love with your site. I tried GF gingerbread cookies last year with not a whole lot of success. My kids and I are chomping at the bit to try yours. Your site has become my go-to site when I'm creating menus for the week. We are proud smoothie drinkers and love your smoothie inspirations. Please let that Vitamix find a home in our kitchen. We yearn for a less chewy green smoothie. To your health!

Shani (visitor) 14 years ago

The cookies are so cute. Always looking for new GF recipes.

Clarita (visitor) 14 years ago

Love your recipes, ideas, and the cookbook also. I tell everyone about your website.

karenk (visitor) 14 years ago

mmm gingerbread cookies, must make now.. thanks for all the great recipes and love the links to other great bloggers.

Fellows 2012 (visitor) 14 years ago

Sharing this recipe on our company page....thanks for all the great tips!

Fellows 2012 (visitor) 14 years ago

Sharing this on our company page...thanks for all the great recipes!

Amy W. (visitor) 14 years ago

I shared on Facebook!

Amy W. (visitor) 14 years ago

Thanks for the recipe and the great giveaways!

Amy W. (visitor) 14 years ago

I shared on Twitter

KellyBelly (visitor) 14 years ago

Hi
I have 2 young boys and this looks like it will be a must to try this season! thanks

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