If you love gingerbread, this gluten free gingerbread linzer cookie recipe is one you won’t want to miss! These deliciously good gluten free gingerbread linzer cookies also make great cut-out cookies so you can use your favorite holiday cookie cutters!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy.
The holiday season is coming so fast. Am I the only one who is still wondering where fall went? This year has just flown by! There is one special thing leading up to the holidays that I love… cookie-making!
Want another delicious gluten free cookie? Try these AMAZING Gluten Free Christmas Cookies!
What are Linzer Cookies?
Have you tried linzer cookies? Linzer cookies have a pretty exciting history! Believe it or not, these cookies were originally a torte that originated in Linz, Austria. Linzer is said to be the oldest cake recipe there is. Over the years, the recipe was adapted into a “cookie-sized” version.
You can just barely see the powdered sugar falling onto these cookies! I adapted my linzer cookie recipe even further by giving these cookies a fun gingerbread flavor for the holidays. These cookies are perfect for holiday gatherings, cookie exchange parties, and just eating for fun :-).
These cookies are so easy to make! (And I know this is a linzer cookie recipe, but this dough makes killer gingerbread men!!)
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Use a whisk to blend all of the ingredients.
To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using the spoon method or leveling method. In a perfect world, people weigh their flour, but most do not own a kitchen scale.
Put the measuring scoop into the flour and fill. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour. Use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour.
Step 2: Add pure vanilla extract to the wet ingredients.
Email This Recipe To Me!
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Step 3: Mix the wet and dry ingredients together to make a semi-stiff dough.
Step 4: Chill the dough for 30-45 minutes so that the cookies will hold their shape when baking.
Step 5: Roll the dough between two pieces of wax paper to flatten.
I rolled this gluten free gingerbread cookie dough to 1/4 inch thickness. You can do a little thinner if you prefer a thinner linzer cookie or gluten free cut-out cookie.
Step 6: Make your tops and bottoms with a linzer cookie cutter (or gingerbread man cookie cutter!). Here is the full disclosure…I wouldn’t say I like the red linzer cookie cutters I have. The dough sticks to them, and getting the middle section out is a pain.
I plan to buy these linzer cookie cutters soon. They have good reviews. If you have a linzer cookie cutter you like, please send me a note or add a comment and let me know which you use.
Step 7: Bake the cookies at 350º F for 10 minutes. Allow them to cool on a cooling rack, then add your favorite filling.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Frosting, jam, or Nutella…because who doesn’t love chocolate and gingerbread combined?
You can easily make these cookies dairy-free by using vegan butter.
These cookies will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an air-tight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Optional: Dust your linzer cookies with powdered sugar and holiday-colored sprinkles.
I have a lot of cookie tool suggestions. I have a huge list of my favorite cookie-baking tools that make cookie-making easier.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Gingerbread Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder aluminum free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- frosting Nutella, or another filling you like.
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, add 2 1/4 cups gluten free flour blend, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. Use a wire whisk to blend.
- In a small bowl, add 1/2 cup unsalted butter (partially melted), 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and 1 large egg. Whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix into a workable cookie dough. Every gluten free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio, which affects moisture. My rule of thumb is if your batter or dough is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Chill cookie dough 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Lay out a piece of wax paper and put the dough on top. Cover the dough with another piece of wax paper and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough.
- Use linzer cookie cutters to cut out the tops and bottoms of the cookie shapes.
- Place the cut out cookies onto parchment paper. Move the paper to a cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let them sit on the pan for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Do not frost them until they are cooled.
- Make frosting or use store-bought frosting, Nutella, etc., to frost the bottoms of the cookies, and place the cutout top cookie on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- These cookies will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
(*Note, this post was updated from a 12/2016 post.)
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
In the recipe it calls for 3/4 cups brown sugar twice, is this an error? Please explain.
Hi Kim. Happy New Year. You are right, the brown sugar is there twice. I recently switched to a new digital recipe card and sometimes this happens. I am sorry I missed it when I was reviewing the transferred recipes. It is fixed now. Thank you.
Trying these today as gingerbread men. They sound great
Awesome Jacque. Please add liquids gradually if you are using a different flour blend than I did. Another reader tried a different flour and the dough was wetter, making it sticky. (I am not sure if their flour had xanthan gum, if yours doesn’t contain it, add 1 teaspoon.) Let me know how they turn out 🙂
Hi,
I was wondering how many grams a stick of butter is. One of my resources said 240g but my dough was like a wet cake mix. I’ve added a lot more flour but I’m not sure how they’ll taste.
Helen (Australia)
It should be about 113 grams according to a calculator I used. One stick is 1/2 cup. I hope this helps.
i always wanted to try this
I hope you like these Carol 🙂