If you love the deep, rich flavor of molasses, these soft gluten-free molasses cookies will be your new favorite. Each bite is perfectly spiced and full of that old-fashioned flavor you only get from real blackstrap molasses. They bake up soft in the center with just the right hint of sweetness.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy.
I often think about family recipes and how to make them gluten-free. I am almost obsessive as I get older because I want to ensure these recipes are preserved for my kids, and perfect for you.
If you are a cookie fanatic, check out all of my Gluten-Free Holiday Cookies for even more delicious cookie recipes to try! You may also love this simple Gluten-Free Pumpkin Molasses Cookies recipe.
Ingredient Notes and Easy Swaps:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Flour – I tested this recipe with my two favorite cookie flour blends, King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend. Other blends should also work well, but you may need to add a little more flour or butter depending on the blend you use. Each blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio, which can affect the moisture levels.
- Binder – If your flour blend does not contain a binder, add 3/4 teaspoon. Read Why Binders are Needed in Gluten-Free Baking to learn more.
- Molasses – Use regular or blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses has a stronger flavor.
- Eggs – Use large eggs.
- Butter – I tested this recipe with unsalted butter. If you are dairy-free, Earth Balance works well in this recipe.
How to Make Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies (Step-By-Step):
All you need is 20 minutes to make this easy cookie recipe. Preheat the oven to 350º F and check to ensure the rack is in the middle position.
Step 1: Add the dry ingredients to a large
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until combined.
Note, you can use a standing mixer with a paddle attachment to mix the cookie dough if you prefer.
Your wet ingredients will look like this when whisked. I love the deep brown color!
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 ingredients into the dry ingredients. Like in this picture, your gluten-free molasses cookie dough will be a little stiff.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The gluten-free flour brand you use will affect the batter’s moisture. If your cake batter is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquid.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
Step 4: Use a cookie scoop to drop cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined
Step 5: For best results, I like to smoosh the cookies down a bit. You can use the bottom of a glass or a fork to press cross marks on the cookies. This will help flatten the cookies a bit before baking.
Optional: Sprinkle coarse sugar over each cookie. Bake at 350º F for 10 minutes. Remove the baked cookies from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!!
Cookie Baking Tips:
- Take special care to measure correctly. If you add in too much gluten-free flour or other ingredients, it can mess with the cookies as they bake. If they don’t have the proper ingredient ratios, you may end up with a disaster.
- Chill the dough when possible. I know you are probably ready to eat your cookies right now, but taking a few minutes to chill the batter makes them less likely to spread.
- Don’t let the cookies sit on the pan too long. After they have baked, only let them sit for up to 5 minutes on the baking sheet. The pan will still be hot, so continue baking them otherwise.
For more baking tips, check out my Gluten-Free Baking Tips and my Gluten-Free Cookie Troubleshooting Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Unfortunately, the dough is too soft to use cookie cutters. You can thicken the dough with additional flour if you want to use cookie cutters.
Store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep fresh for up to four days.
Yes, you can easily freeze these cookies. Place room-temperature cookies into a freezer-safe bag. They will keep fresh for up to four months in the freezer.
Gluten-Free Cookies With Molasses:
If you are a molasses flavor fan, I have several incredible recipes that have this delicious flavor. Here are some of my favorites:
- Gluten-Free Pfeffernusse Cookies
- Easy Gluten-Free Gingerdoodles
- Gluten-Free Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Gluten-Free Gingerbread Biscotti (decorated like Christmas trees!)
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!
Soft and Chewy Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup molasses regular or blackstrap
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder aluminum-free
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Email This Recipe To Me!
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup cane sugar, 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and a dash of salt. Whisk to blend the ingredients.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup unsalted butter (partially melted), 1/4 cup molasses, and 1 large egg Whip them together with a whisk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop the cookie batter into balls on a cookie sheet.
- Use a fork to press the cookies down. (You can see this in the video!) Optional sprinkle course sugar on top of each cookie.
- Bake the molasses cookies for 10 minutes until done. The baking time can vary depending on the size of the cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven and slide them on the parchment paper onto a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- You can make this recipe dairy-free by using vegan butter or coconut oil.
- I tested this recipe with Bob’s GF 1:1 blend. Other blends should work well. If your blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, add 3/4 teaspoon to your flour blend.
- Optional: Sprinkle the cookies with coarse baking sugar before baking.
- These cookies will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They also freeze well. Place cooled cookies into a zipper-style freezer bag. Squeeze out the extra air and place it in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
(*Note, this recipe was updated from a 3/2017 post on my old blog, Grandmas.)
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!
You state in recipe note Bob’s red mill 1:1 flour but in the recipe the highlighted flour goes to amazon king arthur 1:1 flour, which is it
Both work great. I like King Arthur better because it isn’t as gritty, but if you use Bob’s, let the batter sit 15 minutes so the rice flour can soften.
Made these Molasses cookies for the first time and they are delicious and really easy to make. Thank you so much for this recipe.
I am so glad you loved the cookies, Bev. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know :-).
Good taste, and a soft cookie. Ovens are different so I had to bake a few minutes longer, and left them on the sheet pan for 5 minutes to help them stiffen. If you like a softer, fluffier crinkle, this is your cookie.
I also bumped up the flavor with a bit of allspice and a bit more clove. Great base recipe.
Allspice and clove sound like great additions. Thank you so much Berni!