If you love the deep, rich flavor of molasses, these gluten-free molasses cookies will be your new favorite. Each bite is mildly spiced and full of the old-fashioned flavor you get only from molasses. They bake up soft in the center with just the right hint of sweetness. I share two flour-amount options so you can choose how soft you want the cookies.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: These old-fashioned molasses cookies are easy to make, and you can enjoy them year-round, though we tend to make them most during the holiday season. They are sweet, with a delicious cinnamon-molasses flavor. They are great for a Christmas cookie tin.
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. This recipe was originally created in 2017. I decided to give it a makeover with two options for you: make it a little softer, or a little more spread with crisp edges. Both have a milder cinnamon molasses flavor.
I have tested this recipe with my DIY gluten free flour blend and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, and both work very well. This recipe definitely needs the chilling time; don’t skip this step! This chill time also gives the cookie dough time to absorb moisture into the rice flour. This helps to eliminate any grittiness. I also tested a version using Earth Balance for my dairy-free readers. It worked very nicely, and there was no difference in flavor.
Testing Notes From My Kitchen
Do you like spread or minimal spread? I had fun with this recipe, and I want you to see the results of my testing and updates. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of flour + 2 TBSP. The hero image above shows my tweaked version of the recipe, using this amount of flour and 45 minutes of chill time for the dough. My second test: I added 1/4 cup of additional flour from the original 2017 recipe, for a total of 1 3/4 cups of flour and 45 minutes of chill time. These spread much less and had a softer inside.
You can choose how you like your cookie spread. The flavor is the same; the textures vary slightly, as the test with more spread had crispier edges.
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. If you prefer bold spicy cookies, these Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies are delicious.
Ingredient Notes:
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, my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend. Other blends should work well too, 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. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
- Binder – If your flour blend does not contain a binder, add 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Read Why Binders are Needed in Gluten-Free Baking to learn more.
- Molasses – Use regular or blackstrap molasses. I tested this recipe using regular molasses. Blackstrap molasses has a stronger flavor, which also works, but I find it overpowers the ginger and cinnamon.
- Egg – Use a large egg.
- Butter – I tested this recipe with unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, omit any additional salt. If you are dairy-free, Earth Balance works well in this recipe.
- Spices – Ground cinnamon and ginger.
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 make sure the rack is in the middle position.
Step 1: Add the dry ingredients to a large
Step 2: Partially melt the butter together with the molasses, then mix in the egg and vanilla. to a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Note: I have made this recipe using a bowl and whisk and a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make these cookies.
Your wet ingredients will look like this when whisked. I love the deep brown color from the molasses!
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. You will notice this dough is a bit softer and stickier than regular cookie dough. Chill the dough for 45-60 minutes. This photo shows the dough after chilling.
📢 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.
Step 4: Use a medium-sized cookie scoop to drop cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined
Step 5: Bake at 350º F for 10-12 minutes, depending on size. Remove the baked cookies from the oven and gently slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto the cooling rack. Let them cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!!
Optional: Sprinkle coarse sugar over each cookie.
Cookie Baking Tips:
- Chill the dough when possible. I know you are probably ready to eat your cookies right now, but chilling the dough for a few minutes makes it less likely to spread.
- Don’t let the cookies sit on the pan too long. After they bake, 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.
Here are side-by-side photo comparisons of the more flour (left) and chewier with more spread (right).
Frequently Asked Questions:
No, the dough is too soft to use cookie cutters. You can thicken the dough with additional flour if you want to use cookie cutters.
This recipe will spread, depending on the option you choose (more flour or less). If you use a starchy blend, such as Cup4Cup, it will affect the moisture, and you will need to add a little more flour to prevent too much spread.
Gluten-Free Cookies With Molasses:
If you are a molasses fan, I have several incredible recipes with 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
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup molasses regular or blackstrap
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend + 2 TBSP SEE NOTES!
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend + 2 TBSP, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 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 (melted), 1/4 cup molasses, and 1 large egg Whip them together with a whisk. The hot butter will soften the molasses so it mixes in easier.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Use the bake setting and not the convection bake setting for a more even bake. The oven rack should be towards the middle of the oven.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop the cookie batter into balls on a cookie sheet.
- 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.
Nutrition
Notes
- You can make this recipe dairy-free by using dairy-free butter.
- I tested this recipe with Bob’s GF 1:1 blend. I also recently made it using my homemade gluten free flour blend. Other blends should work well.
- SPREAD Choice: Make the recipe as is OR add 1/4 cup flour (instead of the +2 TBSP). You can make these soft and cake-like or thin and chewy. Read the recipe post if you want to see photos of each option.
- If your blend doesn’t contain a binder like xanthan gum or guar gum, add 3/4 teaspoon.
- 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, then freeze.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
(*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!