If you love molasses, these soft Gluten Free Molasses Cookies are for you. I used classic blackstrap molasses to give this old-fashioned molasses cookie recipe a huge amount of flavor!
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.
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.
Why You Should Make This Recipe:
- These old-fashioned molasses cookies are really easy to make.
- You can enjoy these delicious soft gluten free molasses cookies all year long!
- No specialty ingredients exist, and you can find everything you need at your local grocery store.
This is a great gluten-free flour blend for making cookies, muffins, and biscuits. For best results, be sure to let the batter sit for 15-20 minutes before baking. Do not use this blend for yeast recipes.
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten Free Flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Blend or Authentic Foods Multiblend.
- Xanthan or Guar Gum – If your flour blend doesn’t contain one, you should add a teaspoon.
- Molasses – Use regular or blackstrap molasses.
- Eggs – Use size large.
- Butter – Please use unsalted butter. If you are dairy-free, use Earth Balance.
- Molasses – Most molasses is gluten free, but check my gluten free molasses list to ensure your brand is safe.
Recipe Step By Step Directions:
It is so easy to make this gluten free molasses cookies recipe. All you need is 20 minutes to make them. 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-sized bowl and whisk to blend.
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!
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.
Step 4: Use a cookie scoop to drop cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined
Step 5: I like to smoosh the cookies down a bit for best results. You can use the bottom of a glass or use 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 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Remove the baked cookies from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!!
Cookie Baking Tips:
- Use room-temperature butter and eggs. This dramatically helps how your cookies will turn out. You’ll thank yourself later if you try it.
- 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 ratios of ingredients, 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.
- Your oven temperature may be off. Periodically, check your oven temperature to make sure it’s right. Otherwise, the cookies will, for sure, spread if it’s not accurate.
- 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 and continue baking them otherwise.
For more baking tips, check out my Gluten Free Baking Tips.
Recipe FAQ:
Most molasses should be gluten free. Check this article to see if your brand of molasses is gluten free.
Store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep fresh for up to four days.
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.
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:
- 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!)
Gluten Free Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 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
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, add dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and mix.
- 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 for 8-10 minutes until done. Remove 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 1 teaspoon to your flour blend.
- These cookies will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
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.
This post was updated from an old December 2018 post with more information and recipe details.
(*Note, this recipe was updated from a 3/2017 post on my old blog, Grandmas.)
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!
I’m fixated on the molasses giving them that intoxicating chewy texture! 🙂
Thank you so much Mike…they do have a distinctive flavor and texture :-).
These look like some delicious cookies! I need to start my Christmas baking!
Have fun Dannii 🙂
These cookies look so soft and chewy – my favorite! I love using molasses for my gingerbread houses but I’m happy to have another recipe to use the extra molasses for!
Gingerbread houses are fun too, it is a bit more tricky gluten free. I may attempt it next year :-).
I love that smooshing these cookies is an official part of the recipe, what fun!! I am going to have to give these a try, thanks for sharing!!
LOL, my kids like that part too :-).
Mmmm I love blackstrap molasses. You’re right it is a bit of an acquired taste. But I got it! Great how to video.
Thank you so much Cindy…I would love to know what your favorite recipe is with blackstrap molasses 🙂