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| My Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies Recipe |
These gluten-free molasses cookies are family favorite that I've been making for many years now.
And with only 11 days left before Christmas, it's time to start thinking about what type of gluten-free cookies and goodies you'll want to make for the holiday this year.
This is a tried-and-true, can't fail, gluten-free molasses cookie that you'll want to make throughout the year, and not just for Christmas or Halloween.
Naturally dairy free, they are soft and chewy, but if you prefer a crisp gluten-free cookie, directions for doing that can be found following the recipe.
Since there are only two of us, I try not to make more cookies than we can eat before they get too dry and begin to crumble.
Sometimes, I beef up the Christmas spirit at our house by starting the holiday baking early and then just continue it on into the new year, one recipe at a time, but I'm getting a late start this year.
We do have our artificial partially-flocked tree up and all of the gifts we're giving this year already purchased and wrapped, but I've just been a bit slow on the baking.
When I left home and started raising my own kids, I carried on that same cookie tradition, but asked my sons what type of cookies they wanted for the holidays rather than just whipping up whatever I wanted.
The boys generally asked for simple cookies such as peanut butter, chocolate chip, oatmeal-raisin, and traditional Christmas sugar cookies. Nothing really fancy like you might find on the web these days.
Just good old-fashioned cookies.
Going gluten free hasn't changed that tradition.
I still make a couple of different Christmas cookies every year. I have just modified my recipes to be free of gluten.
The only exception is oatmeal cookies. I seriously react to oats just like gluten, so my oatmeal cookie recipe has been retired, but I didn't really make oatmeal cookies very often and hardly ever cooked with oats.
It hasn't been difficult giving it up.
My favorite Christmas cookies are still safe.
Gluten-free baking is temperamental.
Rice flour is extremely drying, so the moisture content of both the cookie dough and the air play a large role in the final outcome.
So does the heat of the oven.
Even baking your gluten-free cookies for one extra minute can play havoc with the cookie's ability to retain moisture the following day. In general, overcooked baked goods are great the day you bake them, but you'll have trouble storing them.
Gluten-free cookie dough is moister than traditional cookie dough made with all-purpose flour, but it does have to have enough gluten-free flour mix in the dough to keep the cookies from spreading out too thin.
These gluten-free molasses cookies work well for that.
Since you roll the dough into balls, you can add additional flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough barely forms a ball. This allows you to use whatever grind of rice flour you like best, since finer flours will soak up more moisture.
You won't have to use as much flour if you use a finely ground rice flour in your all-purpose flour mix.
These particular gluten-free cookies are made with vegetable shortening, rather than butter. The shortening keeps these cookies soft and chewy.
Butter contains a certain amount of liquid, and margarine is whipped with extra liquid, so neither one contains as much fat as shortening does. Using butter or margarine in this recipe can interfere with the way the fat is supposed to work in the recipe.
I suggest that you bake only one cookie, the first time, as a test cookie. That way you can be sure the cookie has enough gluten-free flour mix in it, and you can see how long to bake the cookies for.
The recipe uses pumpkin pie spices for convenience.
Pumpkin spices are a specialty blend available in the spice section of your local grocery store. I usually buy the McCormick brand since spice blends can be cut with wheat flour or packaged around other spices that contain wheat.
Shortly after moving to Texas, however, we picked up several cans of Kroger brand pumpkin spices instead. I didn't realize the spice blend was missing mace, an important spice for pumpkin pie, but the blend is suitable enough, and I do not react to it.
In a small saucepan, slowly melt the shortening. You can also nuke it in the microwave if that's easier for you. Cool the shortening slightly. Place the slightly-cooled shortening in a large bowl.
Add brown sugar, molasses, and eggs, beating well after each egg.
Then gently add the flour mixture and form the dough into a single ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
If you're using a glass bowl, you can just put plastic wrap over the top of the bowl instead of wrapping the dough itself. Chilling the dough makes it easier to work with and keeps the cookies from spreading out too thinly.
Line a cookie sheet with non-stick foil and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spices. Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls. If the dough isn't firm enough to roll into balls, you can add a tablespoon or two of flour. But be careful that you don't add too much flour. The balls should be sticky, but hold their shape.
Coat thoroughly in the spicy sugar.
Place the sugar-coated cookie balls on the prepared cookie sheet at least 2-inches apart. You need to leave enough room for the balls to melt and spread into a round cookie shape.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.
After removing them from the oven, let them sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
We enjoy soft, chewy cookies, but if you'd rather have a crispy ginger-type cookie, you can bake the cookies a little bit longer than the recipe calls for, and let them sit on the cooling rack until they are completely cooled down before storing. Don't put them into a zip lock bag too soon.
Don't wait to store them until the cookies are completely cooled, or they'll go hard. When firm enough to pick up, and cool enough that you don't burn yourself, place the cookies in a zip-lock bag to retain their moisture.
They will last several days on the counter stored that way.
Since there are only two of us, I try not to make more cookies than we can eat before they get too dry and begin to crumble.
Sometimes, I beef up the Christmas spirit at our house by starting the holiday baking early and then just continue it on into the new year, one recipe at a time, but I'm getting a late start this year.
We do have our artificial partially-flocked tree up and all of the gifts we're giving this year already purchased and wrapped, but I've just been a bit slow on the baking.
Christmas Isn't Christmas Without Cookies
For as far back as I can remember, not a single Christmas has gone by without a variety of Christmas cookies being a strong part of the celebration.
I can remember mom making Christmas snowballs, thumbprint cookies filled with jam, sugar cookie cut-outs, chocolate chip cookies, and molasses cookies to arrange on a paper plate along with chocolate fudge and other goodies to give out to neighbors and friends.
I can remember mom making Christmas snowballs, thumbprint cookies filled with jam, sugar cookie cut-outs, chocolate chip cookies, and molasses cookies to arrange on a paper plate along with chocolate fudge and other goodies to give out to neighbors and friends.
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| Mom always made up a plate filled with cookies to give to neighbors and friends for Christmas |
When I left home and started raising my own kids, I carried on that same cookie tradition, but asked my sons what type of cookies they wanted for the holidays rather than just whipping up whatever I wanted.
The boys generally asked for simple cookies such as peanut butter, chocolate chip, oatmeal-raisin, and traditional Christmas sugar cookies. Nothing really fancy like you might find on the web these days.
Just good old-fashioned cookies.
Going gluten free hasn't changed that tradition.
I still make a couple of different Christmas cookies every year. I have just modified my recipes to be free of gluten.
The only exception is oatmeal cookies. I seriously react to oats just like gluten, so my oatmeal cookie recipe has been retired, but I didn't really make oatmeal cookies very often and hardly ever cooked with oats.
It hasn't been difficult giving it up.
My favorite Christmas cookies are still safe.
How to Make Gluten-Free Dairy Free Molasses Cookies
Gluten-free baking is temperamental.
Rice flour is extremely drying, so the moisture content of both the cookie dough and the air play a large role in the final outcome.
So does the heat of the oven.
Even baking your gluten-free cookies for one extra minute can play havoc with the cookie's ability to retain moisture the following day. In general, overcooked baked goods are great the day you bake them, but you'll have trouble storing them.
Gluten-free cookie dough is moister than traditional cookie dough made with all-purpose flour, but it does have to have enough gluten-free flour mix in the dough to keep the cookies from spreading out too thin.
These gluten-free molasses cookies work well for that.
Since you roll the dough into balls, you can add additional flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough barely forms a ball. This allows you to use whatever grind of rice flour you like best, since finer flours will soak up more moisture.
You won't have to use as much flour if you use a finely ground rice flour in your all-purpose flour mix.
These particular gluten-free cookies are made with vegetable shortening, rather than butter. The shortening keeps these cookies soft and chewy.
Butter contains a certain amount of liquid, and margarine is whipped with extra liquid, so neither one contains as much fat as shortening does. Using butter or margarine in this recipe can interfere with the way the fat is supposed to work in the recipe.
I suggest that you bake only one cookie, the first time, as a test cookie. That way you can be sure the cookie has enough gluten-free flour mix in it, and you can see how long to bake the cookies for.
The recipe uses pumpkin pie spices for convenience.
Pumpkin spices are a specialty blend available in the spice section of your local grocery store. I usually buy the McCormick brand since spice blends can be cut with wheat flour or packaged around other spices that contain wheat.
Shortly after moving to Texas, however, we picked up several cans of Kroger brand pumpkin spices instead. I didn't realize the spice blend was missing mace, an important spice for pumpkin pie, but the blend is suitable enough, and I do not react to it.
Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies
Ingredients:- 3 cups gluten-free flour mix
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spices
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spices
In a small saucepan, slowly melt the shortening. You can also nuke it in the microwave if that's easier for you. Cool the shortening slightly. Place the slightly-cooled shortening in a large bowl.
Add brown sugar, molasses, and eggs, beating well after each egg.
Then gently add the flour mixture and form the dough into a single ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
If you're using a glass bowl, you can just put plastic wrap over the top of the bowl instead of wrapping the dough itself. Chilling the dough makes it easier to work with and keeps the cookies from spreading out too thinly.
Line a cookie sheet with non-stick foil and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spices. Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls. If the dough isn't firm enough to roll into balls, you can add a tablespoon or two of flour. But be careful that you don't add too much flour. The balls should be sticky, but hold their shape.
Coat thoroughly in the spicy sugar.
Place the sugar-coated cookie balls on the prepared cookie sheet at least 2-inches apart. You need to leave enough room for the balls to melt and spread into a round cookie shape.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.
After removing them from the oven, let them sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
How to Make Your Molasses Cookies Crispy
We enjoy soft, chewy cookies, but if you'd rather have a crispy ginger-type cookie, you can bake the cookies a little bit longer than the recipe calls for, and let them sit on the cooling rack until they are completely cooled down before storing. Don't put them into a zip lock bag too soon.
Storing Your Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies
Don't wait to store them until the cookies are completely cooled, or they'll go hard. When firm enough to pick up, and cool enough that you don't burn yourself, place the cookies in a zip-lock bag to retain their moisture.
They will last several days on the counter stored that way.
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