These zippy ginger molasses crinkle cookies are gluten-free, paleo friendly and filled with holiday spice.
I love the smell of the holidays. We’ve got a few weeks yet to go before the season really gets under way, but I couldn’t resist getting a head start on the festivities with a batch of spicy ginger molasses cookies.
Nothing speaks of holiday cheer like fresh homemade cookies and the sweet, inviting smell that envelopes your home as they come out of the oven. The act of baking is so intimately tied to moments of celebration and joy; the scent of spice, warm and rich, soothes the senses and instantly puts everyone in a cheerful mood. Cookies are certainly the perfume of the holiday season.
With their crackly tops and spicy complex flavor these paleo ginger cookies are high on my list of cold weather favorites.
Soft and chewy thanks to the hint of molasses, they invigorate your palate with a zippy combination of both fresh and dried ginger for a well-rounded, deep spiciness. Pleasantly spicy without being hot, the two layers of ginger create a deeper dimension of heat each building upon the other, quietly supported by the gentle warmth of cinnamon and allspice.
Thankfully they come together in a matter of minutes and are as easy as can be. Just a few minutes of measuring, grating and whisking results in a soft dark dough that’s then scooped by the spoonful onto awaiting baking sheets; puffing up and out as they bake, creating the hallmark cracks of a traditional crinkle cookie but without any gluten or grains.
Time to get baking, the season is nearly here!
More gluten-free holiday cookies:
Chewy Paleo Ginger Cookies
Made with spicy ginger, cinnamon and molasses, these chewy paleo ginger molasses cookies will be a cookie jar favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 cup/256g almond butter (roasted unsalted)
- 3 Tablespoons/45g unsulphured molasses
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root
- ¾ cup/144g coconut sugar
- ¼ cup/30g coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- A pinch of freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper . Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or by hand, beat together the almond butter, molasses, eggs and freshly grated ginger until smooth.
- Into a medium bowl, sift together coconut sugar, coconut flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper.
- Slowly add the sugar and spice mixture to the almond butter mixture while mixing on low until just combined.
- Drop the dough by the rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until firm around the edges and starting to crack in the center (the cookies will looked slightly puffed but will flatten and crackle more as they cool), about 8 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets out of the oven then transfer the parchment paper with the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo Friendly
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
30Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 94Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 85mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Sasha says
These are fantastic!! I've already made three batches. Best thing about them, I actually reach for those instead of our every-year-fave-flour-cookies that I usually can't resist :)) Thank you for this recipe!
Sara says
I am making these right now! I am using pumpkin seed butter (I am allergic to nuts) and stevia in the raw instead of the coconut sugar, as I am trying to stay low sugar right now. I can't wait to try them! Thank you!
Lindy says
How much stevia do you recommend? Did you use liquid or powder? I want to avoid coconut sugar. I'm willing to use honey or maple syrup, too, but am afraid of changing the consistency too much.
Sylvie says
I don't recommend stevia here, if you are looking for a substitute I would choose an organic raw, unrefined good quality cane sugar if you'd rather not use coconut sugar here since substituting a liquid sweetener will change the consistency of the cookie and make the batter too runny.
Sara says
I used a baking stevia mix. Not ideal, i don't love the malt dextrin, but I needed a cookies for christmas that was sugar free. They turned out for me. So because I used the baking mix, it was a 1:1 ratio.
Bella says
I've made these a few times and they are amazing the best ginger cookies I've ever had! Thanks for the recipe
Chef Portia at Portia's TurnTable says
Hey guys, any idea if coconut flour subs well for almond flour (for us peeps who are seriously allergic to everything)?
Sylvie says
There actually isn't any almond flour in the recipe but it does rely on almond butter to give it the right consistency and unfortunately you can't substitute that for anything other than another nut butter.
Chef Portia at Portia's TurnTable says
Whoops; that's what I meant. I just made them using sunflower seed butter... let's see what happens.
Tara says
OMG...I have been hunting for a Paleo cookie with a nice texture for over a year. They are ALWAYS dry or cakey. Never crispy or chewy. I made these twice this weekend in order to perfect them. I hesitated with the coconut flour because it makes things SO DRY. My 1/4 cup was very scant...probably more like 3 Tbs than 1/4 cup. This is probably the only Paleo cookie recipe that I have recommended without any changes...except maybe to be generous with the pepper...how RAD are these cookies?! Unless you have an objection, I'm going to share these on my blog...THANK YOU, you friggin' genius.
Sylvie says
I love hearing that, I'm so glad you liked the cookies!
Nina says
I made them! They are delicious. You won't be disappointed.
Andrea says
I poured over many online cookie recipes trying to find something wheat free and refined sugar free. These cookies were the only ones that caught my eye. The recipe is pretty quick to whip up. My batter was pretty sticky, but that's what you get with molasses goodness! I used a disher for more uniform cookies and got exactly 38, yay! My oven needed 9 minutes until I thought they were ready. Definitely follow cooling instructions. This cookie is fantastic! Great flavor, chewy and not too sweet. Thanks for sharing the recipe Sylvie! This one is a winner! Keep it for your cook book. 🙂
Sylvie says
Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Joanne T Ferguson says
G'day! Your cookies look delightful, true!
Wish I could come through the screen and try one now too!
Cheers! Joanne
Viewed as part of Helene's Christmas Cookie Collection 2013
Carol L. says
These are fantastic!!! (note the 3 exclamation points). My very fussy husband loves them and my daughter thinks they are wonderful. My oven is a bit slow, so I baked for a minute or two longer. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Sylvie says
Wonderful, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Santina says
Sorry-- left the wrong email last time-- Great cookies -- do you know the nutritional content in them?
Sylvie says
Hi Santina, No I'm sorry I don't have any nutritional info for them but you could run the ingredients through an online calculator like My Fitness Pal if you were curious.