Now that all the Thanksgiving cooking is behind us I am in full-on baking mode. I spent the whole of last week in the kitchen testing one cookie recipe after another as a preparation for the holiday cookie season. So here I am with this season’s first refined sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and healthy paleo cookie recipe, Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies.
If you are new to baking with almond flour, this paleo ginger molasses cookies recipe is a good one to start as it is just so easy. Everything comes together in a food processor with just a few ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. I am talking about almond flour, coconut sugar, molasses, and warm winter spices to fill your home with the classic Christmas gingerbread smells.
These paleo ginger snaps are light, soft and chewy. Not to mention, they are perfect when served with a glass of milk. Just like we did when we were kids. But wait, who am I kidding, I still serve my cookies with a glass of milk.
Intrigued? Let’s break it down.
Ingredients for this healthy gingerbread cookies recipe
This gingerbread recipe uses only 10 ingredients:
- Almond Flour: I love my making my own blanched almond flour, but you can use store-bought almond flour as well. This brand (affiliate link) is my favorite.
- Spices: I used ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and allspice in the recipe below, but you can also add in a pinch of ground cloves and nutmeg.
- Blackstrap Molasses: I used this unsulphured blackstrap molasses (affiliate link).
- Coconut Sugar: I love using coconut sugar in baking as it tastes very similar to brown sugar, but it has a low glycemic index that doesn’t spike up your blood sugar. However, if you do not have coconut sugar you can substitute it with brown sugar.
- A Large Egg: You only need one large egg to get a great texture.
- Coconut Oil: Most ginger snap cookies use a stick of butter, but here we are swapping it with just two tablespoons of melted and cooled coconut oil. With that being said, I have also tested this recipe with grapeseed oil and it worked perfectly.
- Baking Soda: Only ½ teaspoon of baking soda for the perfect chewy and coarse texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Only a tablespoon of vanilla extract to bring together and enhance all the flavors in the recipe.
Is ginger paleo?
If you are new to paleo baking you might be wondering whether or not ginger is a paleo-friendly ingredient. The answer is yes. With high levels of anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols, both fresh ginger and ground ginger spice are paleo-friendly.
How to make gluten-free gingerbread cookies
The process of making these paleo almond flour molasses cookies has 3 folds.
First, place almond flour, baking soda, coconut sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse a few times to mix.
Second, add in coconut oil, molasses, egg, and vanilla into the bowl of the food processor. Process until it forms into a ball and starts collecting on one side of the bowl. This takes about 15-20 seconds. Transfer the dough into a bowl, cover it with stretch film, and let it cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
At this stage, there are two important things to mention:
- You will end up with a very sticky dough. This is normal so don’t be tempted to add in more almond flour.
- Do not skip the chilling time. The time spent in the fridge helps solidify the fat in the cookies, which helps cookies to spread less as they are baking in the oven.
Finally, use a tablespoon measure to divide the cookie batter into equal pieces and arrange them on a parchment-lined large baking sheet leaving at least 2-inches of space in between each cookie. I used this (affiliate link) 40 mm ice cream scoop and ended up with 12 of these paleo ginger cookies.
Bake in a 350 F degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes and serve them with a glass of milk.
Can’t get enough of the gingerbread flavors? Try my refined sugar free and gluten-free gingerbread cake. Topped off with a delicious (maple sweetened) cranberry compote, it is a healthier cake recipe that you can make for the holidays.
A Few FAQs answered for the best gluten-free and paleo gingerbread cookies:
- Can I use a flax egg in place of the egg? Every time I share a recipe with an egg I get emails from readers asking if they can substitute it with a flax egg (1 part ground flax seeds mixed in with 2 ½ parts water). This time I tested the recipe with a flax egg and it did not work so I do not recommend using flax eggs.
- Can I dip the cookies in coconut sugar before baking? You sure can.
- Can I roll out the cookie dough and use a gingerbread cookie cutter to make gf gingerbread cookies? As I mentioned earlier, this cookie dough is a very sticky one. I didn’t try this, but I think it you can roll it out with a rolling pin in between two pieces of parchment paper spread with a little bit of arrowroot powder (here we use arrowroot powder to prevent it from sticking to the parchment paper). You might have to chill the dough again before cutting it with your cookie cutter.
- Can I freeze the cookie dough to bake it later? You sure can. To do so, form the cookie dough into mounds and place them on the baking sheet. Put it in the freezer. Once it is frozen, you can place them in a freezer bag to bake them later.
Diet Key
This Recipe is:
Want more delicious cookie recipes?
If you are in need of more cookie recipes, you are in for a treat because I am joined by a few of my favorite food blogger friends for a virtual cookie swap to spread the joy of baking during this holiday season.
Below are the links. Click around, get in the kitchen and bake the most delicious cookies for your friends and family.
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies Healthy
- Shortbread Pecan Cookies
- Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
- Gluten-Free Biscotti with Hazelnuts & Chocolate by The Bojon Gourmet
- Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies by Snixy Kitchen
Other almond flour recipes you might like
- Almond Flour Cake
- Pumpkin Muffins with Almond Flour
- Pancakes with Almond Flour
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Healthy Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
- Paleo Strawberry Cake
This recipe has been adapted with minor changes from Perhance to Cook.
Paleo Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour, 220 gr
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup coconut sugar, 76 gr
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled or avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place almond flour, baking soda, coconut sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 3-4 times to mix.
- Add in the coconut oil, molasses, egg, and vanilla and process until a dough forms. This takes about 15-20 seconds.
- Transfer the dough into a bowl, wrap with plastic, and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. Using a spoon (or a small ice cream scoop) measure 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per cookie and arrange them 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheet.
- Gently press on each cookie to slightly flatten.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Allow it to cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes and serve.
Video
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes 12-14 cookies cookies. The nutritional values below are per cookie.
- You will end up with a very sticky dough. This is normal so don’t be tempted to add in more almond flour.
- Do not skip the chilling time. The time spent in the fridge helps solidify the fat in the cookies, which helps cookies to spread less as they are baking in the oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These gingerbread cookies are wonderful and fun to make! I cut the coconut sugar by maybe 2 T. but only because I like things less sweet. Thank you for these easy delicious cookies, I can’t wait to try more recipes!
YAY! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it Michele. Thanks for coming by!
Do you think it would work to swap coconut sugar and molasses for honey?
Hi Cecilie,
Sadly, I do not think that those substitutions would be ideal for getting the gingerbread flavors. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend substituting them.
Hope this helps.
I just made these this morning and they are delicious! I didn’t have coconut
sugar so used Splenda. Also doubled the ginger. Fantastic taste. Thanks!
Hi Nan,
I love the idea of doubling the ginger. And thanks for letting us know that this gingerbread cookie recipe works with Splenda as well.
I am happy to hear that you liked it.
Cheers!
Can I make these smaller to get double the amount? If so, should the baking time be changed?
Thanks in advance…🙂
Hi Audra,
I have never tried making these paleo gingerbread cookies smaller but I do not think it will be an issue. I would keep a close eye on that around the 9th minute mark to ensure that they don’t burn. It is okay to have a bit of browning on the edges but you wouldn’t want them to be too hard.
Hope this helps.
Aysegul
A delicious cookie, impossible to stop at one as they are ever so moreish! I used almond meal, and golden syrup instead of molasses.
Aghhh good to know that I am not alone 🙂
Thanks for sharing substitution ideas too. Cheers!
Absolutely delicious!! I’ve made these several times already. The only problem is I keep eating too many in one sitting! My non-gf family loves them too. 10/10!
Oh that made laugh! We have the same issue at our house. That is why I make these gingerbread cookies only during the holiday season.
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review Sarah.
You will not regret making these! The texture and chewiness when they come out of the oven is an absolute dream. I crave these on a daily basis! Thank you for this amazing recipe, Ice!
Awww thanks Jennie. I am thrilled to hear that you liked these. They are a favorite in our house too.
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.
These look amazing. Do you know if these would work with a flax egg. I am intolerant to eggs. Thought I’d ask before attempting them in case it’s a no go!
Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Hi Helena,
Sadly, this gingerbread cookie recipe wouldn’t work with flax eggs. Eggs provide body and structure to almond flour recipes so I wouldn’t recommend making it without eggs. However, I have an almond flour cookie recipe you can make that has no eggs in it. You can incorporate some of the gingerbread spices into that basic recipe to achieve a similar flavor profile.
I hope this helps.
My husband just made these subbing monk fruit for the coconut sugar. They tasted exactly as you described even down to the chewiness. I came here to bookmark the recipe. So good!! Thank you!
Hi Mary,
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I will try making it with monk fruit sweetener next time. 🙂
So glad you guys liked it.
Cheers!
So, If you want to make them for Xmas…melt white choc. chips, and dip one side and then sprinkle with red and green sprinkles…they look so festive..This may add a little more sugar…I am ok with that.
Himmmmm.. That sounds like a dream. YUM!