Gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe – crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle with all the festive flavours of gingerbread. Best of all, this one is super simple to make dairy-free or vegan AND it’s Coeliac-friendly and wheat-free.
Gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe, anyone? If you’ve been missing bakery-style cookies, then this festive twist is exactly what you need right now. You’d NEVER know they were gluten-free – trust me, it’s impossible to tell!
Even though there seems to be a million things to plan, sort and organise for Christmas, I’ve been trying my best to Christmas-ify all my favourite non-festive bakes.
(is it bad that I’ve bought everyone novelty face masks and glittery hand sanitiser this year?)
And naturally, cookies had to be next!
So many of you have been making my gluten-free gingerbread men in Christmas jumpers this year, so I thought I’d make a recipe especially for all you gingerbread lovers: my gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies!
Why make my gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies?
- They’re crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle – just like bakery-style cookies that you probably miss.
- If you love gingerbread, then you will LOVE the cookie version. Promise!
- Nobody would ever know these cookies are gluten-free – you’ll have to fight to keep the muggles away!
- No xanthan gum required.
- You can easily make this recipe dairy-free using two simple swaps.
So, what do my gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies taste like?
Firstly, the combo of gingerbread and white chocolate is UNREAL. It’s a match made in Santa’s sleigh, being both creamy, sweet and warmingly festive.
The cookies are crisp on the outside, but lovely and chewy in the middle, packed with white choc chips and TONS of gingerbread flavour.
Then, simply dip them in white chocolate, add a few festive finishing touches and thank me later!
Here’s everything you’ll need for this recipe, keep scrolling until you see the recipe card for the measurements and method ??
Gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe: Ingredients list
- butter
- dark brown sugar
- large egg
- vanilla extract
- gluten-free self-raising flour
- bicarbonate of soda
- ground ginger
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- white chocolate chips
- Gluten-free festive sprinkles
So I thought I’d kick things off with a little frequently asked questions section – if you just want the recipe, then keep scrolling.
But I’ve thrown in some tips here that will be really helpful if this is your first time making this, or you want to adapt it. So here they are!
Gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe: Frequently asked questions
Can I make this recipe gluten free?
It is gluten free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!
Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.
Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make sure that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).
Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten free products.
Can I make your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe dairy free?
Of course! Just stick to these dairy-free alternatives:
- Use a hard dairy-free margarine (like Stork) instead of butter
- Use dairy-free white chocolate chips – you can find them down the free from aisle in the supermarket.
- Ensure any sprinkles used are gluten-free AND dairy-free too.
That’s it!
Can I make your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe vegan?
Yes! Follow the advice above to make these dairy-free, then all you’re left to contend with is a single egg.
Simply use 60ml of dairy-free milk in place of the egg and you’re good to go. You’d never notice the difference!
Is your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe nut free?
Yep, this is a nut-free recipe as far as ingredients go, but of course, make sure you check the ingredients label on ALL the products you use to bake this cake just to be safe.
Even if the products don’t contain nuts, they may have a ‘may contain nuts’ warning due to being produced in a factory that handles nuts.
You can never be too careful so always read the labels on everything first!
Is your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe low FODMAP?
If you use lactose-free chocolate white chocolate chips, one cookie would be suitable during the elimination phase of the diet. Just ensure that your chocolate doesn’t contain any other high FODMAP ingredients.
Ensure your sprinkles don’t contain any high FODMAP ingredients too – omit these if you’re not sure.
Which festive sprinkles did you use to decorate your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies?
I topped them with little holly leaves and berry sprinkles, which I found in Tesco.
Not all sprinkles are gluten-free, so please make sure you check the labels first!
Can I make your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies in a food processor or standing mixer? Can I make it by hand?
Of course you can, though I actually use an electric hand whisk to make these. You don’t need to mix in the ingredients for long periods at all, so a food processor or standing mixer feels a little overkill for me.
A stand mixer is preferable over a food processor for me as this is quite a thick mixture!
But of course, you can make this entirely by hand too – just make sure everything is evenly mixed and you don’t leave any pockets of unmixed flour.
Do I need weighing scales to bake your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies?
In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any my recipes without them.
A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities and for me, baking is all about consistency and precision. I want you to make this recipe and for it to turn out EXACTLY like mine did.
For example, adding too much flour can make things dry and crumbly, whereas not adding enough sugar means it’ll lose its crisp exterior. I don’t want you to be disappointed, so please weigh your ingredients!
I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement and replicating my recipe as accurately as poss.
What chocolate chips should I use to bake your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies?
I’ve recently started using the Callebaut white chocolate chips (or callets) and I can tell you, though expensive, they are AMAZING.
They’re made for baking perfection so they don’t brown in the oven AND they come out lovely and melty too. You don’t get either of those with just any chocolate chips meant for baking!
Can I make your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies without sugar?
I can understand the need to reduce sugar in our foods, but sugar is integral to the structure of this bake – it’s not just for adding a sweet taste!
Sugar helps to achieve that nice crisp finish as well as working harmoniously with the butter and flour to achieve a specific consistency.
So yeah, remove/reduce the sugar at your own risk – I wouldn’t recommend it.
Can I use other sugar apart from dark brown sugar in this recipe?
Dark brown sugar is unrefined and contains molasses which makes these cookies taste like… well, like awesome, bakery-style gingerbread cookies!
It’s also what you’d use in gingerbread biscuits, so it adds an authentic, traditional taste. Otherwise these will just taste like ginger-spiced cookies.
You’re welcome to substitute it for caster sugar, but I’d always recommend using dark brown sugar for these if you can. The end result is always better and closer to what I intended these to be!
Can I make this recipe using other gluten free flours like buckwheat flour or coconut flour?
There’s a big difference between ‘gluten free plain/self-raising flour’ and a *singular* type gluten free flour.
When I say ‘gluten free plain or self-raising flour’ in a recipe, I mean a BLEND of gluten free flours, not just one, singular flour. I buy mine down the free from aisle of my local supermarket.
Definitely go for a gluten free flour blend.
Does this recipe need xanthan gum?
You’ll see xanthan gum in a lot of my recipes as it’s often an essential ingredient in gluten free baking. But not with cookies – it’s not required!
The gluten-free self-raising flour used in this recipe has a little in it anyway, which is usually more than enough.
How long can I keep your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies for?
I’ve kept my cookies for around 4-5 days and they still taste as good as they day they were made. Obviously store them in an air-tight container too.
You can always reheat them for 30 seconds in the microwave at 900W for the ‘fresh out of the oven’ feel too.
When they lose the crispiness on the outside, they’re probably starting to get past their best.
Can I freeze your gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies?
Of course! I’ve frozen them for up to a month and after allowing them to fully thaw, you’d never know they were frozen. One cookie should take around 3 hours to thaw at room temperature.
After thawing, I’d recommend baking them in the oven for 5 minutes or so just to remove any excess moisture before enjoying them warm though.
Troubleshooting
My gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies weren’t chewy in the middle – they were hard and crunchy.
Sounds like they were over-baked. So either your oven is way too hot or you’re leaving them in too long.
Remember, that we just want a slightly crisp outside, leaving them soft and chewy in the middle. We’re not aiming for hard biscuits here so don’t over-bake them!
My gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies spread way too much!
Firstly, that could be because you didn’t chill them long enough. Ensuring that they go in nice and cold is key to ensuring they spread correctly.
Also, if you used a margarine spread (like what you’d spread on toast) instead of HARD margarine, that would be a terrible idea. It’s fine for cakes, but not cookies!
Gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe: Method
Ok, so here’s a printable version of my gluten-free Christmas gingerbread cookies recipe. Please remember to give it 5 stars if you tried it and enjoyed it as it helps people know it’s worth trying too! ⭐️ Feel free to leave your written reviews in the comments below this post.
Gluten-free Christmas Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (dairy-free option)
Ingredients
- 125 g butter softened (use Stork hard margarine if dairy-free)
- 200 g dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 295 g gluten-free self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 250 g white chocolate chips dairy-free if necessary
- 200 g white chocolate melted, for dipping (dairy-free if necessary)
- Gluten-free festive sprinkles I linked mine in the FAQ section
Instructions
- Cream together your softened butter with your dark brown sugar until fluffy and combined. I use my electric hand mixer for this part.
- Add in your egg and vanilla extract, mix until combined.
- Add in your gluten free flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt. Mix well so there are no pockets of flour.
- Add your white chocolate chips and mix in so that they’re well distributed.
- Roll your mixture into balls. Mine weigh around 65g each. Roll them really roughly so they are not smooth balls, its nice for them to have rough edges and ensure theres plenty of white chocolate chips showing. Add a few more to the top of each ball too - it just looks better once cooked!
- Chill your dough balls for around 40 minutes in the freezer ideally (or longer in the fridge). You can always chill them for longer than this too.
- Whilst they are chilling, preheat your oven to 180C Fan / 200C. Place 1-2 large prepared (with non stick baking paper) baking trays in the oven to heat up too.
- When the cookie balls are chilled enough, open your oven and carefully place 6 balls spaced apart on your tray (they spread so no more than 6 on a LARGE tray). Place in the oven for about 10 minutes (or up to 12 minutes if you feel they need it). The cookies will still be a little gooey and might have a slight hump in the middle when done.
- Allow to completely cool for a good 15-20 minutes on the tray before moving them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Either dip or drizzle over your melted white chocolate on half of your cookie and decorate with festive sprinkles (optionally) before the chocolate sets. Allow to set fully before tucking in - enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me on Instagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
Don’t forget to pin this for later!
