Keep it simple and satisfying with these paleo gingerbread cookies! They’re made with a combination of grain free flours (almond and coconut), lightly sweetened with honey and molasses and kissed with a touch of gingerbread spice. | Grain Free + Dairy Free
Originally shared this recipe on December 15, 2015 – updated December 1, 2022 with improved photos, recipe, tips and ingredient explanations.
Okay, okay!
I know that *paleo* recipes are so 2015, but there are a number of good reasons why you’ll still love these paleo gingerbread cookies!
What’s to love about these Paleo Gingerbread Cookies?
Good question!
- They’re 100% gluten and grain free made with a combination of almond flour and coconut flour!
- These cookies are lightly sweetened with honey (or maple syrup) and blackstrap molasses – only 1/4 cup of added sweetener in total!
- Coconut oil in place of butter makes this recipe dairy free and still delicious!
- They’re easy to make! These cookies come together quickly and easily in little time – they’re as foolproof as gingerbread cookies come!
Key Ingredients
- Grain Free Flours (Almond Flour & Coconut Flour)
- Gingerbread Spice (Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg & Cloves) – I include the individual spices in the recipe, but you can absolutely use a gingerbread spice blend instead.
- Coconut Oil
- Honey (or Maple Syrup)
- Blackstrap Molasses
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Steps
All-in-all these cookies are super easy to make without too much fuss.
In one small bowl combine the dry ingredients: flours, spices, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until well combined.
In another mixing bowl whisk together the wet ingredients: melted oil, egg, honey (or maple) and molasses.
Gradually start adding the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Add a bit of flour, mix to combine and repeat until all the flour has been incorporated. You can mix the dough together by hand, but it will start to firm up as you add more flour. With that in mind, feel free to use a hand mixer or mix the dough in a stand mixer if you prefer.
Cover, Chill & Cut
After mixing the cookie dough, cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Chilling the dough accomplishes two things:
- The chilled dough will be less sticky making it easier to roll and cut.
- Chilling the dough ensures the dough won’t spread too much in the oven.
When you’re ready, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. I recommend rolling it out on a large sheet of baking paper or a silicone mat.
Roll the dough out to be about 1/4-inch thickness. For crisper cookies roll out to about 1/8-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out the dough then carefully move to the baking sheet.
Bake & Enjoy
Finally, place in the oven and bake! Bake times will vary depending on how large your cookie cutters are. Smaller cookies need less time while larger cookies need a bit more. You can also add or subtract a bit of time to your overall cook depending on whether or not you’d prefer soft or crunchy cookies (soft cookies = less time and crunchy cookies = more time).
And that’s it – Sweet, simple and delicious!
If you try these out let me know how it goes in the comments below and if you made any changes that you enjoyed!
Paleo Gingerbread Cookies
Keep it simple and satisfying with these paleo gingerbread cookies! They're made with a combination of grain free flours (almond and coconut) and lightly sweetened with honey and molasses and kissed with a touch of gingerbread spice. | Grain Free + Dairy Free
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup almond flour (160 grams)
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (56 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled (56 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons honey (60 grams)
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (20 grams)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut four, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Whisk together until combined.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the melted coconut oil, egg, honey, molasses, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix into a thick, slightly sticky dough. Cover dough and place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to chill. Chilling the dough here makes it easier (less sticky) to roll out the dough in the next step.
- Once fully chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line or lightly grease a couple of large baking sheets.
- Rip out a large sheet of parchment paper and place on a flat surface. Place the chilled dough in the middle, then roll out into 1/4 inch thickness.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out dough. Transfer the cut out dough to the prepared baking sheets. Leave about 1/4 inch of space in between each cookie. Re roll and repeat with excess dough scrapes until all gone.
- Bake time will vary based on the size of your cookie cutters. Average cookie cutter sizes are: 2 inches (small), 3 inches (average), 4 inches (large). Bake small cookies about 6-7 minutes, average sized cookies 8-9 minutes and large cookies about 9-10 minutes. Keep in mind that cookies will get crunchier the longer they bake. For crispy gingerbread cookies, add a minute to your cook time.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container. These cookies keep best up to one week.
Notes
Freeze For Later
- To freeze the dough:Â Wrap the dough up tight in plastic wrap and then seal the wrapped dough in a freezer safe bag. Dough will keep well in the freezer for 3 months. To defrost, leave the dough in the fridge overnight to thaw. Once thawed, roll out the dough and proceed with the recipe normally from there.
- To freeze the baked cookies: I recommend freezing the cookies unfrosted. Once fully cooled place the cookies on a baking sheet you can fit in the freezer. Place in the freezer until solid and then transfer the cookies to a bag or Tupperware container – place a small sheet of baking parchment in between each cookie to prevent cookies from freezing together. Cookies will keep up to 3 months in the freezer.Â
Cornelia Bentsen says
How long can I store these for?
Sarah says
About 5-6 days if stored in an airtight container
Candace says
I made these today with 5 of my girlfriends. We “decorated” the gingerbread cookies with dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and raisins. They were super delicious. More like a ginger cracker than a ginger cookie, but we all really liked them! Thanks for this recipe. Going to keep this one in the Christmas cookie rotation!
Sarah says
Those sound so cute! Really glad you guys liked them! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Robyn says
Where do I buy his and her gingerbread cutters like yours?
Sarah says
I bought mine at TK Maxx last year (or TJ Maxx if you’re in America), but I just did a quick Amazon search and it looks like you can get some there. I couldn’t find an exact match to the ones I bought, but you might find these cute http://amzn.to/2gOP5p6 Hope that helps!
jacque says
I made these and took a photo. Can I share it anywhere that would benefit you ?
Sarah says
Ooh I hope you liked them! You can post them on m facebook page which I could then share (if you would be ok with that) https://www.facebook.com/asaucykitchen/ or you can share them on Instagram if you have an account and tag me @asaucykitchen
Thank you!
Mary @ StrawmarySmith says
I love how healthy these cookies are! My husband is obsessed with gingerbread cookies but it’s so hard to find a healthy recipe for them! These are perfect!!
Sarah says
Thanks, Mary! I hope your husband likes them!
Christine | Vermilion Roots says
You know what’s better than gingerbread cookies? Gluten-free, dairy-free gingerbread cookies! These look great. 🙂
Sarah says
More gingerbread for everyone! Thanks, Christine 🙂