Gingerbread Cookies Without Molasses
on Dec 08, 2021, Updated Jan 27, 2024
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These easy gingerbread cookies are made without molasses and refined sugar. They are sweetened with maple syrup, only require a few ingredients to make, and are a perfectly spiced holiday treat!
Most gingerbread cookies are made with refined sugars and molasses. Since these cookies do not contain molasses, they are not as dark-colored as your typical gingerbread man, but that doesn’t affect the taste! They are a perfectly spiced treat your whole family will love!
If you’re looking for some other holiday treats, be sure to also try out these maple sugar cookies and gingerbread waffles for a breakfast treat!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need to make these easy gingerbread cookies:
- Almond Flour: The base ingredient for these cookies.
- Butter: Added fat to help make the cookies more soft and tender. Make sure to use softened or cooled melted butter.
- Maple Syrup: The main source of sweetness for these cookies.
- Cinnamon: Warm spice to enhance the sweetness in these cookies.
- Ground Ginger: Star ingredient for that classic gingerbread flavor.
- Ground Nutmeg: Warm spice for added flavor.
- Baking Powder: Leavening agent to help the cookies rise.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Ingredient Substitutions & Additions
- Almond flour: If you are looking for a non-almond flour-based cookie recipe, try out this recipe for mini gingerbread cookies instead! You can use the same dough to make full-sized gingerbread men cookies!
- Butter: The butter may be replaced with a mild-tasting oil like coconut oil.
- Ground spices: Some stores sell gingerbread spice already combined. If you are able to locate this, you may replace the ground spices in the recipe with 2 teaspoons of this blend.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP 1: Stir together the almond flour, baking powder, and ground spices until combined (Image 1).
STEP 2: Add in the butter and maple syrup and mix until combined. The mixture will seem crumbly at first but will come together into a dough as you continue to mix. Use your hands as needed to form the dough (Images 2 & 3).
STEP 3: Form the mixture dough into a disc, wrap it, and place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (Image 4). This step helps make the dough less sticky and easier to work with.
STEP 4: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
STEP 5: Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out about ¼ of an inch thick (Image 5). Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes from the dough. Since this is a very delicate dough with almond flour, I suggest removing the excess pieces of dough between the shape cutouts instead of trying to lift up the cookie shapes. Once you remove the excess pieces of dough and are left with just the gingerbread shapes, transfer this sheet of parchment paper directly to a cookie pan (Image 6).
STEP 6: You may either combine the scraps of the excess dough and re-roll it out to cut out more cookie shapes, or just bake it flat and break it into bark-style pieces once it is baked!
STEP 7: Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes until the edges are slightly brown. Let the cookies cool completely before serving. Make sure to keep an eye on the cookies as they bake so that they do not burn.
STEP 8: Optional: Once they cool, mix the powdered sugar and milk to form the icing to decorate the cookies. Top with festive sprinkles and serve!
Storage Instructions
Once cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To freeze, store in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag with parchment paper lined between each cookie to prevent sticking for up to 3 months.
Tips For Success
- Keep a close eye on these cookies as they bake because almond flour can burn easily and quickly. The total bake time will depend on how thin you roll out the dough.
- This dough is not as pliable as other doughs, so try to be gentle. I find it easiest to remove the scraps of excess dough around the shapes instead of trying to pick up and transfer the actual gingerbread shapes.
- Decorate your cookies however you’d like! I used a powdered sugar icing but plain yogurt is a great alternative for a sugar-free “frosting” option! I love using these silicone-protected cookie cutters!
Recipe FAQs
If the dough is sticky, add some extra almond flour until it is more firm. Chilling the dough will also help with the stickiness.
These cookies come out either crunchy or soft depending on how thick you roll them out and how long you bake them! If you prefer crispier cookies, roll them out thinner.
Unfortunately, only almond flour works for this specific cookie recipe. If you’re looking for a simple-to-make nut-free cookie recipe, try out these maple sugar cookies or banana coconut cookies!
Other Holiday Recipes You’ll Love
Maple Sugar Cookies (Refined Sugar Free)
Coconut Balls
Christmas Cake Bites
Banana Gingerbread (Refined Sugar Free)
If you tried these Gingerbread Cookies Without Molasses please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing from you!
Gingerbread Cookies Without Molasses
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookies
- 1 ¼ cups almond flour
- 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Optional Icing
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Stir together the almond flour, baking powder, and ground spices until combined.
- Add in the butter and maple syrup and mix until combined. The mixture will seem crumbly at first but will come together into a dough as you continue to mix. Use your hands as needed to form the dough.
- Form the mixture dough into a disc, wrap, and place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This step helps make the dough less sticky and easier to work with.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out about ¼ of an inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes from the dough. Since this is a very delicate dough with almond flour, I suggest remove the excess peices of dough between the shape cutouts instead of trying to lift up the cookie shapes. Once you remove the excess pieces of dough and are left with just the gingerbread shapes, transfer this sheet of parchment paper directly to a cookie pan.
- You may either combine the scraps of the excess dough and re-roll it out to cut out more cookie shapes, or just bake it flat and break it into bark style pieces once it is baked!
- Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly brown. Let the cookies cool completely before serving. Make sure to keep an eye on the cookies as they bake so that they do not burn.
- Optional: Once they cool, mix together the powdered sugar and milk to form the icing to decorate the cookies. Top with festive sprinkles and serve!
Notes
- Keep a close eye on these cookies as they bake because almond flour can burn easily and quickly. The total bake time will depend on how thin you roll out the dough.
- This dough is not as pliable as other doughs, so try to be gentle. I find it easiest to remove the scraps of excess dough around the shapes instead of trying to pick up and transfer the actual gingerbread shapes.
- Decorate your cookies however you’d like! I used a powdered sugar icing but plain yogurt is a great alternative for a sugar-free “frosting” option! I love using these silicone-protected cookie cutters!
Truthfully never a fan of baking cookies only because of the million steps overwhelms me. Until I found your recipes, so simple, easy to find or have in the pantry and my kiddo loves them all! This is a yummy recipe that we all love at home! Thanks
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed these cookies, Sheena!😊
I was wondering if the maple syrup could be replaced with banana or applesauce or would that totally mess them up?
Hi Amanda! I haven’t tested out these cookies with a different source of sweetness so I can’t say for sure but I have a similar recipe for almond flour banana cookies that you could probably add a little ginger spice to instead! They might be harder to shape with gingerbread man cookie cutters but a naturally sweetened option😊 https://feedingtinybellies.com/almond-cookies/
I didn’t see the comment on the oat flour and replaced the almond flour with half oat and half regular flour. Super dry, but amazing flavor! I loved how they weren’t overly sweet. We ate these for breakfast and as dessert. We made the recipe again with almond flour and it was much better moisture wise. We’ll make these again!
I’m happy enjoyed these cookies! And thanks for sharing the tip and note about the flour replacements! Thanks for sharing your great review, Caroline 🙂
How did you get the yogurt on the cookies so neatly? I’d like to avoid using icing, but the little decorative squeezy tubes are the easiest to use
I used a piping bag! I also sometimes put a little yogurt into a ziploc bag and cut off a small tip at the end and use it to pipe out yogurt as well😊