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Home » Desserts » Frosted Molasses Cookies (Gluten Free, Vegan).

Frosted Molasses Cookies (Gluten Free, Vegan).

Oct 1, 2019 · Modified: Dec 12, 2022 by Kelly Roenicke · 15 Comments

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molasses cookie recipe

Soft and chewy frosted molasses cookies are a classic holiday treat. These deliciously spiced cookies are vegan, gluten free, and nut free! A swirl of dairy free buttercream is the perfect finishing touch.

frosted molasses cookies on a blue plate

How soon is too soon to think about baking Christmas cookies?

Not that frosted molasses cookies have to be just for the holidays. I think anything with molasses or ginger or spice goes pretty well with fall, too!

Once there is any hint of chill in the air, my youngest son starts asking for gingerbread men. Which I’m happy to make at any time of year. But if you don’t have time to roll out and cut cookies, these frosted molasses cookies might be a good substitution.

They are perfectly spiced, soft, chewy, and so yummy with some dairy free frosting on top.

If you don’t love frosting, these are wonderful plain, too! You could also press some pumpkin seeds into the top of the cookies before baking for a little crunch.

Jump to:
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Substitutions
  • Baking Tips
  • Storage
  • Freezing
  • More Allergy Friendly Desserts
  • Recipe
molasses cookies on a wire cooling rack

Ingredient Notes

  • Gluten Free Flour Blend – I used Namaste Perfect Flour Blend, and it worked really well in this recipe. The cookies are so chewy and tender. If that brand of flour doesn’t work for you, you could try Gluten Free 123, Now Foods Gluten Free Flour, or any blend that works for your particular dietary needs.
  • Non-Dairy Milk – Try to use a neutral tasting milk that works for your dietary needs. I used unsweetened coconut milk, but rice milk, soy milk, or even flax milk would probably all work just fine. You could even use a little water if you prefer.
  • Vegan Buttery Spread – I used Earth Balance Soy Free Spread. You could use the Earth Balance Baking Sticks if you prefer. I don’t recommend using oil. If you use oil, the texture will be very different. You could use palm shortening if you can’t find or can’t use vegan buttery spread.

Substitutions

  • You can use regular flour if you are not gluten free. You could also use regular butter if you aren’t dairy free.
  • I don’t recommend using only coconut flour or only almond flour in this recipe. You could substitute up to ¾ cup of almond flour for ¾ of GF flour if you like.
  • If you can’t have applesauce, try pear puree or pumpkin puree instead.
gluten free molasses cookies with icing

Baking Tips

  • If you chill the cookie dough, that can keep cookies from flattening out during baking.
  • Don’t make the cookie dough balls too big, and flatten slightly with your hand. That way they should hold their shape during baking.
  • Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper so that the cookies don’t stick to the pan.
rolling out cookies

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Storage

To make sure these cookies stay fresh, store them in an airtight container. You can also place a piece of gluten free bread inside to keep some moisture in there.

cookies on cookie sheet

Freezing

This cookie dough would work well for freezing. Just roll the dough into balls and flatten slightly with your hand. Freeze the dough balls on a cookie sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag once frozen. They should stay fresh in the freezer for 3 months.

stack of molasses cookies on plate

More Allergy Friendly Desserts

  • 25 Delectable Egg Free Desserts Your Family Will Love.
  • Gluten Free Apple Muffins (Vegan, Nut Free).
  • Dairy Free Chocolate Covered Strawberries.
  • Chocolate Coconut Candy Bites.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Recipe

gluten free frosted molasses cookies
5 from 4 votes
Print

Frosted Molasses Cookies (Gluten Free, Vegan).

Chewy molasses cookies are topped with a sweet and creamy frosting for a delicious treat!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Dairy Free, gluten free, vegan.
Keyword chewy, easy
Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 19 minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 162 kcal
Author Kelly Roenicke

Ingredients

For the cookies:

  • 2 cups gluten free flour blend I used Namaste Perfect Flour Blend, you could use all-purpose flour if you are not gluten free
  • 1¾ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • pinch ground cloves
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup vegan buttery spread
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
  • ¼ cup organic cane sugar
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

  • 3 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1-2 Tablespoons non-dairy milk I used SO Delicious unsweetened coconut milk
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the vegan buttery spread and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the molasses, maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla extract and continue to mix until smooth.
  3. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time while continuing to mix on low speed.
  4. Once dough is mixed, place in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour. If you're in a hurry, you can stick the dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

  6. Roll chilled dough into balls that are about one inch wide. Place on the cookie sheet and flatten slightly. You should be able to fit 12 cookies on each sheet.

  7. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 9-10 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet, then move to a rack to finish cooling.

Make the frosting:

  1. Cream the vegan buttery spread and vanilla extract. Sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time, alternating with adding a little non-dairy milk until the frosting is the consistency you want.

  2. Frost cooled cookies.

  3. Dust each frosted cookie with a little cinnamon sugar or sprinkles if you wish.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition facts are for one cookie with frosting.

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

To make them last longer, you can leave them unfrosted and store the frosting in the refrigerator and the cookies at room temperature if you wish for up to 5 days.

Nutrition Facts
Frosted Molasses Cookies (Gluten Free, Vegan).
Amount per Serving
Calories
162
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
5
g
8
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Sodium
 
103
mg
4
%
Potassium
 
61
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
 
30
g
10
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
23
g
26
%
Protein
 
1
g
2
%
Vitamin A
 
249
IU
5
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
22
mg
2
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Related

« Easy Lentil Potato Curry (Vegan, Gluten Free).
Scrumptious Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Icing. »

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Desserts, food, Gluten Free, Holiday Cookies, Nut Free, Recipes, Sweets, Vegan Tagged With: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Fish Free, Garlic Free, Gluten Free, Mustard Free, Nut Free, Onion Free, Peanut Free, Sesame Free, Shellfish Free, Soy Free, top 8 allergy free recipe, Tree Nut Free

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Kelly Roenicke
Kelly Roenicke
Mom to two boys with food allergies and sensitivities, Kelly is passionate about allergy friendly cooking and baking. She believes that you can enjoy amazing, easy recipes even when cooking for multiple food allergies.
Kelly Roenicke
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Niara

    December 21, 2022 at 12:14 pm

    I made these cookies and they were DELICIOUS!!! But how can I make them be a bigger cookie and what would be the adjustment to the baking time for that?

    Reply
    • Kelly Roenicke

      December 21, 2022 at 12:57 pm

      So glad you liked them! I would just make them a little larger, and start out by adding a few minutes of baking time. Keep an eye on them, and watch the middles to see if they are baked through.

      Reply
      • Niara Isley

        December 22, 2022 at 6:00 pm

        5 stars
        Thank you!

        Reply
  2. Donna

    December 09, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    5 stars
    I just finished eating some of these cookies warm from the oven…absolutely delightful! I added some diced chrystallized ginger for an extra ginger kick. I did not frost them, as I think they are sweet enough as is. This is a recipe I definitely want to make again! Thank you for providing recipes that are allergen friendly.

    Reply
  3. Katie

    October 01, 2019 at 9:30 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe!

    Reply
  4. Trinity Brill

    November 25, 2016 at 4:29 pm

    5 stars
    These cookies are delicious! I was craving them and hadn’t had them in years, and so i just made these. These will now be a Christmas staple :)

    Reply
  5. Julia

    December 07, 2015 at 9:14 am

    My gosh, these cookies look absolutely perfect! I’m all about a good gingerbready-molasses cookie and that frosting on top is making my mouth water. Can I pretty please eat the whole batch for breakfast? Please and thank you!

    Reply
    • Kelly

      December 08, 2015 at 9:25 am

      Thanks, Julia! :)

      Reply
  6. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    December 07, 2015 at 8:42 am

    What a pretty cookie! I love how thick these bake up. SO perfect!

    Reply
    • Kelly

      December 08, 2015 at 9:26 am

      Thanks, Gayle!

      Reply
  7. Rachel @ Bakerita

    December 06, 2015 at 3:27 pm

    These cookies are absolutely adorable, and look amazingly delicious!! Love that they’re gluten-free.

    Reply
    • Kelly

      December 08, 2015 at 9:28 am

      Thank you, Rachel!

      Reply
  8. whiskandshout

    December 04, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    These molasses cookies look fabulous! Would also love to try these with a vegan cream cheese frosting :)

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Vegan Eggnog Pudding Recipe (Dairy-Free Holidays) says:
    December 2, 2016 at 11:35 pm

    […] Frosted Molasses Cookies from prettybeeblog […]

    Reply
  2. Vegan Eggnog Pudding + 20 Sweet Ways to Enjoy the Dairy-Free Holidays • Freebie City | Freebie City says:
    December 21, 2015 at 7:37 pm

    […] Frosted Molasses Cookies from prettybeeblog […]

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Kelly, and I believe that you can enjoy amazing, easy recipes even when cooking for multiple food allergies.

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