Gluten free vegan molasses cookies are perfectly chewy and crisp…just right for enjoying with a cup of tea! These spiced cookies are a must make recipe for the holiday season.
There’s nothing nicer than some Christmas carols on the radio, a cup of hot chocolate, and a batch of gluten free vegan molasses cookies in the oven. The scent of cinnamon and ginger just says Christmas to me.
If you’re new to gluten free vegan holiday baking, you might wonder if these vegan molasses cookies will taste as good as the original.
Yes, these vegan and gluten free molasses cookies are delicious, chewy, and just as wonderful as the classic recipe.
Some simple substitutions make this recipe easy to make. Almond meal gives these cookies a nice chewy texture. If you can’t do nuts, you could try ground pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. Even oat flour would add a nice contrast to the gluten free flour blend.
How do you make seed flour?
Take the seeds of your choice (make sure they are free of nut cross contamination), and grind them into a fairly fine flour using a mini food processor. If you are grinding a ton of seed flour, you can use a regular food processor, but I find if I’m just making a cup or so, the mini processor works best.
What is the difference between molasses cookies and gingersnaps?
Molasses cookies are chewy, but gingersnaps are usually crispy. Both have a delicious strong and spicy flavor.
How long is molasses good for?
If you store molasses in a cool, dry place, unopened molasses should be good for at least two years. Opened molasses should be good for at least one year. Read more about storing molasses here.
These gluten free vegan molasses cookies are:
- spicy, sweet, and chewy
- perfect for gifting
- a delicious treat to enjoy with a cup of tea
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Gluten Free Vegan Molasses Cookies.
Chewy, spicy, gluten free vegan molasses cookies. This recipe is a classic for the holiday season!
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond meal or oat flour
- ½ cup gluten free flour blend any brand should work
- ½ cup vegan buttery spread
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground flax seed
- 3 Tablespoons water
- ¼ cup molasses
- ½ Tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
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Mix your ground flax seed and water in a small bowl or cup and let sit for about five minutes until it turns to a gel like consistency.
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In a medium bowl, combine flour, almond meal, spices, and baking soda and set aside.
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In a large bowl, mix the buttery spread and sugar. Add the flax egg, vanilla, and molasses and stir.
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Add the dry ingredients a little at a time and stir until combined.
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Refrigerate the dough for at least a half an hour.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
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Take a small amount of dough and roll into a ball – it should be about ¾ of an inch in diameter. Roll in the granulated sugar and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Leave space in between the balls, these cookies will spread quite a bit. You should be able to bake a dozen at a time.
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Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Ten minutes was prefect for my oven – the cookies were thin, but still soft and very chewy. Just a couple minutes more produced crispy cookies. So it’s a fine line between chewy and crispy with these.
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Let cool for five minutes and then transfer to a plate to continue cooling. A wire rack isn’t recommended because these are fragile when they are hot.
Recipe Notes
Now that we can't eat almonds, I make these with oat flour, or a mix of oat flour and pumpkin seed flour.
To make seed flour, just grind the seeds of your choice in a mini food processor until they make a very fine flour.
Store these cookies in an airtight container - they should stay fresh for about one week.
If you want to make the dough ahead of time, you can roll it into a log, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze it. When you're ready to make them, just slice off cookies and bake as usual.
Enjoy!
Want more gluten free Christmas cookie ideas? Take a look at this list of 50 gluten free cookie recipes!
This post was originally published on December 13, 2013. It has been updated to be more allergy friendly.
Sarah Anderson
I just made these for my kids and they are an absolute hit! We’ll be making more to share for the holidays.
Kelly Roenicke
So glad you enjoyed these!
Jennifer
Thank you for coming up with such a delicious recipe for our vegan, gluten-free family. It’s not often we bake something that tastes exactly like the original, and not just “good for being..” gluten free or vegan. This hits the mark! Why make them any other way? :)
Kelly Roenicke
I’m so happy these were a hit! Thank you for letting me know!
Renee
Thank you so much for the recipe. I was craving molasses. I made these and they are so good!!!!!
I did not roll in sugar, and used slightly less sugar in the batter. I will freeze most of them because they are too tempting 😊
Yum, Yum, Yum!!!!
Maggie
I’ve been a little sad this year that I can no longer indulge in my uncle-in-law’s famous molasses cookies…These are BETTER!! I never write comments, but I lurk for people who actually make the recipe, so for anyone debating whether or not to make these, DO IT. Thank you for this recipe! I will use it forever :)
Kelly Roenicke
Yay! Thanks for letting me know! So glad you loved them.
Elie
I belive you preheat the oven only once the dough is in the fridge and not at the beginning of the preparation…otherwise its a precious waste of energy (oven).
:)
Kelly
True! I will adjust that!
Sarah
These are SO good! I can’t stop eating them!
Kelly
Oh good, so glad you like them!
bedstuyfoodie
These look great! Thanks for sharing!
Ginny
Uppercase T is tablespoon and lowercase is teaspoon?
Produce on Parade
Oh my, these look wonderful! I can taste them right now! :)
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
Another great cookie! Bet the molasses gives these great flavors. And you just reminded me it’s Friday the 13th! Haven’t had any bad luck yet, fingers crossed : )
Have fun making earrings today!