Gluten-Free Almond Flour Gingerbread Man Cookies
Make my Gluten-Free Almond Flour Gingerbread Man Cookies for a healthier holiday treat! These naturally sweetened cookies are full of warm gingerbread flavor from molasses, ginger, and cinnamon. Perfect for cookie exchanges or family traditions, they’re soft, chewy, and gluten-free with almond flour, coconut sugar, and maple syrup.
Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread Girl and Boy Cookies with Almond Flour Recipe
- Classic gingerbread flavor: All the spiced warmth of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon in every bite.
- Naturally sweetened: Made with coconut sugar, maple syrup, and organic powdered sugar for a cleaner, less processed treat.
- Fun for the holidays: Use your favorite cookie cutters to make these cookies a perfect addition to Christmas cookie exchanges.
- Gluten-free and family-friendly: Almond flour keeps them gluten-free, so everyone can enjoy these soft, chewy cookies.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here is everything you need to make the best-tasting gluten-free almond flour gingerbread man cookies:
Almond Flour: This recipe has been written for almond flour. Do not use almond meal. Fine almond flour works best. But you can replace up to 1/2 of the almond flour with oat flour to achieve a similar consistency. I do not recommend any gluten-free flour blend or white flour substitutions.
Tapioca Flour: Also known as tapioca starch. You can replace it with arrowroot flour, arrowroot starch, or cornstarch.
Coconut Sugar: Use brown sugar, maple sugar, or a sugar substitute like erythritol for a lower-calorie option.*
Baking Powder: If you need a gluten-free option, make sure your baking powder is labeled gluten-free.
Ground Cinnamon: You can omit or use 1/2 as much nutmeg or allspice as substitutions.
Dried Ginger: Also known as ground ginger. Freshly grated ginger can be used as a substitute. Adjust the quantity to taste.
Salt: Any regular table salt or sea salt can be used.
Molasses: Blackstrap molasses, honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar can be a substitute. Keep in mind that this may alter the flavor slightly.
Coconut Oil: Substitute with melted butter, ghee, or melted vegan butter.*
Maple Syrup: Honey or agave syrup can be used as alternatives.
Milk: Choose any dairy or non-dairy milk of your choice, such as almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk.
Organic Powdered Sugar: Regular powdered sugar can be used.
*I have not tested these substitutions.
How to Make My Gluten-Free Gingerbread Man Cookies Recipe
Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine your dry ingredients, including almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, dried ginger, and salt. Mix with a spatula or electric mixer until well combined.
Make a well in the center of your dry mixture and add your wet ingredients, including molasses, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Fold in with a spatula. Adjust the amount of milk based on the consistency of the dough. (See Recipe Notes)
Step 2: Cut Out the Cookies
Cut a large piece of parchment paper and fold it in half. On a flat surface, place the dough in between the two halves of parchment paper and roll dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use gingerbread man cookie cutters to cut out shapes and transfer them to the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 9 minutes. They will appear soft but will firm up as they cool.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 3: Decorate the Cookies
In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and butter until you achieve a smooth icing consistency.
Once the cookies are completely cooled, use a piping bag or a small snack bag with a small clipped corner to pipe the icing on top of the cookies. Allow the icing to set before serving.
Almond Flour Gingerbread Man Cookie Recipe Notes
Dough Sweetness: Sample the dough before rolling. You can adjust the sweetness if desired by adding more coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Consistency of the Dough: After mixing wet ingredients into the dough, it will be slightly crumbly, and that is okay. Test it by rolling about 1 tablespoon of dough in your hand into a ball. If it holds together, your dough is perfect. If it’s still too crumbly, add 1 tablespoon of milk. If it’s too wet and sticking to your hands, add 1 tablespoon of almond flour.
Rolling the Dough: Rolling the dough between the two sheets of parchment paper eliminates the need for rolling them on a messy, floured surface.
Rolling Thickness: Roll the dough to a uniform thickness of about 1/4 inch for even baking. Thicker cookies may require slightly longer baking times.
Icing Consistency: Adjust the amount of milk in the icing to achieve your desired consistency. Add more milk for a thinner icing or more powdered sugar for a thicker one.
Here are a few more of my Healthier Christmas Cookie recipes I recommend:
- Gluten-Free Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten-Free Iced Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
Gluten-Free Almond Flour Gingerbread Man Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookie Dough:
- 1-2/3 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon milk (1-2 tablespoons as needed)
Icing:
- 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons milk
- 1 teaspoon butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine your dry ingredients, including almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, dried ginger, and salt. Mix with a spatula or electric mixer until well combined.Make a well in the center of your dry mixture and add your wet ingredients, including molasses, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Fold in with a spatula. Adjust the amount of milk based on the consistency of the dough. (See Recipe Notes)
- Cut a large piece of parchment paper and fold it in half. Place the dough in between the two halves of parchment paper and roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use gingerbread man cookie cutters to cut out shapes and transfer them to the prepared cookie sheet.Bake in the preheated oven for 9 minutes. They will appear soft but will firm up as they cool.Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and butter until you achieve a smooth icing consistency.Once the cookies are completely cooled, use a piping bag or a small snack bag with a small clipped corner to pipe the icing on top of the cookies. Allow the icing to set before serving.
Video
What is the difference in taste and texture between these and the ginger molasses cookies?
Hi Lea, the gingerbread man cookies are firmer, so they hold their shape. The ginger cookies have an egg in them and bake softer and more cake-like 🙂