Okay, so I’ve been on this huge baking kick lately, and with the holidays coming up, I had to try making gingerbread cookies. But, plot twist: I needed them to be dairy-free and gluten-free for my friend Sarah. Challenge accepted!
First, I gathered all my ingredients. This was a bit of a scavenger hunt, to be honest. I needed stuff like:
- Gluten-free flour blend (I used one with xanthan gum already in it)
- Almond flour – adds a nice texture, I think
- Spices! Ginger (obviously), cinnamon, cloves, allspice – the works
- Molasses – for that classic gingerbread flavor
- Coconut oil (instead of butter) – had to make sure it was solid, like butter would be
- Dairy-free milk (I went with almond milk)
- An egg for binding the dough.
- Brown sugar – I love the sweetness, my favorite.
- Baking soda & Baking powder
I started by creaming together the softened coconut oil and brown sugar. It took a little longer than butter would, but it eventually got nice and fluffy. Then, I beat in the egg and molasses until everything was well combined.
In a separate bowl, I whisked together all the dry ingredients: the gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and all those glorious spices. Gotta make sure those are evenly distributed, you know?
Next, I gradually added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a dough started to form. It was a bit crumbly at first, but I just kept mixing (and maybe added a splash more almond milk) until it came together. I divided the dough and made two balls, then covered them with plastic wrap and popped them in the fridge.
Chilling and Rolling.
I let the dough chill for at least 2 hours. It needed that, so it can be easy to handle.
Once the dough was nice and firm, I preheated my oven to 350°F (175°C). Then, I took one disc of dough out of the fridge, put in on the floured surface. And rolled it out to about 1/4 inch thick. This is where the fun part began – using cookie cutters! I went with classic gingerbread men and some cute little stars.
Baking.
I carefully placed the cut-out cookies onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper and baked them for about 8-10 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden brown. The time is depended on the size and thickness of the cookie.
I let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. And that’s it! Dairy-free, gluten-free gingerbread cookies, ready to be devoured. They turned out pretty great, if I do say so myself – perfectly spiced, nice and chewy, and Sarah loved them! I think I will try a new recipe next time.
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