Desserts
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies and Gingerbread House
Spiced gluten-free gingerbread cookies from a firm roll-out dough that also bakes into sturdy pieces for a small gingerbread house.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 2 hr 15 min
- Total
- 3 hr 30 min
- Makes
- about 30 cookies or 1 small house
Times are estimates.
Let’s Get Cooking
Ingredients
For about 30 cookies or 1 small house
You’ll Need
- Kitchen scale
- Hand or stand mixer
- Medium bowl and whisk
- Large mixing bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Rolling pin
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheets
- Cookie cutters
- Wire racks
- Stiff paper and a sharp knife (for house templates)
- Piping bag (for icing)
Method
Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour blend, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and baking soda. For house pieces, leave out the baking soda.
Make the Dough
In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with a mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, then the egg. On low speed, add the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix until no dry flour remains. The dough will be soft.
Chill
Divide the dough in half, flatten each piece into a disk about 1 inch thick and wrap it tightly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days, until firm.
Roll and Cut
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) for cookies or 325°F (165°C) for house pieces. Roll one disk between two sheets of parchment paper to an even 1/4 inch. Peel off the top sheet, then cut 3-inch cookies, or cut house pieces around your templates, about 1 inch apart. Lift away the scraps so the shapes stay on the parchment, and slide the parchment onto a baking sheet. Re-roll the scraps, chilling the dough for 10 minutes whenever it turns sticky.
Bake the Cookies
Bake one pan at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops look dry and the edges feel firm. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Or Bake House Pieces
Bake one pan at a time for 25 to 30 minutes, until the centers feel firm. While the pieces are still warm, lay the templates on top and trim the edges straight with a sharp knife. Cool on the pan, then leave the pieces uncovered overnight to dry.
Make the Icing
Plain cookies can skip this step. In a clean, grease-free bowl, beat the powdered sugar, meringue powder and warm water on low until combined, then on high until the icing holds a stiff peak, about 10 minutes. Keep it covered with a damp towel, because it dries quickly. To decorate cookies, thin a little icing with water, a few drops at a time.
Build the House
Pipe a thick line of icing along the bottom edges of one side wall and one end wall and along the corner where they meet, then stand them on a sturdy board and hold until they stay. Add the other two walls the same way and let them set for about 1 hour. Pipe icing along the top edges, set the roof panels in place and prop them until they hold. Pipe a line along the ridge, then let the house dry for several hours or overnight before decorating.
A Little Extra Guidance
Recipe Notes
Ingredient checks, storage, and food handling guidance.
Before You Cook
This dough has two jobs. With a little baking soda, it makes firm, well-spiced cut-out cookies. Leave out the soda and bake the pieces longer, and the same dough makes flat, hard panels for a small gingerbread house. A house takes an extra day, because the pieces dry overnight before you build.
Weigh the flour if you can. A cup of 1-to-1 blend can weigh anywhere from about 120 to about 150 grams depending on the brand, so 4 cups can mean quite different amounts of flour. Use a blend that includes xanthan gum. If yours does not, add 1 tsp xanthan gum with the dry ingredients.
Chilled dough should feel firm and smooth, like modeling clay, and roll out without cracking. If it cracks at the edges, knead in 1 tbsp of water. If it sticks, chill it for another 10 minutes rather than working in more flour. For a dairy-free version, use a firm plant-based baking stick, not a soft tub spread.
Raw flour and raw egg can carry germs, so skip tasting the dough and wash your hands after handling it. The CDC also advises against letting children play with raw dough, so save the little hands for decorating.
Choosing Gluten-Free Ingredients
Check the labels on the flour blend, molasses, meringue powder and any spice blend you use. Single ground spices are normally gluten-free, but blends can add fillers, and some meringue powders are made in facilities that also process wheat. Cookie cutters, rolling pins and sheet pans can hold onto old flour, so wash them well and line your pans with parchment. This recipe contains egg and dairy. See the FDA guide to gluten-free labels.
Making a Gluten-Free Gingerbread House
Cut templates from stiff paper first so the pieces match. One small house needs two side walls, 6 inches long and 3 1/2 inches tall; two end walls, 4 inches wide, 3 1/2 inches tall at the corners and 6 inches tall at the peak; and two roof panels, 7 inches by 4 inches. One batch of dough covers all six pieces, with some left for a few small cookies.
Bake one small scrap first to see how your oven and flour blend behave. The pieces should feel firm when they come out and snap rather than bend once they have cooled and dried. A piece that still bends can go back in a 325°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Underbaked walls can warp or sag, and humid air softens them, so dry the pieces uncovered and away from a steamy kitchen.
Decorating Without Wheat
Candy is where gluten tends to slip in. Licorice is usually made with wheat flour, and regular pretzels, ice cream cones and wafer cookies are made with wheat too. Many cereals include wheat or barley malt. Check every label before it reaches the table, and keep any wheat-based houses or kits on a separate table.
More Holiday Baking
Baking for the holidays? Try our gluten-free Christmas cookies with royal icing, sugar cookies and pecan pie.
Food Handling and Leftovers
Use a food thermometer and the safe cooking temperature chart. Refrigerate perishable food within two hours, or one hour above 90°F, in shallow containers. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below. Use refrigerated cooked leftovers within 3–4 days; reheat cooked leftovers to 165°F. See USDA leftover guidance.
Browse the gluten-free recipe collection.
Storage and Leftovers
Store cooled cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze them for up to 3 months. A decorated house is best treated as a decoration after a few days on display.