Gluten-free gingerbread men with molasses, warm spices and sturdy broad-limbed shapes for simple holiday decorating.
Broad limbs make the gluten-free figures easier to lift from parchment. The flour blend supplies its own xanthan gum, so no separate gum addition is needed. Let each tray rest before moving the cookies and check the labels on optional decorations.
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Gluten-Free Gingerbread Men Recipe
Per tray: 8–12 minutes · 3 trays of 12 people on 13 × 18-inch pans
Allow 151 minutes: 35 hands-on, 60 chilling, 36 for all baking trays, 20 cooling. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Small saucepan, bowl and sturdy spoon
- Rolling pin with 1/4-inch guides
- 3-inch gingerbread man cutter
- Two 13 × 18-inch pans and parchment
- Wide offset spatula and cooling rack
- US measures and scale
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Melt & season
- Gently melt butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in sugar, molasses, salt and spices until evenly combined. Let cool until lukewarm before beating in the egg.
Combine
- Whisk the specified gluten-free flour blend with baking powder and baking soda, then mix into the wet ingredients until no dry flour remains. Dough will be sticky; do not add more flour.
Firm the dough
- Divide into two flattened rectangles, wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 60 minutes, until cold and firm enough to roll. Chilling firms the butter and lets the flour hydrate.
Shape
- Heat to 350°F (175°C) conventional or 325°F (165°C) fan. Roll cold dough between parchment to 1/4 inch. Cut 3-inch gingerbread men with broad limbs. Lift with a wide spatula and space 1 inch apart. Keep unused dough refrigerated.
Check doneness
- Bake one tray at a time for 8–12 minutes. Check at 8 minutes, especially with fan: edges should darken slightly and surfaces look set. Smaller shapes finish sooner.
Cool before icing
- Rest on the pan 5 minutes until safe to lift, then transfer to a rack for about 15 minutes or until fully cool. Optional prepared cookie icing may be used according to its packaging; it is additional to this dough formula.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Keep the blend and its xanthan gum
The specified Measure for Measure blend already contains xanthan gum. Do not add extra gum; use the same gluten-free blend when dusting the rolling surface.
Keep the full chill
Sticky warm dough firms during the hour in the refrigerator; adding extra flour can dry it out.
Lift with support
Slide a wide spatula under the entire person and let baked cookies rest before moving.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | 3–4 days | Cool completely, then store airtight in a cool room. |
| Refrigeration | Raw dough: up to 2 days | Wrap dough tightly. Plain baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze portions airtight; thaw covered in the refrigerator before baking. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze cooled cookies airtight. Thaw covered at room temperature. |
| Restoring | Before serving | Warm undecorated cookies briefly at 300°F for 3–5 minutes if desired; cool before decorating. |
Notes
- Use the gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend with xanthan gum specified here. It is not interchangeable with plain rice flour or almond flour. The dough contains milk and egg. Check spice, flour and optional icing labels and keep preparation surfaces free of wheat flour. Optional white icing faces add decorating and drying time.
- No separate xanthan gum is required with this blend. A blend without gum needs its own developed recipe and cannot be substituted here by adding an arbitrary amount of xanthan.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use plain rice flour?
No. This formula uses a measure-for-measure baking blend with a binder such as xanthan gum.
Why do the arms break?
Very narrow cutters, warm dough or moving cookies too soon can cause breakage. Use broad shapes and cool on the pan first.
Are these dairy-free?
No. The dough includes butter and egg; gluten-free describes the flour, not all allergens.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
