Paleo Ginger Cookies (Gluten Free!)
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Let’s bake a batch of Paleo Ginger Cookies! These gluten-free, dairy-free ginger cookies are absolute perfection! Lightly crisp edges and tender in the middle (or not! Your choice!).
Originally posted Sept. 2015. Recipe, post, and photos updated Dec. 2017.
I love hearing other people’s favorite holiday foods. Everyone seems to have a few foods woven throughout their holiday traditions, whether that’s fondue on New Year’s Eve, or waffles for Christmas breakfast, or a special cake for Christmas Eve.
One of my favorite, feels-like-the-holidays treats is a really good ginger cookie. I’m looking for something crispy along the edges and soft in the middle with the perfect sugary-crackle on top. These paleo ginger cookies are exactly that. They’re ginger cookie perfection! Now, let me fill you in on all my secrets…
My first trick is a combination of flours. The texture is just right, thanks to a blend of almond flour and arrowroot (or tapioca starch). The starchy arrowroot keeps them light and crisp, while the almond flour helps them turn golden and gives them enough body. I love that they fill my house with notes of molasses and zingy ginger. Plus, they freeze like a dream, so you can always bake them ahead of time and pull them out when needed. (Like, every night after you tuck your kids in bed, for instance).
Second is chilling the dough and using parchment paper. For a long time, I used to think it was one of those superfluous fancy baking things that people like Martha Stewart and Ina Garten used because they could. Sort of like imported Japanese tea, or Swiss chocolate, or vanilla extract made from the tears of virgin milkmaids.
But it’s real life.
I believe in parchment paper. It’s a DREAM for clean-up and prevents burning. I hardly ever bake without it, and these ginger cookies are no exception. Some ginger cookies have a tendency to scorch on the bottom, and I’ve found that a light-colored baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat) is a fail-proof plan for perfectly baked ginger cookies. (I think even Ina would approve.)
FAQ + TIPS & TRICKS FOR PERFECT PALEO GINGER COOKIES:
LET’S TALK ALMOND FLOUR. You really want to use finely ground, blanched almond flour. It’s got the finest grain and makes a BIG difference in how these bake up. I’ve had good luck with Honeyville almond flour
, Trader Joe’s blanched almond flour, etc.
Because the density of almond flour varies brand to brand depending on how finely ground it is, you may possibly want to add an extra tablespoon or two of almond flour to your dough if you are using a different brand than the ones I’ve mentioned. If you’re nervous, you can bake a test batch with just 2-3 cookies and see how they spread. If they spread more than you like, add a bit more flour and give that a whirl.
DON’T SKIP THIS STEP!!! The chilling step is pretty critical for preventing too much spread. Parchment or a silicone baking mat will also help, so it’s really worth using one. (Not to mention the easy clean-up!)
A NOTE ON SWEETENERS. I’ve made these with both coconut sugar and maple sugar. They’re delicious either way. If you don’t have either one (or don’t follow a paleo diet), you can substitute half white and half brown sugar.
Second, I know that turbinado sugar is NOT paleo approved. It’s an optional step, and one I’m happy to take during the holidays for a treat. I really love the crispy, sugary crunch it gives to the outside of the cookie (not to mention the sparkle!), but if you’re strictly paleo, you can skip that step.
A NOTE ON SHORTENING. If you’re rolling your eyes at the idea of using shortening, I understand. I use Spectrum or Nutiva brands (non-hydrogenated and more sustainably sourced). If you’re not dairy free, butter would also work, so feel free to substitute it in, if you prefer.
LOVE THESE PALEO GINGER COOKIES? YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE OTHER PALEO TREATS…
- Paleo & Vegan Hot Chocolate
- Paleo Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Pudding
- Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
Paleo Ginger Cookies
- Total Time: About 50 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
Paleo Ginger Cookies – These grain free, dairy free ginger cookies are absolute perfection! Lightly crisp edges and tender in the middle (or not! Your choice!).
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (I like Spectrum brand. Butter would also work.)
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp. molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup (about 114g) blanched almond flour (I use Honeyville)
- 1 cup (about 128g) arrowroot flour (sometimes called arrowroot starch)
- optional: 1/4-1/3 cup turbinado sugar (sometimes called Sugar in the Raw) for rolling
Instructions
- In a food processor (or stand mixer, or a bowl with a hand mixer), combine shortening and sugar.
- Add vanilla, molasses, and egg. Pulse (or mix) to combine.
- Add spices, salt, baking soda, almond flour, and arrowroot, and pulse to combine. (Dough will come together in a big ball.)
- Transfer cookie dough to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Pour turbinado sugar into a small dish. Scoop 1″ balls of dough and roll into balls. Dip tops of the balls in sugar and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake 8 cookies at a time at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until golden around the edges but still slightly wet in the centers.
- Let cool 2-3 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes to chill
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Cookies, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
..the tears of a virgin milkmaid… You’re such a fun writer! These look and sound amazing. Seeing your happy children enjoy them makes me want to get started baking today!
I’m sorry you didn’t like them. We just love them! We gift and share them every holiday season.
My husband LOVES ginger cookies! They’re his favorite! Ill have to make these for him soon!
Swoon.
Just made these today – they are delicious! They melt in your mouth. I used homemade lard and a bit of butter in place of the shortening because that’s what I had on hand. 🙂
These look delicious! Do you think I could use coconut oil instead of shortening or butter?
Stephany – I’m *wish* we could! I prefer baking with coconut oil whenever possible, but when I’ve tried it, the cookies spread so much and didn’t get the crackly top. I couldn’t ever really cobble together the right amounts that would offset the spread and texture change. If you try it and have better luck than me, I’d love to know what other adjustments you make!
I used coconut oil, no problems at all with texture. Mind you I didn’t have the “crackle” on top – just a regular biscuit (sorry I’m from NZ, we don’t say cookie haha). Beautiful biscuits, next time I will try with butter because I love the taste butter adds in baking. xx
Well I’m glad the flavor faded! (And I know what you mean about trying cookies warm–I love them!)
I ended up making my cookies half the size of the recommended. I found the smaller cookies easier to bake consistently and it means I have more for people to sample at our event tonight. These are beautifully chewy or you can leave them in longer for a darker crisp ginger cookie.
I bet they’d be great smaller for little bites! What a cute idea!
Why just 8 cookies at a time? Is it to keep the dough from getting too warm or what? Looking forward to trying this recipe.
Marcia – I do 8 at a time for spread. That way they don’t bump into each other 🙂
Can we use all almond flour if we don’t have any arroroot flour?
Jennifer – I’d recommend adding another starch (cornstarch if you can, or tapioca starch). All almond flour will be a bit more dry and crumbly. The starch helps bind it and gives it some softness.
These are AMAZING. I felt like a ginger biscuit and googled ginger paleo baking tonight and chose this link. Yum. I added baking powder instead of B soda – by mistake and they turned out fine, crunchy and yummy. also I didn’t have arrowroot so used Tigernut (not a nut, an African tuber
powder) and perfect. yum, will be making them weekly I reckon. thank you Emily!
Thank you so much for sharing Carrie!!!
These are so crispy and tasty that we all look forward to baking these. I’m Paleo because grains make be ill but cookies like these make no looking back so easy.
Do you happen to know the nutrition breakdown? Mostly carbs?
Sharon – I don’t have the nutrition facts available yet. You can try plugging them into a free online calculator–MyFitnessPal is my favorite 🙂
I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like you have some good ideas for next time you make them!
Can I use ghee instead?
You probably could, but I haven’t tried it before, so I can’t guarantee it. Do know that the strong buttery taste of ghee will probably come through, and there’s a chance your cookies will come out thinner because of the structural difference between non-hydrogenated shortening and ghee. You *may* want to bake a single test cookie from the dough to see how it goes. If your cookie spreads a LOT, you can add 1-2 Tbsp of the flours to help give it more structure.
We’ve made these over and over again, and they’re amazing!! They’re our favorite cookie to make when traveling since they pack well and last well. Based on the comments in the reviews about the baking soda, I always use half of what the recipe calls for and they turn out beautifully. Well done on a great recipe!!
Then, today, we had a hankering for a sugar cookie and couldn’t find a recipe that suited us. We decided to go to this recipe since we love its taste and texture and see if it would modify. We left out the ginger and cinnamon, subbed the molasses with maple syrup, and increased the vanilla extract to 1.5 tsp. They’re wonderful!
Hi! Can I use tapioca flour instead of arrowroot?
Cheyenne – Absolutely! 🙂