Gluten-Free Gingernut Cookies

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My Gluten-Free Gingernut Cookies are so easy to make and full of delicious flavour. They are gently sweet, thin and crispy with a generous amount of warmth from the ground ginger. Enjoy the crunch of these Ginger Cookies with a cup of coffee or tea – they are ideal for dunking!

Stack of cookies sitting on some baking paper, with tray of cookies in background.

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Why we love this recipe:
Ingredients in this recipe:
Step by step instructions:
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Gluten-Free Gingernut Cookies

Why we love this recipe:

Cookies in the style of gingernuts are popular throughout the world. Some are known as ginger biscuits or ginger snap cookies. This old family recipe for Gingernut Cookies comes from a great-aunt of mine. I have adapted it to make it gluten-free.

We did not want a bland cookie so there’s no skimping with the spice. You will love the deep warmth which the ginger gives this crunchy cookie.

Ingredients in this recipe:

Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.

Gluten-free self-raising flour – I use a commercially produced flour blend that contains either xanthan or guar gum to stabilise and provide structure to our recipes. If your flour blend already contains either of these gums, there is no need to add more. Not all gluten-free flour blends are equal. It may take trial and error to find one which you like.

Sugar – I use regular white sugar.

Ground ginger – adds warmth, a spicy note and fragrance to baking.

Baking/bi-carbonate of Soda – is an alkaline leavening agent. It is used in baking when there’s an acidic ingredient, such as golden syrup. It is different to baking powder.

Butter – adds richness and flavour.

Golden Syrup – this sweetener is readily available in the UK, Australia and New Zealand and is now available in the international section of some grocery stores in the USA.

Egg – I use large eggs.

Step by step instructions:

Steps 1-4 of preparing this recipe in a photo collage - adding dry ingredients to a bowl, melting the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan, combining the wet and dry ingredients in a bowl and the cookie balls on sheet pan.

To begin, line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper and pre-heat your oven.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix them together.
Melt the butter over low heat and set it aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Add the golden syrup to the melted butter and stir to combine. Lightly beat the egg, and add to the butter mixture, stirring until all the ingredients are well combined.
Add the golden syrup mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Roll into small balls and place onto the prepared baking tray. Leave plenty of space as the cookies will spread. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and after 2 or 3 minutes, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

Tips for success and FAQs:

The most important tip with these easily made cookies is that your ground ginger needs to be fresh. If you use ginger which you have had for some time, the flavour may be flat and dull as spices lose their vibrancy over time.

You will need to leave plenty of room between each cookie as they spread a lot, becoming thin and crispy. This means you need to cook them in batches.

These Gluten-Free Gingernut Cookies are soft when you remove them from the oven but become crispy as they cool.

Cookies or biscuits?

In Australia, we more commonly use the British term “biscuit” for the sweet treat we enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. However, in the USA a biscuit is closer to what we call a scone and their sweet treat which may accompany tea, coffee or a glass of milk is a “cookie”.

So, whilst in Australia, we may say that a biscuit is a cookie, in the USA a cookie is not a biscuit. We aim to avoid confusion.

Are there nuts in gingernuts?

No, they are nut-free. You may wonder why they are called ginger nuts when they do not contain nuts. One theory is that they are crispy, like a nutshell.

Do I need to chill the dough before baking?

We often chill cookie dough before baking to avoid the cookies spreading. However, it is not necessary to chill the dough for my Gluten-Free Gingernut Cookies as they are supposed to be nice and thin, so we want them to spread.

How long will the Gluten-Free Gingernut Cookies last?

When completely cold, store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Can the cookies be frozen?

Yes, they can. Allow them to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container for up to three months.

Can the cookie dough be frozen?

Yes, it can. The dough can be frozen for up to three months. Allow to defrost before baking.

More delicious recipes for you to try:

Here are some more of our favourite cookie recipes:

My Gluten-Free Gingernut Cookies are a great addition to your cookie/biscuit baking repertoire. You will find many ways to enjoy them. As I mentioned above, they are the ideal dunking cookie. Add some to lunch boxes, serve with our No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream for textural and flavour contrast, or pack some in cellophane bags and tie with a pretty ribbon as gifts.

Alex xx