Chewy Gluten Free Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Crispy on the outside, perfectly chewy on the inside and bursting with holiday flavor. These chewy gluten free Chocolate Molasses Cookies are sure to be a holiday favorite! Go ahead, eat more than one!
Servings: 20
Calories: 206kcal
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 ¼ cups super fine almond flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup raw almond butter I like Trader Joe's Raw Almond Butter
- ½ cup organic molasses regular, not blackstrap
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
Dipping Chocolate, optional:
- 1 cup dairy free chocolate chips
- 2-3 tablespoons non-dairy milk soy, almond, or oat work well
- Peppermint Sprinkles
- 1-2 vegan candy canes crushed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the almond butter, molasses and maple syrup until well combined and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until well combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the ingredients are fully combined. The dough will be sticky - this is how you want it.
- Drop about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough onto the cookie sheet. I used two spoons - one to scoop the dough and the other to help get it off the first spoon onto the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the dough about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. The cookies will still be soft at this point. Let them cool on the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will set and flatten out a bit as they cool.
- To make the dipping chocolate, if using, whisk the chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk in a double boiler over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Add an additional tablespoon of non-dairy milk if needed to reach desired consistency. When the cookies are cooled, dip each one in the chocolate about half way and place back on the wire rack or on a piece of parchment. Immediately sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the chocolate (optional). Let them sit until the chocolate is set.
Notes
~ Use super fine ground almond flour. Do not sub for another flour! Scoop the almond flour straight out of the bag/container, but don't purposely pack it in, and then level off with the back of a knife.
~ Use unsweetened cocoa powder so as not to make the cookies too sweet.
~ Make sure your spices are fresh and fragrant. Old spices lose their potency and won't offer the same big flavors we are looking for.
~ Make sure your almond butter is runny and drippy! Heat it for a few seconds in the microwave if it's too thick.
~ Use dark or robust molasses for the best gingerbread flavor. Light molasses will work, but won't be as flavorful. Do not use blackstrap molasses - it's too strong, bitter, and not sweet enough.
~ The dough will be quite sticky. This is what you want. Do NOT add more flour because you think it's too sticky...it's not! Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate all the ingredients.
~ Do not over bake the molasses cookies. They should only take about 8 minutes and will firm up and flatten out a bit more as they cool.
~ Let them cool completely before dipping in chocolate, if using.
~ To make a double boiler fill a pot with an inch or two of water and place a glass bowl over the pot. Add the chocolate chips to the glass bowl and turn on the heat to medium-low. Once the chocolate chips start to melt add a couple of tablespoons of non-dairy milk and whisk until silky smooth.
You can also do this in the microwave. Add the chocolate chips and milk to a microwave safe bowl and heat in 20 to 30 second increments, stirring after each, until smooth and silky.
~ Sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies on the dipped chocolate, if using, while it's still warm.
~ Nutritional information calculated without the additional dipping chocolate and peppermint candies.
Nutrition
Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 313mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 3.2mg