Soft Molasses Cookies (gluten-free + egg-free + vegan)

Ali Segersten

Welcome to Christmas Cookie season! Today I am sharing my recipe for gluten-free and egg-free soft molasses cookies. These cookies are delicious and so easy to make, I am sure you will enjoy them. Although I normally use Sucanat to sweeten them (unrefined dried cane juice), I have also tried making them using coconut sugar. I brought a batch, made with coconut sugar, to our large Thanksgiving gathering this year and they were a hit with the children! I have a 2-pound bag of coconut sugar I am giving away today, so be sure to leave a comment to enter!

The trick to making perfect molasses cookies is to CHILL the dough for at least an hour or more! If you are hasty and don't wait for the dough to chill completely, the fat will spread quickly while baking before the other ingredients have a chance to set up. This leads to very flat, thin cookies. The dough can actually be chilled for days before baking. I store mine in a large, tightly covered glass container. I don't use plastic wrap if I don't have too.

Recipe from our Meal Planner

Soft Molasses Cookies

Vegan Gluten-Free Soft Molasses Cookies
Servings
18 cookies
Cook Time
15 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes

Soft, warm molasses cookies straight from my mother’s kitchen were one of my favorite cookies as a child. I love the rich flavor of molasses combined with the warming, spicy flavors of the cinnamon and ginger. Here I have made them vegan and gluten-free, and still just as delicious as I remember them.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 cups sorghum flour
½ cups tapioca flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
½ teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoons cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

¾ cups organic palm shortening
1 cups sucanat (or coconut sugar)
½ cups blackstrap molasses
¼ cups unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons ground golden flaxseeds
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
  1. To start, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature, especially the applesauce.
  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the sorghum flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, sea salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the palm shortening, sugar, and molasses together with an electric mixer. Add the applesauce, vanilla, and ground flax seeds; beat for another 60 seconds.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat together. Continue to beat for another minute or until the ingredients are well-combined and the dough thickens.
  5. Cover bowl with a plate and chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or place dough in a sealed glass container for longer chilling).
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a large cookie sheet.
  7. Remove bowl from refrigerator and form dough into little balls with the palms of your hands. Place each ball on the greased cookie sheet spaced out by about 2 inches.
  8. Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes (shorter for smaller cookies, longer for larger cookies). Watch carefully as the cookies can burn easily. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

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Posted In
cookies Christmas baked goods Coconut sugar dessert egg-free GF/CF Winter holidays rice-free vegan giveaways recipe
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About the Author

Alissa Segersten, MS, CN

Alissa Segersten, MS, CN, is the founder of Nourishing Meals®, an online meal-planning membership with over 2000 nourishing recipes and tools to support dietary change and better health. As a functional nutritionist, professional recipe developer, and author of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, Nourishing Meals, and co-author of The Elimination Diet, she helps people overcome health challenges through food. A mother of five, Alissa understands the importance of creating nutrient-dense meals for the whole family. Rooted in science and deep nourishment, her work makes healthy eating accessible, empowering thousands to transform their well-being through food.

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