Gluten Free Chewy Glazed Molasses Cookies

I am a big fan of molasses. There’s something about the tar-like jar of deeply earthy, sticky, caramelly syrup that nestles perfectly into childhood memories, ghosts of holiday bakings past, and evokes that golden moment of a hot slice of cornbread slathered with butter, waiting for a smear of this edible black gold. It’s richer than other syrups, heavy with hidden flavors and notes you wouldn’t find in honey or maple syrup, and the silky depth of it’s dark ooze is far more dangerously fun than either. The molasses glaze I made for these chewy gluten free molasses cookies is by far one of my favorites (and I’ve made a LOT of glazes in the last year – just trying to cover up the mess that was 2020, perhaps). The cookies are also a dream – light, with a slight chew, heavily spiced, and perfect as gifts.

I made these for the first time earlier this year (I think? Time has become a bit of a loose thread since 2019), when Christina, my friend living in Vienna, Austria, asked if I could help her get a gift to her mom in Michigan. Seeing as international post is a bit of a tricky beast, I baked these and then used a handy flat rate USPS box (support them, y’all!) to get it to her for Mother’s Day. I’d never made glazed molasses cookies before, and I know these aren’t quite the traditional aesthetic, but they’re dang good! The criss-crosses of vanilla and molasses glaze are (quite literally) the icing on top.

If you’re looking for other cookies to ship to friends and family this holiday season, check out our caramel stuffed macadamia nut cookies, or these lovely chocolate hazelnut cookies, or these classic “nutter butter” look alikes, or these almond and white chocolate sprinkle cookies, or these oatmeal cream pies, or these gingerbread cookies, or these tahini chocolate chunk cookies, or these chocolate chunk pistachio cookies, or these ultra-rich chocolate cookies sandwiched with peanut butter butter cream!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Gluten Free Chewy Molasses Cookies

These perfectly soft, chewy and rich molasses cookies are topped with two optional vanilla and ginger glazes

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Chilling time1 hour hr

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: cookies, ginger, gingerbread, glazed, gluten free, molasses, molasses cookies

Servings: 48 cookies

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• Cookie sheet
• Electric mixer

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 3/4 Cup salted butter at room temperature 170g
• 1/2 Cup dark brown sugar 120g
• 1/2 Cup white sugar 127g
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1/3 Cup molasses or treacle 127g
• 1 1/4 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix 245g
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 Cup cornstarch or cornflour (UK) 145g
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the ginger molasses glaze OPTIONAL

• 1 Cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp milk
• 2 tsp molasses or treacle
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

For the vanilla glaze OPTIONAL

• 1 Cup powdered sugar
• 1-1.5 Tbsp milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• First, in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and brown and white sugars until lighter and fluffy. Add in the egg, egg white, and molasses/treacle and beat until smooth and lighter. Then mix in the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch/cornflour, all spices, and baking soda and salt until combined. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky (if it's very sticky, add a bit more flour and mix). Scoop out dough into a small bowl and cover, then chill in the fridge for at least an hour (can be overnight).
• Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit/180 Celcius and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Then, scoop teaspoons of the cookie dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2-3 inches apart on cookie sheets (do not flatten cookies!). Bake for 11-12 minutes (do not overbake or cookies will be dry and crumbly). Let cool completely before eating or glazing.
• These cookies are lovely on their own, but if you would like to add glazes, you can! If so: while cookies are cooling, make glazes. Use two cereal/every-day use bowls. In one, combine the ingredients for the ginger molasses glaze and stir vigorously with a small spoon until thick and smooth. You don't want the glaze too runny or it won't harden. In the other bowl, combine ingredients for the vanilla glaze and stir with spoon until smooth and combined.
• Once cookies are cooled, glaze them (totally optional!). I put each glaze into a piping bag (without a piping tip) or a ziplock bag, and then snip off the very tip so that just a drizzle of glaze will come out. You can glaze the cookies however you want! Then enjoy!

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cookies!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber