Thick and chewy gingerbread cookies are dark, spiced, and stamped into festive shapes that hold their edges in the oven. Blackstrap molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves give them their deep warmth while almond flour keeps the crumb tender. Twenty gingerbread people or thirty cookies, and they decorate like a dream.
MAKES 20 GINGERBREAD PEOPLE OR 30 COOKIES
Ingredients
3 cups (720 ml) almond flour
¾ cup palm sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (180 ml) coconut oil, softened
¾ cup blackstrap molasses
2 tablespoons (30 ml) coconut milk
Preparation
1.В В Process the flour, palm sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt together in a food processor until combined (about 10 seconds). Add the coconut oil and process until the mixture is very fine and sandy (about 15 seconds). With the machine running, add the molasses and the coconut milk in a steady stream through the feed tube and continue to process until the dough comes together (about 10 seconds).
2.В В Divide the dough into two even pieces and roll each out to a quarter-inch thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between parchments, stack them on a baking sheet and freeze until firm (15 to 20 minutes).
3.В В Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
4.В В Working with one piece of dough at a time, transfer dough to a clean counter and gently remove the top sheet of parchment. Stamp out cookies using cookie-cutters. Transfer the cookies to prepared baking sheets with a thin metal spatula, spaced about ¾ inch apart.
5.В В Bake the cookies until they are light golden brown and show a slight resistance to touch (8 to 11 minutes), switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. (Do not overbake.)
6.В В Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire rack before serving.
Pro Tips
- Freeze the rolled dough sheets until firm before stamping — gingerbread spreads fast and the frozen fifteen minutes is what saves the cutter shapes.
- The dough is mixed entirely in the food processor; a steady stream of molasses and coconut milk through the feed tube brings it together in seconds.
- Bake until the cookies show slight resistance to touch and no longer. Overbaked gingerbread goes from chewy to jaw-breaking with startling speed.
- Roll to a true quarter-inch thickness — thicker cookies stay raw in the middle and thinner ones crisp past the chewy texture you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use light molasses instead of blackstrap?
Yes, though the cookies will be milder and lighter in colour. Blackstrap gives that deep, bittersweet gingerbread character.
How do I decorate gingerbread people?
Pipe melted cacao nibs thinned with coconut milk for outlines, or brush with a simple honey glaze. Let everything set before stacking.
Can I freeze gingerbread dough?
Yes — freeze the rolled sheets between parchment and stamp from frozen. The baked cookies also freeze well for two months.
Why did my cookies spread?
Warm dough. The chilling step is non-negotiable for cut-outs, and an oven that's genuinely at 350°F makes all the difference.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- 1. В В Process the flour, palm sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt together in a food processor until combined (about 10 seconds).
- Add the coconut oil and process until the mixture is very fine and sandy (about 15 seconds). With the machine running, add the molasses and the coconut milk in a steady stream through the feed tube and continue to process until the dough comes together (about 10 seconds). 2. В В Divide the dough into two even pieces and roll each out to a quarter-inch thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between parchments, stack them on a baking sheet and freeze until firm (15 to 20 minutes). 3. В В Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350°F.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. 4. В В Working with one piece of dough at a time, transfer dough to a clean counter and gently remove the top sheet of parchment. Stamp out cookies using cookie-cutters.
- Transfer the cookies to prepared baking sheets with a thin metal spatula, spaced about ¾ inch apart. 5. В В Bake the cookies until they are light golden brown and show a slight resistance to touch (8 to 11 minutes), switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. (Do not overbake.) 6. В В Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire rack before serving.
