Gluten-Free Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies

These soft, chewy gluten-free iced gingerbread oatmeal cookies are full of holly jolly flavor! They’re a delicious cross between iced oatmeal cookies and classic gingerbread that’s perfect for the holidays.

I LOVE Gluten-Free Holiday Cookie Recipes this time of year, and our newest recipe definitely belongs in those delicious ranks!

Gather Your Ingredients

These gingerbread oatmeal cookies are a yummy spin on our pumpkin oatmeal cookies and brown butter oatmeal cookies, so you’ll see a lot of familiar players here. Let’s take a look at the ingredients list:

How To Make Gluten-Free Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

First, Make The Cookies

1. Pulse Oats. To start, add the oats to a food processor and pulse 8-10 times to break the oats up a bit. This will give the cookies better texture!
2. Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten free oats, gluten-free flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Whisk to combine until evenly blended, then set aside.
3. Cream Butter & Sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Cream on medium speed with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer 2-3 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
4. Finish Wet Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add molasses, egg, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed 1-2 minutes, or until evenly blended. The molasses may make the mixture look a little curdled. Don’t panic!
5. Mix In Dry Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until there are no more floury patches left.
6. Chill Dough While You Preheat & Prep. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator just 30 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. (I don’t recommend chilling longer than 30 minutes, or the dough can become too hard to work with.)
7. Scoop & Roll Dough. After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge. Use a medium cookie scoop to measure 2 Tablespoon scoops of cookie dough. Roll the dough balls smooth between your hands and place 6-8 cookie dough balls on one of the baking sheets. Return the rest of the dough to the fridge.
8. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set around the edges, but look a little underdone in the centers. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet 2-3 minutes to finish setting before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Alternate baking sheets with each batch of dough so you don’t put cold dough on a hot baking sheet. Let cookies cool completely before icing.

Making Icing & Finish Cookies

1. Make The Icing. In a small mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream or milk. Whisk until you get a VERY thick icing. When you pick up your whisk and let it drip into the bowl, it should hold its shape on the surface for a few seconds before being absorbed.
2. Dip Cookies. When the cookies are cool and fully set (they should hold their shape when you pick them up!), carefully dip them in glaze. Hold the cookie on the sides and gently lower the cooke into the icing until the top JUST touches the icing. It shouldn’t be fully covered–just the ridges of the cookies should be coated in glaze. Lift it up and shake off excess glaze. Repeat until all cookies are glazed. Repeat until all cookies are glazed.
3. Serve & Store. Let the icing set before serving. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature 2-3 days, or freeze up to 2 months. For best results, store in a single layer so you don’t mess up the icing! If freezing, I let them freeze on a cookie sheet or cutting board before transferring to a freezer bag or container.

FAQ + Tricks For The Best Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies

Make Sure The Icing Is Nice & Thick! You want this sweet icing to be barely pourable so it sticks to the ridges of the cookies but won’t immediately run off. If needed, add more milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you reach the right consistency. (If your icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time, as needed.)

Let The Cookies Cool Before Icing! I love a warm cookie as much as the next person, but if you want the icing to stick, it’s important to WAIT and let the cookies cool before icing them. It won’t take long, and it’s worth the wait!

Try Them For a Cookie Exchange! These gingerbread iced oatmeal cookies are great for cookie swaps and holiday parties. They’re unique enough to stand out on a holiday cookie plate, but still full of classic flavor. (Plus, those golden brown edges + soft, chewy centers? AMAZING!)

Can I Use This Recipe To Make Gingerbread Men? I don’t recommend it. The dough won’t hold its shape with cookie cutters. If you’re after a recipe you can use for cookie cutters & decorating, we made these classic gluten-free gingerbread cookies that work like a charm!

Dietary Swaps. This recipe hasn’t been tested with egg substitutes like flax egg, but it CAN be made with vegan butter for a dairy-free option! Use a thick dairy-free milk (like coconut milk or cashew milk) for the glaze.

More Gluten-Free Cookies For a holiday Cookie Plate

Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies

Gluten-Free Hot Chocolate Cookies

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms

Gluten-Free Maple Snickerdoodle Cookies

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies

5 from 1 vote

Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You

Our gluten-free gingerbread oatmeal cookies have all the soft, chewy texture of a classic oatmeal cookie, mixed with the warm spices & molasses flavor of traditional gingerbread. Paired with a thin layer of sweet vanilla icing, these yummy cookies are a perfect gluten-free holiday cookie recipe for a cookie plate or cookie swap!

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Print Pin Rate

Servings: 25 -28 Cookies

Equipment

• 1 Medium Cookie Scoop

Ingredients

For The Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies

• 2 cups Gluten-Free Rolled Oats* (190-200 grams)
• 1 ⅔ cup Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour* (200 grams)
• 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
• ¾ cup Butter, Softened (170 grams/1.5 sticks)
• ¾ cup Brown Sugar (150 grams)
• ¼ cup Granulated Sugar (50 grams)
• ¼ cup Molasses*
• 1 Large Egg Room Temperature
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For The Vanilla Icing

• 1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar (180 grams)
• 2-3 Tablespooons Heavy Cream (or milk)*
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

First, Make The Cookies

• Pulse Oats. To start, add the oats to a food processor and pulse 8-10 times to break the oats up a bit. This will give the cookies better texture!
• Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten free oats, gluten-free flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Whisk to combine until evenly blended, then set aside.
• Cream Butter & Sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Cream on medium speed with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer 2-3 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
• Finish Wet Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add molasses, egg, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed 1-2 minutes, or until evenly blended. The molasses may make the mixture look a little curdled. Don't panic!
• Mix In Dry Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until there are no more floury patches left.
• Chill Dough While You Preheat & Prep. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator just 30 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. (I don't recommend chilling longer than 30 minutes, or the dough can become too hard to work with.)
• Scoop & Roll Dough. After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge. Use a medium cookie scoop to measure 2 Tablespoon scoops of cookie dough. Roll the dough balls smooth between your hands and place 6-8 cookie dough balls on one of the baking sheets. Return the rest of the dough to the fridge.
• Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set around the edges, but look a little underdone in the centers. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet 2-3 minutes to finish setting before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Alternate baking sheets with each batch of dough so you don't put cold dough on a hot baking sheet. Let cookies cool completely before icing.

Making Icing & Finish Cookies

• Make The Icing. In a small mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream or milk. Whisk until you get a VERY thick icing. You want it to be barely pourable so it sticks to the ridges of the cookies but won't immediately run off. If needed, add more milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you reach the right consistency. (If your icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time, as needed.)
• Dip Cookies. When the cookies are cool and fully set (they should hold their shape when you pick them up!), carefully dip them in glaze. Hold the cookie on the sides and gently lower the cooke into the icing until the top JUST touches the icing. It shouldn't be fully covered–just the ridges of the cookies should be coated in glaze. Lift it up and shake off excess glaze. Repeat until all cookies are glazed. Repeat until all cookies are glazed.
• Serve & Store. Let the icing set before serving. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature 2-3 days, or freeze up to 2 months. For best results, store in a single layer so you don't mess up the icing! If freezing, I let them freeze on a cookie sheet or cutting board before transferring to a freezer bag or container.

Notes

• Gluten-Free Oats. Make sure to buy certified gluten-free oats! We have good luck with One Degree, Trader Joe’s, and Bob’s Red Mill brands. Look for rolled oats or old-fashioned oats rather than quick oats. 
• Gluten-Free Flour. We highly recommend King Arthur Measure-For-Measure Gluten-Free Flour blend for these cookies. If you use another 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, be sure it contains xanthan gum, or the cookies won’t have the right texture. 
• Molasses. Look for regular, unsulphured molasses, like Grandma’s brand. Do NOT use blackstrap molasses in these cookies, as it runs bitter and will not give them the flavor you’re looking for. 

Video

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: ginger, gingerbread, gluten-free christmas cookies, oatmeal cookies

Find the recipe:

sweetsandthankyou.com/gingerbread-oatmeal-cookies/