My fellow food loving friends! We are rolling out of this holiday season with a bang, and it comes in the form of these delightfully adorable, equally delicious and soft gingerbread man cookies made into ice cream sandwiches.
Oh yes, you better believe I smothered peppermint ice cream between two soft and chewy gingerbread cookies. How could I refrain? The only setback about these cookies is they are almost too cute to eat. (Keyword ALMOST.)
Ingredients needed for gluten-free soft gingerbread man cookies
Making gingerbread cookies sounds intimidating, but it's actually fun! Here are the key ingredients you must have on hand (in addition to the usual flour, sugar, and butter situation) that give your cookies that distinct gingerbread flavor!
- Molasses
- Ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Ground allspice
You already know my love runs deep for herbs, and these three are specifically great to eat this time of year because they are naturally antimicrobial and can support your immune system!
You can also use a Gingerbread Cookie Mix to make these very quickly and simply. However, I included the tastiest gluten free soft gingerbread man cookie recipe, now that I cannot have gluten!
Best gluten free flour for cookies
I personally love this measure-for-measure blend because I don't have to worry about keeping multiple bags of flour on hand, or adding fussy ingredients like xantham gum, which is crucial for getting your baked goods to bind. Now, bear in mind that sometimes those blends are the best if you desire a specific texture, such as bread for cinnamon rolls or pizza dough. But overall this blend will give you a great end product for any gluten free baked good, and this is the cheapest place to buy it.
Tips for making cut-out cookies
You absolutely must chill this dough. I wrap it up in plastic wrap and chill it in the freezer for a minimum of 1 hour. This cookie dough is slightly sticky, because you want your gluten free gingerbread man to be chewy and soft. If you have too much gluten flour, the dough will be dense.
Once the chilled dough is rolled out on well-floured parchment paper so it doesn't stick, you must make sure you firmly press down the cookie cutters to make a clear cut in the dough. This also makes it easier to remove and place on the cookie sheet.
Soft gingerbread man cookies and ice cream sandwiches that are (almost) too cute to eat!
You ready to ginger up all your family and friends with these gingerbread cookie ice cream sandwiches? Grab the recipe and directions below, and enjoy!
(Check out my other Christmas recipes here if you're looking for other goodies to make!)
Soft Gingerbread Man Cookies + Ice Cream Sandwiches (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups gluten-free flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- Royal icing
- Peppermint ice cream
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter for 1-2 minutes on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add in brown sugar and molasses. Mix on medium high speed until combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla on high speed for 2 full minutes. Scrape down sides as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together until combined. Slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough should be thick and slightly sticky. Form it into a ball, and transfer it to a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and flatten to create a disc. Chill in freezer for at least 1 hour. Chilling is necessary!
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prep 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Flour a piece of parchment paper, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. The dough can be sticky so continue to flour as needed. Roll the dough disc on the parchment paper until it's about ¼-inch thick. Cut into small gingerbread man and woman shapes. Place shapes 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Repeat this with remaining dough.
- Bake cookies for about 10-11 minutes until golden on edges.
- Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Using a small #2 piping tip, pipe the frosting in desired designs onto gingerbread cookies. Set aside.
- Remove the peppermint ice cream from its cardboard container by cutting it down with scissors. (Work quickly, as the ice cream will melt.) Place ice cream on its side on a piece of parchment paper, and cut into ¾" slices with a sharp knife. Use the gingerbread cutter to cut molds for the ice cream sandwich center. Place ice cream mold on one gingerbread cookie, and sandwich with a frosted gingerbread cookie on top. Repeat this step until you have about 6 ice cream sandwiches and have used the whole ice cream container. Place in freezer for 1 hour to set. Decorate and munch on the remaining gingerbread cookies. Enjoy!
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