Thin Gluten Free Gingersnaps or Spiced Wafers Recipe

gluten free gingersnaps on spatula

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I’ll freely admit that I have a gingersnap problem. The problem being that I can’t have gingersnaps around or I will eat them. All of them. So why create yet another gluten free gingersnaps recipe?, you might ask.

Well, that’s because I come by my passion for gingersnaps honestly, and the rest of my family wants me to make them, too.

 

gluten free gingersnaps on plate

Thus when a reader pointed me to a different version of gingersnaps that she loved to make with my gfJules Flour, I was not surprisingly intrigued. These gingersnaps are called “Ivin’s Famous Spice Wafers”, and they’re described as a more complex cookie than a traditional gingersnap, boasting plenty of all the spices I (and my entire family, apparently) love in the fall: cinnamon; allspice; nutmeg; ginger; cloves …. 

The reader said she missed this Philadelphia favorite after going gluten free, but had found a copycat glutenous recipe in which she used my gfJules Flour with great results.

gluten free gingersnaps on pan CU
Thin gluten free gingersnaps made with egg.

 

I didn’t try the recipe for awhile because I was trying to exercise restraint. Turns out my cautionary approach was prescient, as I’ve now made it 5 times (in one week), tweaking the recipe via super high-tech family-wide taste-testing. (Hence the reason all these cookies look a bit different — vegan/not; blackstrap molasses/ordinary molasses; refrigerated dough/not; different baking rack positions … etc.)

For the prettiest, most spice wafer-looking cookies, use the egg rather than applesauce option if you can. We preferred ordinary molasses for flavor, but blackstrap molasses is yummy too. I added and modified the spices to suit our tastes, but obviously feel free to adjust to suit yours.

gluten free gingersnaps on rack
Vegan thin gluten free gingersnaps cookies.

 

For all my fellow gingersnap lovers, I’m thrilled to be able to give you yet another gluten free option!

If you’ve tried my gfJules Gluten Free Graham Cracker & Gingernsap Mix, you know that it makes great gluten free graham crackers or crunchy gingersnaps. And if you’ve tried my other gluten free gingernsap recipe, you know that it makes soft and chewy gingersnaps.

So this new recipe for thin gluten free gingersnaps (or “Thingersnaps” as my husband has called them!) fills the void in between: they can be soft or crunchier, but they’re thin and just perfect for snacking. They’re also a yummy stand-in for graham crackers in fall s’mores! 

gluten free gingersnaps on side
Thin gluten free gingersnaps made with applesauce in place of egg.

 

If you’re making them vegan or prefer a softer cookie, choose applesauce instead of the egg ingredient. If you like them extra crunchy, cook on a rack farther away from the heating element so they don’t burn, and bake for at least 13 minutes, checking to be sure they’re not getting too brown every minute or so after.

If you are refrigerating the dough before baking, flatten the cookie dough balls a bit before baking to encourage the cold dough to spread.

gluten free gingersnaps stack
Thin gluten free gingersnaps / spice wafers made with egg.

 

When you make this recipe, I’d love to hear your take on it! Is it the ultimate gingersnap? Do you like it soft or crispy? Will this recipe make it into your autumn baking rotation?

gluten free gingersnaps stack

Thin Gluten Free Gingersnaps

Yield: around 30 cookies, depending on size
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes

These thin gluten free gingersnaps meet every need for cinnamon-spicy and sweet in a thin, crispy around the edges, soft in the middle cookie!

Ingredients

  • 6 Tablespoons (3 oz) butter or vegan alternative
  • 5 Tablespoons coconut oil (room temperature) OR vegetable shortening
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar or coconut palm sugar
  • 1 large egg or 1/4 cup natural applesauce
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 cups (270 grams) gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
  • extra brown sugar for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cream butter, coconut oil/shortening and sugars for 2-3 minutes, until lighter and fluffy.

Add egg or applesauce and molasses, beating until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients, then slowly stir into butter/sugar bowl. The dough will be taffee-like but not tight or dry.

Scoop out by measured tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet leaving 2 inches between dough balls for spread.

Bake for 13 minutes or longer for crunchier cookies.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment (and maybe even a picture!) below or share a photo on Instagram! Be sure to tag me! @gfJules

How do you prefer your gingersnaps? Crunchier or chewier? Lots of spice or more sweet?

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    • Hi Mari, you can use Splenda brown and white sugars, Swerve brown and white sugars, or coconut palm sugar. I hope one of those will work for you!
      ~jules

      Reply
  1. I got the gingersnap recipe in my email but didn’t have all the ingredients, I then found my way to the Thin Gingersnap recipe, and I am glad I did. They were so easy to make, I had all the ingredients and with a “snap” they were coming out of the oven. I even tried out the “Thingersnaps” reference on my husband. Just like the cookies, it was a hit. “I could eat these for hours!” is a direct quote from my husband. I can see why gfJules made them 5 times in a week. I will be suprised if there are any left in the morning. Thanks gfJules for making baking so fun and enjoyable.

    Reply
    • Cathy, your note made me smile! I’m so very glad that I had another gluten free gingersnap option for you, given the ingredients you had on hand! And even more glad that the “Thingersnap” recipe was such a hit with both you and your hubby! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review and to share your experience with this recipe. I really appreciate hearing it! Happy holidays and happy baking!!!
      ~jules

      Reply
  2. My old favorite Ginger Thins are from an old issue of Gourmet magazine, but are not GF,ink your recipe here would work well to but I love the spicing and the tin and crispiness.
    I mold the dough in a loaf pan and freeze, then thinly slice and bake. They become rectangles, perfect for dunking in a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or egg nog!
    Do you think your recipe would work to make that way?
    Thank you for your help

    Reply
    • Hi Beverly, I’m so intrigued!!! It’s a toss up for me whether I’d say to try my recipe made that way or just use my gfJules Flour in that old recipe from Gourmet magazine!!! Either way, you have to tell me how it goes!!!! Gingersnaps are one of my FAVORITES! I really don’t think you can get them wrong, so please tell me how it goes — that method is fascinating, and anything with those spices, baked crispy and dunked in a hot drink has my vote!!!
      ~jules

      Reply
  3. I made these cookies today and they exceeded my expectations! My house smelled amazing and the cookies tasted even better. I have been wanting these since the orange box ginger snaps appeared in my grocery store. My husband said he likes them even more than the orange boxed ones. Thank you for such a yummy recipe. Can’t wait to bring to Thanksgiving dinner! Any idea of a filling I could make to put in between two cookies?

    Reply
  4. Is is possible to roll this dough in a log after chilling. Chill again until firm and slice for even thin round cookies? Thanks in advance been using your flour for years.
    Regards,
    MA

    Reply
    • Hi MA, yes that would be a great way to get uniform cookies out of this dough. It’s definitely thick enough to form into a log. You could actually take it right from the bowl and roll it if you didn’t mind the stickiness. Enjoy!!
      ~jules

      Reply
  5. I love gingersnaps! I rarely make them because my husband isn’t big on ginger, but it’s a treat I get excited to buy. I was in a town recently and found dairy-free, gluten-free big ginger cookies. It wasn’t cheap, but I had to have one.

    Reply
    • I’ve added the one we liked better in this recipe to the ingredients at the end. Grandma’s Molasses was milder and gave a more rounded taste to the cookies, in our opinion. Enjoy the recipe!
      ~jules

      Reply
  6. I love gingersnaps! Also, love that you can use applesauce to make them chewier. Even though I can have egg I just love baking with applesauce. I think its that subtle flavour of apples I love so much.

    Reply
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