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Gluten-free White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps

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Gluten-free Gingersnaps dipped in white chocolate are a favorite December treat! Our gluten-free Christmas cookie plates wouldn’t be complete without these gluten-free ginger snap cookies each year! This was the very first recipe I shared on my blog when I started it in 2012! It holds a special place in my heart and I still make these gluten-free Christmas treats and enjoy them every year. I’ve updated this blog post with more tips and recommendations, but the recipe is still the same way I’ve made it for all these years.

Gluten-free White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps on cooling rack

These gluten-free gingersnaps aren’t the strong-flavored, very crisp gingersnaps you might have tried before. These are chewy cookies that have just the right amount of spice, complemented by the smooth white chocolate. December just calls for cookies like this!

I never liked gingersnaps or spice cookies until my friend’s mother served these cookies to my husband and me many years ago. I was hooked on them right away and she kindly mailed me the recipe soon after. This became a must-make recipe in my house every Christmas.

I made the gluten-filled version for years and happily get the same results in this gluten-free version by using a good quality gluten-free flour blend.

Plate full of Gluten-free Gingersnaps

Notes on Ingredients for these gluten-free gingersnaps:

  • Butter or Shortening: You can use all butter or all shortening in these cookies. All butter results in great flavor but a flatter cookie (like the ones pictured), all shortening yields a puffier cookie. You can do a mix of butter and shortening too.
  • Gluten-free Flour: I’ve had success with all good quality gluten-free flour blends I’ve tried. gfJules flour blend works very well in these and is my go-to for making these. Gluten Free Mama’s All-purpose Almond Blend Flour worked well, though the cookies spread a little thinner than when I use gfJules. This week I tested with King Arthur Measure for Measure blend and they look great but are just barely a little gritty in comparison to when I’ve used the other blends. So try it with your favorite blend or order one of these. 
  • Xanthan Gum: If the gluten-free flour blend you use already has xanthan gum or guar gum in it, then omit the xanthan gum called for in this recipe. gfJules and King Arthur already have xanthan gum so you wouldn’t need to add additional.
  • Molasses: I usually buy Grandma’s Unsulphured Molasses but feel free to grab the kind at your neighborhood store.
  • Spices: Gingersnaps are supposed to be flavorful, so you’ll see these have good amounts of ginger, cloves. and cinnamon. These are all ground spices you can buy on the spice aisle at your store. 
  • White Chocolate: The best I’ve found for melting for dipping is Baker’s White Chocolate Squares (you’ll use 3 boxes), and Trader Joe’s white chocolate chips (linked here so you can see what they look like – you’d need 1 full bag plus part of another). I don’t recommend using Guittard white chips as they just don’t melt smoothly.

TIP:
I highly recommend that you have both parchment paper and wax paper on hand for making these. You’ll bake the cookies on parchment paper. When the cookies have cooled, you’ll dip in the melted white chocolate and then I recommend laying them on wax paper while the chocolate sets.

Can you make these gluten-free gingersnaps dairy-free?

Yes! The cookies can be made with all shortening instead of butter and I’ve made them that way many times. You can use Crisco or Spectrum Organic all-vegetable shortening. Again, I’ve tested both ways and they work well here.

For the white chocolate, if you want dairy-free, I tested these this week using the new Nestle Simply Delicious White Chocolate Chips that I picked up at Walmart. They melted smoothly. They didn’t dip picture perfect, but are otherwise a very good choice. I know Pascha makes a dairy-free white chocolate chip too, but those aren’t available anywhere near me so I haven’t tested melting them and a friend said they do not melt well.

Plate of White Chocolate Dipped Chewy Gluten-free Gingersnaps

I know many like to make gingerbread men cookies for Christmas. I’ve always been the worst at decorating those, so I much prefer these! It’s so easy to dip them, and everyone loves them when I bring them to holiday parties or include on cookie trays.

Looking for more gingerbread treats? Try these dairy-free gingerbread truffles. Or how about gingerbread candied bacon?! Amazing!

Also, if you want the same flavor profile of these cookies but don’t want to dip them, then try these gingerbread cookies instead.

Two more treats you can add to your gluten-free Christmas baking list are these Christmas Dream Bars and my homemade gluten-free caramels.

Gluten-free Dipped Gingersnaps Recipe:

Yield: 42 cookies

Gluten-free White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps

Plate full of Gluten-free Gingersnaps

Gluten-free Ginger Snaps are dipped in white chocolate for a favorite Christmas cookie! Once you have these, you won't go back to regular gingersnaps!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 21 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup room temperature butter or shortening (=16 Tbsp.)
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • ½ cup molasses
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
  • 1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum*
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2¼ teaspoons baking soda
  • 2¼ teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cloves
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • Additional granulated sugar needed for rolling dough balls (about ¼ to 1/3 cup)
  • 12 oz. white chocolate chips or 3 (4 ounce) Baker's white chocolate bars chopped up
  • 1/8 cup shortening

Instructions

  1. Cream butter (or shortening) and sugar until light colored & fluffy.
  2. Beat in molasses & eggs.
  3. Gradually add rest of ingredients until dough is blended.
  4. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least one hour (okay to chill overnight also).
  5. Using a 1½ inch wide cookie scoop (medium scoop), roll dough into balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Dough will be a little sticky; if too difficult, chill longer.
  6. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for 11-12 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on cookie sheet and then transfer to cooling rack to cool.
  7. In double boiler or microwave, melt 12 oz. white chocolate bars or chips along with 1/8 cup shortening. Dip almost half of each cooled cookie in the melted white chocolate. Place on waxed paper to set. Enjoy!

Notes

*If the gluten-free flour blend you use already has xanthan gum or guar gum in it, then omit the xanthan gum called for in this recipe.

Dairy-free Adaptation: Use all shortening; use a non-dairy white chocolate.

You can use shortening or butter or half of each in this recipe. I’ve tried it all of those ways. Using shortening will produce a thicker cookie; all butter produces a thinner cookie. Both ways are delicious! I've used regular shortening (Crisco) and organic vegetable shortening, and both work well.

See blog post for more information on ingredients.

Depending on how heavily you dip your cookies, you may run out of white chocolate for dipping. If so, just make more!

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© Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies
Pin these gluten-free Christmas cookies to your gluten-free cookies board on Pinterest:

White Chocolate Dipped Chewy Gluten-free Gingersnap Cookies Recipe

Recipe, notes, and photos updated December 2019.
Original photo from December 2012 here:
White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps {Gluten-free}

I hope you and your family enjoy these gluten-free ginger cookies as much as my family does!

Related posts:

Gluten-free Almond Biscotti {dairy-free}
Gluten-free Swirled Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Gluten-free Chocolate Banana Cookies

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Comments

  4. Michelle,
    Way to go! What a great looking site :-). I’m eager to try those ginger snap cookies, since I’m a “soft & chewy” cookie fan! I’m also hoping to get ahold of your “lemon” cookie recipe too

    Reply

  5. Congratulations! I am so excited that you will be able to put all of your hard work…to work~! These look amazing, and I am going to try these, perhaps for Eli’s birthday 🙂

    Reply

  6. Was super excited to try this recipe out and it did not disappoint! I’ve not been a big fan of gingersnap cookies in the past because they always seemed to be dry, hard and overpowering, but THESE cookies were moist and chewy with the absolutely perfect amount of ginger flavor. Already delicious by themselves, they then become out-of-this-world delicious once dipped in the white chocolate!! Thanks again for the recipe!

    Reply

  7. Yeah Michelle, you are up and running! Although we don’t have a need to be gluten free (yet), I might have to try some of these delicious looking recipes. Can you tell me where to purchase xanthan gum? I need it for another recipe.

    Reply

    • Melissa, nearby to you, you can pick it up at Rosauer’s in their Huckleberry Market section, or at Jake’s gluten-free market which is on Fairview near Cloverdale by Great Harvest. It is pretty pricey though, so beware! They might carry it at Winco in their bulk bin so you might look there if you shop there. I can’t buy from the bulk bins due to cross-contamination risks, so not positive.

      Reply

  8. These ARE amazing. I just polished off several of them. I’m not gluten-free and I honestly couldn’t taste the difference. The white chocolate makes them really unique. Thanks, Michelle! Great recipe!

    Reply

    • LOL. My profile pic on here is hilarious. I used that one for an American Idol Fantasy League that Cody’s brother created & for some reason it transferred onto your blog. I hope it doesn’t discount my rave review of your recipe! 🙂

      Reply

  9. Gluten Free Mama recommended your site. I am always open for new recipes to try for my husband who is celiac. Yours look delicious, and I will try them. Thanks for accepting me as a friend on FB.

    Reply

  10. These cookies are amazing!!!! I love the texture and the perfect balance of spices. The white chocolate is a perfect addition and gives them that extra-something special. The instructions say to dip the cookie in white chocolate, but I was having trouble with that so I ended up drizzling it with a spoon and they came out perfectly. Don’t forget to refrigerate the dough and to allow time in your baking “schedule” to chill it- one time I forgot and it definitely made a difference. My mom is now requesting these for all special occasions!

    Reply

  14. Can I use honey instead of sugar in each of your recipes? Beacuse I’m also shouldn’t consume processed sugar. Or what can I use as sugar?

    Reply

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