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If you want a gluten free cookie recipe which is sweet, spicy and delicious, you have to try my gluten free dark chocolate, ginger and pecan cookies.
These gluten free cookies follow the same base recipe as my gluten free chocolate chip cookies.
But instead they’re packed with melty dark chocolate chunks, crunchy pecan pieces and chewy, spicy ginger.
To top it off it has added ginger syrup in the cookie base, which just gives them a subtle but fiery taste!
Making perfect gluten free cookies
These gluten free cookies are like perfect bakery style cookies – a little crunchy on the outside, and a little soft and chewy on the inside.
I love the texture of the soft cookies paired with the crunch of the pecans and dark chocolate chunks.
Plus the ginger adds an element of chewiness when you bite into them, as well as a spicy kick.
Stem ginger in a jar is one of my favourite ingredients as it’s so versatile – I use it in my gluten free stem ginger cake and also my cherry and ginger crumble bars and it’s incredible!
I added some of the syrup to my cookies as well as the chopped ginger pieces, just to give it a lovely flavour.
Then I also chucked in a little bit of ground ginger for a warm, spicy undertone. These are the perfect autumnal bake for sure!
How to make my gluten free cookies
There’s a full printable recipe card down below, but for the shopping list here’s what you’ll need:
- 200g caster sugar
- 150g unsalted butter
- 300g plain gluten free flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 100g dark chocolate (cut into chunks)
- 60g pecans (roughly chopped)
- 80g stem ginger in syrup (chopped into small pieces)
- 1 tbsp syrup from the stem ginger jar
I always use the FREEE by Doves Farm gluten free flour, but if you’re using one without xanthan gum then I’d add 1/4 tsp to the mixture.
You could easily make this dairy free as well by using something like Stork baking block instead of butter.
If you want a sweeter cookie you can use milk or even white chocolate, but I like the bitterness of the dark chocolate.
You could also use chocolate chips but I like the irregularity of the chunks – it makes the cookies look less uniform!
Feel free to also change up the pecan nuts for whichever ones you fancy – I think macadamia or pistachios would also work really well in this recipe.
Don’t forget to chill!
It’s super important that you let the dough chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
One-to-two hours is optimal – if you leave it any longer than that you might have to work it a little before you can shape it into the cookies – it can go quite solid!
If you don’t let the dough chill for an hour, you might find it spreads in the oven.
This won’t affect the taste of the cookies, but you will end up with one giant, fairly unattractive mass!
Trust me, I have tried and tested this recipe to death and it works much better with adequate chilling time.
A top tip – if you’re really pressed for time, I have been known to chuck the dough in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
It’s a bit of a cheat’s way to do it and you’ll need to make sure you don’t forget about it!
But it will certainly cut the chill time down considerably which means you can eat your cookies waaaay quicker. Result!
My gluten free dark chocolate, ginger and pecan cookies recipe
These cookies are the perfect combination of sweetness, spice and bitterness.
They’re great if you don’t like a super sweet, over-the-top bake, but you still love something with a flavour punch!
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Dark Chocolate, Ginger and Pecan Cookies
These gluten free cookies are packed with dark chocolate chunks, crunchy pieces of pecan nuts and spicy ginger. Makes 16 cookies and the dough can also be frozen.
Ingredients
- 200g caster sugar
- 150g unsalted butter
- 300g plain gluten free flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 100g dark chocolate (cut into chunks)
- 60g pecans (roughly chopped)
- 80g stem ginger in syrup (chopped into small pieces)
- 1 tbsp syrup from the stem ginger jar
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave - it's best to do this in short, 10-15 second intervals as you want it just melted, not bubbling hot!
- Add the melted butter and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk (or wooden spoon) until combined. Add the egg and the ginger syrup and beat again until it combines and forms a runny batter.
- In a separate bowl, add the gluten free flour, ground ginger and baking powder and stir to mix it all together. Sift the flour mix into the butter/sugar mixture. Bring the mixture together using a wooden spoon.
- Once the mixture starts to come together, add the chocolate pieces, pecans and chopped up ginger.
- Use your hands to bring the dough together, making sure the chocolate chips are mixed well throughout. It should form a thick, sticky dough. Once it's completely mixed together (and there is no loose flour left in the bowl) wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour.
- Once the hour is nearly up, preheat the oven to 180'C / Fan 170'C / Gas Mark 4. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Take the cookie dough from the fridge and roll it into balls around the size of a golf ball. Flatten the balls onto the baking tray, making sure there is around 3cm between them in case of any spreading.
- Bake the cookies in the oven for 15-18 minutes. You want them to appear a little crackled on top. Once baked, carefully remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the tray for 15-20 minutes before transferring to a baking tray to cool completely.
Notes
- The cookies will be very soft still when they come out of the oven so they MUST cool before you try to move them! Can be eaten warm or cold - will keep for around 5 days in an airtight container.
- You can also freeze the cookie dough or baked cookies.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
18Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 240Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 38mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 3g
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Need some more gluten free baking inspiration?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog?
Give some of these other gluten free cake recipes a try!
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple to get you going:
- Gluten and dairy free coconut and passionfruit cake
- Chocolate chip cookies recipe
- Gluten free carrot and hazelnut cake with orange cream cheese frosting
- White chocolate chunk cookies
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
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Like this recipe? Make sure you pin these recipe cards below for later!
