Gluten-Free Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies with Eggnog Ganache
yields: 24 cookies
These gluten-free gingerbread thumbprint cookies have a chewy ginger molasses cookie base filled with a creamy spiced eggnog ganache center. The flavors wow the tastebuds, making this cookie the star of any holiday cookie tray.
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookie Dough
- 140 g (1¼ cups) super-fine blanched almond flour
- 56 g (½ cup) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- 60 g (¼ cup +
2 tablespoons) sweet rice flour, also called mochiko; do not substitute white or brown rice flour - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 50 g (¼ cup) dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 85 g (¼ cup) molasses, 85g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Eggnog Ganache
- ½ cup (3 ounces) semisweet chips
- ¼ cup (60 g) eggnog
- Pinch kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium bowl, sift together the almond flour, tapioca flour, sweet rice flour, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and dark brown sugar until well combined, 2-3 sides, scraping down the sides. Mix in the molasses followed by the egg and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Chill the dough, either in the bowl or wrapped in plastic, until firm enough to roll into balls (1-2 hours in the fridge or 30 minutes in the freezer).
- Once firm, place the ¼ cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll 1-1½ tablespoons of dough into a tight 1-inch ball. Tip: use a small cookie scoop for even cookies. Gently flatten into a disc and toss the disc in the bowl of sugar to coat. Place 1½-inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and carefully and slowly use your thumb or the back of a ½-teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indent. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- At this step you have two choices: place your cookie sheet in the freezer (especially if your dough has softened a bit while you rolled them all out!) while you preheat the oven OR chill the cookies overnight. Both work, but I find the texture and flavor of the cookies are at their best if you let the rolled-out and "thumbprinted" cookie dough balls chill overnight. With an overnight chill, the flavors deepen, and the cookies get more chewy, while still maintaining a defined "thumbprint" shape.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Working in batches if needed, bake the cookies on the middle rack for 8-10 minutes (8 min if baking immediately, 10 min if they've been frozen for longer than an hour). The edges should be just set, while the centers may look slightly under baked - err on the side of underbaking for the chewiest cookies! Let cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before using a thin metal spatula to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies cool, make the ganache. Place the chocolate chips and salt in a heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat or in a cup in the microwave, heat the eggnog until just simmering, but not yet boiling. Pour the hot eggnog over the chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until completely smooth. Set aside until your cookies are completely cool. Note: If your ganache thickens too much while your cookies cool, just zap it in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften it up again.
- Scoop just under 1 teaspoon ganache into each thumbprint. Enjoy immediately, but let the ganache set up for at least an hour before stacking them on any cookie platters.
Video
Notes
If your cookies spread too much, there are two likely culprits. First, if they weren't chilled long enough, they may spread and lose their shape a bit in the oven. Just pop the dough balls in the freezer for a bit longer. If that doesn't work, the likely culprit has to do with the brand of or way you measured your flour. I recommend using the specific brands listed in the recipe and always measuring by weight! To fix, simply add 10g more sweet rice flour and carry on!
If your cookies bake up dry rather than chewy, then they are overbaked. Each oven is slightly different, so possibly your oven runs hot or you left the cookies in too long. Err on the side of underbaking, as the cookies will continue baking on the hot baking sheet as they cool.
