Gluten-Free Embossed Cookie Recipe (For Patterned Rolling Pins)

How do you emboss cookies?

You can buy embossed rolling pins from cake decorating specialists or from Amazon. Once you have rolled out your cookie dough using a regular rolling pin, you then take your patterned rolling pin and roll it over your cookie dough just one time. This transfers the design on the rolling pin directly onto your cookie dough.

You then cut out and bake your cookies in the usual way and the pattern remains on the cookies.

How to choose the best dough for embossed cookies

To effectively transfer the beautiful pattern onto the cookies you need a good strong dough that will withstand a lot of rolling out without breaking.

Actually gluten-free cookies are perfect for this task as you won’t be toughening up the gluten the more you roll and re-roll the cookie dough.

For the best embossed cookie recipe you might choose the following:

• sugar cookie dough
• gingerbread cookies
• lemon shortbread cookies

However, this gluten-free embossed biscuit is made with a spiced cookie recipe, which is a bit like a cross between a speculoos biscuit and a gingerbread baked cookie. The dark brown molasses coloured dough also encourages the pattern to show more clearly.

Gluten-free flours required

This Gluten-Free Patterned Cookie Recipe uses a blend of 2 single origin gluten-free flours to create a biscuit with perfect taste and structure.

1. Buckwheat flour

This flour isn’t related to wheat at all and is naturally gluten-free. It has a lovely earthy wholegrain flavour which is perfectly suited to the spices in this recipe.

Substitution suggestion: You can swap the buckwheat flour for oat flour or teff flour.

2. Tapioca flour (tapioca starch)

This is a great starchy flour to use in cookie recipes as it is a great binder but also browns well so gives a nice golden cookie.

Substitution suggestion: You can swap the tapioca flour for arrowroot powder

Ingredients needed

• Buckwheat flour.
• Tapioca flour. (Tapioca starch)
• Whole almonds. You can substitute for almond flour or ground almonds but whole almonds have the most flavour.
• Mixed spice. If you can’t get hold of mixed spice then try this recipe for Homemade British Mixed Spice.
• Unsalted butter.
• Caster sugar. We use caster sugar to help with the structure of the cookie.
• Black treacle. You can substitute for blackstrap molasses.
• Egg. This recipe uses a medium sized egg which is 60g with shell and 50g without shell.
• Salt. Kosher salt with its fine grain and gentle flavour is the preferred choice here.

How to make the cookie dough

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

1. Pour the whole almonds, buckwheat flour, tapioca flour, sugar, mixed spice and salt in food processor. Turn on for a couple of minutes, allowing the mix to break down into a smooth flour mix.
2. Pour into a bowl and rub in the butter to create breadcrumbs.
3. Add the egg and black treacle and bring together into a slightly sticky dough.
4. Roll into a ball and wrap in baking parchment. Chill in the fridge for 45 minutes.
5. Split the dough in half and roll out the dough in between two sheets of baking parchment to protect the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and avoiding an excess use of flour to dust.
6. Remove the top sheet of baking parchment ready for adding your embossed design.

How to use an embossed rolling pin

1. Lightly dust the rolled out cookie dough with flour (tapioca flour works well here) and brush over with your hands to smooth out.
2. Start closest to your body and place the embossed rolling pin on the edge of the dough. The roll away from you with medium pressure.
3. Hold the actual rolling pin, not the handles, for more control over the rolling process.
4. Use a pastry bristle brush (not a silicone one) to dust out the excess flour from the rolling pin after every time you use it to roll out your dough.

Cutting out the cookies ready to bake

1. You should be able to cut out 2-3 cookies at a time from the middle of the rolled out dough, the pattern tends to get softer at the edges.
2. This means you will probably roll the dough out about 4-5 times. This is okay and it is a robust dough so can withstand multiple roll out.
3. Always tear the excess cookie dough away from the cut out cookies. Use a small offset spatula to slide under the cookies, lift up and transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment.
4. Chill the cookies for 30 minutes before baking.
5. Refrigerating the dough before it has been rolled out and once the cookies have been cut are essential in maintaining the embossed pattern on the cookies. If the cookies are not chilled when they are put into the oven the pattern will soften.

Decorating embossed cookies

These Gluten-Free Patterned Cookies are stunning without any decoration, that’s what makes these holiday cookies so easy to make.

However, if you like you can finish the decoration by painting the embossed cookies with a light icing sugar glaze or sprinkle over icing sugar.

How to store

The cookies are best kept stored in an airtight tin in a cool dark place at room temperature for up to 5 days.

They will go softer over the course of the 5 days but will still be just as delicious.

How to freeze

I recommend freezing the cookie dough prior to rolling out. Wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and aluminium foil and store in the fridge for up to 2 months. Defrost the cookie dough at room temperature, if it’s a bit soft then place in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up before rolling out.

Or you can freeze your cookies after they have baked. Layer in an airtight container with sheets of baking parchment between the layers. Freeze for up to 2 months. They take about 30-60 minutes to defrost at room temperature.