A small batch recipe for gluten free gingerbread bars with a festive cranberry filling and gingerbread crumble topping. The tart cranberry jam pairs nicely with the warm spices in the soft almond flour gingerbread bars. Finish the bars with orange glaze for a zesty and sweet Christmas dessert!
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time44 minutesmins
Chill30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr34 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Christmas, Cranberry, Gingerbread, Gluten Free, Small Batch
Line a 6-inch square cake pan with parchment paper - Cut two strips of parchment to fit the sides of the pan, and long enough to hang over the sides. Line the pan with the paper strips crossed. This creates a sling to lift the bars out of the pan.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Using a hand held mixer, beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the molasses, egg yolk, and vanilla, and beat until well incorporated and smooth. Tip - See the Notes for using a stand mixer.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and beat on medium low speed until no dry streaks remain.
Reserve 1/4 cup of the dough for the crumble topping in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
Press the remaining gingerbread dough evenly into the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the dough has time to firm up and hydrate.
While the gingerbread is chilling or pre-baking, prepare the filling and crumble topping.
With 15 minutes of chill time remaining, preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Pre-bake the gingerbread for 11 to 12 minutes, or until the edges and top are set. Note - The bars will not be baked completely during this pre-bake. We want the edges and the top to have a slight bake so the cranberry filling doesn't settle into the dough.
Set the pre-baked gingerbread on a wire cooling rack for 2 to 3 minutes. It does not need to cool completely. Keep the oven on.
Cranberry Filling
In a small mixing bowl, add the cranberries, orange juice and zest, sugar, both gingers, cinnamon, and tapioca flour. Toss to mix and coat the cranberries thoroughly. Set aside. Note – If using frozen cranberries, I don't recommend thawing them as they will release too much moisture. If using fresh cranberries, make sure they have had time to dry after rinsing to clean them.
Crumble Topping
Optional - To toast the pecans, sprinkle them on a small baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the pre-heating oven. Let cool slightly then chop.
In the bowl with the reserved gingerbread, add the almond flour and pecans. Stir to combine. Set aside.
Assemble the bars to bake – Spoon the cranberry filling on top of the pre-baked gingerbread. It is fine if the gingerbread is warm. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top of the cranberries. Note – If the cranberry filling has a lot of liquid, use a slotted spoon to spoon the cranberry filling on top of the crust. An excessive amount of liquid will make the gingerbread bars too moist.
Bake the bars for 30 to 33 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and cranberries are bubbly. Note – If the topping is browning too quickly, loosely cover the pan with a piece of aluminum foil.
Cool the bars completely in the pan set on a wire cooling rack. We cool in the pan so the filling has time to set. When ready to serve, gently lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper sling. Cut the bars into desired shapes and sizes, drizzle with orange icing and Enjoy!
Orange Icing
In a small mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, orange zest (if using), and 1 teaspoon of orange juice. Stir, and add more liquid as necessary until you reach your desired icing consistency. Note – Add extra liquid in about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon increments. A little will go a long way to make the icing.
Notes
Serving Size - This is a small batch recipe and tested as a small batch. I can't say for certain how doubling the recipe will work. However, I would recommend at least an 8-inch baking pan for a larger batch.
Baking Pans - You can also use a 6-inch round cake pan or 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Using A Stand Mixer - You can use a standard mixer with attachments with a smaller 3-quart mixing bowl. The standard size mixing bowl will just smear the ingredients along the side of the bowl.
Gingerbread Dough For Cookies - This dough is too soft to make cut-out gingerbread cookies, but can make drop cookies.
Freezing The Dough - The dough can be frozen for up to 2 months. Shape into a disc, wrap tightly, and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Freezing Baked Bars - Un-iced bars can be frozen for up to 2 months. Wrap tightly, freeze, thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature when ready to serve.