These perfectly soft and chewy gluten free chocolate chip cookies are so delicious, you seriously won't believe they're gluten free!
"These are the greatest chocolate cookies ever and they just happen to be gluten free! No one even suspected that they were anything but the recipe that I have used for years! I will always use this recipe now! They are soft, flavorful, and have no gritty texture. My granddaughter is one happy girl now!"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Susie, One Happy Dish reader
In addition to my standard chocolate chip cookies recipe, I was determined to develop a gluten free recipe that was so good my family wouldn't know the difference. And I am happy to report that not only can they not tell they're gluten free cookies, they actually request this version over the gluten equivalent! Mission accomplished. 😉
How did I find success? Well, a lot (A LOT) of testing. We had gluten-free cookies on hand for weeks with all of the test batches. Not that this is a bad thing, but wow was that a lot of cookies. I tested multiple kinds of gluten free flours and ingredient ratios, and in the end the winning formula was actually a magical combo of two specific flours.
Almond flour chocolate chip cookies to the rescue!
So in experimenting, I found that the one flour that consistently produced rich, soft and melty GF cookies was almond flour. It's just so buttery, delicate and delicious. Unfortunately, using ONLY almond flour also led to flat cookies even though the flavor was amazing.
So I knew I wanted to keep some almond flour in the recipe, but I also needed to supplement with a base of other gluten free flour options. I tested various single-ingredient flours and starches like rice flour and arrowroot powder first. Some worked quite well in combination but things started to get a little complicated, and I didn't want readers to have to buy several different expensive flour ingredients just to bake one batch of cookies!
After going back to the drawing board and testing commercially available gluten free flour products, I finally found the winning combo when I tested Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour with Bob's Red Mill Blanched Almond Flour. It was exactly the texture and flavor I was after, and it was so good that my family literally couldn't tell they were gluten free cookies.
Pro tip: If you can't find Cup4Cup flour, most gluten free flours still work perfectly fine but may have slightly different texture results. Just make sure the one you choose is white or brown rice based and not bean based as the flavor may be too strong for these cookies.
Also, feel free to use your own favorite brand of almond flour. I find that blanched and finely ground almond flours work best for cookie recipes.
And for another great recipe that uses this flour combo, try this gluten-free banana bread next.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Soft and chewy GF cookie recipe
- Simple, foolproof instructions
- Easy to find ingredients
- Freeze well up to 2 months
- You won't believe they're gluten free!
🌿 Ingredients
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
📝 Instructions
Step 1: If you haven't already, chop up your dark chocolate into chunks. Then, whisk the flours and other dry ingredients (cornstarch, salt and baking soda) together in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugars together using a stand mixer or hand mixer, followed by the eggs and vanilla. Next, add about half the dry mixture into the wet ingredients and blend at low speed; add the rest and blend one more time. And finally, add the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate into the bowl.
Step 3: Use a spatula to fold the chocolate chops and chunks into the batter until incorporated. Then let your cookie dough batter firm in the fridge-ideally 2 hours but if you're in a hurry you can shorten that a little if necessary and put the batter back in the fridge in between batches. (This is an important step so don't skip it; if you don't refrigerate, the cookies will be too flat when they bake.)
Step 4: First, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375°F. Place rounded tablespoonful cookie dough balls on a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet; make sure they're at least a couple inches apart.
Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet once. Remove the from the oven once the edges are just starting to brown and the tops are golden (the middle should still look soft.)
Important: Once the cookies come out of the oven, let them rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes (they will continue to bake on the sheet, so don't skip this step!) Then, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack using a spatula and place a second cookie sheet in the oven to bake (if you're using the same sheet, let it cool before you place the next batch on it.)
📋 Substitutions
Feel free to make any of the following adjustments depending on dietary needs and what you have on hand:
- Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour - feel free to substitute another kind of all-purpose gluten-free flour
- Bob's Red Mill Blanched Almond Flour - substitute a different brand of blanched almond flour (finely ground is best!)
- Cornstarch - use arrowroot powder instead, or simply substitute the same amount of additional flour
- Unsalted butter - use salted butter if necessary and leave out half of the added salt, or use coconut oil to make dairy free
- White sugar - substitute coconut sugar or maple sugar
- Light brown sugar - use dark brown sugar instead; in a pinch, you can just use all white sugar and the cookies will still be tasty, but may not be as soft and rich tasting
- Vanilla extract - use pure vanilla powder instead
- Chocolate chips - use any kind of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, mint chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or white chocolate chips
- Dark chocolate - use another favorite chocolate bar type such as milk chocolate, semi-sweet or white chocolate
🔪 Equipment
I used the following equipment to make these gluten free cookies:
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- whisk
- mixing bowls
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- silicone spatula
- baking sheet
- parchment paper (optional, for easy cleanup)
- cooling rack
🍱 Storage
Gluten free chocolate chip cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
🎉 Top tip
Make sure you don't skip the chilling time in the fridge, otherwise the batter might spread too much during baking. Chilling for two hours is ideal, but if you're short on time you could divide the batter into two separate bowls in the fridge and take one out a little sooner.
Enjoy!
💭 FAQ
I have found that the best gluten-free cookie recipe actually results from a combination of both all-purpose gluten free flour and finely-ground blanched almond flour.
Yes; you'll need to chill the batter for this gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe so that the cookies don't spread too much during baking.
GF chocolate chip cookies will stay fresh in the fridge for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To make GF cookies even softer and chewier, you can add an extra egg yolk when you beat the eggs. Additionally, make sure you don't leave out the cornstarch as it'll help with a soft chewier texture. And, don't forget to chill the dough before you bake your cookies.
🍳 Recipe
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prepare the dry ingredients: Whisk the flours, cornstarch, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside. Chop the dark chocolate bar into small chunks if you haven't already.
- Prepare the wet ingredients: Place the room temperature butter and both sugars into a second mixing bowl and beat together until creamy using either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the vanilla and eggs one at a time while beating for at least 30 seconds after each egg is added.
- Incorporate: Add half of the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low for about 20 seconds; add the rest of the dry mixture and continue to mix just until incorporated. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the chocolate chips and chunks.
- Chill: Place the batter in the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 2 hours, or overnight. Tip: to chill the dough faster, divide into 2 separate bowls.
- Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place rounded tablespoonfuls of batter onto each sheet at least 2 inches apart and bake the first cookie sheet for 11-12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet once. Remove the from the oven once the edges are just starting to brown and the tops are golden (the middle should still look soft.)
- Cool: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack using a spatula. Place the second cookie sheet in the oven to bake (if you're using the same sheet, let it cool before you place the next batch on it.)
- Enjoy: Enjoy the cookies while they're warm; there's nothing better! The rest of the cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Susie
These are the greatest chocolate cookies ever and they just happen to be gluten free! No one even suspected that they were anything but the recipe that I have used for years! I will always use this recipe now! They are soft, flavorful, and have no gritty texture. My granddaughter is one happy girl now!
Allison
Awww your comment made my day! So glad you all loved them, Susie! 🙂