These Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies have the perfect balance of sweet and salty, crunchy and soft. It has taken me some time to develop a recipe that tastes amazing, bakes up consistently, and stores well. But this is it!
Everyone thinks their Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe is the best and there are many great ones out there, but I’ve struggle to find a gluten-free recipe that I love.
My quest ended a few weeks ago and since then, I’ve made these cookies on repeat-for a school birthday party, for my kid’s basketball team, and just for fun with my kids on a cold February weekend.
There are 3 things to remember when making these amazing GF Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1. Use Real Butter
We are pretty health conscious around our house, but when it comes to baked goods, I’m a butter believer. I just have to close my eyes to how much goes into the recipe.
I’ve tried GF recipes that claim you should reduce the butter in GF cookie recipes to avoid over spreading of the cookie batter, but these hold their shape well and flatten out just the right amount to be chewy inside and crispy outside. Use real butter and don’t be skimpy.
2. Just Chill
The other trick for this recipe is to chill the cookie dough before baking. Please, please, please don’t skip this step! You will be sad if you do.
As you mix the batter, the butter will become very soft and warm from the friction of mixing the cookie dough. Baking the cookies without chilling the cookie dough will cause the dough to spread out too much. You lose some of the beautiful texture and get ho-hum cookies.
Chilling the dough solidifies the butter so that it doesn’t melt and spread as quickly, which allows the cookies to hold their shape as they bake. This gives the desired chewy texture. It also gives the GF flours time to hydrate a bit and concentrates the flavor.
I recommend you allow the dough to chill at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking the cookies, but you can let it sit overnight if you like. I have not tried longer than 24 hours.
3. Drop or Roll
I’ve made these cookies both ways, by just dropping scoops of dough and by rolling balls of dough. Both bake up beautifully. Taking the time to roll the dough into a ball in your hands makes smooth, tidy cookies. So, if these are for a gift or a party, roll the dough.
If you plan to eat all the cookies before your roommate or kids show up, drop it like it’s hot. For drop cookies, use a melon baller or teaspoon to scoop fairly uniform amounts of the dough and drop it on the baking sheet. The cookies may not be perfect circles, but they will be circle-ish and taste amazing!
Optional: Salt on Top
For me, sea salt on top makes these cookies out of this world. I have a small jar of Fleur de Sel (sea salt) that I love to sprinkle on these cookies. It just makes the flavor of the cookies pop, balances the sweetness, and tastes awesome.
Fun fact- sprinkling salt on top is a great job for your kids to do. Even toddlers can get a pinch in their tiny fingers and sprinkle it on the cookies. If you like baking with your kids or grandkids, check out my article on Cooking With Kids for other fun ways to involve the younger generation in the kitchen.
Ingredients
Nothing fancy here, just the usual chocolate chip cookie ingredients. I’m partial to this chocolate chip brand and I love King Arthur’s Measure for Measure GF flour for these cookies.
Xanthan Gum
Whatever gluten free flour you choose, make sure it has Xanthan gum in the ingredients. Most GF flour blends and baking mixes already have xanthan gum in the mix. If yours does not, add 1/2 teaspoon to the 2 1/3 cups flour in the recipe and whisk it together with the other dry ingredients.
Here’s the recipe!
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (just close your eyes and pretend it’s one stick)
- 2 1/3 cup Gluten Free flour blend
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (dark or light, but I prefer dark)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt (if you use salted butter, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon)
- sea salt (optional to sprinkle on top)
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Awesome Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4 dozen 1x
Description
Sweet, salty, crisp, chewy- these GF Chocolate Chip Cookies taste amazing. Allow time to chill the dough for the perfectly baked cookie!
Ingredients
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- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (just close your eyes and pretend it’s one stick)
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- 2 1/3 cup GF flour
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- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
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- 3/4 cup brown sugar (dark or light, but I prefer dark)
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- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
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- 2 eggs
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- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
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- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
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- 1 teaspoon salt (if you use salted butter, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon)
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- sea salt (optional to sprinkle on top)
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- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
Making the Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
I find it easiest to use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- First, in the large mixing bowl of your electric mixer, cream the softened butter a sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix again for 10-15 seconds.
- Next add the wet ingredients (eggs and vanilla extract) and mix for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- In a separate bowl, whisk all the remaining dry ingredients together (salt, baking soda, flour) and add half to the mixing bowl.
- Stir on lowest speed to incorporate, then add the remaining flour mixture to the mixing bowl.
- Beat the cookie dough on medium speed for 30 seconds. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again. The dough will be very thick and sticky.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts, if desired.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Baking the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375° F
- Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on a sheet pan for easy cleanup.
- Drop cookies by the teaspoon onto the baking sheet about 2-3″ apart. For smaller cookies (2 1/2″ diameter) use a teaspoon or melon baller to portion out the dough. For larger cookies, use a Tablespoon or ice cream scoop (makes larger 3 1/2″ cookies).
- For perfect circles, roll each spoonful of dough in your hands into a ball before placing on the cookie sheet.
- Sprinkle each cookie dough ball with a pinch of sea salt (optional).
- Bake in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until golden. Baking time may vary depending on your oven.
Use a thin spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
For a special treat, bake a few of the cookies in little ramekins, like those used for crême brulée. Serve the cookies warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Amazing.
This recipe would also make a great cookie cake! Evenly spread the dough into a greased 9×13 pan or onto a large round greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Chilling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 9-11 minutes
*I consulted a lot of recipes as I perfected this GF Cookie Recipe. Most were pretty similar with varying amounts of sugar, flour, leavening. This recipe was influenced by recipes from Nestle Tollhouse, Ghirardelli, and Joy of Cooking.
