gluten-free chocolate chip cookies
Here it is, my friends — the best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies recipe I’ve ever tasted. Perfectly soft, chewy and cakey with slightly crisp edges and melty chocolate throughout, all topped with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, you’d never know these were baked without gluten.
Last week on Instagram, I showed you guys these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies I was baking and asked if you want the recipe. Well, the answer was a resounding YES (which I was pretty excited about, because cookies) so today I’m comin’ atcha with my very favorite recipe for GF CCCs!
The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
I’ve baked these gluten-free cookies several times and they never fail me. Whether I make them for my GF friends and family or just because I want to switch up my go-to chocolate chip cookie routine, I am always pleased with the results of this recipe. The cookies are delightful in every way — golden on the outside, crisp edges, soft and chewy centers, studded with lots of chocolate chips — and no one who tries them can tell they’re gluten-free. Plus, the recipe makes nearly three-dozen cookies, so I can freeze some of them as an emergency dessert stash for later <– this is essential.
Watch How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients Needed for Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
When it comes to the good ol’ CCC, these cookies are as classic as can be — save the gluten-free flour (which, thankfully, is now readily available at most grocery stores!). Most of what you need for this recipe is already on hand or can easily be purchased on your next grocery run:
- Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (see Recipe Notes for my favorite brands)
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla
- Eggs
- Chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt, for topping (optional, but very much recommended)
Once you have these ingredients at home, you’ll need just about 15 minutes of prep time to make the dough. Easy peasy, chocolate chip cookieezy. (Listen, 2020 has put a real damper on my ability for puns. MOVING ON.)
How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Now that we’re set on ingredients, let’s move on to the fun part — making them! The process is exactly the same as it is for standard cookies, so there’s no need to stress when it comes to GF cookies. Here’s how we do it!
Time needed: 1 hour and 40 minutes.
- Step 1
In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients — the GF flour, baking soda and salt.
- Step 2
In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until the mixture is creamy and light.
- Step 3
Add vanilla and eggs to the butter mixture, then gradually stir in the flour mixture.
- Step 4
Stir in the chocolate chippies!
- Step 5
Chill the dough for at least 1 hour so the dough has time to firm up a bit. At this point, you can prep the dough up to 24 hours ahead of time.
- Step 6
Shape the dough into balls, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. (Top cookies with extra chocolate chips, if you want.) Bake 10-13 minutes or until edges are golden and set.
- Step 7
Immediately sprinkle the cookies with sea salt, if desired, then let the cookies cool 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
DONE. Try not to go full Cookie Monster on them (but hey, it’s totally OK if you do).
Tips for the Best Gluten-Free Cookies
Cookies like these are hard to mess up, but that doesn’t mean that tips aren’t still important to cover! So, let’s go over a few key points so you can indulge in these tasty treats with great success:
- I have not tested this recipe with homemade gluten-free flour mixes, so I cannot speak to its success with those flours. For reference, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, which contains rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour and xanthan gum in the mix.
- It is imperative that you chill the dough for at least 1 hour, and keep the dough balls chilled while you bake the remaining cookies. Otherwise, the cookies may spread too much while baking and get thin and extra-crispy.
- Feel free to experiment with chocolate chip varieties — use mini chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips, or white and dark chocolate chips!
- These cookies are the softest and chewiest on the day they’re baked. They’ll start to take on a slightly grainy texture the longer they are stored, but they’re still yummy for about 3 days when stored properly (see Recipe).
Whether you live the gluten-free life or like to dabble in it every now and then, I hope you enjoy these chocolate chip cookies as much as we do. Even without regular flour, they’re a real treat. (Reallllly gotta work on my puns.)
Print
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: About 32 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Perfectly chewy and cakey gluten-free chocolate chip cookies topped with a sprinkle of sea salt. You won’t even know they’re baked without gluten!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour (see Notes for my favorites)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping
- Flaky sea salt, for topping (optional, but highly recommended)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl using an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and one egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually stir in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in 2 cups chocolate chips until just combined.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate dough at least 1 hour to firm up, but no more than 24 hours.
- When it’s time to bake, heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set out a third baking sheet, cutting board or large plate (to store extra cookie dough balls while you bake). Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough at a time; roll each scoop into a ball. Place dough balls on unlined baking sheet/cutting board/large plate. Transfer as many dough balls as you can to one prepared/lined baking sheet so that they’re spaced at least 3 inches apart (I was able to bake 6 at a time). Place a few extra chocolate chips on top of each cookie dough ball, if desired. Store extra cookie dough balls on baking sheet/cutting board in fridge.
- Bake cookies 10-13 minutes or until edges are golden and set. Immediately sprinkle cookies with sea salt, if desired. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. While cookies are baking, you can prep the second batch of cookie dough balls on your second lined baking sheet, keeping any extra cookie dough refrigerated until just before baking. Continue to alternate baking between two lined baking sheets (so each has time to cool completely) until all cookies are baked.
- Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- My favorite brand of gluten-free all-purpose flour is Bob’s Red Mill. I’ve also heard good things about King Arthur Baking’s GF flour.
- Recipe adapted from Bob’s Red Mill.
Keywords: gluten free cookie dough, gluten free flour, salted chocolate chip cookies
Thank you for sharing so many gluten free recipes! I’m not gluten free but most of my family are, and I always forward them the recipes I find 🙂
Pauline, Thank you so much! 🙂
THESE CAME OUT AMAZING!!!! Highly reccommend these – absolutely amazing and taste JUST LIKE regular chocolate chip cookies if anything – better.
★★★★★
Gia, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you!
Oh my heavenly goodness! These are wonderful gluten free chocolate chip cookies!
★★★★★
Yes!!! Thank you! I finally was able to make some GF cookies that didn’t look like pancakes or crumble! The whole family loved them! Tasted delicious!
★★★★★
Made these w/ King Arthur’s gluten-free all baking flour, and they turned out pretty cakey yet tasty! Best part is that they are actually chocolate chip cookies, not just cookies w/ a few chocolate chips. I eliminated the refined sugars, so I’m experimenting with alternatives – next time I make these, I’ll use 3 tablespoons Truvia (erythritol/Stevia combo available at any Wal-Mart or grocery store) and 1/2 cup of agave syrup to get the perfect balanced sweetness. Because of the added liquid, it was necessary to put about two extra tbsps of flour. (I also halved the recipe because they’re only going to be eaten by my husband and me.) Overall a solid recipe, great base for gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. Thank you for giving us back the cookies we have desperately missed since going gluten-free! ?
BTW Stephanie, I also thought to use oat flour next time instead of King Arthur’s, but do you think I’ll need to add any xanthan gum so the cookies don’t crumble?
★★★★★
Rivkah, Thank you for your 5-star review! Unfortunately I do not have much experience with oat flour, but I do not think you need to add xanthan gum. I do know that it absorbs moisture differently than other flours, so be mindful that you might need a little more oat flour (at least 25% more) for this recipe than the original amount called for. I hope that helps!
Loved the recipe and the cookies ? When wevwere told my daughter had to be dairy and gluten free I was like well I guess I’ll sneak out to grocery store for my own cookies…that is until I had 2 fresh out of the oven of these cookies. I’ll never turn back. I use Bob’s Redmill Gluten free flour
★★★★★
I used mainly Trader Joe’s 1 to 1 GF flour, plus some brown rice flour & potato starch since I didn’t have quite enough of the mix. These cookies are indistinguishable from the basic Tollhouse recipe, except that they’re perhaps a bit sweeter and softer. These have been a godsend for my student who was recently diagnosed with celiac and often has to forgo the birthday snacks kids bring into class. I shared this recipe with my families, and now several of them use it if they’re bringing in a treat!
★★★★★
Nora, I am so glad to hear it, thank you!!
These are perfection!
★★★★★
We loved these cookies! They had an excellent taste but were a little bit on the salty side. Overall a great recipe for gluten free. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
If I’m using a gluten free flour mix that doesn’t have xantham gum added to it would I need to add xantham gum to the recipe? If so, how much?
Thanks!
Georgia, Yes, I’d recommend adding about 1 teaspoon xanthan gum to this recipe if it’s not already in the flour!
We couldn’t believe these were gluten free! The texture is perfect. Delicious!!
★★★★★
Using this to make my infamous Smorkies recipe, but with the Pilsbury gluten free AP flour. Will check back in as soon as the instacart delivery gets here, & everything comes out of the oven. Hopefully with pictures, & hopefully I don’t burn my mouth by eating it all out of the oven.
No promises, tho.
★★★★★
very cakey
★★
I’d love to try your recipe but I live in France where we don’t have GF flour blends we can buy. It’d be great if you can list flours / flour combos people can use too- thanks!
Lynn, Thanks for the feedback! I’d highly recommend finding a recipe for a homemade gluten-free flour blend and giving it a try with this recipe. The blend I used is a mix of sweet white rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour and xanthan gum, for reference.
worst cookies ever
★
Amelia, Oof, sorry to hear that! I’d love to know what brought you to this opinion, for constructive feedback. Hope you find a recipe that you enjoy elsewhere!