Gluten Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Crisp edges with a fluffy, soft center were the goal for these gluten free chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and this recipe bakes up as just that. Gluten free chocolate lovers, you are in for a treat!

The Flavor Of Winter, In My Humble Opinion

I love chocolate desserts and for some reason, it screams winter to me. In Spring and Summer, there is fruit ripening each month and tons of flavors coming from the orchard or even herbs in the garden. The flavors are endless. But unless you preserve these for Winter, there is nothing new growing outside to base your winter baking off of that is in season. But chocolate, to me, is always in season and cocoa powder is easy to keep on hand. Come February, chocolate is in the name of every dessert for Valentine’s day. While I bake up a chocolate coca cola cake in summer a lot, I really am mostly baking up strawberry desserts, then peach, then apple come late summer and early fall. And there is a lot of yummy treats to bake up with those flavors! So come winter and specifically February, I am gung-ho for all of the chocolate treats I don’t make year round. 

This winter proved to be no exception to my chocolate cravings and at 10 PM the other night, I put down my book and got out of my warm, cozy bed to go bake up these gluten free chocolate cookies when the inspiration struck. Does that ever happen to you? 

I have been baking up these gluten free chocolate chip cookies over and over, so the next natural adaptation was a double chocolate version. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so once the thought crossed my mind, I could not sleep until I acted on it. 

So I swapped out some flour for some cocoa powder and low and behold, we had the most fluffy yet crisp, double chocolate chip cookies I had ever eaten. So naturally, I’m sharing them with y’all because no good friend keeps a chocolate cookie to herself! 

A Note On Gluten Free Baking

Gluten free baking does not have to be gritty, grainy or gummy. If done right, it can be DELICIOUS. For one, gluten free baking done with rice flour tends to be crispier, which I actually have learned I prefer. It also has better flavor. Maybe you think that’s crazy but let me explain. It is my opinion that rice has less flavor than wheat, especially fresh milled wheat. And while I love the taste of freshly milled wheat, I love that the rice flour just takes on the flavor of whatever you put it with, allowing the flavors to really shine. Everything has more flavor!

Now as far as the textures, many times gluten free baked goods can seem doughy or gummy and sometimes they’re dry, crumbly and gritty. All of this comes down to a couple of things- the flour used and a few techniques. If the starches are too high, many times gluten free baked goods can be gummy or seem doughy. We find that the cup4cup brand of flour does not have this issue. To avoid dry and gritty textures, two main techniques help this. These are to use less flour (or more liquid, but I always aim for less flour) and allow the dough or batter to soak. If you think about it, rice soaks up a lot of liquid before it becomes soft and it takes quite a bit of time. So baking with rice flour is no different. It just needs a little extra time to soak up the liquid, and it needs more liquid. Many times the batters and doughs in gluten free baking will be really sticky and wet, but handling can be made easier by refrigerating. 

Equipment

• Baking Sheets
• Large mixing bowl and wooden spoon/hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Parchment Paper
• Plastic Wrap, Aluminum Foil or even a Beeswax Wrap

Ingredients

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup pure cane sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup cocoa powder (dutch-processed cocoa powder is less bitter but regular cocoa powder is still delicious in these gluten free chocolate cookies)

1 cup gluten free one for one all purpose flour (we prefer cup4cup brand, but Bob’s Red Mill and even Great Value brands are good too)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips would be good)

How To Make Gluten Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Start by creaming the softened butter, brown sugar and pure cane sugar. 

Once fluffy, add the egg and vanilla.

Then add the dry ingredients- cocoa powder, gluten free flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt- to the wet ingredients, until well combined. A very fluffy, well combined dough is best so it is beneficial to let the mixer go for a bit, scraping down the sides of the bowl as it goes. 

Fold in chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheight when ready to bake. These can be baked immediately but are better after allowing to chill and soak in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to a day. The dough can also be frozen and stored in a freezer bag or glass storage container.  

Roll the dough into ping pong size cookie dough balls for smaller cookies or golf ball size cookie dough balls for larger cookies. 

Bake at 325 degrees Farenheight for around 18 minutes and allow the baked cookies to cool on the baking sheet or wire rack. 

Store these gluten free chocolate chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. 

FAQ’s

What is the best gluten free flour for chocolate chip cookies?

For ease and accessibility, this recipe calls for a one for one gluten free flour blend. These types of gluten-free flour blends are easy to find and the easiest to use for a beginner baker. We prefer the cup4cup brand in the blue bag. While we hope to test other flours including a homemade rice flour baking blend in the future, this recipe has only been tested with the one for one blends from the store mostly made up of different starches and rice flour.

Almond flour, coconut flour, buckwheat flour, oat flour or other single flours have not been tested in our recipe. 

Do I need to add xanthan gum to gluten-free flour for cookies?

It depends on your flour blend that you choose. Most gluten free one for one flour blends on the shelf already have it added. You will need to double check the ingredients on the back of the bag. If you try out this recipe with your own blend or a single flour such as almond flour or coconut flour, you will need to add xanthum gum yourself. 

Why are my gluten-free cookies dry and crumbly?

Sometimes gluten-free cookies turn out dry and crumbly if there is too much flour. Gluten free baking requires less flour or more liquid. I almost always opt for less flour for ease of converting recipes but also cost. Gluten free flour is not cheap unless you make your own, and even then the starches and gums alone can add up. So less flour is actually a benefit. Most gluten free baked goods will seem sticky and wet. I have found this to be less of an issue with cookies though. 

Another reason your gluten-free cookies are dry and crumbly could be because the flour was not given enough time to soak up the liquid. With flours like rice flour, they need additional time to soak up the liquid, making them closer to a regular flour texture. And although we are told not to consume raw cookie dough (shhhh, don’t tell anyone that I’m giving you permission), allowing the dough to soak longer makes a soft and delicious cookie dough if you happen to sneak a taste (or several tastes) before baking!

Try adding less flour and allowing them to chill and soak in the fridge. Also be sure your flour of choice has xanthum gum. 

More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes

• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
• Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipe

Gluten Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Card