Baking chocolate chip cookies is simple. Baking gluten-free chocolate chip cookies is an art form.
Did you see us try to make GF chocolate chip cookies a few weeks ago? Complete disaster. Terrible. Seriously inedible.
But since then, I’ve learned a few things. First, gluten-free flour blends simply can’t absorb as much fat as all-purpose flour can so recipes with less butter are your friend!
BAKING ESSENTIALS
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Second, not all gluten-free flours are made equally. Because gluten-free is so touchy, most blends are made for specific things. Getting the right one for the job is super important!
3 Gluten-Free Flours I Trust For Baking
I am not a professional. I do NOT develop recipes. But I DO trust the experts. When it comes to GF baking, I gotta go with someone who has done it a LOT. If you haven’t checked out America’s Test Kitchen, you should definitely give it a go. They basically try and test all the various aspects of recipes: equipment, ingredients, substitutions, techniques – they do it all. It’s no wonder with all that testing that they know they’re stuff!
Here are the 3 GF flours they recommend:
Homemade Gluten Free Flour Blend
According to ATK, no 2 GF flours perform the same. One product might deliver great cookies but subpar cakes and vice versa, so they decided to develop their own! I’ve included their recipe below so you can make your own and it keeps for 3 months in an airtight container in the fridge!
Betty Crocker All-Purpose Gluten Free Rice Flour Blend
This blend was tested by America’s Test Kitchen in 3 recipes: Chocolate chip cookies, blueberry muffins, and sandwich bread. According to their testers, it performed well in all three recipes, particularly in the chocolate chip cookies. Tasters thought its flavor was very similar to our homemade blend. In terms of texture, a handful of tasters noted a “bouncy” texture in muffins and a “gummy” crumb in bread.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE SHOPPING LIST
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King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour
This one was a top pick for the ATK testers. It finished at or near the top for all three recipes. but a few tasters found it too sweet in cookies and muffins, but overall it won out for its superior flavor. Some tasters noted a grainy, gritty texture, but it wasn’t enough to put it lower than other brands.
Keep in mind, starches in gluten-free flour blends need more liquid as well as more time to hydrate and soften, so make sure you don’t skip the step where you let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This resting time also had a secondary benefit: It gives the sugar time to dissolve, which leads to faster caramelization in the oven!
Follow the directions below and turn out gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that will rival even the best gluten-packed alternatives!
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- 8 ounces (1 3/4 cups) Gluten-Free Flour or Homemade Blend (see below)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 5 1/4 ounces (3/4 cup packed) light brown sugar
- 2 1/3 ounces (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 7 1/2 ounces (1 1/4 cups) milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Gluten-Free Flour Blend:
- 24 ounces (4 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup) white rice flour
- 7 1/2 ounces (1 2/3 cups) brown rice flour
- 7 ounces (1 1/3 cups) potato starch
- 3 ounces (3/4 cup) tapioca starch
- 3/4 ounce (1/4 cup) nonfat dry milk powder
Instructions
- Whisk flour (or flour blend), baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in large bowl until well combined and smooth. Whisk in egg, milk, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth. Stir in flour mixture with rubber spatula and mix until soft, homogeneous dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 30 minutes. (Dough will be sticky and soft.)
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 2 soup spoons or a #50 cookie scoop, use 1 1/2 tablespoons dough at a time, portion dough and space 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until golden brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cookies are best eaten on the day they are baked, but they can be cooled and placed immediately in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)
