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Plenty of really good gluten-free chocolate chip cookies have come out of my oven before, ones that nobody can guess are labeled with the “gf” word. But these are THE ones. My favorite, my best, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies – the result of dozens of batches and several years of experimenting. (I don’t like referring to them as “The Best” because I haven’t tried all the chocolate chip cookies in the world and everybody has their own set of characteristics that they measure against.)
It’s taken me years to nail down the cookies you see here partly because I always spot a new recipe that immediately has me reaching for the baking sheet. I do a little tweaking to make them gluten-free if needed and all is right in the world.
I’ve learned that there are a lot of decent gluten-free chocolate chip cookies out there, but amazing gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are possible with just a little more attention to detail with process and ingredients used.
With my best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies you’ll have gloriously crisp & buttery edges, slightly sunken and chewy middles, and the perfect ratio of chocolate to vanilla dough. The first bite, still warm and a little underbaked is heaven.
The way to make sure a recipe turns out the same every single time, no matter if you’re baking gluten-free or not is to measure by weight. Since we all scoop, spoon, pack and pour differently, my 1 cup flour may be 120 grams and yours 145. With the science that happens when you cook, that can make a big difference. Invest in an affordable digital scale, it’s well worth it.
Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten-Free Flour has proven time and time again to me that it is the best gluten-free flour blend on the market. There really isn’t anything that compares! It has no grittiness, a soft crumb, stability and consistency. Plus it’s affordable and readily available at most supermarkets.
Over the years I’ve simplified my chocolate chip cookie recipe to use melted butter so you don’t need a stand mixer to make them. The trick with using melted butter is that it shouldn’t be hot when you mix it with other ingredients, which is why I have you melt a little more than half of it in the microwave and then stir in the remaining butter so that it cools it down. When finished stirring, the butter will be a creamy yellow rather than a translucent yellow like when it came out of the microwave.
If your butter is too liquified, your cookies will spread too much in the oven.
The Chocolate:
Always chunks over chocolate chips. (I know the title says chips, but that’s just because that’s what most people call them.) Not the chunks that come pre-cut in a bag, but the type you chop up yourself using the best quality chocolate bars your sweet tooth can afford. Not only will the chunks distribute more evenly throughout the cookie, but the shards from chopping will disperse throughout the batter. And one more vote for chunks – chocolate chips hold their shape due to less cocoa butter, while the latter melt into gooey chocolate decadence.
Nuts or no Nuts?
I battled with this one a lot. I love chocolate and nuts together. I like the texture they bring to cookies and their toasted flavor. But I decided that chocolate chunks deserved to shine alone in this cookie. Plus, I wouldn’t have any noses turn up when I had to tell the people who hate nuts in brownies that these cookies contained them too.
I tested this recipe with several different chilling times, from none at all to 24 hours. 90 minutes of refrigerator time was great, allowing the flour to absorb the liquid in the dough. This ensures soft centers with rippled edges with the perfect amount of spreading. And the nice thing is they can chill for up to 24 hours!
Okay…… I think you’re ready!
You’ve got all the details for gluten-free chocolate chip cookie success. Ones that you’ll eat too many of the first time you make them and ones that nobody will know they’ve got the “gf” word attached to them. Now all you need is a sweet tooth like mine and glass of milk for dunkin’. Go forth and bake!
SCALE:
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These were excellent CCC! Wouldn’t know they are GF and hit my ideal soft middle texture. They were actually too intense for me the day they were baked while they were still a bit warm – too much chocolate (didn’t know there could be such a thing!) – but when they were completely cooled the next day they were perfect and they stayed great sealed in a reusable ziplock for almost a week. I followed instructions pretty much exactly, left dough in the fridge for ~1.5 days before baking and chopped a TJ dark chocolate bar – I completely agree it’s superior to using chips because of the variety of flecks throughout. Minor tweak is I didn’t have a cookie scoop so just divided into 14 roughly equal balls and rolled in my hands, skipped the parchment to bake directly on the sheet tray, and topped with flaky sea salt after baking. Thanks, will definitely make them again!
I’m so glad you liked them, Katy! I bet the flavor was so well developed with 1.5 days for the dough in the fridge.
Hi there! I have loved this recipe for years!
These cookies are AMAZING!!!
I have made a lot of GF cookie recipes, and not a single recipe has come close to this gem. Absolute perfection! And the best part…the cookies are just as delicious the next day–soft and chewy with that perfectly crunchy exterior. Chef’s kiss, friends. Make them. You will not regret it. I made this recipe as is with no substitutions.
So glad you enjoyed them, Jennie! Appreciate your notes.
The perfect chocolate chip cookie! I gave them to a few friends and they never would’ve guessed they were GF. You won’t regret making these for yourself :)
Oh, that’s the best test! So glad they were enjoyed!
truly the best gluten free cookies! they’re light yet chewy, strike the perfect balance pf texture and taste, and taken over the top thanks to the addition of espresso powder. an easy recipe to understand and follow, with ingredients most gf households have on hand. I’ll be making these again and again!
thank you for making them, toni! i’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Delicious! Perfect cookie to dip in milk.
So glad you liked them, Natalie!
Delicious! Crispy around the edges and soft in the middle. Directions were easy to follow and calculations perfect when weighing grams on the scale. I’m sure they won’t last long in our house!
So glad you enjoyed them, Michelle!
Soooo good! I used a mix of dark brown, granulated, and coconut sugar because it was what I had on hand. I cannot even tell you how yummy these are! Crispy on the edge and sooo ooey gooey in the middle!
yay! glad you liked these gluten free chocolate chippers.
WOW. This was my first time making gluten-free cookies and I am so lucky that this was the first recipe I tried. They came out perfectly and I owe it to your careful instructions and ingredient choices. Thank you so much!
HI! How much flour does that translate into in terms of cups? No scale here!
Hi! It is a scant 1 1/2 cups, but I can’t guarantee that they will turn out the same, because a scale is so important in gf baking. We all scoop and measure differently, so it is important to use a scale. Make sure you scoop the flour out with a spoons and put into the measure cups, not scoop the cup into the bag.
These are the best! Followed all of the directions to a T! They turned out beautifully and found the flour at Target:) Thank you for the great description of the ingredients too!
terrific – i’m so glad you enjoyed them! and great to know that Target now has Cup4Cup Flour.
These are so good! Even my gluten abled hubby liked them!! But, the next day – maybe not quite as crispy but still tasted good! So my question is: can I make these into balls (like when I refrigerate for 30 min) and freeze them? I didn’t read all the comments so someone may have asked this already. I did a bad thing I think last night – it was late and didn’t want to make them all so I covered the bowl and put it in the frig overnight. This am I let it warm up just a bit, made the balls, then baked – flat as they could be. So I made the balls, chilled for 30 min, baked – still flat!! So is chilling overnight too much? Should I bake, then freeze? There’s no way to make half because of the egg so not sure what I can do when I just want a few but like they are the first day. Help please! They are really a winner! Thanks for your efforts! Cherie
Hi Cheridal! I’m so glad you liked the recipe. I think the problem may have come in the chilling/rewarming/chilling phases they went through and the fact that you let them warm up, which is what would make the fats have less structure. Therefore they will spread too much. Once you’ve done that, you can’t really go backwards. Next time just chill, and pull right out of refrigerator into the oven. I have made half a batch, then refrigerated the dough and baked the rest the next day without a problem. Hope that helps!
Thanks for your quick reply! I figured it was because of letting the dough warm up just a bit first. I’ll know better next time. So for the half batch, did you beat the egg then weigh out 60 grams? And I read in one of the replies that you can freeze the balls, let them warm a bit then bake? I’ll probably try that if that works!! Thanks again – I really was thinking I couldn’t get a good cookie again! BTW – I didn’t tell you in the first one but I don’t like Maple with cc cookies so I left it out but used another t of vanilla. Also, to make them just a bit crispier I tried a little exchange of cornstarch for Cup-4-Cup in the next batch & I was surprised how well it worked! I’ll continue with my experimenting and enjoying this recipe!!
I just baked these delicious cookies. I don’t favour the taste of very sweet desserts so I cut the sugar out by 1/4 cup. The taste and texture is amazing! Will be making again! I used Bob Mill’s 1-1 gluten free baking flour. Thanks for an incredible recipe!
Fantastic Aga! I’m so glad you liked the recipe and you’re noshing on chocolate chip cookies. :) Thanks for mentioning the Bob’s 1-1 flour, I’ll put that in the notes! xo
Hi! I’m in process of making these now and it seems that my scale is incorrect (even thought it’s brand new). 205 g of flour is just over 1.5 cups however on my scale (I checked over 3 times)….205 g is well over 2 cups of flour. Same thing is happening with all my other ingredients. I’m not sure what is going on?
Hi Aga! Yes, I think your scale must be off and not calibrated correctly even though it is new, especially since all of your ingredients are not measuring correctly. You are correct in that 205 grams of the flour should be 1 1/2 cups.
OK I just spooned the ingredients into a measuring cup and they are off baking away. Smells amazing. Will keep you posted on the final product :)
Did you put your bowl or whatever you’re measuring the flour into, on the scale first then reset the scale to “0”? My scale I can put the bowl on, push off/on and the scale resets to 0 with the bowl on it. I think that may be the problem.
Hi Amanda – My boyfriend and I made these cookies on Saturday night and my oh my where they heavenly. I’ve been looking for that go to cookie recipe and now I’ve found it!!! They were DELICIOUS. We made ice cream sandwiches with them too! One note, I used earth balance dairy free butter and they came out super duper. Happy baking everyone!
Yay Sarah! This makes my day. And reminds me that I need to make another batch. :) So glad you loved the recipe, and quite brilliant to make ice cream sandwiches with them. Good note on the earth balance too, thanks for letting others know!
I’m looking forward to making these for my whole family, but especially my 6 year old daughter who has celiac disease. Any suggestions for a substitution for the maple syrup? I don’t have pure maple syrup (we have the imitation stuff), and live a good 1/2 hour from a grocery store.
Thanks so much!
Hi! You could also use honey. If you don’t have, I would add an extra tablespoon of butter. Hope you enjoy!
Hi, can I make those cookies with the new Cup 4 Cup Wholesome flour blend?? I just bought a bag and was wondering if it would work. Thank you!
I bake a lot and while I don’t have celiac, I recently discovered, I feel a lot better not eating gluten. I just made your cookies. I used the GF Flour Blend from The Healthy Maven. Also, I used cane sugar for the white sugar and coconut palm sugar for the brown. I don’t usually experiment the first make with a recipe, but in this case it worked. Thanks for all the detail and just thought I’d share my experience with the sugars.
Great! So glad you liked them Laurie. And appreciate you sharing your experience with the other sugars.
I tried these today but they turned out a bit odd. The cookie, though delicious, was rather dry. I’m not sure how to describe it. It was almost like powder on the inside. Strange, right? I followed the instructions and am thinking of trying the recipe again. Any idea of what might have gone wrong?
Hi Sarah! Did you use Cup4Cup Flour and measure by weight?
I did. I used my mom’s scale though, which is quite old. We kind of rounded up. I presume that was the problem?
Yes, that sounds like it may be the problem. Rounding down would have been better, to ensure more of a chewy cookie. I would give it a go again when you have a new scale. I’m confident you’ll get there! Here’s another gal that just made them and thought they were the best she’s ever had: https://instagram.com/p/69-r5oSFzE/?taken-by=nocrumbsleft
Hi Amanda! My cookies aré in the oven right now so I hope I get a good result. I have reently started to bake with coconut oil instead id butter. What would the conversion be?
I also used bobs red mill flour.. I used the same amount of flour as your recipe but added xanthan gum.
How long should I leave the dough chilling after the 30 min fridge?
Thankyou!
First of all thankyou for your helpful tips on #glutenfree baking. I did invest in a good kitchen scale after reading this. I made this recipe will very precise and exact measurements and my cookies came out a little cakey. Any tips? I was also wondering if I could use coconut oil in place of butter next time. Thankyou
Hi Taylor! It could possibly be that your oven is calibrated a little low. I use an oven thermometer. If the temperature reads 350 but might actually only be 335 inside, they will not spread as much. Another option would be to use about 25 grams less flour next time. I haven’t tested them with coconut oil so not sure if that would work.
Hi Amanda. I made your cookies tonite. I bought a digital scale and measured everything exactly as listed. Thanks for all the info. I appreciate knowing how and why things work. I used Namaste gf flour blend because I had it. My cookies came out thick and not crunchy. Any ideas as to why? They’re still good but I love a thin, crunchy cookie.
Thanks!
Hi Linda! The reason why I like Cup 4 Cup Flour so well is that it produces a texture and results just like regular flour because of their blend. Namaste has a high portion of Sweet brown rice flour compared to the gf grains in it, which is a “stickier” and “gummier” flour which will cause them to inhibit spreading. It is helpful in gluten-free baking because the stickiness helps to bind, but in a gluten-free cookie it will cause less spreading and crisping. I would highly recommend trying Cup4Cup even though it is more expensive. Because it has cornstarch and potato starch in it, you will get a crisper edge, yet softer middle. It uses a more even blend of flours and it’s amazing!
Thanks, Amanda. I’m going to look for the cup4cup flour the next time a head to the supermarket. Thanks for all your help and explanations!
Hi Amanda!
My mother and sister both have celiac and I am the baker/cook in the house. I made used this recipe about 4 months ago and everyone was blown away. I sent my boyfriend some in a care package and didn’t tell him they were gluten free… he said they were the best chocolate chip cookies he has ever had. I just re discovered this pin after looking for it for months. I am making them today and am going to feature them on my new (work in progress) blog. Should have it up by tomorrow.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Meredith, thank you for sharing your joy of making the cookies! These type of comments were exactly the reason I spent 3 years developing it :) I’m looking forward to checking out your new blog once it is up! xo
Amanda,
Thanks so much for getting back to me about the walnuts! I ended up trying the recipe today without the walnuts referred to in my comment above and with the vanilla extract instead of the walnut extract. I also used America’s test kitchen GF flour blend with added xanthan gum to try to replicate what is in cup 4 cup (potato and tapioca starch instead of cornstarch, white rice flour, brown rice flour, nonfat milk powder). I kinda hate it when people comment about recipes when they’ve made a bunch of changes; that being said, even WITH all of the changes, this was a PHENOMENAL chocolate chip (chunk) cookie! My picky husband licked his plate (and I couldn’t help myself but to lick mine, too!). We both thought that the cookies looked like the cookies in the book “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.” Perfectly sweet and bitter. I can’t wait to try the recipe with added walnuts/subtracted chocolate.
I froze the pre-formed dough and I’m hoping that I will have good results. Any experience on that? I had to do that in order to avoid sitting down and eating them all…they really are just that good.
Thanks for sharing your recipe with us!
Yay!! Best news ever. And where to rock it on trying to replicate the C4C with the America’s Test Kitchen blend. I’m so glad both you and your husband enjoyed them :)
You can definitely freeze the pre-formed dough, you should just let the dough balls sit on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before baking, and then just watch their doneness. Have a great rest of the week!
the amount of information you push with this recipe made me do a geek happy dance in addition to a well-deserved happy tummy dance. your images are perfection. i can’t wait to go for the bake. thank you for sharing with us :-)
I’m so glad someone else likes to know as much about how a recipe came to life as much as I do. Enjoy!
Hi Amanda,
These look amazing and I’ll be trying them tomorrow as I think I have all ingredients on hand! One question: if I were using walnuts instead of walnut extract, how many would I add?
Thank you!
Hi Becky! Many people have made these and loved them so hoping you do too :) Since walnuts take up a lot more of the dough, I would only add 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, and reduce the chocolate by 1/4 cup. Enjoy!
So, I’ve made a few GF cookies before which still taste delicious… BUT OH MY GOODNESS, these cookies are the awesome. I used vanilla in lieu of walnut and just used some mini chocolate chips. I just ate two, right out the oven and I had to walk away to stop myself for eating all of them. They are so good! I can’t wait until my husband gets home (who isn’t GF) to try these. Knowing him, he will rave about these! If you are hesitant, just make these, please! You will not be disappointed. Oh, and I just weighed everything as well, though that’s not the norm here in the U.S.
Hi Amber! Thanks for sharing your joy – so glad you like them. I just love how they are soft in the middle, and crisp on the edges. And chocolately! Happy you weighed things as well, that’s really important for gluten-free baking. xo
Hi Amanda, any ideas on how to substitute sugar and brown sugar?
Hi Seanna! I tested this recipe many many times over 3 years and found that to get these to be ultimately like a chewy yet, crisp on the outside cookie, the sugar and brown sugar is necessary. I don’t eat those often, but when I do I use the unrefined versions, so organic & raw, made by Wholesome Sweeteners:
-(affiliate link)
Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Dark Brown Sugar, 24 Ounce Pouch
Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Fair Trade Cane Sugar, 10 Pound
These look AMAZING Amanda! :)
thank you! nothing better than warm chocolate chip cookies right?
Hi Amanda, I don’t have any noticeable issues with gluten, however I have recently learned that none of us should eat gluten (including GF oats) as it destroys the villi in the small intestines, which are responsible for absorbing our nutrition. The popular saying going around is “You are what you eat”, however it is really “You are what you absorb”. Some people don’t realize they are gluten intolerant until they go off gluten for 2 to 3 weeks, are feeling really good, eat a bunch the next day and then feel crappy. There are about 20% of the population that don’t have a problem with gluten. So, I am trying to find recipes that are GF. These cookies look yummy, I’m going to make some today.
Do you have any substitution suggestions for recipes that call for oats?
I’m going to include a video here called “Against The Grain”, which explains the gluten problem. If you need to remove it, go ahead, I just thought maybe you could help educate others to the gluten problem, not to mention that most grains are now GMO. :(
I don’t own a scale. Can someone tell me what the conversion is for the flour?
Hi Heather! The measurement would be about 1 1/2 cups, but I can’t guarantee that they will turn out exactly like you see. Make sure you measure by spooning the flour into the cup, not dipping it into the flour and leveling it off. This is the closest to get to the accuracy of the weight measurement without having a scale. If you’re going to be doing a lot of baking, gluten-free or not, I highly recommend getting an inexpensive kitchen scale. It’s amazing how people measure differently, so having a scale will make sure that it is correct according to the recipe and you’ll be successful. Hope that helps!
Can I substitute the butter with palm shortening and use egg replacer (energy powder)? Also will need to use a different blend of gf flour like king arthur. My son has a dairy, egg and flax and chia seed allergy amongst others. Cannot seem to get a good chocolate chip recipe down. Any advice would be great.
Hi Christine! I haven’t tested those substitutions, but I don’t think energy powder work to replace the egg. I wouldn’t recommend trying it that way. I don’t have experience will all of those allergies so sorry I can’t be of more help! I hope you can find a recipe that suits his needs.
These cookies look amazing, thanks for the details in the mixing and baking process. I’m looking forward to making these cookies! My daughter was recently diagnosed with celiac disease so I’m looking for new ways to bake. I notice in the stores they have gluten free chocolate for baking. But you don’t list that you used gluten free chocolate. Is that a selling tactic in the stores or is it necessary to purchase the gluten free. Sorry for my ignorance this is all new to me. Thanks for your help :)
I made these cookies yesterday. I went out and bought cup4 cup flour ( $18 !), dragged out a small scale and took your advice to weigh, not to go by volume. These cookies delivered. They do not taste GF and have the texture of a non-
GF cookie. I am tired of spending a lot of $$ on baking items that are just so-so, or worse. The only problem is that they taste so good there is only a couple left! Do I have time to bake more before Xmas! Thanks for a great recipe and instructions. Merry Christmas!
Kristie, thank you for letting me know your results and that you enjoyed them! It’s true, gluten-free baking does take a little more attention to detail, but it’s worth it, right? :) I was sick of spending money on things that tasted like cardboard too. I hope to keep posting great recipes for you to enjoy! xo
I don’t need to bake gluten free, but it’s nice to have a recipe like this on hand just in case :) Pinned!
These are amazing! I’ll call them “the best” if you won’t!
Thank you for making the directions so specific. It helped for sure. I couldn’t stop eating the raw dough! haha
Hi Kate! I’m glad all the specifics helped, even though a little lengthy :) Sometimes you just need to include all of those little tidbits to make sure they turn out well. Thanks for letting me know you made them!
Nice post. Very thorough. Good tips whether you’re gluten-free or not. I haven’t purchased a scale yet but am getting closer…just need to find space in my kitchen!
thanks laurie! my scale is just a round little thing, smaller than a 9inch cake pan. so worth it!
I just discovered your blog and everything you do is amazing. My brother-in-law is celiac and I can’t wait to try these for him. Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Thanks for the kind words! Glad to have you here and just hopped over to your blog as well. Fun to connect!
where is the “print” button…..?
Can’t wait to try these!
Jaclyn, hope you enjoy them! A fun way to break in that new baking set of yours :) I’m going to send you an email this week, was so nice to connect on Friday!
these look fantastic! Also appreciate all of your tips. You’ve done the hard work for us :-) Glad to hear we share a sweet tooth.
Yes, I’ve never been able to get away from my sweet tooth Liz :) thanks for stopping by!
These look so delicious, Amanda! I love that they have a crisp edge and soft center – and that walnut extract looks divine! What a creative way to get the nutty taste without using actual nuts. I’ll definitely be trying these!
Hi Julia! Thanks for stopping by. I had to post this to let people know that I do eat more than just squash :) Hope you are well! xo
Those look like absolute perfection. Great job. Just wish that cup4cup didn’t have milk powder in it. :-(
thanks Susan. i know, bummer about the milk powder, but the Bubble Girl Bakes Flour I mentioned above is a great allergy friendly blend that works well. and Cup4Cup just launched their non-GMO, gum-free, dairy-free Wholesome Blend which I just picked up! http://www.cup4cup.com/wholesome-flour-blend/
Hurrah for chocolate chip cookies! These look absolutely perfect and I can’t wait to give this recipe a try.
I love how thorough your discussion of gluten-free baking was. As someone who is learning to navigate her way through gf baking (which I prefer for many reasons, a lot of which actually have to do with taste and texture!), this was super helpful. Thank you!
I’m glad you found the tips for gluten-free baking helpful Ksenia! It’s definitely a journey, and I think I’ll always be learning. So happy you stopped by – I love your site!
These look above and beyond! I cannot wait to whip up a batch this weekend! And thanks so much for the Bubble love!
Xoxo,
Your GF Cookie Pen Pal :)
Kait, your allergy friendly flour bake rocks! I’m so proud of you. It was my pleasure to include in the post so everyone can enjoy gluten-free deliciousness! xo
Love your recipes Amanda! Miss u!
ah, so great to hear from you Judy! hope all is well with the family.
Can I add oats to this recipe?
I have not tested the recipe with oats, sorry!
Can I add oats to this recipe?