These are THE BEST (& EASIEST) Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies! Chewy, soft centers with a slightly crispy edge and without the gritty texture that is often common with gluten-free cookies. Only 6 ingredients. Optional egg-free version as well!
When you start wondering if a particular food blogger has fallen off the face of the planet, it can mean one of several things...
- They fell off the face of the planet.
- They have kidlets. And trying to blog and work part-time out of the home with two energetic kidlets who aren't yet both in school full-time is frankly...hard. (How many more months until September and the next school year? Not that the food blogger is counting because they love spending time with their kidlets...but okay...maybe they're counting.)
- They are doing some SERIOUS, in-depth research and recipe testing and want to get their recipe just right before they share it with the world.
I fall somewhere between #2 and #3.
And these gluten-free chewy chocolate chip cookies were DEFINITELY worth the two-month hiatus. And they are crazy easy, which for being gluten-free, is a miracle. With ONLY 6 ingredients all the gluten-free cookie eaters can finally rejoice. Cue music.
But I'm super nervous about sharing this recipe with you all. I know. Weird, right?
I've been avoiding creating a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe for a REALLY long time. Because, we (meaning you, me, and everyone else who wants to shove a cookie in their face) have some REALLY strong preferences and opinions regarding this classic cookie.
Just do a quick chocolate chip cookie Google search, click on the cookie recipes that pop up, scroll down to the bottom of the post where people leave their comments, and you will see herds of cookie addicts liberally deconstructing the cookie that the poor food blogger fell off the face of the planet to develop.
Some like their cookies super chewy, some like their cookies super crispy (like my hubs Joe), some want both the crispy edge and the chewy center (that would me be), some like their cookies more cake-like, some like 'em thick, some like 'em thin...you get the point. And that doesn't even include those who are begging to know if the cookie can be altered in some way to make them vegan, paleo, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, ALL the allergens-free. Chocolate chip cookie lovers can be a tough crowd. Especially gluten-free chocolate chip cookie lovers. Like me (slowly raising my hand from the back row).
All the gluten-free-ers like myself, are trying to make sense out of a bajillion different gluten-free flour blends that claim they are THE ONE that is most similar to normal glutinous white all-purpose flour. Then we cross our fingers and spend way too much money on a gf all-purpose flour mix only to realize that some of the gf mixes on the market really suck. And then once you get your hands on a good gf flour blend you forehead smack yourself because you just realized that you have to go back to the store to get some xanthan gum.
And what the heck is xanthan gum?!?!
If you're not a baker by nature (btw I'm definitely not), we're all feeling slightly confused at this point with how much xanthan our baked goods need to bind the ingredients together in order to give our goods some structure.
Speaking of structure, I wonder if rubbing some xanthan gum on our skin could help with saggy skin syndrome as we age. My 20-year high school reunion is approaching and I'm thinking my skin could use some more structure. Just a thought. Let's start a support group. We'll call it Saggy Skin Syndrome Anonymous. No?
Seven years ago when my doc told me that all of my problems were related to gluten and that I needed to go gluten-free cold turkey, I yelled very loudly at her (but just in my brain), "You've GOT to be kidding me! What about ALL the pasta and the CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?!" I definitely needed a support group then. It would have been called GF People with Saggy Skin Syndrome Who Need Pasta & Cookies. I'm the only member.
Anyway, the pasta problem turned out to be an easy fix (if you need some gluten-free pasta inspo see here, here, and here), but making a classic chocolate chip cookie that was also gluten-free has been a thorn in my flesh for the past 7 years. I've made a boatload of gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. Some test cookies were decent enough for me to feel okay feeding them to people but they still never quite held up to my standard of what a reeeally good chocolate chip cookie should be. Friends would ask for the recipe and I would either give it to them begrudgingly or just pretend like I forgot they asked for it.
A couple of months ago one of those friends had the nerve to ask if I would consider posting my gf chocolate chip cookie recipe on the blog. "Why yes... I would be more than happy to do that," I politely replied, all the while shaking my head to the left and the right.
When Joe came home from work later that day, I looked him straight in the eye, and I said, "It's time." And basically he's been eating cookies for the last 2 months and my kidlets think they have just hit the jackpot with mom. If you happen to drive through a neighborhood with kids laughing uncontrollably and doing somersaults in the front yard, keep driving. It's probably just us and I made the #$%&-th batch of cookies in the last 8 weeks (I stopped counting). My kidlets are wired on sugar and Joe has gained 10 pounds wondering how his wife who claims to be a fitness instructor could do this to him. (Don't tell my clients we've been eating cookies for 2 months.)
SO HERE IT IS COOKIE LOVERS!!! (see video ⬇)
The BEST (& EASIEST) gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER. Period. End of search. Goodbye.
This recipe is THE ONE. And I even included an option for those of you who need their gf cookie to be egg-free as well. You're welcome.
Everyone else who needs something else modified in their cookie. Sorry. While I may be a food blogger, I'm still a full-time mom/part-time fitness instructor (who likes to eat cookies)/who also needs sleep and the occasional shower which means there comes a point where I limit my cookie recipe testing to what I personally crave, hope, and dream for in an amazing gf chocolate chip cookie. Hopefully there are a bunch of gf-ers out there just like me who need nothing more, and nothing less. I'm not America's Test Kitchen (which btw, I tried ATK's recommendations for gf flours to use for gf chocolate chip cookies and I wasn't a fan).
And they are crazy easy cookies. You don't have to worry about xanthan gum OR whether you should use baking powder or baking soda or a little of both (anyone else have this problem?) BECAUSE the pre-made flour mix that I love Love LOVE the most for making these gf chocolate chip cookies takes care of that for you.
And it also happens to be an awesome gf pancake mix. I know. Sounds weird. Just go with it.
Make these cookies and then go make some pancakes. It's a win-win.
Very important recipe tip!
One last thing... don't try to make these cookies with a different gluten-free all-purpose flour. Trust me on this one. Not all gluten-free all-purpose flour blends are the same. It only took me a two-month hiatus to figure that out for these gluten-free dream-come-true chocolate chip cookies.
I hope you enjoy these cookies all you gf cookie lovers! And if you do decide to go crazy with cookie recipe testing and come up with an amazing variation of your own, do share! I'd love to hear all about it!
P.S. Don't forget the milk. You know, for the dunking.
Did You Make This Recipe?!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and a star rating below! I greatly appreciate your feedback and it is also so helpful for other PMST readers who are thinking about making the recipe. Remember to snap a photo and tag @passmesometasty on Instagram so I can see!
The Best (& Easiest) Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 11 large cookies 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These are THE BEST (& EASIEST) Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies! Chewy, soft centers with a slightly crispy edge and without the gritty texture that is often common with gluten-free cookies. Only 6 ingredients. Optional egg-free version as well!
Ingredients
- 1 stick (½ cup) room temperature unsalted butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg (or sub ¼ cup applesauce for egg-free cookies)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (roughly 300 grams) Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking & Pancake Mix (DO NOT substitute with another gluten-free flour!)
- 1 ¼ cups Ghirardelli Bittersweet 60% Cacao Baking Chips
- Maldon Sea Salt Flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
- Add the egg (or applesauce for egg-free cookies) and vanilla and mix at low speed, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the ingredients are just mixed.
- Add the flour and mix on low until just combined.
- Turn off the mixer, remove the bowl from the stand, and stir in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. (Stop here and please read note #5)
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- With a large cookie scoop (2oz size), scoop even mounds of cookie dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The cookies will spread as they bake so make sure not to place them too closely together. I have room on my baking sheet for 6 cookies.
- Lightly sprinkle the tops of the cookies with sea salt flakes (optional but so good).
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. Remove when the edges are set and beginning to brown. Within the cracks that form in the center of the cookies, they will look undercooked, but the cookies will continue to cook as they cool. If you like gooey, barely cooked centers in your cookies, cook less. If you like crunchier cookies with chewy but not gooey centers, cook longer.
- This is the most difficult part --> Allow the cookies to sit on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. The rich, toffee-like flavors of the cookie will deepen and become more enhanced if you allow the cookies to fully cool before eating. If you can't resist and decide to devour a cookie before it has fully cooled, you and I have something in common.
- Have a cold glass of your favorite milk on hand. Especially if you're a cookie dunker.
Notes
Don't try this recipe with different flour. I tested this recipe using MANY different methods and gluten-free flour blends. These cookies will taste dramatically different (and most likely taste really gross) if you try to use a different gluten-free flour blend than the one I have suggested.
Egg-free version: The one modification you could make in this recipe that will still produce a really tasty cookie is to swap out the egg for a ¼ cup applesauce for an egg-free cookie. The texture and taste will be slightly different, but in my opinion, it is still a really tasty chewy chocolate chip cookie.
If your butter isn't room temperature: Place refrigerated butter in the microwave for no more than 30 seconds or just until the butter is partially melted. DO NOT fully melt butter. These cookies will not bake properly if the butter is fully melted but instead will look like super thin pancake cookies.
Chocolate chip suggestion: You can use any type of chocolate chips you prefer. I LOVE dark chocolate chips in my cookies and specifically the Ghirardelli Bittersweet 60% Cacao Baking Chips because they are larger in size than the typical chocolate chip. And in this case, bigger is definitely better.
If you prefer thicker, denser cookies than the cookies I show pictured in this post, keep the dough in the refrigerator for a longer period of time. The longer you let the dough chill, the less the cookie will flatten out when baking thereby creating a thicker cookie. It really just depends on your personal cookie thickness preference. My husband loves flat, crispy cookies, which if that is your preference as well, you won't even need to chill the dough. Just make sure you leave plenty of space between each cookie because they will flatten out a lot!
Looking for the nutritional info? Let's just enjoy the cookie instead. 😉
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chocolate chip cookie recipe, gluten-free cookie recipes, dessert recipes, gluten-free dessert recipes
Disclaimer: All brand recommendations are purely my own opinion. I am in no way sponsored by the brands mentioned or compensated by the brand for my recommendations. This post may also contain affiliate links which I may receive a small commission from (without any additional costs to you). The money earned from these commissions helps me to maintain this website. Thank you for your support!
Megan A Rostollan
You really need to mention the issue of using Pamela's GF flour ONLY before your notes. Like in the actual ingredient list. Nobody reads all the notes on a recipe blog before they make the recipe because they're all like books anymore. I just made a batch of truly gross cookies thanks to you not mentioning that little tidbit in the actual recipe. 😛 I don't leave bad reviews ever, really, but this is just a huge oversight on your part that needs correcting. I know gf flour blends can be finicky to put it mildly, but the solution here is easy and will save future readers from gross disaster. 🙂
Shannon Emery
Hi Megan, I actually do mention using only Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking & Pancake Mix in several places. I mention it in the post itself (in bold), I clearly state what flour to use in the recipe ingredients, and I again inform people (in bold) not to substitute a different gluten-free in the recipe card notes. I feel like I emphasized the importance of using only Pamela's for this recipe in several different places and at some point, if people choose not to read the recipe card in its entirety, or skip over reading the post, or choose to change the ingredients listed in the recipe itself there's not a whole lot more I can do, but I will take your suggestion and add another note in the recipe ingredients as well. I'm so sorry to hear that your version of this recipe didn't turn out.
ju
can i use all purpose gf flour
Shannon Emery
Hi Ju! I don't recommend using other gluten-free flours for this cookie recipe. Even between different all-purpose gf flour brands their ingredients and the ratios of those ingredients vary significantly which can result in a dramatically different end result, some of which actually taste pretty nasty. It's best to just stick with the flour I've recommended.
SarBear
Wow, I am incredibly disappointed. After a few failed attempts with other gf chocolate chip cookie recipes, I had high hopes for this one. Especially with all of your tips and how you said you tweaked this recipe many times and tried different variations to come up with the "perfect recipe." I went ahead and gave it 2 stars because the taste is okay, not terrible. I did EVERYTHING the way you said too, and I used all of the same ingredients. I carefully measured the Pamelas Pancake and Baking Mix by using a spoon and spooning into the measuring cup, even though you didn't mention that tip. That is a tip that I have learned from my other gf baking adventures. The butter was room temp and I used my Kitchen Aid mixer for the times you said. I used parchment paper and baked it for the times you said. I chilled the dough for 4 hours actually because I SO desired the thick, chewy cookies. But that's not what I got. At all. Far from it. Like the absolute farthest from that. These were the FLATTEST FLAT FLAT cookies I have ever seen in my life. Paper thin. The only way I can handle eating them is by stacking 3 cookies on top of each other. Even then, I am personally not into the flavor itself due to the almond flour that is in Pamelas Pancake and Baking Mix. That is a personal preference as I know many ppl love almond flour. All in all, another gf recipe that was a waste of my time.
Shannon Emery
Hi SarBear, thank you for sharing what happened with your cookies. I'm so sorry to hear that they didn't turn out the way you were hoping, nor the way I had shared in my post. I make these cookies regularly and have never had the flat cookie problem that you've mentioned. I do have a couple of thoughts though on why your cookies may have turned out the way they did which may be helpful to consider when baking gluten-free cookies, especially since it sounds likes you've tried quite a few other recipes without success.
First consideration: Do you use an oven thermometer?
Most ovens are not accurate to the temperature you set on the dial, with many of them being 25-50°F off. If your oven is baking too hot, your cookies will bake too slowly. This could result in your cookies falling flat while baking. If you don't have an oven thermometer maybe consider looking into getting a cheap one and testing your oven temperature by setting the temperature, placing the thermometer in the middle of your oven, and allow it to stay there for 20-30 minutes. This will let you know if the area where you bake is too hot or too cold. This will also help you to know if you need to either raise or lower the temperature on the dial to meet the actual temperature given in a recipe. All ovens are different, and some can be incredibly inconsistent, so it may be worthwhile to figure out how your oven bakes so that you can successfully conquer the gluten-free cookie.
Second consideration: You mentioned you spooned the Pamela's mix into your measuring cup. When I developed this recipe, I measured the flour by dipping my measuring cup into my container of flour, scooping up the flour, and then leveling it with the back of a knife. By scooping to fill your measuring cup instead of spooning the flour into the cup and then leveling it, you actually end up with more flour per cup. Since we both measured our flours using different methods this could have also contributed to our cookies turning out very different from each other. It's for this reason that some bakers insist on weighing their flour when baking to help get those consistent results, but I've always opted to keep the scale out of my baking. The next time I make these cookies, I'll weigh my flour so I can include that in the recipe notes.
I hope these considerations are somewhat helpful as you continue your cookie baking adventures. Worst case scenario with really flat chocolate chip cookies is to instead use them for ice cream sandwiches. 😉
Shannon Emery
Hi SarBar! Wanted to circle back to your comment again to share that after making these cookies again and using both your method of measuring flour and my method of measuring flour there was a considerable difference in the weight of the flour between the two methods. For two cups of flour using your measuring method, it came out to be roughly 220 grams of flour for 2 cups. For my method of measuring it came out to roughly 300 grams of flour for 2 cups. A difference of 80 grams of flour can definitely make a big difference in how these cookies turn out. I hope that helps to answer why perhaps your cookies turned out so flat.
LaDonna
SERIOUSLY- The best GF Chocolate Chip cookies EVER and I have been searching and creating GF for a long time!
Shannon Emery
Thanks SO much for your feedback LaDonna! I am so happy to hear that you love these cookies as much as I do! The search is now over! ?
Christine
I've got Bob's GF flour.... Any opinion???
Shannon Emery
Hi Christine, I tested Bob's 1:1 GF Flour when I was developing this recipe and the cookies did not turn out well. My opinion is that purchasing the Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking and Pancake Mix flour is the way to go when you making this specific cookie recipe! Enjoy!
Debbie
May I please ask why I have to use the specified brand of flour? I already have some gf flour. Will the cookies really taste as bad as you say?
Shannon Emery
Great question Debbie! Unfortunately, the gf flour blend used to make these cookies can have a significant impact on the taste and texture of these cookies. There are a multitude of multipurpose gf flour blends on the market but they vary widely in their ingredients and more importantly in the proportions in which those ingredients are used to comprise the blend. I tested this recipe multiple times (and taste tested WAY too many cookies!) using multiple varieties of gf flour blends that are commonly found today in grocery stores. After extensive recipe development and testing I found that not all gf blends are equal or interchangeable and that the specific gf blend used can make a HUGE difference in creating a truly tasty gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. But if you do decide to give these cookies a go with your own gf blend and they turn out spectacular please let me know which blend you used! I'd love to hear!
Johann
I had a hankering for a late night snack and made a half batch. These GF cookies sure hit the spot! I especially like them about five minutes out of the oven when the chocolate is still gooey, and the edges are crispy. No chilling for me, and they spread out nicely.
Shannon
Awesome! Thanks for sharing! So glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Becky
I've never found a good replacement for my mom's chocolate chip cookies since our house went gluten free. These cookies are AMAZING! And so easy to make, even with a 2 year old "helping". My only complaint is I ate way too many, because they are so delicious.
Tim
These are awesome! Simple and very delicious! I don't normally do much gf and they turned out great (which shows how easy they are). Thanks!
Shannon
Thanks Tim! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! : )
Bethany
There is nothing I love better than a good chocolate chip cookie! These look great!
Shannon
I completely agree Bethany! I hope you enjoy these cookies!