Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Gluten free chocolate chip cookies recipe, anyone? I’ll assume that was a big, fat ‘yes please’! Here’s my mega-simple recipe – it’s even dairy free and low FODMAP too.

My gluten free chocolate chip cookies recipe solves one massive problem. Why can I still never find freshly baked, soft and chewy gf cookie when I’m out and about? What year do we live in?! No bother – here’s my recipe that’ll fix all that, sharpish…

I’m getting to the point in my gluten free life where I expect at least one decent gluten free option anywhere I go. That’s not too expectant, is it? Correct me if I’m wrong!

But still, even in this day and age, you can still walk into a bakery and they’ll just have absolutely nothing in terms of fresh gluten free food. Either that or they’ll have a token gf option in plastic wrapping that isn’t nearly as as nice as the regular stuff.

(yes, I’m looking at you, Greggs who put ‘may contain’ warnings on products also labelled as gluten free!!)

And if you can imagine this next part happening in a sort of super-hero-like scene where Superman puts his cape on…

I put my apron on, ready to make what I really craved!

So it was time to take matters in to my own hands… quite literally. See the photo below for proof.?? Yep, that’s my gluten free chocolate chip cookies recipe in progress!

I decided to recreate those freshly baked cookies I’d been craving and envy-smelling for years. And well… they turned out better than I can even remember.

I based them on a Ben’s Cookies style cookie. I remember them being golden and crisp on the outside with a chewy centre and chunky chocolate chips.

They have a nice little rise on them which just makes them actually so light and soft…

And that’s exactly how I’d describe the beauties that my gluten free chocolate chip cookies recipe creates! Honestly, nobody would ever, ever, ever, ever know that they’re gluten free and dairy free.

Fortunately for you, they’re so easy to make too! Just mix up your cookie dough, roll into balls and thank me later.

So the moral of the story is this: why hold your breath waiting for the ‘one gluten free option’ when you can just make your own? I know what I’d prefer! Here’s what you’ll need to add to your shopping list…

Ingredients

100 g caster sugar
100 g light brown sugar
120 g hard margarine, melted, (I’ve always used the hard block of Stork which is dairy free – if you don’t need dairy free you could use butter)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
300 g gluten free plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
160 g chocolate chips, (dairy free if necessary)

They’re all pretty simple ingredients, right? You may even have all of this in your cupboards and fridges already! If you want the method, keep scrolling down the post until you see the recipe card ??

Here’s some tips/FAQs for creating the perfect gluten free chocolate chip cookies…

Can I make this recipe gluten free?

It is gluten free!

Can I make your gluten free chocolate chip cookies dairy free?

Of course you can! All you need to use are dairy free chocolate chips – in the photos I used these Moo Free Chocolate Chips.

Also, you’ll need to use a hard margarine instead of butter – I used a block of Stork. Both of these are gluten free too obviously!

This is one of those recipes that makes barely no difference whether it’s dairy free or not. So the choice is yours!

Is your gluten free chocolate chip cookies recipe nut free?

Yep, this is a nut-free recipe. But of course, make sure you check the ingredients label on all the products you use to bake these cookies.

Even if the products don’t contain nuts, they may have a ‘may contain nuts’ warning due to being produced in a factory that handles nuts.

You can never be too careful so always read the labels on everything first!

Can I make your gluten free chocolate chip cookies in a food processor or standing mixer?

Of course you can and to be honest, a standing mixer would probably be easier! I always make this just by hand because I always have – not because it’s better or anything.

But to be honest, there’s something so satisfying about when it comes together and you’re using your hands. And less washing up – hooray!

(just a spatula and a bowl of course)

Do I need any special equipment to bake your gluten free chocolate chip cookies?

Certainly not! I literally bake these just using a bowl and a spatula. You need a little more elbow grease, but otherwise, that’s all you need!

You’ll probably need a microwave for the butter though (or use a bain marie on the hob) – just some way to melt the butter until completely melted.

You’ll obviously need a fridge also to chill the dough before rolling into balls – not sure if that constitutes being called ‘special equipment’ though!

Do I need weighing scales to bake your gluten free chocolate chip cookies?

In short… yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any of my recipes without them. One of the worst things you can do in any baking recipe is alter the quantities by mistake or on purpose.

(unless you know what you’re doing of course)

Why? Well, you’re sort of just gambling with the recipe and praying that it turns out ok. And I’ve generally already done the hard work there for you!

A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities so I wouldn’t mess around with them unless you really know your stuff.

What chocolate chips should I use to bake your gluten free chocolate chip cookies?

I’ve already mentioned the Moo Free Chocolate Chips above if you’re dairy free, but if not, I usually use the Dr. Oetker chocolate chunks.

They’re nice a big so they don’t vanish into the mixture as easily and they’re nice a chunky – which is really nice to eat!

Don’t have any chocolate chips? Fear not as you can easily cut up chocolate and use that instead. I’d recommend baking chocolate however as the melting point is usually much better!

Can I bake your gluten free chocolate chip cookies with less sugar?

I can definitely understand the need to reduce sugar in our foods, but this is one of the recipes where I wouldn’t advise it at all!

Of course, the sugar isn’t just for sweetness. It’s integral to the structure of the cookies once baked and is sooo important.

The sugar caramelises to produce a nice, crispy exterior on the outside and without that… they’re not gonna be nice, crisp out the outside, soft in the middle cookies at all are they?!

How long can I keep your gluten free chocolate chip cookies for?

I’ve kept my gluten free chocolate chip cookies for around a week. They still taste as good as they day they were made! Obviously store them in an air-tight container too.

You can always reheat them for 20-30 seconds in the microwave at 900W for the ‘fresh out of the oven’ feel too.

When they lose the crispiness on the outside, they’re probably starting to get past their best.

Can I freeze your gluten free chocolate chip cookies?

Of course! I’ve frozen them for up to a month and after allowing them to fully thaw, you’d never know they were frozen.

After thawing, I’d recommend baking them in the oven for 5 minutes or so just to remove any excess moisture before enjoying them warm though.

Can I make your gluten free chocolate chip cookies vegan?

Yep! If you follow the instructions above to make these cookies dairy free (using Moo Free Chocolate Chips and Stork hard margarine instead of butter) then all you’ve got left to contend with is the eggs.

Here’s a few ideas you can use as egg replacements, so each of these = 1 egg.

3 tablespoons of aquafaba – water from a can of chickpeas. Keep the chickpeas for a future dinner!
Egg replacement powder – I’d recommend using Orgran as it’s gluten free.
1 tablespoon of chia/flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
3 tablespoons of applesauce.

So use one of those egg replacement options and you’ve got gluten free AND vegan chocolate chip cookies!

Can I eat your gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough?

Well, I suppose the sensible answer is that they contain egg and eating raw egg isn’t the most advisable thing in the world…

But yes, I do eat some when I’m making it and it tastes great! ?

It’s probably more advisable to use one of the vegan egg replacements I just listed above to make it a little more of a good idea!

How can I tell when my gluten free chocolate chip cookies are done?

They should look nice and golden, but not actually browned or browning at the edges.

Poking them doesn’t help much because they won’t be nice and crisp until they’ve cooled a little. So just aim for how mine look in the photos and if you take them out early – no bother!

Troubleshooting

My gluten free chocolate chip cookies weren’t soft – they were hard and crunchy.

Sounds like they were over-baked. So either your oven is way too hot or you’re leaving them in too long.

Remember, that we just want a slightly crisp outside, leaving them soft and chewy in the middle. We’re not aiming for hard biscuits here so don’t over-bake them!

My gluten free chocolate chip cookies spread too much and were flat like pancakes!

You might not have allowed enough time for the dough to chill in the fridge.

This is a really important stage in the recipe as it not only allows the dough to harden up a bit so they’re easier to roll into balls, but it’s also important for baking them.

If the dough is warm before it goes in the oven, it’ll spread a lot quicker and result in flatter cookies!

My gluten free chocolate chip cookies were too thick, what did I do wrong?

When the cookies come out of the oven, it’s a good idea to give the tray a swift but gentle tap on a hard surface a couple of times.

While the cookies are still soft, this will encourage them to flatten – otherwise you can end up with cookies that are fairly thick.

My cookies don’t look as good as yours – I can’t see any chocolate chips!

It’s easy for your chocolate chips to get lost in your cookies when they bake, but it’s not the end of the world because they still taste exactly the same!

But if you want to go for that perfect finished look, do what I do: once you’ve rolled your cookie dough into balls, add a few extra chocolate chips into the top of each ball.

That way, when they spread, you can at least guarantee that there will be a few chocolate chips on top after baking.

My batter was still quite wet when it went in the fridge… what did I do wrong?

That means you didn’t mix the dough for long enough! You need to mix it until it comes together like cookie dough, there’s a photo up earlier in this blog post of my dough which should help.

My batter was still wet after chilling and when I was rolling the balls?

If you did mix your dough until it came together well, then it’s likely that you didn’t chill your cookie dough long enough.

So whack it back in the fridge and be patient! The temperature of the dough is quite important so that it’s easy to roll and also doesn’t spread too quickly when baking into flat pancakes.

Can I print your gluten free chocolate chip cookies recipe?

Of course! Just hit the print button located on the recipe below ?? (otherwise you might end up printing this entire post which would probably make your printer go into early retirement)