With crisp edges and tender middles, these easy gluten-free chocolate chip cookies get a flavor boost from a blend of gluten-free flours – oat flour, sweet white rice flour, and tapioca flour, plus brown butter, loads of bittersweet chocolate, and flaky salt.
Ridiculously delicious, easy to make, and no one will believe they're gluten-free!
I originally shared the recipe for these heavenly brown butter gluten free chocolate chip cookies back in 2012. Over a decade later, these are still my very favorite gluten-free chocolate chip cookies and the recipe I'm most likely to whip up on any given day!
I've been baking gluten-free for over 20 years and chocolate chip cookies are my go-to when I need dessert ASAP. I love this gluten-free cookie recipe so much, I shared a version in my cookbook made with chestnut flour, dark milk chocolate, and dried tart cherries. And I shared versions on Food52 made with different flours: buckwheat, teff, and mesquite.
Here's why I think these are THE BEST gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that exist. They're:
- crispy at the edges
- soft, gooey, and chewy in the middles
- rich & buttery
- packed with butterscotch flavor from vanilla bean brown butter, oat flour, and brown sugar
- undetectably allergy-friendly
- optionally refined sugar-free, nut-free, & dairy-free as well as gluten-free
- easy to make with one bowl in under an hour, no mixer or chilling required
- super satisfying with better-than-classic flavor & texture
But no need to take my word for it. Here's what some readers have had to say in the comments:
An amazing recipe, as always! My kids and husband gobbled these up right off the cooling rack and I had to get on them before the whole batch was gone in less than a day.
Third time making this awesome recipe. It's so nice to finally have a gluten free cookie go to that is actually better than any other cookie I can remember eating:)
If you give them a go, I hope they become a favorite in your gluten-free baking repertoire as well!
And if you're still hungry for more, you can find all of my gluten-free cookie recipes here including these gluten-free ginger molasses cookies and gluten-free matcha chocolate chip cookies for a cookie smorgasbord.
What does brown butter do to cookies?
Once you try gluten-free chocolate chip cookies made with brown butter, you'll never go back. It makes these cookies taste absolutely freaking amazing.
- Browning the butter caramelizes the milk solids in the butter, giving it a rich, nutty flavor. In French this is called beurre noisette for its nutty flavor.
- Browning the butter also releases some liquid in the form of steam, leaving behind more pure fat. This makes the cookies extra rich, dense, moist, and chewy.
- I take it a step further by adding a vanilla bean to the browning butter. This infuses the butter with floral notes. But if you don't have a vanilla bean on hand, no worries: just brown the butter on its own and add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract along with the egg.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Xanthan Gum
My original recipe for these cookies called for 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. But I've since made this recipe many times without it and I can't detect a difference. The cookies are still tender and chonky without it.
Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
Just a handful of ingredients go into these rice & oat flour gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
- Butter makes the cookies rich and moist. I prefer using European-style butter which has a higher fat content and is better for browning. You can use plant butter such as Miyoko's to make these dairy-free.
- Granulated sugar adds sweetness. I use organic granulated sugar, such as Florida Crystals, but regular white sugar will work too. For a refined sugar-free cookie, swap both sugars for coconut sugar, measured by weight.
- Brown sugar should be fresh, soft, and full of molasses. Either dark or light will work. I prefer organic dark brown sugar, which is more flavorful and slightly coarser. For a refined sugar-free cookie, swap both sugars for coconut sugar, measured by weight.
- One large egg helps the cookies puff as they bake and the proteins help the cookies hold together. For an eggless option, try using a flax egg (3 tablespoons water mixed with 4 teaspoons ground flax).
- A small amount of baking soda helps the cookies spread and brown.
- A handful of toasted pecans add flavor, but you can leave them out if you prefer.
- A sprinkle of flaky salt makes these completely addictive. I prefer Maldon salt for its thin, crisp flakes.
- Lots of bittersweet chocolate chunks offset the sweetness of the cookie dough. I like using baking chocolate with at least 70% cacao mass chopped into large pieces, but feel free to use your favorite chocolate chips. For refined sugar-free cookies, use chocolate sweetened with coconut sugar or maple such as Raaka, Guittard Santé, or Hu.
The best gluten-free flours for baking chocolate chip cookies
A trio of GF flours creates dreamy flavor and texture here. You'll never know they're gluten-free!
- Gluten-Free Oat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill brand) gives the cookies earthy flavor, tenderness, and crispy edges.
- By weight, you can substitute teff, buckwheat, or chestnut flour (all of which have stronger flavors). Or try subbing sorghum flour, which will have a slightly sandier texture.
- Sweet rice flour helps the cookies hold together and creates a smooth texture, like all-purpose flour would.
- You can substitute Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten-free flour, which is made with sweet rice flour, or try cassava flour.
- Tapioca flour adds chew and keeps the cookie middles soft.
- You can try subbing arrowroot starch.
How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
A few key techniques make these cookies extra-special.
- This recipe makes 15-20 cookies and takes 30 minutes of prep time, 30 minutes to let the dough sit, and 10 minutes to bake. All you need is a bowl, a spoon, and a baking sheet!
- The recipe can be doubled if you need more cookies!
- No mixer required here! The melted browned butter is simply stirred with the other ingredients.
- The dough can be made and scooped ahead of time and chilled or frozen until ready to bake. The baked cookies keep beautifully for up to 3 days.
Make-Ahead Options
These oat & rice flour chocolate chip cookies can be made ahead for fresh, gooey cookies whenever the whim strikes. Chilling the dough for at least several hours results in cookies that are extra-thick and chonky because it allows the flours to absorb more moisture. Here's how to do it:
- Make the dough as directed, then let sit until firm enough to scoop (or chill for a few minutes to speed this up).
- Scoop the dough into balls using a cookie scoop, place the dough balls on a small baking sheet lined with parchment, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
- Transfer the cold dough balls into a container and chill for up to a week or so. Or freeze for up to several months.
- When you’re ready to bake, just plop the dough balls on a cookie sheet as directed, top with flaky salt, and bake. They may need a bit longer in the oven if they're been chilled or frozen.
Troubleshooting & Tips for the Best Gluten-Free Cookies
Cookies are at once one of the simplest treats to bake and one of the most sensitive. Here are a few tips to ensure gluten-free chocolate chip cookie bliss.
Measure for measure
Accurate measuring is crucial for cookies. Too much flour will lead to thick, dry cookies, and not enough will lead to thin, greasy ones. For best results, weigh your ingredients with a food scale. This is the one I use.
When measuring by volume, use the dip and sweep method for flours: fluff up your flour, dip in your dry measuring cup, and use a flat butter knife or small offset spatula to sweep away the excess so that the flour is level with the cup. For brown sugar, pack it well into the cup; it should mostly hold the shape of the cup when turned out into the mixing bowl.
Testing, Testing
Bake off a single test cookie before baking the full batch. I like to use a small baking sheet that came with my toaster oven and a small piece of parchment. This way you can adjust the rest of the dough or the oven temperature and you didn't just ruin the whole batch!
Here are some common cookie troubles and how to rectify them:
- The cookies spread too much.
- Add a tablespoon of two more flour to the remaining cookie dough, and/or increase the oven temperature by 25-50 degrees.
- The cookies didn't spread enough.
- Lower the oven temperature by 25-50 degrees and/or flatten the dough balls before baking them. Next time you make them, use a little less flour.
Temperature
Make sure your oven is actually the temperature it claims to be! Most ovens don't run true to temperature (mine runs about 50 degrees cold), so do yourself a favor and invest in an oven thermometer. Your cookies are worth it!
If your oven is too cold, your cookies will spread too thin, and will overbake in the centers before the edges show signs of doneness. Too hot, and the cookies' outsides will firm up before they have a chance to spread; the outside will be overdone before the innards get a chance to cook.
Timing is everything
Pull the cookies from the oven when they look underbaked. The edges should be just starting to color, while the tops should be puffed and soft, collapsing when you touch them gently with a fingertip.
Use rimless cookie sheets and parchment paper so you can effortlessly whisk all the cookies off the sheet and onto a cooling rack to stop the cooking. The cookies' residual heat will bake them fully. Much of the softness of hot cookies comes from the melted butter and chocolate, both of which become solid at room temperature. The properly baked cookie will stay soft in the center when cooled.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies for Everyone
This recipe is friendly to many different food sensitivities. Here how to adapt the recipe for your own needs:
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: use vegan butter in place of the dairy butter, such as Miyoko's cultured butter. Take care when browning the vegan butter so it doesn't burn.
- Coconut Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies: omit the sugars and use the same amount of coconut sugar by weight. The dough will feel a little thicker, but the cookies will bake up exactly the same. The molasses flavor of the coconut sugar plays beautifully with the brown butter.
- Refined Sugar-Free: Make the coconut sugar variation above and use chocolate sweetened with coconut sugar or maple.
- Nut-Free: omit the pecans or swap them for toasted pumpkin seeds.
- Egg-Free / Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: I have yet to perfect this recipe using flax egg, but I will update it when I do! In the meantime, try one of these recipes:
Whether you nom these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies warm and gooey from the oven or cooled to room temp, with a tall glass of milk or plant milk, shared with a friend or hoarded all to yourself, I hope you love them as much as we do!
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe, I’d love to see. Tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Thick & Chewy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter (115 g) unsalted butter*
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped (or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste, added with the egg)
- ½ cup (100 g) packed organic dark brown sugar**
- ¼ cup (50 g) organic granulated sugar***
- 1 large egg (2 ounces by weight out of shell)
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup (78 g) sweet white rice flour (such as Koda Farms Mochiko)****
- ½ cup (50 g) gluten-free oat flour (such as Bob's Red Mill)*****
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) tapioca flour******
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 7 ounces (200 g) bittersweet chocolate (around 70% cacao mass), coarsely chopped (1 ½ cups)
- ½ cup (60 g) toasted pecans, cooled completely and coarsely chopped
- flaky salt such as Maldon, for sprinkling (optional)
Equipment
- 2 rimless cookie sheets
- 1 cookie scoop
Instructions
Brown the Butter
- Melt the butter and vanilla bean and scrapings (if using) together in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. (If using vanilla extract or paste, just brown the butter by itself and add the vanilla along with the egg.)
- Continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until the butter turns golden and smells absolutely amazing, 3-5 minutes. There should be dark brown bits (not black) on the bottom of the pan. When the butter starts to foam up, watch it very closely as it can go from brown to burnt in moments.
Wet Ingredients
- Place the sugars in a large bowl and when the butter has browned, scrape it and the browned bits into the sugar immediately to stop the cooking. Let cool, stirring occasionally, for 10-20 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean if using (you can rinse and dry it and use it to make vanilla extract or to flavor a small jar of sugar or liqueur).
- Whisk the egg (and vanilla extract, if using) into the cooled sugar-butter mixture until well-combined and emulsified.
Dry Ingredients
- Meanwhile, sift together the flours, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
- Use a sturdy wooden spoon to stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture, stir until well combined, then continue to stir vigorously for 45 seconds; the mixture will firm up slightly. This increases the stickiness of the flours, helping the cookies hold together and be more chewy.
- Stir in the nuts and chocolate until evenly distributed.
- Cover the dough and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours to allow the butter to firm and the starches to absorb moisture, leading to thicker, chewier cookies.
Bake the cookies
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375ºF. Line two rimless cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- At this point, I recommend baking off a single test cookie on a small baking sheet. This way you can adjust the rest of the dough and/or oven temperature before baking off the whole batch. See Troubleshooting & Tips in the recipe notes.
- Scoop the dough into 1 ½ inch diameter balls (about 3 tablespoons each; a size 24 or 30 spring-loaded ice cream scoop works wonderfully) and place on the prepared cookie sheets, spaced 2-3 inches apart. Top each cookie with a pinch of flaky salt.
- Bake the cookies about 7-10 minutes, rotating back to front and top to bottom after 5 minutes. When the cookies are ready, they will seem underbaked. The edges should be just starting to color, and the tops should be puffed all over with soft centers that collapse when gently touched with a fingertip. The centers will look wet under a thin surface of dry, cracked-looking dough.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and pull them, parchment and all, onto cooling racks to stop them from baking further. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before devouring. Or cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature; the butterscotch flavor comes through better when the cookies are cool.
- The cookies will keep for up to 3 days, airtight at room temperature.
Notes
- measure by weight, not volume
- if measuring by volume, use the dip and sweep (aka scoop and swoop) method
- make sure your oven is the correct temperature by using an external oven thermometer
- bake off a single test cookie to make sure your cookies spread the right amount
- if your cookies spread too much, add more flour or increase the oven temperature
- if they don't spread enough, flatten the dough balls or decrease the oven temperature
Nutrition
My original photos from 2012!
Allegracita says
I think I recognize these... are they the same ones you brought over last week? I had no idea they were gluten free! They were freaking delicious. The pecans were an especially good choice as they added flavor without the usual nutty texture. YUM.
Alanna says
Thanks, Allegra! They are indeed the very ones. : )
j0zzzz says
These are ridiculously tasty! I especially love the salty top and the rich vanilla buttery goodness!
Alanna says
Thanks, Jozz! There's a batch with your name on 'em, should you choose to accept. ; )
Monique @Ambitious Kitchen says
I'm in love.
Alanna says
Aw!
Anonymous says
I tried these this weedend. Two thumbs up!
Kirk
Alanna says
So glad to hear it!
Steph says
Would there be a way to make these without the oat flour?
Alanna says
I do like the flavor and texture of oat flour, but you could certainly try an all-purpose gf flour blend, sorghum flour, or all sweet rice flour i place of the oat. If you swap flours, I'd recommend weighing them (see post above for reason ;)).
Anonymous says
Thank you for all of the extra tips! I sooo appreciate anyone who teaches me anything in my life! You have been a blessing!
Alanna says
Aw, thanks for the kind words - it's my pleasure!
Anonymous says
So good! I don't put nuts or the flaky salt because I am too cheap. I have even used chopped up Hersheys chocolate bar. I did try to triple the recipe once. Bad idea! I think I lost count of my sugar and did not beat the dough enough.
Alanna says
I'm SO glad you like the cookies, and thank you very much for commenting! Sorry to hear that the recipe tripling didn't work. I doubled it successfully, so hopefully it isn't a problem with the recipe. Happy baking. :)
Anonymous says
This recipe was AMAZING. I have been searching far and wide for a good chocolate chip cookie, and this is it. I was skeptical of the dough, but it thickens after 1-2 hrs thanks to the oat flour. The cookies spread out, browned beautifully, and even got slightly crispy at the edges while staying gooey at the center.
Alanna says
I'm so glad you like the cookies - thank you for the testimonial!
Anonymous says
Alanna, what if I were to add oats to make oatmeal choc chip cookies, what would you think the proportions would be?
Alanna says
Hi there,
Oatmeal chocolate chippers are my favorite! I haven't tried this recipe with oats yet, and it may take a bit of experimentation to get the proper spreadage.
As a rough starting point (based on this recipe with similar proportions: https://bojongourmet.com/2010/12/nibby-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookies.html) I'd reduce the total flour mixture to 3/4 cup and add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats.
Please let us know if you give it a go, and I'll let you know if I do the same. Happy baking.
Sara says
I just started eliminating wheat from my diet and can't wait to try these out. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Alanna says
You're welcome! Please let me know how you like them. :)
Debbie Feely says
Sara, buy Alanna’s book. It’s the best I’ve found being a compulsive baker and gluten free for a year and a half. I’m also gum free and there’s not much out there gum free. Debbie
Alanna says
Aw, thanks for the endorsement Debbie! <3
XL @ 6 Bittersweets says
I just tried this recipe and it is AMAZING! None of my coworkers could tell it was GF and I am still in awe of how much the dough behaved like wheat flour cookie dough as it was baking! I posted about this recipe including a few minor tweaks for personal taste: http://www.6bittersweets.com/2013/02/gluten-free-perfection-big-fat-chewy.html Thanks so much for sharing this with the world!
Alanna says
Hi, XL! Thank you for the super sweet comment and write-up. I'm thrilled that you like the cookies, and your photos are stunning!
Anonymous says
AMAZING Cookies! I didin't have oat flour that was gf so I substituted with Almond flour and they came out great! My 11 year old who recently went gf, said they were 'perfect" cookies! Thank you!!!!!
Carmen
Alanna says
Hi Carmen, I'm so glad to know that almond flour can be subbed for the oat flour. Glad you two like the cookies - thanks for commenting!
Anonymous says
I'm new to the gluten-free world so I didn't have all the right ingredients but I had great success nevertheless!
I substituted coconut flour for the oat flour (same weight) and potato starch for the tapioca starch (same weight). I've heard that coconut flour needs more eggs in general so I used two eggs instead of one. Finally, I only had regular rice flour (not the sweet rice flour that is recommended) so I doubled the xanthan gum to 1/2t total.
The dough looked great but didn't spread as much as I had hoped while baking. Despite that the final product is fantastic - ever so slightly crispy on the edges and moist and chewy towards the center. No one will ever have a clue that these are gluten-free.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I'm definitely making them again.
Alanna says
Thank you so much for sharing your modifications - I'm thrilled that you liked the cookies! I bet coconut flour tastes amazing in these - I'll have to try that myself sometime soon. Thanks!
Anonymous says
Be careful labelling these as gluten free. They are certainly wheat free, and look delicious. But someone with a severe gluten allergy would have a reaction to the oat flour.
Alanna says
Thanks for your concern. Oats are actually gluten-free, but they are sometimes processed on machines also used to process wheat, and can pick up gluten that way. However, there are plenty of certified gluten-free oat flours on the market, such as this one: http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-oat-flour.html
Anonymous says
you can mill gluten free oats in a blender until you get flour. real easy. You have a great recipe here! SJ
Jessy Ross says
Hello,
I've recently been on a quest for moist vegan/gluten-free choco chip cookies (seems to be all about finding the right mix of ingredients) so I was excited to find your recipe. A flax egg worked lovely in these. The dough was soaking with oil from the warmed margarine once mixed in...which was mostly just messy for my hands trying to make the cookie balls, but they cooked absolutely beautifully!!
I'm going to have to take these to work and see if anyone detects my egg, dairy and gluten free-ness in them. ;)
Alanna says
Hi Jessy! I'm thrilled to hear that these worked out with flax eggs and margarine! If you let me know the proportions of flax and water, and the kind of margarine you used, I'd love to add that info into my headnote for other readers. Thanks a lot for stopping by!
gluten allergy says
Oh!! delicious! I will definitely try out this recipe this weekend.. Thank you for sharing!
Alanna says
It's very much my pleasure! Thanks for the sweet note!
Henna Wallace says
I used your advice for an ~oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and made it vegan because I had all the ingredients to do it that way, no eggs here today....:
3/4 total flour (I did 1/4 cup brown rice flour since the original recipe had brown, 1/2 cup oat flour)
1 cup of oats.
1 flax egg was 1 tablespoon of freshly ground brown flax and 3 tablespoons water
I also used coconut oil for the fat..did 7 tablespoons instead of 8 becaues they seemed too oily last time. This time I also added a tablespoon packed of coconut butter too...
WHOA! so good
Blessins!
Henna Wallace says
oh aaand I only had coconut sugar so I only used a lil more than a 1/2 cup cause my chocolate chips were semi-sweet. fantastic.
Alanna says
Hi Henna, That variation sounds fantastic! Thank you thank you thank you for sharing it! I can't wait to try it. Gluten-free vegan baked goods can be challenging, so kudos to you!
jun says
I'd love to try this recipe, but would like to use some all purpose gluten-free flour which I have on hand. If I substitute all the flour for this flour, would I still need to use the xanthan gum? Would I go by the cup measurements for the flour substitution? I'd also like to try using coconut oil and coconut sugar as Henna did in the previous post.. so I appreciate her feedback on how it worked for her.
I've been looking for a gluten-free cookie recipe that equaled those that aren't, and having it be chocolate chip on top of that is more than I could have dreamed! I'm so looking forward to trying it.. thanks so much!
Alanna says
Hi Jun, I feel that the secret to success in these cookies is in the specific flour blend, so I don't know how they will work with another blend. If you have a kitchen scale, using the weight measurement should get you closer to the correct amount. Ditto for subbing the coconut sugar, which weighs less than refined sugar of the same volume. Since coconut oil contains more fat than butter (which contains some protein and water), a direct substitution may or may not work. If your AP mix already has xanthan gum, you can probably leave it out. Pretty please let me know which flour blend you use and how you like the resulting cookies. :)
Peg Lewis says
I've been excited since I discovered your recipes about an hour ago, and now am completely off track with my day as planned! I got hooked originally with your chard saag …
Now I have found these cookies. They look great, and I am very GF and they seem excellent - except that I find a great many GF people are highly sensitive to xanthan gum. It's a nasty beast of a man-made additive found in so many GF recipes now that the gov has ok'd it and declared it a food. Which by my definition it is not, in that it doesn't derive from anything that ever grew in nature and still doesn't.
I'll try these without. I know they won't hold together as well, but they look so good!
I hope all great chefs will realize how hard this gluten substitute xanthan gum is on sensitive people. I can tell it's in something within a few hours of eating it, so now I have to refuse all GF products if I can't read a label. An intestinal bleed is not worth the taste sensations however wonderful!
Alanna says
Hi Peg! Thanks so much for the note - I'm glad you're enjoying the site, though I'm sorry you have such a bad reaction to xanthan gum. Definitely not worth it. I would trade it here for 1 tablespoon ground chia seed and see how that goes, or trade a tablespoon of rice flour for one of tapioca. You might also like these chocolate chippers, which are GF, vegan, and crazy good: https://bojongourmet.com/2014/04/chocolate-chip-almond-butter-cookies.html Let me know how it goes. :)
Suzanne Holt says
Pretty sure these are not the cookies that your Grandma used to bake. Love the abundance of REAL chocolate. And the fact that they are Gluten Free. Pinned to my "Christmas Cravings" board.
Alanna says
We love these, and I hope you do too!
Anonymous says
THESE ARE AMAAAAAAAZING!!!!! THANK YOU BUNCHES!!!!
Alanna says
You're welcome - so glad you like 'em!
Jenna says
I've had these marked to make for my GF husband for a while now, and I finally got around to doing so. They are delicious!!! And you're right, no one would ever know these are gluten-free.
Alanna says
Woohoo! I'm so glad to hear it. Thanks for the great feedback!
Lauren says
I have made these a few times and they are by far the best GF cookies I've ever tasted. I've become sensitive to dairy and wondered if it would work to make these with ghee instead of butter. Do you think I could substitute with the same proportions? Thanks for the input!
Alanna says
Yay! I'm so glad you like 'em! So butter is usually about 80% fat, and 20% water and milk solids, whereas ghee has had all of the water and milk solids removed leaving it nearly 100% fat. For this reason, you might need to tweak things a bit to make these work with ghee. Also, the ghee won't brown since the solids have all been removed and it is these that caramelize in the browning process. If you experiment, please come back and let me know how it goes!
Lauren says
So I ended up deciding to go with half ghee and half coconut oil (I doubled the recipe and used roughly 7 tbsp. coconut oil and 7 tbsp ghee). The results were absolutely fantastic!! I had once tried making this recipe with Earth Balance baking sticks in lieu of butter and was very disappointed; they had an artificial flavour to them. But with the coconut oil and ghee, they tasted heavenly (and still had the wonderful chewy texture that I love about this recipe). Mmmmm!
Alanna says
Yayyyyyy! I'm so glad they worked out and I am totally trying your variation. Thank you for sharing! Oh and if you haven't tried them already, you might like these GF DF bad boys, too: https://bojongourmet.com/2014/04/chocolate-chip-almond-butter-cookies/
Lauren says
I have indeed made those ones before too, and found them to be delicious!
Sarah says
Can I make and freeze these for my upcoming wedding or do you recommend baking fresh? Thank you! Always inspired coming here ; )
Tara says
Hi Alanna,
Do you think I would be able to use a gluten free flour blend (like Bob's Red Mill brand) in place of all the flours in this recipe? I am new to wheat free baking.
Thanks.
Tara
Alanna says
Great question! I think that would probably work. The trouble that I've run into with GF AP blends is that I haven't found one that I love the taste and texture of. But I think if you used Bob's 1 to 1 blend (not their classic blend, which has chickpea flour in it and tastes like beans) that would work pretty well! If you try it, please let me know how it goes!
Tara says
I tried the recipe using a gluten free flour blend and they turned out great! I couldn't find Bob's Red Mill brand, so I used Arrowhead Mills all purpose gluten free flour instead. I plan on investing in some of the ingredients in your gluten free recipes though because I am sure they turn out best that way. I'm looking forward to trying more wheat free recipes! Thanks again for all of your helpful advice and the details you include in your recipes. They always turn out wonderful!
The Bojon Gourmet says
Aw thank you Tara! <3
Aysegul Sanford says
You the baking magician. How gorgeous do these look? Not to mention how delicious.
😉
Alanna says
Aw thank you friend! <3
dana says
holy ca-rap these look AMAZING! Want!
Alanna says
Come to SF and I'll feed you all the cookies!
Jonna says
Hi Alanna! I've owned your cookbook for a long time and LOVE it. I've made these (and the other flour versions) literally 100s of times. I have a question though. Most of the time, my cookies come out flatter than I would like. I use an oven thermometer, follow the directions exactly, weigh my ingredients, use fresh ingredients, etc. Of the following, which would you suggest I try to make thicker cookies:
1. Use just an egg yolk or 1 whole egg + 1 yolk (ATK glutinous version)
2. Increase the flour by 10%?
3. Increase the xanthan gum to 1/2 tsp?
4. Reduce oven temp to 325?
5. Refrigerate the dough?
Any advice is appreciated!
Alanna says
Thanks so much for the sweet note - I'm so glad you're loving all the cookies! For thicker cookies, I'd recommend either adding more flour (1-2 tablespoons should do the trick!) or refrigerating the dough. Let me know what you try!
Christina says
Utterly stunning post - both your words and the exquisite photos. So glad I’ve found your blog!
Alanna says
Aw me too! Thanks a bunch for the kind words!
Meghan says
An amazing recipe, as always! My kids and husband gobbled these up right off the cooling rack and I had to get on them before the whole batch was gone in less than a day.
Alanna says
So glad they were well-loved (and that you got to try some too!)
Trish says
Another terrific recipe! I was unable to bake these until six days after mixing them up. My oven malfunctioned and it took that long for a serviceman to get here. Your instructions not to overtake are spot on. I baked the second sheet a bit longer and they were too done - still delicious though! I appreciate all of the detailed instructions you give as it makes for a great result. Thank you!
Alanna says
Aw I'm glad your oven is back up and running and that you loved the cookies!
Trish says
Forgot to rate it!
Alanna says
Thank you so much for doing so!
Hali says
These are absolutely the yummiest!! Didn't have pecans on hadn't and went ahead and made them anyway, DELISH!! Now I can't wait to try them with pecans... likely later on today! Thanks for sharing!
Alanna says
I'm so glad you love the cookies! Let me know if you try them with pecans which you prefer. Bojon appetit!
Monica D says
Third time making this awesome recipe. Test cookie is in the oven as I sweat watching it bake. Thank you for this! It's so nice to finally have a gluten free cookie go to that is actually better than any other cookie I can remember eating:)
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw this makes me so happy! I'm so glad you love this recipe, it's one of my all-time favorites too :)
cc says
hi there~ when making flour substitutions, do we substitute by grams or cups? this applies to all recipes, esp for those where you provide some alternative flours to use.
thanks!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi! It's most accurate to sub by weight if you have a scale.
Alene says
Hi. This cookie is not in your book, correct? I looked to see because sometimes I write notes to myself on how to eliminate rice flour. Can I, in this recipe? It doesn't seem like I can. Mainly because it won't be the same cookie. Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Alene,
This recipe is similar to the chestnut flour one in my book (which only uses chestnut and tapioca flours – no rice!) Here, you could try swapping 15 g more tapioca starch and 65 g of a different flour (could try all oat, or using teff, chestnut, buckwheat, almond, cassava, tiger nut, etc.) Please let me know if you experiment!
Alene says
I just made the one in your book, the chestnut one. I was feeling sorry for myself. Still so good! Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw I'm sorry to hear it, but I hope the cookies helped! Those are a favorite of mine too. :)
Noel says
Hello! I am super stoked to try these since I've started eliminate wheat from my diet. I'm not a fan of cookies that are super sweet - do you think I can eliminate the white cane sugar all together, and use coconut sugar instead? Thanks again for this FANTASTIC recipe!!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Noel!
Great question! I've actually been wondering the same thing, so I tested the cookies using the same weight of coconut sugar (150 g) in place of the granulated and brown sugar. The dough was a little thicker but the cookies baked up beautifully! They were a little thin and spready made with unchilled dough. The cookies with chilled dough baked up thick and luscious. Both were delicious! I added in a note about subbing coconut sugar.
If you want to take down the sugar even more, you may need to add more liquid to the batter (maybe plant milk?) so the cookies have the right spread. Or you could flatten out the dough balls before baking. Will you let me know if you give it a try?
Giovanna says
Hi Alanna,
Firstly, I want you to know that your baked good recipes are my go-to's, always so delicious!
I tried this cookie recipe and it was amazing. I am curious about substituting olive oil for the butter, have you tried that? I don't have good plant-based butter options where I am in Mexico and I would like to try a dairy-free version. I imagine the ratios would change a bit. Do you think less oil in weight? And also more flour?
Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes in general and especially these CCCs!
Hm, that is a great question about the olive oil. So butter is about 80% fat and 20% water and milk solids, so it can be a bit tricky to sub for oils that are closer to 100% fat like olive oil. My guess is that you'd want to use a little less oil and add in a little bit of plant milk to get closer to the butter. The other factor is that when we brown the butter, some of the liquid evaporates. So I think your idea to use a little less oil is a good one. Not sure if it will need more flour or not. I would say start with the amount called for and add in a little more if the batter seems loose.
Have you tried my GF blondies by chance? Oil works great in those and it's a fairly similar formula! :)
Giovanna says
Thank you so much!
I will try the oil with splash of milk, as well as your blondies yum!
xx
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay! Please let me know how you like them both!
Angie Lai says
Hi Alanna, I love this recipe from your book and am excited to try this variation for when I don't have chestnut flour. Your chocolate discs in the photos look so appealing. Do you mind sharing what brand you prefer? I usually chop up chocolate bars, but I really like the look of the discs. Thanks!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Angie! I'm so glad you love the chestnut flour cookies from the book! Those chocolate discs are Guittard 74% baking wafers. So good!
Meg says
Just wanted to say I made these and they were so delicious! I only had rice flour so I used that instead of the oat flour and they still turned out amazing. All my housemates loved them, even the non GF people! :P
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Meg, Aw I'm so happy to hear that that substitution worked and that the cookies were a hit! Did you use all sweet rice flour, or some sweet and some regular white rice flour? Would love to add a note to the recipe in case people don't have oat flour on hand. Thanks so much for the sweet note and rating!
Amanda Reid says
Hi I found this labor intensive-and somewhat disappointing. My cookies came out very flat. I gave up baking them about 1/2 way through the dough. Your comment is-just add more flour-so-is the flour you add the combination? If so-I have e to grind up more oats to make more flour combination-also-how much more? And the leftover dough is quite stiff. Is there any trick to adding the flour a day later?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Amanda, thanks very much for the feedback. I think I know why the cookies spread too much! Usually when we grind oats to make oat flour, the resulting flour is more coarse than storebought such as Bob's Red Mill, which is what I used to test this recipe. The coarser flour has less surface area to absorb moisture, so the dough will be more loose and the cookies will spread more.
If you give these another go, I'd recommend using storebought oat flour. OR try grinding your flour more finely if you can. That said, now that the dough has had a chance to sit and absorb, the cookies will likely not spread so much. Maybe bake off a single tester and see how it does?
At this point, you're right, the dough will be more stiff and it will be hard to incorporate more flour. If the test cookie is still too spready, an easy fix would be to bake off the remaining dough in a pan like for blondies (or muffin cups, depending on how much is leftover). That way the spreading won't be an issue! If it's gooey, just put some ice cream on it and eat it with a spoon - yum! ;)
Please let me know if you give these another go or if I can help troubleshoot some more!
Fellow Baker says
hi--is there any way to sub out [and I really hate asking this because I dont like to deviate from bloggers recipes that you spend so much time testing] the sweet rice flour for almond flour or another lower glycemic flour? Im sure this is going to sound funny but hubs loves chocolate chip cookies but is watching his sugar intake so we are trying to find one that is yummy but more diabetic friendly.
Thanks
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Fellow Baker!
Aw I completely understand. My husband is also trying a low-carb diet ATM!
I'm not sure how subbing in almond flour would work here, but you could certainly give it a try. Always best to sub by weight.
Alternatively, my paleo chocolate chip cookies and paleo tahini chocolate chip cookies can be made with almond flour, and they use nut/seed butter and maple syrup as the base.
Let me know what you experiment with or if you have any other questions!
-A
BB says
If you are looking for "THE" GF chocolate-chip cookie recipe, this is it.
The browned butter creates an amazing butterscotch/caramel depth of flavor, which reminded me of my old gluten-full favorite from Jacques Torres.
This is the recipe I will use from now on. Besides being the clear winner by taste, this recipe is also quick, easy, and almost one-bowl.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw, this completely makes my day! I'm so glad you love the recipe and that they remind you of the iconic ones from Jacques Torres. That's quite a compliment. Thanks so much for the sweet note!
-A
Ruby Nguyen says
i'm very new to the gluten free world, and made this as my very first gluten free recipe!
Two main things though:
1) I ended up getting 12 cookies (2 tbsp of dough) instead of the 15-20 when using about 3 tbsp as listed. Even when I was stirring the dough, I thought to myself there's no way it's going to make so many cookies. Is there something you would recommend? I measured everything by weight.
2) I decided to chill these in the fridge because I wanted to bake these the next day, and they became rock solid! Are they supposed to feel that way? If so, would it be okay to pop them in the oven as soon as I take them out of the fridge? (I ended up leaving them to soften just a tad). I would love if I can make this dough in advance. Thank you!