Everyone has different opinions about the texture of chocolate chip cookies – gluten free or otherwise. Some people prefer flat, crispy cookies, while others like that mix of chew and crisp. I personally like my chocolate chip cookies to be a little bit soft and a little bit chewy. My preference is a thicker cookie with a LOT of chocolate.
Since changing to a GF diet, I have struggled to find a chocolate chip cookie with the perfect texture. My paleo chocolate chip cookies are very good, but they have a bit too much chew to be my perfect texture. I tried modifying that recipe, starting with almond flour as the main flour ingredient, but I kept coming up short. Then I tried modifying my tried and true traditional gluten recipe – no dice. Then I learned two tricks that I decided to combine and try. The reverse creaming method where you mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and swapping out some of the multipurpose gluten free flour blend with almond flour. It worked!! I got the most beautiful texture.
In addition to texture, I wanted to bake delicious GF chocolate chip cookies using no refined sugars. That combo of white sugar and brown sugar has a bit of a stranglehold on my tastebuds, though. It’s such a timeless flavor! Like most recipes I land on when trying to reduce the amount of sugar: I found a way to get a close approximation of the flavor. You just can’t replace the kick of that sugar. I have learned, however, that the consequences for my body aren’t worth it. So, I enjoy “close enough” and am beginning to allow it to simply be “oooh yummy!” all on its own. In this case, I used a bit of molasses to coat the coconut sugar to get that flavor in brown sugar. I also used a healthy TBS of vanilla extract and a good amount of dark chocolate. They turned out so good!
PrintSoft Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
These gluten free chocolate chip cookies are soft, taste delicious, and are made without refined sugars. They do require an overnight chill in the fridge for the best texture, but it’s worth it – I promise!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Chill Time: 12 Hours
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 12 hours 34 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
- Category: Sweet Treats
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup (273g) gluten free flour blend (I highly recommend a DIY blend)
1/2 cup (48g) almond flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum (if your GF flour blend does not have xanthan gum already in it, bump the amount to 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup (231g) coconut sugar
1 TBS molasses
8 TBS (110g) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 eggs at room temperature
1TBS pure vanilla extract
10 – 12 ounces of dark chocolate (I recommend half as chocolate chips and half as chopped chocolate chunks)
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the coconut sugar and molasses. You will start by stirring with a spoon or spatula, but this works best if you switch over to your fingers once you get the molasses distributed with a spoon. Use your fingers to work the molasses into the coconut sugar and work out any clumps.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour blend, almond flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, and coconut sugar/molasses combo with a whisk. Ensure all ingredients are thoroughly and evenly combined. Break up any clumps with the whisk.
- Using a spatula, form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix the wet ingredients together in tight circles until they begin to combine, then stir in broader circles to mix in the dry ingredients. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. This will take a bit of work, but it is worth it to do this by hand versus with a mixer for the texture you will achieve.
- Fold in the dark chocolate until the chocolate is evenly distributed. The dough should be thick but workable.
- Divide the dough into 18 portions, about 50 grams each. Roll into balls and place on the prepared cookie sheet. We are going to chill the dough at this stage, so all 18 balls can go on one cookie sheet. They do not need to be spaced apart. Cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge. A 12 hour chill time is recommended for the thickest cookies with the least amount of spread. If you are limited on time, please chill for at least 1 hour.
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove 6 of the dough balls and spread the remaining 12 balls out on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. You will bake in two batches.
- Bake one sheet at a time in the 350 degree F oven for 12 minutes. The cookies will rise straight until about 10 minutes, at which point they will begin to flatten. You will see some browning on the edges of the cookies, but don’t wait for too much browning. Because of the dark coconut sugar and molasses, the cookies have a darker color already. Too much browning will get you an overcooked cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
