Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
Chewy chocolate cookies are right there on the top of my favorite desserts list. Fudgy with big puddles of chocolate chunks? Yes please. These gluten-free chocolate cookies are just that. Crisp on the edges and super gooey and chewy in the center. Chopped chocolate gives these gluten-free cookies big puddles of chocolate on top!
These cookies are so easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. Top with some flaky sea salt for a sweet and salty combination.
You’ll love this recipe because:
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-free flour blend – I tested this recipe with both Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour and King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure Gluten Free Baking Flour. Both of these blends already contain xanthan gum and are meant to be a 1-for-1 swap with all-purpose flour.
- Xanthan gum – If your gluten-free flour blend does not contain xanthan gum, you will need to add it. Xanthan gum is a corn-based ingredient that either provides elasticity or is used as a thickening agent in many foods. It’s used in gluten-free baking to keep baked goods from crumbling and falling apart.
- Cocoa powder – Use a regular unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe. I used Hershey’s brand. I don’t recommend using Dutch-processed cocoa powder since this cookie recipe only uses baking soda and Dutch-process cocoa powder has its acid neutralized. Regular cocoa powder is the way to go here.
- Unsalted butter – Make sure that your unsalted butter is softened to room temperature so it can easily be creamed together with the sugars.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar – For best flavor, I like to use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. If you prefer, you can use all granulated sugar or all brown sugar easily in this recipe as well.
- Chocolate chunks – I personally prefer to use a dark chocolate bar that I’ve chopped into chunks. This gives you some irregularity of the chocolate sizes so that you get small flecks and big chunks of chocolate in every bite. Chopped chocolate chunks also gives the big puddles of chocolate on top of the cookies that are so delicious. While I used dark chocolate, you can also use semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or bittersweet chocolate if you prefer!
- Flaky sea salt – I use Maldon salt for this recipe as a finishing salt after the cookies come out of the oven. The flaky sea salt intensifies the chocolate and there’s nothing like a sweet and salty combo in a cookie!
In baking, I like to use unsalted butter instead of salted butter. The amount of salt in salted butter can easily vary. To better control the amount of salt you add to your cookies, use unsalted butter and then add in salt to the batter.
Step-by-Step instructions
These gluten-free chocolate chunk cookies are so simple to make – there’s no chill time required! Just make the dough, scoop it into balls, and bake! The step-by-step instructions with matching photos below are meant to help you see the cookie dough at various stages so you can make these chocolate cookies perfectly every time!
For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe, and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.
Recipe FAQs
Typically, chocolate cookies are not gluten-free since they contain all-purpose flour. Instead, this recipe is created to specifically be gluten-free using a gluten-free flour blend.
I’ve tested this recipe with both Bob’s Red mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking flour (in the blue bag that already contains xanthan gum) and King Arthur Baking Measure-for-Measure Gluten Free Flour Blend. Both of these flour blends are meant to be a 1-for-1 swap with all-purpose flour and already contain xanthan gum in them. If you use a different flour blend than these two flours, I cannot verify how the recipe will turn out as all gluten-free flour blends are not created equal.
If you use one of the gluten-free flour blends I recommend, you do not need to add xanthan gum because those flour blends already contain it. If you are using a different blend, including a homemade gluten-free flour blend, you’ll need to add xanthan gum as stated in the recipe. Xanthan gum gives the cookies elasticity so that they don’t crumble and fall apart.
While I’ve provided measurements in cups, I always recommend using the metric measurements provided in grams for better results. It will always be more accurate. If you must use American cups for this recipe, be sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a flat surface. Do not scoop the measuring cup into the flour as it will pack the flour in and create really dense cookies.
While my preference is going to be chopped chocolate for its irregular size and big puddles of dark chocolate, you can use chocolate chips. I’d still reserve 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips and place them on top of the dough before baking so you can get some melty bits of chocolate on top of the cookies.
hints & tips
Storage instructions
- Storage: Store leftover gluten-free chocolate cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer Option: You can freeze cookie dough for long term storage. Place the balls of cookie dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until solid, about an hour. Then, place the dough balls in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. You may need to add an extra minute of baking time for cookies baked from frozen dough.
More delicious cookies to try
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Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (280g, use a blend that contains xanthan gum)
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder (65g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cups unsalted butter (softened to room temperature (226g))
- 1 cups granulated sugar (200g)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (150g)
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups dark chocolate chunks or roughly chopped dark chocolate (divided (280g))
- 1 tbsp flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (177C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour blend, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Add in dry ingredients, a little bit at a time, and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks, reserving ½ cup of chocolate chunks for later.
- Scoop out the dough into 2.5 tablespoon sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each ball.
- Top the dough balls with the remaining chocolate chunks.
- Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, until edges are set. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the tops of the cookies with flaky sea salt. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the pan before placing on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour and King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour. Both of these flours already contain xanthan gum so there is no need to add it to the recipe. If your blend does not contain xanthan gum, you will need to add it to the recipe. I recommend adding ¾ teaspoon of xanthan gum to this recipe.
- For best results, follow the weight measurements instead of the volume measurements. Scooping the flour with a measuring cup can be very inconsistent and may result in too much flour, making your gluten-free gingerbread cookies very dense.
I’m Megan
A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…
I am HERE for these stunning chocolate cookies, Meg! And I cannot wait to bake, try and share them with our gluten free friends and family members! I have a feeling everyone is going to ADORE these. How could we not?
Thank you so much for participating in this year’s Sweetest Season! I am always blown away with the recipes shared and the generosity of its participants. Thank you for making this event such a success. I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!