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Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle, these Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies are the real deal. They’re also easy to put together, using just 1-bowl and no fancy equipment. Made without any refined sugar, and using nutrient-dense baking flours, this cookie is not only delicious, but one you can feel good about eating.

gluten free chocolate chip cookies broken apartGluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies just may be the best chocolate chip cookies we’ve ever had. How do we know that? Because these gluten-free cookies taste better than the traditional flour cookies. We dare you to bake them to see for yourself. They’re crispy on the outside soft in the middle and hit all the right flavors. They’re made with a mix of almond flour and tapioca for the perfect texture and contain no refined sugars.

But what’s more is that we really simplified the steps needed to make this cookie by using just 1 bowl and a sturdy spoon to mix the dough all together. Which means you can have fresh, hot chocolate chip cookies on your table quickly. So what are you waiting for?

vegan gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough in a bowl


Ingredients for Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Almond Flour
  • Tapioca Flour
  • Coconut Sugar
  • Baking Soda
  • Sea Salt
  • Egg
  • Honey
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Butter
  • Dark Chocolate

Dairy-free and Vegan Substitutions

Hands down, we prefer this chocolate chip cookie recipe made as is, without substitutions. However, we wanted to offer substitutions to make this dairy-free, vegan and paleo, if possible. So we tested and tested to get it to work out.

We were able to swap out the butter for equal parts coconut oil. Make sure the coconut oil is softened very well (though not melted).

The egg can be replaced with a flax egg. To make the flax egg, mix together 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed with 2 tablespoons of water, and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes before using.

Please note: If you are making either of the substitutions (or both) you have to chill the dough for at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days) before baking.

gf chocolate chip cookie dough balls

Tips for Making Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

  1. Make sure your butter is fully softened. This recipe requires the butter (or coconut oil) to be room temperature because it is mixed in with the dough as is, as opposed to creaming it or melting it. Room temperature butter will easily be mixed into this almond flour dough, with no chunks of butter remaining.
  2. Use a sturdy spoon and a bit of muscle. We use a bit of an unusual method of making this dough: all the ingredients are simply mixed together in a bowl until the dough has come together. It’s easiest to achieve smooth dough if you use a sturdy spoon, such as metal or wooden, and really mix up the dough well. At some point while you are making the dough you are going to feel like it won’t ever come together–but keep mixing: it will.
  3. Chill the dough, if you have time. We tested this chocolate chip cookie dough baked right after mixing and baking after a chill in the refrigerator. Truth be told, we preferred the chilled cookies, because the dough has chance to rest and the flavors play better together when this happens. However, this recipe works too, when baking right after being made.
  4. Scoop, roll and flatten. To get the prettiest and most even cookies, use a cookie scoop that measures out about 2 tablespoons of dough (the scoop is a number #30), roll out the portioned dough to make a smooth surface, and then lightly flatten the cookies. This helps the cookie have an even surface, as well as spread a bit more than if you just placed a cookie dough ball on the baking sheet.
  5. Add additional chocolate chips before baking. Stick some extra chocolate chips / chunks directly on top of the cookie dough. This makes for a pretty presentation and melty chocolate right on top of the cookie.

Easy gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipeStoring Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

As with any chocolate chip cookie recipe, these are best eaten on the day they are made. On day 1, the edges are nice and crispy and the middle is soft. The cookies can be stored in a bag or container at room temperature for up to 3 days, but they soften as time goes on.

The cookie dough can be rolled into balls and frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the portioned cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then, transfer cookie dough balls to a freezer bag for longer storage.

When ready to bake, follow the baking instructions but add an extra minute or two to the cooking time.

gluten free chocolate chip cookies on a plate

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GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

5 from 2 votes
Buttery and crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle, these Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies are the real deal. They're also so easy to put together, using 1 bowl and no fancy equipment. Made without any refined sugar, and using nutrient dense baking flours, this is a cookie you can feel good about eating.
Servings 15
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups 196 grams almond flour
  • ½ cup 60 grams tapioca flour
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 egg beaten
  • ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 tablespoons butter softened and cut into pieces
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chocolate chunks more for topping the cookies

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line 2 baking sheets with parchment parchment paper.
  • Add almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt to a bowl. Whisk together until combined.
  • Add in the egg, honey, vanilla and softened butter. Using a heavy spoon, mix the dough all together until fully combined with no visible butter streaks remaining. Mix in the chocolate chips.
  • Roll dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons in size, or a #30 scoop), if desired stick additional chocolate chips in the top of the dough, and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten the tops of the dough balls.
  • Bake for 10 minutes (for soft, slightly undercooked cookies) or 12 minutes (for fully cooked cookies).
  • Let cookies cool slightly before picking up as they are delicate when hot.

Notes

  1. For dairy-free, vegan and paleo, substitute the butter for softened / room temperature coconut oil, and the egg for a flax egg (to make whisk together 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 2 tablespoons water and let sit for 5-10 minutes before using). The dough must be chilled for at least 2 hours before baking. See the post for information on how to successfully make these swaps.
  2. This dough could also be made in an electric stand mixer, following the same process as mixing it by hand.
  3. If you find the dough difficult to work with, place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before rolling cookie dough balls.
  4. Let cookies cool before picking up, as they are quite delicate when hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 140kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 25gSodium: 83mgSugar: 9g
Course: Dessert
Author: Lexi


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Comments

  1. These look so yummy. I love dark chocolate though react to store bought, even Enjoy Life. Wondering if you have a chocolate recipe that can be chopped into chocolate chips or chunks.

    1. Hi Jill. Realistically you can chop up the chocolate and use it in place of nearly any recipe that lists chocolate chips!

  2. 5 stars
    These are truly the best gluten free chocolate chip cookies I’ve made. Even my non- gluten free husband who was craving a “regular” cookie said these hit the spot for him. They have the perfect texture and texture. Not being a baker, I often screw up baking recipes but I haven’t managed to screw these up! One time I made a half batch and since you can’t really get a “half” egg, I used a little scoop (like a tablespoon or less) of peanut butter and those were equally as good. These are amazing.

    1. Do you have arrowroot? That could be a good 1-1 replacement. Otherwise, we haven’t tried it with only almond flour and can’t advise except to say give it a try and see how it goes! We’d love to hear how it goes if you try!

  3. Thinking of adding some flax seed to get some fiber in here. Does anyone have any idea what would be too much to add? 1/2 cup? I know with normal flour-it doesn’t change anything but never tried with gluten free recipes

    1. Hi Brittany. I can’t recommending adding in flax seed without then changing other proportions. My guess is if you added in any extra it would make the cookie crumbly. But if you do give it a try–let us know how it goes. -Kelli

  4. Hi Lexi,

    The recipe says to put additional chocolate chips in the top of the dough. At what point should we add the other chips to the dough?

    This recipe looks great! Thank you!
    Debra