1 / 1
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
A blend of brown rice flour, cornstarch, and tapioca flour — bound with xanthan gum — stands in for all-purpose flour and produces a dough with genuine chew and structure. Two cups of semisweet or dark chocolate chips get folded in, along with optional toasted nuts for crunch. The dough needs an hour total — including baking time — and yields 36 cookies. Texture is firm at the edges, soft at the center, and holds together cleanly when broken.
Equipment
- Oven
- Hand Mixer
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ cups brown rice flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 bag (12 oz) semisweet or dark chocolate chips (2 cups)
- 1 cup chopped nuts, toasted ( page 22 ), if desired
Instructions
- 1Preheat the oven to 375°F. Beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, softened butter, and vanilla in a large bowl on low speed until well blended. Add the egg and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- 2Measure the brown rice flour, cornstarch, and tapioca flour into a small bowl by lightly spooning them into your measuring cups and leveling them off. Accurate measuring keeps the dough from becoming too dense.
- 3Stir the xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt into the dry ingredients until thoroughly blended. Rub any clumps between your fingers to break them apart so they mix evenly.
- 4Mix the dry flour mixture into the wet butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the semisweet chocolate chips and the toasted chopped nuts.
- 5Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- 6Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are light brown and the centers remain soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. The brief rest on the hot pan helps them set without overbaking.
Notes
- Storage: Keep fully cooled cookies in a tightly covered container. Gluten-free baked goods dry out faster than traditional ones.
- Ingredient tip: Use only full-fat regular butter for the dough. Avoid light butter or vegetable oil spreads, which will change the cookie's texture.
- Safety: Always verify that all packaged ingredients, especially oats or chocolate chips, are certified gluten-free by checking their labels prior to baking.
- Measuring: Careful measuring of dry ingredients is essential for successful gluten-free baking. Spoon the flour into the cup rather than scooping it directly from the bag.