Hundreds of reviewers agree these cookies are the most delicious gluten-free chocolate chip cookies around! This tried-and-true recipe was originally published in 2018 and is still my #1 recipe today!
My top tips for exceptional gluten-free chocolate chip cookies – brown the butter, let the dough rest 30 minutes and use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend. Read on for all the tips!
The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you’ve been searching for the BEST gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe – look no further! I’ve been eating 100% gluten-free for almost 10 years now and THIS is the chocolate chip cookie recipe of my dreams.
I’ve tweaked this recipe and tested it many times over the years and this recipe is the ultimate best. No more tweaking or re-testing needed.
These cookies are soft, chewy and golden like a good chocolate chip cookie should be. If you’ve tried making gluten-free chocolate chip cookies before you probably know they can turn out dry, grainy and pale.
This recipe has a few tricks so you get golden, non-grainy cookies with a delicious depth of flavor and crisp edges every time.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Rated 5-stars by hundreds of reviewers
- Easy-to-make – no mixer required!
- Soft and chewy
- AMAZING flavor
- Undetectably gluten-free
VIDEO: Watch how to make them!
Table of Contents
- The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- VIDEO: Watch how to make them!
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Weighing Gluten-Free Flour
- How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Science Behind the Recipe – Why it Works!
- Storage/Freezer Instructions
- Recipe FAQs
- In Summary…
- MORE GLUTEN-FREE COOKIE RECIPES
- The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on the key ingredients to make gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
- Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Baking Flour: For best results, use a high quality gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour is my favorite gluten-free flour. I’ve also had good results with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1:1 baking flour.
- Almond Flour: I like using a little almond flour because it gives the cookies richness and helps them to bake up golden brown. It’s my secret ingredient in many gluten-free baked goods! If you’re allergic to nuts you can leave out the almond flour and substitute more gluten-free baking flour.
- Butter: Browning the butter is the secret step to AMAZING gluten-free cookies! Sometimes gluten-free cookies can lack a depth of flavor. Brown butter gives these cookies a delectable nutty, toasty almost caramelized flavor that you can’t get from anything else.
- Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chips are usually naturally gluten-free! I’ve used the bag from Costco, Nestle and Enjoy Life all with great results.
Weighing Gluten-Free Flour
On my site I use 150 grams = 1 cup of gluten-free flour.
I recommend weighing gluten-free flour for results. I find that 1 cup of King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour weighs about 150 grams. The package says 120 grams, but I find it’s always more when I scoop it myself.
At the end of the day a cup measurement is subjective. I like to make my recipes so they will turn out for both people using cup measurements and grams measurements.
How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted start to whisk constantly. First the butter will begin to foam, then after a couple of minutes it will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan. Turn off the heat as soon as the solids turn brown and the butter gives off a nutty aroma. Pour into a glass mixing bowl to prevent burning.
- Add the milk, brown sugar and white sugar. Whisk to combine. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Using a rubber spatula, mix in the dry ingredients until well combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Scoop the cookie dough (about 2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place a few inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden and the center is set.
- Let cool 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy!
The Science Behind the Recipe – Why it Works!
1. Brown the Butter
The first secret ingredient is brown butter. Sometimes gluten-free cookies can lack a depth of flavor. Brown butter gives these cookies a delectable nutty, toasty almost caramelized flavor that you can’t get from anything else.
If you’ve never browned butter before this is a great tutorial. It’s easier than it sounds!
2. Add a Tablespoon of Milk
The next trick for this gluten-free cookie recipe is to add a tablespoon of milk. This helps to compensate for the liquid that evaporates from the butter during the browning process. It also helps the cookies get a golden color and prevents grittiness.
Gluten-free flour needs a little extra liquid for best results so you don’t have chalky cookies.
3. Use a High-Quality Gluten-Free Flour
I wanted to keep this recipe simple with easy-to-find ingredients. I like to use a high quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend like King Arthur Flour in this recipe. This blend has a mixture of brown rice flour, white rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch. Other high-quality brands of gluten-free flour will work, just be sure to use a blend that contains xanthan gum.
4. Add Almond Flour
I like using a little almond flour because it is non-gritty and helps the cookies get that golden color and chewy texture. It’s my secret ingredient in many baked goods!
If you’re allergic to nuts you can leave out the almond flour and substitute more gluten-free all purpose flour.
5. Use Brown Sugar
Using mostly brown sugar instead of mostly white sugar also gives these cookies delicious flavor and chew. A splash of vanilla extract is also key!
This recipe works with any kind of chocolate chip you like. I usually use semi-sweet chocolate chips but milk chocolate chips are also amazing!
6. Give the Dough a Rest
After you mix the dough altogether it’s important to give it a 30-minute rest at room temperature. This gives the gluten-free flour time to hydrate and really makes a difference. It’s key for non-gritty gluten-free cookies!
Luckily just a room temperature 30-minute rest will do and no overnight-in-the-fridge chill is needed. So you can still have chocolate chip cookies shortly after a craving strikes!
Storage/Freezer Instructions
- TO STORE: Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- TO FREEZE: I love to make a double batch of this gluten free cookie dough to freeze for later! Just scoop the dough into balls then place the them in a ziplock bag or freezer container to freeze. You can bake the cookie dough balls straight from the freezer – simply add 2-3 minutes onto the bake time. Just pop onto a baking sheet and bake – no thawing needed!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! To make these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies dairy-free you can use melted vegan butter in place of the brown butter. No need to brown the vegan butter (it won’t work!). You can also replace the milk with almond milk.
Yes! To make these cookies nut-free simply substitute the 1/4 cup almond flour with an additional 1/4 cup gluten-free baking flour.
Yes! This dough really only gets better as it sits. The flour absorbs more and the cookies take on a depth of flavor. If you’re letting this cookie dough sit more than 30 minutes, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Be sure the container is airtight so the cookies don’t dry out!
No. I don’t recommend using all almond flour in this recipe. Almond flour has very different properties than gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. Check out this recipe for a great almond flour chocolate chip cookie!
In Summary…
- Brown butter: Gives these cookies a delectable nutty flavor
- A tablespoon of milk: Prevents grittiness and helps the cookies get golden
- 1/4 cup almond flour: For a golden brown color and yummy flavor (can use GF all-purpose flour in place of this if you have a nut allergy)
- 30 minute rest: Gives the flour time to hydrate and prevents grittiness
- A sprinkle of sea salt: Optional, but delicious for gourmet bakery-style cookies!
MORE GLUTEN-FREE COOKIE RECIPES
There you have it! I hope all the tips and tricks in this post have set you up for success making gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. If you try this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I hope you love the cookies as much as my family and I do!
The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) butter
- 1 tablespoon milk or almond milk
- 3/4 cup (160g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 g) white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups (200g) gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- 1/4 cup (25g) almond flour finely ground
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips
- Sea salt for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted start to whisk constantly. First the butter will begin to foam, then after a couple of minutes it will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan. Turn off the heat as soon as the solids turn brown and the butter gives off a nutty aroma. Pour into a glass mixing bowl to prevent burning.
- Add the milk, brown sugar and white sugar. Whisk to combine. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Using a rubber spatula, mix in the dry ingredients until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl and let sit for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F. Scoop the cookie dough (about 2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place a few inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden and the center is set.
- Let cool 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy!
Super easy and so delicious. Didn’t have almond flour so just used all Bob’s red mill and they were fantastic. Going to make some to bring to thanksgiving!
These are amazing!!!’
So good!!! This recipe just hits different 100/10
Why should you wait for 30 minutes before baking?
It gives the gluten-free flour time to hydrate and prevents gritty cookies! 🙂
Legit the BEST chocolate chip cookies of my life. Deleting my other chocolate chip cookies immediately because this one is
I have never felt so compelled to comment on a recipe blog in my life. These are the best GF chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. I couldn’t believe how rich and flavorful and “regular” they tasted. This is what I’ve been searching for for over a decade! This is now my holy grail of chocolate chip cookie recipes.
Ahh I’m so honored! So nice of you to say. Glad you enjoyed them!
I never comment on things but I just have to say that I make these cookies every year for the holidays and they are a favorite among my whole family. Better than gluten cookies in my opinion. The brown butter is such a genius idea. My son and I both have celiac disease and I cook and bake all the time and our whole house is gluten free, so I was so happy to find this recipe when I did. I will always make these cookies!
I’m so happy to hear you like them! So fun they are your holiday tradition. Thanks for the comment! 🙂
While I personally don’t need to eat gluten-free, my dad has remarried and his wife, and my now mom, has to eat gluten-free. So I’ve been searching for some good recipes…and this one is amazing! They taste better(and look better) than regular cookies! I was a bit hesitant about the brown butter because all I have are dark pots and pans, and I’ve never tried it either, but I just used the flashlight on my phone while watching it. XD
This recipe is amazing, thank you so much for putting it out there!
Hooray! I’m so glad the cookies turned out for you. Always the best when you think they’re even better than regular cookies! 🙂 Thanks for the comment.
Can you use all all purpose flour and not the almond?
Yes! You can use Use 1/4 cup more gluten-free flour in place of the almond flour.
Hi, the cookies look great! Cant wait to make them. If the flour I use does not have Xanthan gum should I add 1/4 teaspoon?
Thank you
Yes that will work great!
My daughter recently went on a GF diet, so we’ve been testing different chocolate chip cookie recipes, and this one is hands down the best! We’ve made it a few times now, and everyone who eats them says they are the best choc chip cookies they’ve ever had—then we mention they’re GF, and people can’t believe it!
Hooray! So glad they won the taste test 😉 I’m glad your daughter has been enjoying them!
If I’m baking the next day or in 24-36 hours, do I need to freeze the dough or can I just refrigerate?
Thanks!
It will be fine refrigerated that long – no problem! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Absolutely loved these and so did the family! I will make again just need to get some sea salt for the next batch!
Thank you
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! The sea salt really is delicious so I hope you like that next time 🙂
This is our favorite cookie recipe. My husband isn’t gluten free, I am, but he found this recipe and makes it all the time! Can you double the recipe?
Yes absolutely! We double it all the time 🙂
Hi Erin,
Can I change the all purpose flour to oat flour?
And the butter to coconut oil?
Thank you for the recipe, it lokks amazing, I just need to make a ‘healthy’, dairy free version 🙂
I recommend using vegan butter like Earth Balance rather than coconut oil! I don’t think oat flour will work as well since it doesn’t have any starch or binders. Sorry about that!
I use oat flour instead of gluten free flour and I add xantham gum along with almond flour.
This is such a delicious recipe! My question is about the dough – it is not soft at all – have to jam the chocolate chips into it. Is this to be expected?
Very Very good. I would recommend.
I’ve never had that issue. I’d recheck your measurements.
Just made these and wanted to comment that they are legit the best gf chocolate chip cookies ever!!
This is by far the best gluten-free chocolate chip recipe. Side note if you don’t have nut allergies and like a little more nuts, I usually throw in a handful of chopped walnuts. I also substitute about 1/4 cup of the brown sugar with honey due to personal preferences and because a lot of the kids in my family & friends group eat them like there is no tomorrow. And most of these “CookieMonsters” don’t eat gluten free.
It’s literally so good that I always get requests from people to make them and I have to shoo the little ones away from the hot baking tray so no need burns their fingers.
So thank you a million times over for this recipe.
Those sound like delicious additions! I’m so glad you and your loved ones like the recipe. Thanks for the comment! 🙂