Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Why These Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Are The Best

1. They taste like classic Toll House cookies.

This recipe brings back that nostalgic homemade cookie flavor and texture. My first bite of these cookies truly felt like my first time eating a real chocolate chip cookie since going gluten free.

2. Perfect chewy texture with crisp edges.

Thanks to the perfect balance of gluten-free flour, butter, sugar, and egg, these cookies come out soft, chewy, and slightly golden around the edges every single time.

3. One bowl and freezer-friendly.

This is a super simple, one-bowl recipe with optional freezer instructions so you can have fresh cookies baked whenever you want.

Creating This Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

The journey to creating this recipe was not a short one. My first course of action when I first started baking gluten free over 10 years ago was to simply replace gluten free flour in the Toll House cookie recipe you can find on the back of the chocolate chip bag (my go-to growing up), but sadly, it just didn’t come out the same.

I’ve also tried just about every recipe that shows up when you do a Google search for “gluten-free chocolate chip cookies” —and none of them quite delivered that perfect chewy, buttery, classic cookie vibe that I was looking for (their most common problem – waaay too much flour).

About 6 years ago, I created my gluten free, egg free, vegan friendly chocolate chip cookie recipe which continues to be one of my favorite recipes of all time. It’s a little bit more of an “alternative” recipe, using almond flour, and no eggs or regular sugar – just pure maple syrup to sweeten. While these cookies are truly incredible and I considered them the best gf chocolate chip cookies prior to creating this new recipe, I was still craving more of a classic Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe.

This recipe is different. I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the past 10 years of gluten-free baking and created a classic cookie that’s soft and chewy in the center, slightly crisp at the edges, loaded with gooey chocolate chips, and comes out perfect every single time. You’ll never miss the gluten—and I promise, no one you share them with will ever know they’re gluten-free.

Ingredients Breakdown

Unsalted Butter

Room temperature butter is essential here for the perfect creamed base, giving the cookies structure and that melt-in-your-mouth richness. If you don’t have time to let the butter come to room temperature on the counter, you can microwave it for a few seconds. Just don’t let it melt. I recommend using the highest quality butter you can find. I use Kerrygold.

Light Brown Sugar

Gives the cookies a soft and chewy center with a slightly caramelized flavor. Make sure to pack it in the measuring cup to get the right amount.

Granulated Sugar

Helps balance the moisture from the brown sugar and creates those crisp edges.

Pure Vanilla Extract

Adds depth and warmth to the overall flavor, and absolutely essential to creating that classic chocolate chip cookie flavor.

Egg

Just one large egg binds everything together. Make sure it’s at room temperature for best results so it doesn’t cold shock your creamed butter. To bring an egg to room temperature quickly, simply place the egg still in its shell in a small cup of warm water for a few minutes.

Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour

I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag). It’s pre-mixed with a blend of gluten free flours and xanthan gum and gives a perfect Toll House-style cookie texture without any off flavor or texture. Not to be confused with the one that comes in a red bag and uses garbanzo bean flour — I much prefer the blue bag which is primarily rice flour.

Baking Soda

Gives the cookies that slight puff and spread we’re after.

Salt

Necessary to balance the flavors and give that touch of classic cookie salty sweetness. I used 3/4 teaspoon of table salt in this recipe, which is finer and saltier by volume. If you’re using kosher salt, you’ll want to use a bit more—about 1 to 1¼ teaspoons depending on the brand. (Diamond Crystal is less salty than Morton’s, so adjust accordingly.) I also love adding a pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each cookie after baking for that extra gourmet touch (if you plan to add extra salt on top, stick with 3/4 tsp in the dough).

Chocolate Chips

Use your favorite brand! I usually go with a combo of half semi-sweet chips, half dark chocolate chips. My secret touch is to add a few extra chips on top of each dough ball before baking for optimal appearance!

How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Cream the butter and sugars

Beat the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, for 1–2 minutes with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract.

2. Add the egg

Crack in the egg (make sure it is room temperature and not too cold) and beat again until the mixture becomes fluffy and lighter in color.

3. Add dry ingredients

Mix in the baking soda and salt first, then add about half of the flour at a time and beat just until combined.

4. Stir in chocolate chips

Fold in your chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed into the dough.

5. Chill the dough (optional)

You can bake the cookies right away if you don’t have extra time (it still works), but I highly recommend chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes if you have the time. Chilling helps the flour hydrate fully and the fats firm up, as well as allows the flavors to develop, which results in thicker, chewier cookies with a richer flavor.

If you chill for ~30 minutes, the dough is usually still scoopable straight from the fridge. If you chill for longer (an hour or more), you’ll want to let the dough sit at room temperature for 15–30 minutes before scooping as it will firm up in the fridge.

This dough also freezes beautifully! I like to pre-scoop the dough into balls, flatten slightly, and freeze them in a ziplock bag. That way, you can bake just a few at a time directly from frozen like break n’ bake cookies—just add 1–2 minutes to the bake time.

6. Scoop and shape

Scoop 1.5 inch dough balls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Press each dough ball down to flatten slightly and add extra chocolate chips on top of each ball if desired.

7. Bake

Bake at 375°F for 7-9 minutes, or until edges are golden and centers are still slightly underdone. The centers should still look a bit “wet.” You really want to err on the side of underbaking — just trust me on this one. Centers will continue to cook and set as they cool.

8. Add flaky salt (optional)

Add a pinch of flaky salt on top of the cookies after they come out of the oven to give them an extra sparkle and add to that delicious gourmet salty sweet flavor.

Tips for Success

1. Room Temp Ingredients: Make sure your butter and egg are at room temp for the best texture and rise.
2. Don’t Overbake: Take them out when the edges are golden but the centers look slightly underdone—they’ll firm up as they cool and give you that chewy texture.
3. Add Flaky Salt: A sprinkle of sea salt on top of warm cookies makes them extra delicious.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Variations

• Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free butter and chocolate chips to make the recipe dairy-free.
• Nutty Cookies: Stir in chopped pecans or walnuts with the chocolate chips for crunch.
• Mini Cookies: Use a smaller scoop and reduce bake time to 5–6 minutes for bite-sized cookies.

FAQs

I probably don’t need to share this many different photos of these cookies….but I’m just obsessed! I mean… just look at them!

Try This Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe!

I hope you love these cookies as much as I do. It’s truly the best classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, gluten free, or not!

If you make them, I’d love for you to leave a rating, drop a comment below, and tag me in your photos on Instagram so I can see your creations!

XO,

Sarah