These gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are ultra fluffy, super soft, and perfectly chewy. This is hands down the BEST recipe that is made with peanut butter and natural sugars. Plus, they are so quick and easy to bake in the oven!
Want a few other chocolate chip cookie recipes? You might also enjoy these Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies and these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recently we hosted a crew from the YouTube channel “Yes Theory” on a canoe cruise.
And no canoe adventure would be complete without some yummy, homemade gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
My entire baking life I have struggled to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there.
I have tried using coconut oil instead of butter, chilling the dough overnight, and even coarsely chopping a chocolate bar to disperse the chocolatey goodness.
All of these methods yielded pretty tasty treat, and these Paleo chocolate chip cookies were the closest thing to perfection I had made thus far.
But since my husband recently developed an allergy to almonds, I could no longer use almond flour in baked goods.
So one fateful afternoon I got to baking and came up with the recipe you’ll find below – the BEST chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever had!
Fluffy, Soft, and Chewy
These gluten-free chocolate chip cookies will rival ANY gluten-filled recipe you have ever baked.
Don’t believe me? They are ultra fluffy…
Super soft…
Slightly chewy…
And LOADED with chocolate chips and pecans in EVERY. SINGLE. BITE!
They seriously remind me of those perfect bakery-style ones you buy but can never seem to recreate at home.
And they can be ready in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that they are secretly made healthy.
They are free of gluten, refined sugar, and can easily be made dairy-free and vegan, too!
- Flour – A 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend is used in this recipe.
- Make sure you find a baking blend that has xanthan gum or guar gum in it.
- Coconut Sugar – This natural sugar works great in baked goods and mimics brown sugar and white sugar.
- Maple Syrup – Make sure you use pure maple syrup and not the pancake syrup.
- Egg – One large egg is used.
- If you are vegan, replace the egg with a flax egg or chia egg.
- Butter – Softened, and almost melted, butter is used.
- Use vegan “buttery” sticks or coconut oil if vegan or dairy-free.
- Peanut Butter – I think this is the secret ingredient to what makes these SO good.
- You can substitute almond butter if you are allergic to peanuts.
- Chocolate Chips – These allergen-friendly chocolate chips are my favorite to use.
- Pecans – These are totally optional and can be left out if you have little ones who don’t like nuts.
- Vanilla Extract.
How to Make
The steps to making gluten-free cookies is not much different than making regular homemade ones.
So if you know how to bake this favorite treat, then you’ll be able to rock this recipe!
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk dry ingredients until combined.
- Mix together butter, peanut butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
- You can use a spatula or a hand mixer.
- Add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until batter is smooth and well incorporated.
- Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Mix by hand until well incorporated.
- Scoop out 1.5 tablespoons of dough and place onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.* . Repeat with remaining dough.
- Push the balls of dough down slightly with your hand to make them ~1 inch tall.
- Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
Cook’s Tip: Place additional chocolate chips and pecans on the top of the cookies before baking. This makes them look extra scrumptious and full of chocolatey goodness!
Other Add-Ins
This recipe is already full of nuts and chocolate chips.
However, there are a few other additions you might like to try in this gluten free recipe:
- Dried Cranberries
- White Chocolate Chips
- Coconut Flakes
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Other Nuts (Walnuts, peanuts, almonds)
FAQs:
Whether making gluten-free or regular chocolate chip cookies, here are a few answers to some gluten free baking questions:
What is the best type of baking sheet?
A light-colored baking sheet evenly bakes cookies without burning them.
Dark-colored tend to burn them more quickly.
How do I get my cookies not to stick to the tray?
Lining a baking sheet with parchment paper prevents them from sticking to the tray.
Liberally coating a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray will also work if you do not have parchment paper handy.
Can I make these vegan or dairy-free?
Make this delicious recipe vegan by substituting coconut oil for the butter and a flax egg for the regular egg.
To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute vegan “buttery” sticks, margarine, or coconut oil for the butter.
FAQs:
How long do they last?
Homemade cookies last for 3-4 days at room temperature, 4-6 days in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
What is the best way to store cookies made from scratch?
Store this dessert in an airtight container at room temperature.
Eat them within 3-4 days for the best taste and texture.
This treat can be refrigerated and frozen but their taste and texture will be slightly affected.
Other Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup flour gluten-free, 1-to-1 blend
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¾ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 6 Tbsp. butter softened, almost melted
- ¼ cup peanut butter smooth*
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 egg whisked, room temperature*
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla
- ¾ cup chocolate chips dark, Paleo-approved
- ½ cup pecans coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a second large bowl combine butter, peanut butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla. Mix by hand or with an electric mixer until just combined
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until batter is homogenous.
- Add chocolate chips and pecans. Mix by hand until well incorporated.
- Scoop out 1.5 tablespoons of dough and place onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.*
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Push each cookie dough ball down slightly with your hand to make them ~1 inch tall.
- Optional: Place additional chocolate chips and pecans on the top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
- Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving and enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These came out wonderful. I made them with vegan butter.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Laura! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating 🙂
Awesome cookies! I followed the recipe from the video (1 3/4 c flour) exactly. There is a discrepancy in the printed version (1 2/3 c flour). They turned out Great, lots of texture, and they taste good too! Thank you for sharing.
That’s wonderful, Camry! And yes, since making the video I use a little less flour so they don’t get so firm the day after baking. But it’s only a different of about a tablespoon of flour. Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating 🙂