If you’re here, you already know you want a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. The question is whether it’s actually going to taste good. These do. Chewy centers, crisp golden edges, loaded with chocolate, finished with flaky sea salt, and tested on plenty of people who had no idea they were gluten-free.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Shelley raved, “These were perfect cookies! I’ve been baking GF for a lot of years and never got my chocolate chip cookies right until today with your recipe. Thank you for sharing.”
Originally published 2021, significantly updated in 2026 with better technique, more testing, and everything I’ve learned since.
Why These GF Chocolate Chip Cookies Actually Work
I am not gluten-free. But so many of my closest friends and family are, and over the years I’ve built out a whole gluten-free recipe collection because I refuse to let them anyone with food allergies eat a sad cookie at a party.
Here’s what years of GF baking taught me: the flour matters more than almost anything else. Some blends leave you with a gritty, almost sandy texture and an off taste that no amount of chocolate can fix. Which is why I almost never rely on a single GF flour. For these cookies, I combine a quality GF all-purpose flour which contains the starches and xanthan gum needed, along with oat flour, and that combination is what finally gave me a chewy gluten-free chocolate chip cookie that actually tastes like the real thing. The oat flour adds the tenderness and chew that most GF cookies are missing. It’s the same reason I reach for oat flour in my gluten-free coffee cake and my healthy breakfast cookies too.
You can also add in a little almond flour and oat flour. It’s a trick I use across a lot of my GF baking; the almond flour adds richness and helps the cookies bake up golden. And if you want to go next level, try brown butter. My Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies show you the full technique, and it works beautifully here too; just let it cool until slightly firm before mixing in.
The Real Reason Most Gluten-Free Cookies Fail
Two reasons. Wrong flour, and not letting the dough hydrate properly. The flour we covered. The hydration is the step most people skip. Gluten-free flour blends need time to absorb moisture in order to achieve that chewy texture; scoop and bake immediately and the cookies spread wrong, crumble, or both.
So after mixing, rest the dough in the bowl 10 to 15 minutes before scooping. Then chill the scooped balls at least 10 minutes before baking. Same approach I use in my classic chewy chocolate chip cookies, and it makes all the difference. Dough balls can also be refrigerated overnight or frozen for months.
Why You Will Love This Gluten-Free Cookie Recipe
- Tastes like the real thing. The oat flour does heavy lifting here; it gives these cookies the chew and texture of a regular CCC.
- Chocolate in every single bite. I use two or three kinds of chocolate chips together; mini chips, semi-sweet chunks, bittersweet. You know how I feel about chocolate.
- Flaky sea salt is not optional. I know some people skip it. Don’t skip it. It makes the chocolate pop in a way that’s hard to explain until you try it.
- Freezer-friendly dough. Scoop, freeze, bake whenever. Three to six months in the freezer, properly wrapped.
- High altitude adjustments included. I’ve been baking at 5,280 feet for over 30 years. You’re covered. Sea level tested too!
- Celiac-safe options noted. Use certified GF oat flour and double-check your chocolate chips.
Ingredients for GF Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Butter | Real cream butter, please. If it’s soft straight out of the fridge, it’s not real butter. Room temperature, not overly soft as that will impact your spread too. I use salted, but if using unsalted butter, add an additional ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. For dairy-free, solid coconut oil or a good plant-based or vegan butter both work, I like Miyokos or Earth Balance.
- Want to try brown butter? Melt and cook the butter over medium heat until it turns golden and smells nutty. Pour it into your mixing bowl and let it cool until it’s opaque and slightly solid before using. Full technique in my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies post.
- Cane Sugar & Brown Sugar | I use organic cane sugar and light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar works too and adds a slightly deeper molasses flavor.
- Eggs | Large eggs at room temperature. For egg-free cookies, try flax eggs or an egg replacer and let me know how it goes!
- Vanilla extract | I make my own; it’s easier than you think and the flavor is incomparable.
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour | My tested gluten-free flour favorites: King Arthur Flour, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1, and Pamela’s GF AP Flour. Make sure your blend contains xanthan gum.
- Oat Flour | This is the game-changer for texture. If baking for someone with celiac, use certified gluten-free oat flour. Or grind your own gluten-free oats in a blender.
- Flour Swap Option | I’ll also sometimes swap in a little almond flour as a bonus; replace ¼ cup of either the oat flour or the all-purpose gluten-free flour with almond flour for a little extra richness and a more golden bake. Totally optional, but worth trying.
- Chocolate Chips | A mix is always better. I reach for mini chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, bittersweet chunks, and sometimes milk chocolate. Guittard and Ghirardelli are my fave, Costco brand next and Nestle works too! For dairy-free options, I trust Enjoy Life.
- Flaky Sea Salt | Maldon or similar. Added right after baking, while the cookies are still hot.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
Recommended Equipment
- Baking sheets | Quality matters; I’ve used my USA Pans for years and they distribute heat evenly without warping. This one comes with an oven safe wire rack.
- Parchment paper or silicone mats | Even baking, easy cleanup.
- Medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoon) | Keeps cookies uniform so they bake evenly.
How to Make these Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Mix the Dough
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190° C). In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), cream room temperature butter until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the cane sugar and brown sugar. Beat on medium-high for 2 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides halfway through. If you’re using natural cane sugar, go the full 4 minutes; it needs a little more time to break apart the coarser sugar granules.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing 1 minute per egg on medium-high.
In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients; gluten free flour blend, oat flour, baking soda, and salt.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture gradually, about ⅓ to ½ cup at a time, just until combined. Do not overmix. At high altitude, alternate adding the flour with a teaspoon or two of water.
Stir the chocolate chips in by hand or on the lowest mixer setting.
Step 2: Rest the Dough (Don’t Skip This)
Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes. This is the hydration step. The GF flours are absorbing the moisture in the dough; skipping this is the most common reason GF cookies fall apart or spread weird.
Step 3: Scoop and Chill
Using a medium cookie scoop, portion the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place them a few inches apart.
Refrigerate the dough balls for at least 10 minutes before baking. Longer is fine. Overnight is great. Frozen is even better for long-term.
Step 4: Bake
Bake at 350°F sea level up to about 3500 feet above sea level, then above 3500 feet bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes. The edges should look set; the centers will still look slightly glossy and underdone. That’s right. That’s exactly right. They finish baking as they cool.
Do not overbake. Overbaked GF cookies go dry and crumbly fast.
Remove from the oven, immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and let cool on the pan for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (if you can wait that long). If desired, press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies for bakery perfect presentation.
High Altitude Adjustments for GF Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’ve been baking at 5,280 feet for over 30 years, and I have recipe testers all around the country who test at every altitude, so whether you’re in Denver or sea level Florida, you’re covered. Here’s what to keep in mind at altitude:
- Use slightly less sugar and a touch more flour (see the recipe card for amounts).
- Alternate adding the flour with 1 to 2 teaspoons of water; this helps with hydration at altitude where things dry out faster.
- Watch your bake times. Ovens run differently and cookies can go from perfect to overdone faster at altitude. An oven thermometer is worth every penny if you bake often.
- Let them cool on the pan the full 2 minutes before moving them.
Expert Tips for the Best GF Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Use a quality GF all-purpose flour. This is not the place to grab the bargain brand. King Arthur Measure for Measure is my most-tested pick for this recipe.
- Rest the dough, then chill the scooped balls. Both steps. Not one or the other.
- Don’t overmix. Mix until the flour just disappears, then fold the chocolate chips in by hand.
- Pull them early. If they look done, they’re done. If they look slightly underdone in the center, they’re perfect.
- Brown butter is always an option. Just let it cool until slightly firm before using. Full tutorial in my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.
Variations
- Add nuts: Fold ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans into the large mixing bowl with the chocolate chips before scooping.
- Mix up the chocolate: Try white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or a mix of dark and milk chocolate for a completely different flavor profile.
- Sweet and salty: Press pretzel pieces into the tops of the dough balls before chilling for a salty crunch in every bite.
- Dairy-free: Swap butter for solid coconut oil or a plant-based butter like Miyoko’s and use Enjoy Life dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Gluten-free chocolate chip cookie bars: Press the entire batch of dough into a parchment-lined 9×13 pan, bake at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes until the edges are golden and the center is just set, a toothpick inserted should come out with a few moist crumbs. Cool bars completely in the pan, then use a sharp knife to slice into bars. Same chewy results, a lot less scooping. Great for bake sales and potlucks.
- Brown Butter Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add melted butter that has been browned and cooled slightly when mixing with the sugars.
How to Store These Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Room temperature: Gluten-free baked goods dry out faster than their gluten-full counterparts. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container. They’re best within 2 to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: An airtight container, up to a week. Though not my favorite for baked goods as the fridge tends to dry them out.
- Freezer (baked cookies): Wrap individually in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe bag or container. Up to 3 months.
- Freezer (dough balls): My preferred method. Scoop, freeze on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen; just add 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time. Good for 3 to 6 months.
GF Chocolate Chip Cookies FAQs
Almost always overbaking. Pull them when the edges are set and the centers still look slightly soft and glossy. They will finish baking on the tray. You may also have overmixed the dough, or not allowed enough hydration time.
Two likely culprits: butter that was too warm, or skipping the chill step. Make sure your dough balls are cold before they hit the oven.
The flour blend. Some GF flours have a gritty texture no matter what you do. Switch to King Arthur Measure for Measure or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1.
Most Ghirardelli, Hershey’s, and Nestlé chips are naturally GF (Nestlé butterscotch chips are the exception). Enjoy Life chips are certified GF. Always read the package if you’re baking for someone with celiac.
Yes, and I highly recommend it. Scoop into balls, freeze solid on a sheet pan, transfer to a bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes.
Yes, but know it may change the texture. My tested combination is a quality GF AP flour plus GF oat flour. Replace ¼ cup of either the oat flour or the GF all-purpose with almond flour.
Yes. Melt and cool the butter slightly, then mix by hand. A little more arm work, but totally doable. This is especially easy if you’re going the brown butter route since the butter is already melted.
More Gluten-Free Recipes
Try these other tried and true gluten-free recipes or browse through the GF Archives!
More Cookie Recipes (Gluten-Full, Worth Every Bite)
- Triple Chocolate Cookies
- Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Pudding Cookies
- Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Giant (Pan Banging) Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cookie Butter Snickerdoodles
- S’mores Cookies
More Gluten-Free Recipes You Might Like
Like this recipe?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, softened, if using unsalted, add ¼ teaspoon addtl salt. See notes for dairy free.
- ¾ cup sugar I use all natural cane sugar, white sugar works ⅔ cup for high altitude
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed, ⅔ cup for high altitude
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free all purpose flour see notes for favorite cup for cup blends, use 2 cups for high altitude
- ½ cup oat flour gluten free, no change for high altitude
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon water only for high altitude
- 2 ¼ cups chocolate chips I used semi-sweet and milk chocolate; try chocolate chunks, bittersweet, white chocolate, just make sure GF
- Flaky Sea Salt optional, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheating oven to 350°F (375°F high altitude), and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Then in the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixeon medium-high speed, mix room temperature butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.1 cup butter
- Pour in cane sugar and brown sugar, beat (this process is called creaming) on medium-high for 2-4 minutes (4 minutes if using all natural cane sugar), scraping down sides of bowl mid-way through. Add eggs, one at a time and mix on medium-high for 1 minute per egg. Add vanilla extract.¾ cup sugar, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Measure gluten-free cup for cup flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt and whisk together in large bowl. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in about ⅓-1/2 cup at a time just until incorporate, do not over mix.1 ½ cups gluten-free all purpose flour, ½ cup oat flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- If baking at high altitude (I am at 5280 above sea level), alternate flour with a teaspoon or two of water. Do not over mix this batter, the flour should all be combined and it should be light and fluffy.2 teaspoon water
- With mixer on stir setting or mix in by hand, your chosen variety of chocolate chips.*Important: Allow dough to rest 10-15 minutes to hydrate2 ¼ cups chocolate chips
- Using a 2 tablespoon medium cookie scoop, scoop dough into balls onto parchment lined baking sheet. Place a few inches apart allowing for the cookies to spread, but first…
- And I know people hate this part, but it really is the key (especially for gluten free cookies) to refrigerate the dough balls for 10-30 minutes prior to baking.
- Bake in preheated 350°F sea level and 375°F (177°C) high altitude oven for 8-10 minutes. They will look under-cooked, do not over-bake these cookies, then they will be dry and crumbly! Remove, from oven, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and press (gently) chocoalte chips into the top if desired.Flaky Sea Salt
- Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt as they come out of the oven.
Notes
- Use a high-quality GF all-purpose flour; it makes a bigger difference here than in most recipes.
- Rest the dough 10 to 15 minutes before scooping, then refrigerate the dough balls at least 10 minutes before baking.
- Don’t overmix; add flour just until combined, then fold chocolate chips in by hand.
- Pull them early; slightly underdone centers are perfect. Overbaked GF cookies go dry and crumbly fast.
Nutrition
Shelley Bolinger
These were perfect cookies! I’ve been baking GF for a lot of years and never got my chocolate chip cookies right until today with your recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Oh Shelley, you made my month!!
Peti
Hello KP-
We LOVE it, it’s my go-to dessert (topped ice cream), can I freeze it?
100% you can Peti! Either the cookie dough balls (just thaw on a cookie sheet while you preheat your oven) or cooled completely, then stack or layer in an airtight baggie or container.
Hillary
I don’t have any oat flour. Do I just add more of the gluten-free flour?
Yes Hillary, do you have rolled oats? If so just whir them in a blender. It’s so much better than all gf. Or use almond flour. The idea is to introduce another texture besides just gf ap flour.
Kathie Reiner
I am so excited to have found this delicious GF cookie recipe. Most GF cookies taste like sand. Made these for a dinner party and they were devoured by everyone! They were easy to put together and think the oat flour helps with the normal texture of GF cookies. This will be on repeat at our house!
Thank you, Kathie! You made my week!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
They look so soft and I love the addition of oat flour! Looking forward to trying them!
They are indeed super soft and surprisingly delicious!
Peti
Aloha K! I am so excited to see this recipe and can’t wait to make them. My brother is GF diet – P
Aloha my friend! So great to hear from you! So happy to hear that these will work for your brother!
Erin
These cookies were delicious! The texture was amazing, and the flavor was spot-on. Baked them to share with a gluten free friend and kept a few for myself because I couldn’t help it. 😉
Thank you so much Erin, so glad you loved them!
Erin
Baked these to surprise a GF friend, and snuck a few cookies myself. They tasted amazing, and my friend raved about them, too!
Amy Nash
SO GOOD. I love the sprinkle of salt on top and the honestly taste just as good as chocolate chip cookies made with regular flour.
Thanks Amy! Love hearing this!
Michaela Kenkel
I made these for my daughter-in-law, and everyone else that ate them couldn’t even believe they were GF! Usually she has no problem having anything gluten free to herself, but not this time! LOL
Haha, that’s definitely the problem I’ve had too!
Sandra Shaffer
These came out delicious. I tried to freeze half the batter, so I would bake a few cookies later. THAT didn’t happen. My family ate the whole batch in two days! The addition of sea salt is fabulous.
Sheila
I agree with you, Kathleen, that flaky sea salt on top is what sends these cookies to the moon! Delicious! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Debi
These cookies were great. Nice chewy texture. We couldn’t even tell they were gluten free.
Always such a great sign!!! Thanks for your kind words!