What are gluten-free molasses cookies? 

Think of molasses cookies as soft gingerbread cookies. They’re soft and spicy with a lovely crunchy sugar coating. They taste like molasses and baking spices. The ginger and cinnamon make them a perfect Christmas cookie. 

While the flavor is similar to gluten-free gingerbread cookies, these are a drop-style cookie. So they’re faster to make because there’s no rolling or cookie cutters required. The ingredients include gluten-free flour, butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Along with a perfect blend of spices and vanilla. 

Ingredients.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients you need to make this recipe. As with all gluten-free recipes, these cookies were developed using the following ingredients. Using different ingredients or substitutions can cause the recipe to fail. 

• Gluten-free all-purpose flour. A gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum works helps the cookies hold their shape. If your blend doesn’t include xanthan, whisk a half teaspoon into your gluten-free flour before using.
• Butter. Use softened butter. Dairy-free butter works great in this cookie recipe.
• Brown sugar. For the best flavor, use dark brown sugar. It contains more molasses than light brown sugar.
• Molasses. Be sure to use unsulphured or light molasses. (Grandma’s molasses is the brand I use.) Do not use blackstrap molasses in this recipe. 
• Egg. One large egg helps the dough come together.
• Spices. A generous amount of ginger and cinnamon add the spicy flavor. Use whatever baking spices you love. 

How to Make Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies.

I love this recipe because it’s so easy to make! You simply mix the dough. Let it chill for a couple hours and then roll into balls. The most important step? Scraping the bowl as you make the dough. We want every bit of molasses in the cookies. 

Storing and Freezing.

Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container. These keep for up to five days. 

These cookies freeze beautifully. Place them into a freezer container. I like to separate the layers with parchment paper so they don’t stick. Freeze the cookies for up to three months. 

Print

Soft Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies

Easy gluten-free molasses cookies. Soft and spicy. Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Or anytime!)

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Chill Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, see note (11 ¼ ounces; 318 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons butter, softened (6 ounces; 170 grams)
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (5 ½ ounces; 155 grams)
• ¼ cup unsulfured molasses (3 ounces; 85 grams)
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup coarse sugar or turbinado (4 ounces; 113 grams)

Instructions

• Whisk together gluten-free flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Mix together the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until it's thick and creamy. Add the molasses and egg and mix until light, about one minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.

  Add the gluten-free flour mixture. Mix on medium speed until a thick dough forms.
• Cover the bowl and chill for one hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough into balls, about one tablespoon each. Roll dough into coarse sugar, if desired. Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
• Bake until the cookies are set and slightly cracked, about 12-15 minutes.
• Remove pan from the oven and let cookies cool on the pan for 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
• Store cooled in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Ingredient Note

Gluten-Free Flour. This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend. Using a different blend might change the texture of the cookies. If you’re using a blend that does not contain xanthan gum, whisk a half teaspoon into the flour before using. 

Molasses. Use unsulphured or dark molasses. Blackstrap molasses are too strong for these cookies. 

 

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If you love both sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies, these are for you! 

They’re easy to make; so they make perfect Christmas cookies. You can crank out several batches quickly. Placed in pretty bags and tied with a ribbon, these make great gifts.

Like my soft gluten-free sugar cookie recipe, these are really easy to make. If you’ve never made simple sugar cookies before, here’s the lowdown.

How to Make Gluten-Free M&M Cookies

1. Mix the Dough. This recipe makes a simple buttery sugar cookie. Cream together butter (see note below if you can’t use dairy) and brown sugar until a thick paste forms. Don’t over-whip the butter and sugar or the cookies will spread too much as they bake. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Then add the dry ingredients. Mix until a dough forms.
2. Add the M&Ms. Once the dough comes together, stop the mixer and add the M&Ms. There are lots of M&Ms in these cookies, ensuring that almost each bite of cookie contains an M&M. During baking, the M&Ms sometimes “hide” in the dough. If you want to see the M&Ms, press a few extra into the top of the dough before baking.
3. Quick Chill. A quick chill, about 20 minutes, keeps the cookies from spreading too much. Pop the dough into the refrigerator to chill and turn on the oven. By the time the oven is ready to go, the cookies have chilled for long enough.
4. Preheat the oven. Bake the cookies into a preheated oven. A cold oven can cause greasy cookies (The butter melts too much before baking as the oven gets up to temperature.)
5. Bake. Scoop the dough and drop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. A cookie scoop works great for this. These cookies spread a little during baking–about as much as a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. Be sure to space each dough ball about two-inches apart. Bake until the cookies are light brown.
6. Cool. When the cookies come out of the oven, they’re delicate. Allow them to cool on the pan for about three minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Which gluten-free flour should I use?

I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Using a different flour (or flours) can dramatically change the results.

Can I freeze these cookies?

Yes! Allow the cookies to cool completely before freezing. To freeze, place in a freezer container with a layer of parchment or waxed paper between the layers. Thaw the cookies at room temperature overnight.

You can also freeze the dough. Preheat the oven as directed and bake the cookies for an additional minute or so. There’s no need to thaw the dough before baking.

Print

Gluten-Free M&M Cookie Recipe

Gluten-Free M&M Cookie Recipe. Buttery Sugar Cookies studded with M&Ms. Easy to Make.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 42 minutes minutes

Servings 30 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free flour (see note) (10 ounces; 285 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup butter, softened (1½ sticks; 6 ounces; 170 grams)
• 1 cup light brown sugar (7 ½ ounces; 212 grams)
• 2 large eggs (about 4 ounces ; 100 grams out of shell)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups chocolate M&Ms, plus additional if desired, see note

Instructions

• Whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Set aside.
• Cream together the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until a thick paste forms, about 45 seconds. (Use medium speed on a stand mixer and medium-high speed on a handheld mixer.)
• Stop mixer. Scrape down bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn mixer on. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Stop mixer. Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl. Add vanilla extract. Mix for 20 seconds.
• Stop mixer. Add whisked gluten-free flour. Turn mixer to low speed. Mix until a dough forms. Stop mixer. Add the M&Ms. Mix until just combined. Chill dough for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven. 
• Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
• Scoop dough, about two tablespoons each, and round into balls. Place dough onto prepared baking sheet. If desired, press a few additional M&Ms onto each cookie. Space dough  about 2-inches apart, as cookies spread during baking.
• Bake until edges are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for about three minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Gluten-Free Flour

This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Using a different flour can change the texture of these cookies. If you need to replace the flour, use a flour blend that contains xanthan gum or add ¼ teaspoon to the recipe. 

The post The Best Gluten-Free M&M Cookies appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Yesterday I tested a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I’m working on a thin chocolate chip cookie recipe and…this isn’t it. 

But these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are undeniably good. They’re thick and buttery. So I thought I’d share the recipe with you today because I’m guessing you could use a good chocolate chip cookie recipe right about now.

Why You’ll Love These Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

• Easy to Make. This recipe only uses rice flour and you can mix it together with a wooden spoon. You don’t need to pull out the electric mixer unless that’s easier for you. (Want a recipe that uses a gluten-free flour blend? You can either try it in this recipe or you can make a batch of my classic gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.)
• Thick and Buttery. The buttery flavor of these cookies and thick texture makes them a winner. They remind me of a thick version of Toll House cookies. 
• Small Batch. This makes about 16 small-ish cookies.  

Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Ingredients

White Rice Flour. I used finely ground white rice flour. If you use stone-ground white rice flour, you might notice a slightly coarse texture. 

Xanthan Gum. This is why the cookies turned out thick. The recipe only contains 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Can you skip it? Probably but I haven’t tested the recipe without it.

Baking Soda. This helps give the cookies lift and aids in browning.

Salt. It enhances flavor and controls sweetness. 

Butter. Use very soft butter. How soft? Almost melted. When removing the butter from the wrapper, it should stick a bit. We aren’t creaming the butter together with the sugar as we do in traditional chocolate chip cookie recipes. 

Sugar in the Raw. This was a test recipe and I used sugar in the raw. It’s a coarse granulated sugar. It adds a nice caramel flavor and a light crunch. Don’t have it on hand? No problem. Use an equal amount of cane or granulated sugar.

Light Brown Sugar. There’s only a little brown sugar in this chocolate chip cookie recipe. It adds a nice flavor and delicate texture.

Egg. Just one. It keeps the cookies moist. 

Vanilla. It’s here for the flavor.

Chocolate Chips. There are chocolate chips in every bite. If you want more chocolate chips, add them. Want less? Reduce the amount to three-quarters of a cup or less! 

Print

Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thick and buttery gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 16 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white rice flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon xathan gum
• 1 stick very soft butter (1/2 cup; 4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 1/2 cup sugar in the raw (coarse cane sugar), see note (3 3/4 ounces; 105 ounces)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1 large egg (about 2 ounces; 56 grams, out of shell)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips (about 5 ounces; 142 grams)

Instructions

• Heat Oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk Dry Ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together white rice flour, baking soda, salt, and xathan gum.
• Make the Dough. In a medium bowl, beat together butter, sugar in the raw, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add whisked dry ingredients. Mix until a dough forms. Add chocolate chips. Mix to combine.
• Bake the Cookies. Drop dough, about two tablespoons, onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake until cookies are golden brown and set, about 12 minutes.
• Cool on a Rack. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
• Store the Cookies. Keep the cookies wrapped on the counter for up to four days or freeze in a freezer bag for up to one month.

Notes

Sugar in the Raw

Don't have sugar in the raw (coarse cane sugar) on hand? No problem. Replace it with cane sugar or regular granulated sugar. 

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You know the old saying, “Never ask a question you don’t want the answer to because you’ll get an answer you don’t want to hear”?

It’s sage advice.

It didn’t, however, stop me from asking Facebook friends if I should make snickerdoodles or chocolate chip cookies for a talk I was set to give at a local library.

The truth: I wanted to make snickerdoodles. (No offense to my friend gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.) I mean, you can’t go wrong with either cookie but there’s just something perfect about a plate of snickerdoodles in the fall.

Before I mix the dough, I scrolled through the facebook comments.

The reply from my friend Amber jumped out at me: Have you ever made them with pumpkin pie spice instead of plain cinnamon? To. Die. For. I learned to do this from Pinch My Salt and never looked back.

Two things:

1. I had NOT made snickerdoodles with pumpkin spice.

2. Why hadn’t I made pumpkin spice snickerdoodles?

Clearly I needed to remedy this asap!

Into the kitchen I went to make gluten-free pumpkin spice snickerdoodles. (Wow! That’s a mouthful.)

Coating the cookies with pumpkin spice* wasn’t the only thing I did differently. I decided to adapt my gluten-free snickerdoodle recipe and use Bob’s Red Mill Baking Flour Blend instead of a custom blend of flours.

I’ve gotten lots of great feedback to the gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe I posted using the flour. So I wanted to try snickerdoodles with the flour to see how it worked. I had high hopes!

(*In case you’re wondering, there’s no pumpkin in pumpkin spice. Nor has there ever been. It’s a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger. And it’s awesome. So these cookies are pumpkin-free.)

As with the original, the cookies baked up crisp on the edges and soft in the center. The buttery flavor, as Amber promised, went amazing well with the pumpkin spice.

Here’s the funny thing: no one guessed that the cookies were coated with pumpkin spice. They all said, “Wow! These are good!” But no one said, “ZOMG! Pumpkin spice!”

That’s the beauty of pumpkin spice. Since it combines the best of the baking spices, it makes everything taste better without overwhelming your taste buds. And, that my friends, makes for one heck of a good snickerdoodle.

recipe inspired by Amber from Blue Bonnet Baker and by the classic snickerdoodles from Pinch My Salt. 

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Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles

Baker's note: If you don't have cream of tartar on hand, replace both the cream of tartar and the baking soda with 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

Course gluten-free cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 27 minutes minutes

Servings 30 cookies

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour see note below
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar see note above
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pumpkin Spice-Sugar Mixture

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground pumpkin spice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the baking flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat paddle attachment, combine the butter and granulated sugar. Cream on medium speed until a thick paste forms. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract. Beat until well combined, about 30 seconds.
• Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer to medium-low and blend until a dough forms.
• Scoop the dough, about two tablespoons, and roll into a ball. Roll the dough in the pumpkin spice-sugar mixture.
• Place the dough on the prepared cookie sheet, about two inches apart.
• Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.
• Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Store in an airtight container for up to four days or freeze the cooled cookies for up to two months.

Notes

Gluten-Free Flour

The original version of this recipe called for 2 cups of gluten-free flour. Unfortunately readers found that the cookies spread. During re-testing, I increased the flour to 2 1/2 cups. The cookies baked up thick and puffy. 

If you prefer a thin and crisp cookie, reduce flour to 2 1/4 cups.  

The post Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Yesterday, I appeared on my local news station to talk about…cookies. (Did you really think I was going to say politics or something?)

I brought the “World’s Easiest Cookies” with me. I love these cookies!

Perhaps you’ve seen me talk about them before? I mentioned them when the World’s Easiest Paleo Baking book came out. Nom-Nom Paleo blogged about them (and dipped them in chocolate. Wise woman!) And I shared the recipe on TheKitchn.

If you haven’t seen these cookies before, you are in for a treat! With only four ingredients, they come together in minutes! Minutes! The best part? They are grain-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. So unless an almond or maple allergy is a problem, these cookies fit into most diets. Yay!

Here’s the recipe for the Paleo Almond Cookies (aka World’s Easiest Cookies). It includes a photo step-by-step. So you don’t have to watch a video to make the recipe.

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

The post How to Make the World’s Easiest Cookies appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Let’s make them! They only take minutes. I promise!

Paleo Almond Cookies: Mixing and Baking

First, we start with almond flour. You want a really finely ground almond flour. I really like Honeyville’s almond flour. However, you have to order it online. If you don’t want to do this, pick up a bag of Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s. (note: Trader Joe’s almond flour isn’t blanched. So the cookies will be darker.)

Next up, maple syrup. Select the darkest grade of maple syrup you can find for the best flavor. The darker the syrup, the more impurities it contains. Now, I know, that impurities sounds like a bad thing. For syrup, it isn’t. It just means the syrup is more flavorful. For years, this syrup was called “Grade B”. Now, it’s usually called “Grade A Dark.” The name Grade B was phased out because the name “grade B” lead some people to think that it was of lesser quality than “grade A” syrups.

If you can’t find a dark syrup, go ahead and use a lighter syrup. The recipe will work. However, the maple flavor won’t take a staring role.

If you are following a strict grain-free diet or have a corn allergy, you are going to want to make your own paleo baking powder. (Most traditional baking powder contains corn starch to prevent it from clumping.) If you are okay with a smidgen of baking powder, go ahead and use the store bought stuff.

Vanilla is the last ingredient in the cookies. (Yep, these almond cookies only have four ingredients. I know! Crazy, right?) You use a generous amount of vanilla extract! Two teaspoons. However, since the almond and maple bring such strong, lovely flavors to the table, the vanilla extract needs a little boost to get noticed. If you don’t love vanilla, reduce it to one teaspoon or omit completely. (If you omit, add two additional teaspoons of maple syrup to the recipe.)

Stir everything together with a wooden spoon. That’s right, you don’t even have to use a stand mixer. (Of course, you can use an electric mixer if that’s more comfortable for you.) As you stir the dough, the almond flour releases some oil and the dough comes together easily.

Scoop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can make these cookies large (1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons) or petite (2 teaspoons). I like ’em petite. Whatever the size, scoop them onto a cookie sheet. For soft cookies, don’t press them down. For crispy cookies, press them down. Easy-peasy!

Bake. And….done! That’s it! Really.

Store the almond cookies in an airtight container for up to one week. If it’s really humid in your area, they will get soft. If it’s really dry, they’ll get a little crisp. (Since these cookies contain no eggs or dairy, the maple sugar in them makes them susceptible to weather changes.)

Paleo Almond Cookies: Variations

• Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies. Add half cup of mini chocolate chips to the dough.
• Cranberry-Orange Almond Cookies: Add half cup of dried cranberries and the zest of one lemon to the dough.
• Chocolate Dipped Almond Cookies. Dip baked cookies into melted chocolate. (See Nom-Nom Paleo’s Post for a step-by-step.)
• Bacon Almond Cookies. Crumble two cooked slices of bacon into the dough.

Print

Paleo Almond Cookies Recipe (aka The World's Easiest Cookies.)

Made with almond flour, baking powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. These paleo almond cookies come together in minutes!

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 17 minutes minutes

Servings 20 cookies

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

• 2 cups finely ground almond flour (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon paleo baking powder
• 1/3 cup dark maple syrup (3 1/2 ounces;100 grams)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk the almond flour and baking powder together in a medium mixing bowl. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. Stir until a sticky dough forms and holds together.
• Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, about one inch apart. For crisp cookies, press down the dough lightly with the flat bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup. (If the glass sticks to the dough, dip the bottom in water.) For softer cookies, don't press down the dough.
• Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for about 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cool baking sheet between batches.

The post Paleo Almond Cookies Recipe (aka The World’s Easiest Cookies.) appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: Ingredients and Mixing

Ah, I love a simple recipe, don’t you? And I REALLY love chocolate chip cookies–I mean, I made a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe for two for those times when I need cookies right.now.  Then there were brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Oh, and we can’t forget gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bars.

So I’m really saying something when I tell you that this simple recipe for chocolate chip cookies already climbed to the top of my favorites list.

For this recipe, I used <Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. (Don’t confuse this with their all-purpose gluten-free flour. The two don’t work the same at all!)  To the flour blend, you need to add a little baking soda and salt. Whisk these three ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl before adding them to the recipe.

Why bothering whisking those ingredients together? Good question! You whisk the dry ingredients to ensure that the baking soda and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour. It’s an extra step but it’s worth it, I promise.

Once you’ve done that, combine the melted butter (yes, melted!), the sugars, egg, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Mix this together until it’s thick. To me, the mixture kind of resembles a light caramel sauce. It’s so yummy looking!

Then, add the dry ingredients,  mix everything until a cookie dough forms,  stir in the chocolate chips and you’re done. That’s it! If you want, you can even mix this recipe by hand. No handheld mixer needed!

Let’s talk about that melted butter for a second. Most cookie recipes tell you NOT to melt the butter. In fact, for most cookie recipes you want the butter softened but not melted because melted butter can cause cookies to spread and flatten when baked.

Not in this recipe! The melted butter gives the cookies a soft and tender texture. It does causes the cookies to spread a little but that’s not a bad thing! The flour blend, complete with xanthan gum, helps the cookies hold on to their shape for “just the right” thickness.

Not only do I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the texture and flavor of these cookies, I love that I don’t have to worry about softening a stick of butter when I’m ready to bake. I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m in the mood for cookies, my butter is usually sitting in the fridge as a hard as a rock. For this recipe, I just microwave the butter until it melts. Done!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: Shaping, Baking, Cooling, and Storing

Since this is a “mix and bake” cookie recipe, you don’t need to chill the dough before baking. WOOT!

However, I must mention that you can chill this dough! In fact, if you age the dough for a few days, it takes on a lovely caramel-like flavor. When the dough is aged in the refrigerator for several days it won’t spread as much during baking. This is good to keep in mind because instead of pretty chocolate chip cookies, you get lovely little chocolate chip cookie blobs. But the blobs taste good!

To age your cookie dough, mix the dough as directed and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the dough. This prevents the dough from drying out. Chill for up to one week. (Baker’s Tip: I usually transfer my dough from the mixing bowl into a smaller bowl to save space in the fridge.) When you are ready to bake, allow it to sit on the counter for about ten minutes before scooping or it will be too firm to scoop. Bake as directed.

Whether you age the dough or not, you need to shape it before you bake it. For this task, I suggest using a cookie scoop. This ensures that all of your cookies are the exact same size. When cookies are the same size, they take the same amount of time to bake. Scoop the dough from the bowl onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. You don’t need to form the dough into a ball, the scoop will do that for you.

If you don’t own a cookie scoop, measure out about two tablespoons of dough and roll the dough into a ball before placing on the cookie sheet. If you don’t roll the dough into a ball, you’ll get weird ameba-shaped chocolate chip cookies.

Since these cookies spread, don’t crowd them onto the pan or you’ll end up with one giant cookie. (Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad! In another post, we’ll have to make giant chocolate chip cookies.) Space the cookies about two inches apart on your baking sheet–I do three rows of three.

Bake the cookies until the edges are just golden brown. In my oven, this takes about ten minutes. When they are done, allow them to cool on the pan for about five minutes and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store the cookies at room temperature for up to four days (good luck making them last that long!) or freeze for up to three months.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: Variations

Triple Chocolate Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Use 1/3 cup each dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips.

Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Add 1/2 cup toasted walnuts to the recipes. (Allow the walnuts to cool before adding them to the dough.)

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Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe Note: For best results, use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour.

Course Cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 22

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly (3 ounces; 85 grams)
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (3 3/4 ounces; 106 grams)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg (approx. 2 ounces; 50 grams out of shell)
• 1 cup chocolate chips (6 ounces; 170 grams)

Instructions

• Adjust oven rack to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. The mixture should look like thick caramel sauce. Stop the mixer and add the flour. Mix on medium speed until a thick dough forms. Add the chocolate chips and stir until incorporated.
• Drop dough, about two tablespoons each, onto prepared cookie sheet. (A cookie scoop makes this easy.) Space cookies about 2 inches apart--you don't want more than 9 cookies on the sheet.
• Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking.
• Allow the cookies to cool for five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Repeat with remaining dough, allowing cookie sheet to cool between each batch.

The post Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

All hail the king of cookies! These paleo chocolate chip cookies are a new take on an old favorite. The honey and maple syrup combine to create an almost caramel-like flavor. I prefer my chocolate chip cookies without the addition of chopped nuts. However, if you like nuts, go ahead and stir in a half-cup of your favorite. Walnuts are a traditional addition, but any chopped tree nut will work!

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Important Stuff

If you’re reading this, I know one thing about you! (grabs crystal ball) You’re pondering making paleo chocolate chip cookies!  I don’t want to keep you from that pursuit. So here’s everything you need to know about this recipe!

Does this recipe make crisp or soft chocolate chip cookies?

Crisp! There’s a recipe for soft-baked chocolate chip cookies in my new book. affiliate link That one uses coconut flour. This recipe, made with almond flour, bakes up nice and crispy.

Why isn’t there coconut oil or butter in the recipe?

It doesn’t need it! The almond flour brings enough fat to the party. This means you can dump all the dry ingredients into a bowl, add the wet ingredients and stir. No need to cream a fat, like coconut oil or butter, with a sugar to start. You save a step!

What’s up with using both honey and maple syrup?

Ah! Good question! The combination of honey and maple syrup tastes a little like brown sugar when baked and you don’t need to use molasses or brown sugar. If you only have one on hand, go ahead and use it. The recipe still works.

Are chocolate chips paleo?

That depends on how you define paleo. On this site, I use the term paleo to mean grain, legume, and dairy-free. I avoid refined sugar but I do use sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and evaporated cane juice. For this recipe, I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips. The chips are gluten-free (actually, they are free of gluten, peanut, soy, casein, potato, wheat, tree nut, fish, sesame, dairy, and egg!) and are sweetened with evaporated cane juice. That works for me!

What’s the history of the chocolate chip cookie?

I’m SO glad you asked! Read this story!  (Story warning: you’ll want a chocolate chip cookie by the time you’re done reading it.)

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Shopping List

Here are the tools and ingredients I used to make this recipe. I hope you find this helpful!
The above are Amazon affiliate links. If you use them to shop, I’ll earn a small commission which helps support the site.

Ingredients

Almond Flour (I’ve made this recipe with both Bob’s Red Mill and Honeyville. They each work GREAT!)
Tapioca Starch
Honey (Buy local honey!)
Maple Syrup
Chocolate Chips

Tools

Mixing Bowl <—I LOVE these bowls. For this recipe, I used the second-to-the-largest bowl.
Whisk
Wooden Spoon
Baking Sheet 
Parchment Paper
Cookie Scoop <–The best cookie scoop EVER.
Cooling Rack
Cookie Spatula <–Yup. I actually use this. Someone gave it to me as a gift and, wouldn’t you know it, I LOVE the thing.

and…of course…The World’s Easiest Paleo Baking. This recipe comes right from my new book. I’d love it if you picked up a copy!

 

 

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Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (Grain-Free & Dairy-Free)

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 cookies

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups 1 1/4 cups finely ground almond flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder, homemade or grain-free store-bought
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons honey (2 1/4 ounces; 63 grams)
• 2 tablespoons dark maple syrup
• 1 egg yolk (about 1/2 ounce; 15 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips or chopped dark dairy-free chocolate (3 ounces; 85 grams)

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
• Add the honey, maple syrup, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Drop dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
• Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Allow the baking sheet to cool, and repeat with the remaining dough.
• Store on the counter in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze, wrapped in plastic wrap and
• placed in a freezer container, for up to 6 weeks.

The post Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (Grain-Free & Dairy-Free) appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

This virtual cookie swap post and giveaway are sponsored by Glutino. 

What special treat do you always want in the house this time of the year? Around here, it’s a plate of cookies and a tin of peppermint bark.

The other day while deciding how to spend some calories, I was faced with an impossible decision: peppermint bark or cookies. Hmmm…(spoiler: I ate a little of each, slapped on my yoga pants and called it a day.)

And THEN, in a flash of inspiration, I thought, “Why not peppermint bark cookies?” Yes, self, why not?

I grabbed a box of Glutino’s Sugar Cookie mix and headed into the kitchen.  (Glutino’s sugar cookie mix is my go-to mix for times when I’m too busy to make a batch of cookies from scratch. In fact, you’ll also always find their cake and brownie mix in my pantry.)

While the oven preheated, I whipped up a batch. Have you ever used this mix? It’s SUPER easy.

You start by creaming the butter until light and fluffy. I did this in my Kitchen Aid mixer. Do you have a Kitchen Aid? No? Hmm…you might want to read to the bottom of this post. #hint #justsayin’

When creaming butter, start with softened butter. This is key!  If you use cold butter, it won’t get nice and fluffy. And fluffy butter= amazing cookies.

Then add the cookie mix and blend until combined. It’ll look dry and sandy. Totally normal! In fact, that “dry and sandy”  step gives Glutino’s sugar cookies their amazing texture. See, when you cream together butter with flour, the flour coats the butter. As the cookies bake, the little nuggets of flour-coated butter melt, leaving behind a teeny-tiny pocket of air. Those pockets give us an incredibly light cookie. Yay! Baking science!

In went the eggs and vanilla. And then? Magic.

Drop the cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. These cookies spread; so space them about two-inches apart.

Lightly press down on the cookies. You want to flatten them just a little. If the dough sticks to your hand, dust your hand with a wee bit of white rice flour or Glutino’s all-purpose gluten-free flour.

Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack. Once they’re cool, things get REALLY fun.

Place a few candy canes into a plastic bag. (Always check that the candy canes are gluten-free.)

Now, you know all that low-level tension you feel during the holiday season? It’s time to work that out!

Smash those candy canes! Go head, really whack ’em! Ahhhh. I feel better! Don’t you?

Melt some dark chocolate candy coatings. I do this in the microwave. It’s easy! Place your chocolate in a glass microwave-safe bowl (I used a measuring cup). Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove the chocolate, give it a stir and repeat until the coatings are melted. The reason I use candy coatings is because they don’t require tempering. This means you can melt the coatings and it will set. Regular chocolate needs to be tempered before it sets correctly. And tempering a long, involved process. (It’s doable but more work than I want to do!)

If you don’t like dark chocolate, go ahead and use milk or white! The cookies taste great with any type of chocolate. <—isn’t that true of anything made with chocolate?

Dip the cookies into the melted chocolate, sprinkle on the crushed candy canes, and place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. That’s it. Seriously. That’s IT. Can you even?

I dipped these cookies halfway in melted chocolate. I just liked how that looked. If you want to fully dip the cookies, go for it!

After I made the cookies, I boxed them up and gave them out to friends. You know what happened? They all LOVED them and no one could believe the cookies 1. were gluten-free 2. came from a box mix!

They are THAT good.

I mean, what could be better than peppermint bark cookies?

Oh, a KitchenAid mixer giveaway? Is that what you said?

I agree!

The kind folks at Glutino are giving away….(drum roll, please)

KitchenAid® Artisan 5 Qt Stand Mixer!

One lucky winner gets not only the mixer but they’ll also receive:

• $50 Worth of Glutino Products
• Stone Pie Dish
• Mason Jar Measuring Cup
• Red Baking Spatula

Awesome, right? In the spirit of the holiday, Glutino isn’t stopping there!

Nine (9!!) other folks will receive “runner up” prizes. That prize pack includes:

• $50 Worth of Glutino Products
• Stone Pie Dish
• Mason Jar Measuring Cups
• Red Baking Spatula

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Begins at 12:00 am EST on 12/16/15 and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on 01/01/16. Open to legal residents of the United States, 18 years of age and older. Void where prohibited. One (1) potential Grand Prize winner and nine (9) runner up winners will be selected in a random drawing held within 1 week of sweepstakes ending date from among all eligible entries received and combined throughout the Sweepstakes Period. Odds of winning the Grand Prize depend on the number of eligible entries received throughout the Sweepstakes Period. Sponsored by Glutino Foods. 

Glutino’s Virtual Gluten-Free Cookie Swap! 

You know what’s even better than peppermint bark cookies and a KitchenAid Giveaway? MORE COOKIES!

The following awesome bloggers participated in this virtual cookie swap. You need to go check out their recipes, like, right now.

• Julie from The Healthy Home Cook whipped up a batch of Gluten Free Chocolate Dipped Snickerdoodles.
• Annie over at Maebells combined salty and sweet to make Dark Chocolate Salted Pretzel Cookies.
•  Brianna who blogs at Flippin’ Delicious gave her oven a rest and created No Bake White Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies<.
• Kelly at The Pretty Bee made Lemon Currant Butter Cookies.
•  Angelina from JoJo & Eloise created Cream Cheese Peppermint Pretzel Cookies!
• Chandice who you’ll find at Gluten-Free Frenzy made the MOST adorable Reindeer Cookies! 
• Pam at I’m a Celiac made Peanut Butter Crunch Cookies. 

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Gluten-Free Peppermint Bark Cookies

Glutino's Sugar Cookies make the base for these peppermint bark cookies. To make life easy, I like to dip the cookies into Merckens Dark Chocolate Coating. This way, I don't have to worry about tempering the chocolate. If you use regular dark chocolate, store the cookies in the refrigerator.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) box Glutino's Sugar Cookie Mix
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened (3 ounces; 85 grams)
• 2 large eggs (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 to 5 standard size peppermint candy canes crushed
• 1 pound Merckens Dark Candy Coatings or 1 pound dark chocolate chopped or (see note above)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add cookie mix. Blend to combine. Mixture will look dry and sandy. This is normal. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until a soft dough forms.
• Drop dough, about 1 tablespoon each, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Space dough about two inches apart as cookies spread during baking.
• Bake cookies until the edges are golden brown, about ten minutes. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool on the pan for about three minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cookies are cool, melt the chocolate. Place the chocolate into a 2 cup glass cup. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove chocolate from the microwave and stir. It won't look melted at this point. That's fine. Stir it anyway. Repeat until chocolate has melted.
• Dip cookies into chocolate and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle cookie with crushed candy canes. If you are using candy melts, allow the cookies to set up at room temperature. If you are using dark chocolate, place the cookies in the refrigerator to harden.
• Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.

Notes

Gluten-Free Peppermint Bark Cookie Variations

Double Peppermint Add a few drops of pure peppermint oil to the dark chocolate before dipping the cookies. Pure peppermint oil is strong. Add a drop or two (seriously, use an eyedropper) and stir. Taste the chocolate. Add more peppermint oil if needed.
Double Chocolate 
Add one cup chocolate chips to the cookie dough before baking. Stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon after the dough has come together.

The post Gluten-Free Peppermint Bark Cookies and a KitchenAid Giveaway appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

I love orange-flavored chocolate. In fact, I do a little happy dance when I see those chocolate oranges in the store each holiday season. So I combine chocolate and orange together whenever I can. And sometimes…I don’t have time to bake. Enter: no-bake chocolate orange cookies!

To quote Sandra Lee, these cookies are semi-homemade. To make them, you simply dip store-bought shortbread cookies into chocolate you’ve flavored with pure orange oil. You could bake the shortbread cookies from scratch of course. But since I do a lot of baking, I’m okay with taking the occasional shortcut. Especially when it makes it even easier to get my chocolate and orange fix.

For this recipe I use confectionery coating. Like any ingredient, quality varies greatly from brand to brand. I use Merckens candy coatings because they taste good and are gluten-free and tree nut/peanut-free. If you prefer to use real chocolate, remember to temper it before using.

Variation: Orange is my favorite but I really do like any citrus-flavoring with chocolate. For fun, I occasionally use colored white candy coatings for the cookies: yellow for lemon, light green for lime and, you guessed it, orange for orange. For the lemon cookies, I add a tiny pinch of granulated citric acid. This adds a small bite of tartness to the cookies without making them sour.

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No Bake Chocolate Orange Cookies

Variation: Orange is my favorite but I really do like any citrus-flavoring with chocolate. For fun, I occasionally use colored white candy coatings for the cookies: yellow for lemon, light green for lime and, you guessed it, orange for orange. For the lemon cookies, I add a tiny pinch of granulated citric acid. This adds a small bite of tartness to the cookies without making them sour.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 36 cookies

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound gluten-free confectionery coating (milk, dark, or white)
• 1/4 teaspoon pure orange oil NOT orange extract.
• 36 gluten-free shortbread cookies I use Schar cookies for this recipe.

Instructions

• Place confectionery coatings in microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high for 30 seconds. Remove bowl from microwave and stir. (This disperses hot-spots and prevents the coatings from burning.) Repeat, removing coatings from microwave every 30 seconds to stir, until confectionery coatings melt and no lumps remain.
• Add orange oil. Stir to combine. Taste. The coatings should taste of orange. If the flavor is light, add more orange oil.
• One at a time, dip cookies into candy coating. Using a fork, tap dipped cookie against the side of the bowl to remove excess melted candy. Place dipped cookie onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat. Allow candy to set. If desired, drizzle melted candy coating from a fork over cookies for a drizzle design. Store cookies in an airtight container.

The post No Bake Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange Cookies appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.