Bakery-Style Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Big, bakery-style gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are easier to make at home than you’d think. The recipe makes cookies that are chewy at the center and filled with chocolate chips. These come out of the oven golden and gooey. They’re perfect for splitting (or not) while still warm.

Over the past few years, cookie bakeries have been popping up all over the country. They’re known for their ever-changing lineup of oversized cookies. Since they rarely offer safe gluten-free options, I’ve gotten lots of requests for a gluten-free recipe that delivers the same “cookie bakery” magic.

It took several rounds of testing to get this one just right. These cookies are not only giant, but gluten-free. So they need to be sturdy enough to hold together without crumbling (ahem), while still staying soft and tender. The right gluten-free flour blend, plus a quick chill before baking, makes all the difference.

It took several rounds of testing to get the recipe just right. Because these cookies are both giant and gluten-free, they need to hold together without crumbling (ahem). Since they’re meant to be soft, it’s a delicate balance. Happily this recipe does all those things and makes some of the best gluten-free cookies I’ve ever had.

Ingredients

As with every gluten-free recipe, the ingredients play an important role. Substitutions can affect the final texture of the cookies. Here’s what you need to make these cookies and the role each ingredient plays.

• Gluten-Free Flour: I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, which currently comes in a blue bag. If you use a different blend, it might change the texture and flavor of the cookies. Grain-free flour isn’t recommended for this recipe.
• Tapioca Starch: A little tapioca starch makes the cookies soft and chewy. If you don’t have any, don’t worry—you can omit it or replace it with an equal amount of corn starch or gluten-free baking flour.
• Brown and Granulated Sugar: The combination of brown sugar and a bit of granulated sugar adds sweetness and helps achieve the perfect texture. Brown sugar makes the cookies chewy, while granulated sugar helps them spread slightly. Using all brown sugar will result in cookies that don’t spread as much.
• Egg: You only need one whole egg to bring the dough together. I haven’t tried these cookies with an egg replacer, but if you do, I’d recommend trying a flax egg.
• Chocolate Chips: Use whatever you love. The popular cookie bakery adds milk chocolate chips, which is what I used, but dark chips, chunks, or mini chips all work well too.
• Vanilla Extract: Two teaspoons of vanilla really boost the classic chocolate chip cookie flavor we all love.
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Baking soda reacts with the acidic brown sugar to give the cookies a nice lift and enhance their chewiness. A little baking powder also helps add lift.
• Salt: Salt enhances the flavor and balances the sweetness. Yes, I use both salt and salted butter.

How to Make Bakery-Style Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies at Home

Let me say this right away: this recipe makes big cookies. Really big cookies. In fact, during testing, I hesitated to make them as large as bakeries do—but that’s part of the fun. If you prefer smaller cookies, I’ve included a note on how to adjust the size with the recipe.

Combine the dry ingredients: Stir together the gluten-free flour, tapioca starch, baking soda, and baking powder in a small bowl.

Mix the butter and sugar: Blend softened butter with the brown and granulated sugar. When it forms a thick paste, add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. There’s no need to beat this light and fluffy like a gluten-free white cake batter. A thick butter-sugar paste helps give the cookies a dense texture.

Make the dough: Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed at first, then increase to medium and blend until a dough forms.

Stir in the chocolate chips: I prefer to do this with a wooden spoon because sometimes the electric mixer breaks up the chips.

Chill the dough: Cover the dough and pop it in the fridge. If you plan to bake right away, preheat the oven while the dough chills for at least 20 minutes—or chill overnight.

Scoop the dough: These cookies are really big. Use a ⅓-cup measuring spoon or weigh each piece of dough to about 85 grams. Roll the dough into large balls and place six dough balls per parchment-lined baking sheet. Don’t put more than six per pan, as the cookies will spread during baking.

Bake and cool: Bake until puffy and golden. Bakeries like Crumbl tend to slightly underbake their cookies. As soon as the edges are set and the cookies look brown across the top, they’re done. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for 15 minutes. Moving them too soon can cause them to break apart.

Three Tips to Remember

1. Size Matters. Use a measuring cup or scale for evenly sized cookies. The cookies bake more evenly and look just like ones from the bakery.
2. Chill Out (Literally!). Let the dough rest in the fridge for a bit. It sets the dough, deepens flavor and keeps the cookies from spreading too much. 
3. Underdone Is the New Perfect. Bake until the edges are set but the centers still look a little soft. They’ll finish on the pan and stay delightfully chewy.

Print

Bakery Style Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe makes extra-large gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. The combination of gluten-free flour and a little tapioca starch makes them soft and chewy. If you prefer your cookies a little smaller, see the note at the bottom of this recipe. As written, the recipe makes 10 perfect cookies.

Prep Time 25 minutes

Servings 10 large cookies

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour, see note 1 (250 grams; 8 ¾ ounces)
• ¼ cup tapioca starch, see note 2 (31 grams; 1 ounce)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup salted butter, softened (170 grams; 6 ounces)
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar (155 grams; 5 ½ ounces)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams; 1 ¾ ounces)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips (255 grams; 9 ounces)

Instructions

1. Whisk together gluten-free flour, tapioca starch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
2. Mix together softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until thick. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until smooth. It won’t look light and fluffy. More like a paste.
3. Stop the mixer. Add the whisked gluten-free flour mixture. Turn the mixer to low to incorporate the flour. Then increase to medium and mix until a dough forms. Stop the mixer at least once to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
4. Add the chocolate chips. I like to stir them into the dough with a silicone spatula because the mixer can break them up a little.
5. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 20 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a baking sheet (two if you've got them!) with parchment paper.

7. Scoop the dough into ⅓ cup (85 grams each) portions. Round into balls. Place 6 dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (For smaller cookies, see note 3.)

8. Bake until the edges are set and the cookies are a light golden brown, about 16 minutes.

9. Remove the pan from the oven. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 15 minutes. They settle as they cool. This is normal. Wait 15 minutes to move them or the cookies can break.

   Repeat with remaining dough. You’ll get 10 cookies total.

10. Let the cookies cool completely before placing them into a container to store. These keep four to five days on the counter or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Gluten-Free Flour. This recipe was developed and tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (Blue Bag). Using a different flour might change the texture of the cookies. 

Note 2: Tapioca Starch. The tapioca starch gives the cookies a chewy texture. You can replace it with the same amount of cornstarch or gluten-free flour. The cookies won’t be as chewy but the recipe works. 

Note 3: Making Smaller Cookies. If you don’t want oversize cookies, scoop the dough into two tablespoon portions and reduce baking time to about 11 minutes.