Gluten-Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies

These drop-style gluten-free chocolate sugar cookies are easy to make. You don’t need to chill the dough! Simply mix the dough, roll into balls, and bake. The cookies come out with a deep chocolate flavor and a nice sweetness. These are perfect for Christmas cookie boxes!

I love a cookie recipe that’s quick to make! And this gluten-free chocolate sugar cookie is one of them. It requires no chilling, no chopping chocolate, and no special ingredients. If you have all the ingredients on hand a batch comes together in no time. This makes the recipe perfect for the busy holiday baking season.

The cookies bake up crisp at the edges and tender in the center. (Think of them as a chocolate version of my beloved gluten-free sugar cookies.) And the flavor? It’s a wow! The cocoa powder gives them a deep chocolate flavor and the brown sugar adds a sweetness with just a whisper of molasses.

After you try one, you’ll understand why this is a recipe I find myself reaching for again and again. There’s such a lovely simplicity to it that really shines. 

Ingredients. What you need.

• Natural Cocoa Powder. You need natural cocoa so it works with the baking soda. ((It’ll say natural on the label!) Dutch process cocoa isn’t acidic. So there’s nothing to activate the baking soda. This means you’d get flat cookies. 
• Gluten-Free Flour. Tested this one with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Make sure you grab that one. I did not use the all-purpose gluten-free flour. They are different blends. 
• Brown Sugar. Light or dark brown work. I prefer light for this recipe to lend the cookies a very light molasses flavor. 
• Baking Soda. Make sure to use baking soda, not baking powder for this recipe. 
• Butter. You want it softened. Cold butter makes cookies that don’t spread. Salted is my preference for cookies.
• Egg. Just one large egg. It brings everything together.
• Vanilla Extract. Adds a little flavor. If you want to switch it up, peppermint or almond extract are also really nice. 
• Salt. Use fine table salt. It blends easily into the dough and enhances all the other flavors.

How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies

You need two bowls to make this dough. One for mixing the dry ingredients and a large bowl for making the dough.

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together. This mixes the cocoa powder throughout the gluten-free baking flour. Use a medium bowl for this step.
2. Combine the butter and sugar. Do this in a large bowl. You’ll mix the dough in this bowl.
3. Mix until it’s creamy and smooth. 
4. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix until it looks like thick frosting.

5. Stir in the dry ingredients. Stop your mixer before you add them. This prevents the flour from flying out of the bowl. (Flying flour = more clean up. Who wants that? Not me.)
6. Mix on low-medium speed until a dough forms.

7. Scoop the dough into balls. I use a cookie scoop for this step. Then roll into sugar. You can use regular granulated sugar or coarse sugar if you like an extra crunch. These cookies spread a little. Space them about three inches apart. (And remember not to put them too close to the edge of your pan.)
8. Bake until the edges are set and they look puffy. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes. They’ll deflate and have a nice crackled appearance.

Gluten-Free Baker’s Tip: You can make the dough ahead!

Want to get a head start on the holiday baking season? You can mix this dough and freeze it. Simply roll it onto balls and skip the sugar coating. Place the dough balls in a freezer bag or container. 

When you want to bake, remove the dough from the freezer. Let them thaw. Coat in sugar and bake as directed. 

Cookies made from frozen dough don’t spread as much. If you want a flat cookie, press the dough ball down a little before baking.

Storing Leftover Cookies

Got leftover cookies? Lucky you! Here’s how to keep them fresh and tasting their best. 

• On the counter: Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days. 
• In the freezer: Let cookies cool completely. Transfer to a freezer container. Freeze the baked cookies for up to three months. 

Print

Gluten-Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies

These drop-style gluten-free chocolate sugar cookies are easy to make. You don’t need to chill the dough! Simply mix the dough, roll into balls, and bake. The cookies come out with a deep chocolate flavor and a nice sweetness. These are perfect for Christmas cookie boxes!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 32 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free baking flour, see note 1 below (268 grams)
• ½ cup natural cocoa powder, see note 2 (40 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (5 grams)
• ½ teaspoon table salt (3 grams)
• 16 tablespoons softened butter (226 grams, 2 sticks)
• 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar, see note 3 (300 grams)
• 1 large egg (about 50 grams out of shell)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 grams)
• About ½ cup sugar for rolling, see note 4 (100 grams)

Instructions

1. Adjust two oven racks to the upper and lower position. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Combine the softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium-high speed until thick and creamy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer on and mix until light, about one additional minute.
4. Turn off the mixer. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until light, about one minute.
5. Turn off the mixer again. Add the dry ingredients. Mix on medium-low speed until the dough comes together.
6. Scoop the dough into balls, about 2-tablespoons each. Form into a ball and roll into the extra sugar.
7. Place 8 balls of dough onto each of the prepared cookie sheets.
8. Bake for about 10 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking (at the five minute mark.) When done, the edges of the cookies will look set and middle will be puffy.
9. Remove the pans from the oven. Let the cookies cool on the pan for about five minutes. They will deflate as they cool.
10. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack. Bake remaining dough.
11. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze the cooled cookies in a freezer container for up to 3 months.

Recipe Notes

• Note 1: The recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour
• Note 2: Natural cocoa powder is acidic. It reacts with the baking soda to make the cookies rise. Using Dutch processed cocoa will make flat, dense cookies.
• Note 3: Light or dark brown sugar works in this recipe.
• Note 4: Roll the cookies in granulated sugar or coarse sugar. The coarse sugar gives them a nice crunch.