Rich and chocolatey, but never fudgy, these double gluten free chocolate cookies have melted chocolate and cocoa powder, plus chocolate chips.
These aren't brownie or fudge cookies. They're double chocolate chippers, and they're delightful. But first, a few words about cookies…
For most of my baking life, like most people, cookie season was around the November and December holidays. It wasn't like I didn't bake cookies other times during the year, of course. Don't be ridiculous.
But the real intense cookie-baking was always during the holidays. Now, it's still early enough in the year that I can remember how much better I felt eating less sugar after the new year.
Now, it's still early enough in the year that I can remember how much better I felt eating less sugar around the New Year. But I have come to believe that my freezer must always be stocked with cookies. There is a simple reason for this…
Cookies make the best:
- hostess gifts;
- personal “just-a-little-something” dessert;
- way to soothe a child's broken heart—which always happens when you least expect it;
- last minute thank-you gift.
Ingredients and substitutions
No recipe on my blog would ever be complete without some discussion of substitutions. Am I right?
Well, I haven't tested these gluten free chocolate chocolate chip cookies with many substitutions. But here are my best educated guesses:
Dairy
My favorite dairy-free butter substitute is butter-flavored Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening. It has less moisture than butter, but Earth Balance buttery sticks have way, way more moisture. Using Earth Balance tends to lead to cookies that spread quite a lot during baking.
Eggs
I haven't tested this recipe with any egg substitutes, but in my limited experience I have found that any recipe with two or fewer eggs can handle an egg substitute relatively well. I think it's worth trying. My favorite e
My favorite egg substitute is a “chia egg,” which is simply 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds mixed with 1 tablespoon of lukewarm water. Allow the mixture to sit until it gels, and then include it in the recipe where eggs are mentioned, one for one.
Cocoa Powder
Dutch cocoa powder is richer than natural cocoa powder, but either one will work in this recipe. If you can get your hands on Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, which is a mixture of the two types, use that. It's also quite dark in color, which makes for a truly beautiful cookie.
Chips
Use whatever sort of chips you like! Since the melted chocolate in the batter is dark, it's kind of nice to use milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.
White chocolate chips would also be nice, or even peanut butter chips. Dark chocolate disks make for a slightly fancier-looking cookie.
P.S. Looking for the “regular” version of these? Try my thick and chewy gluten free chocolate chip cookies. ?
Double Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
7 tablespoons (98 g) unsalted butter
2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/4 cup (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed is best)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (164 g) packed light brown sugar
2 eggs (100 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate disks or chips
Instructions
Prep the oven & melt the chocolate. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside. In a small, heat-safe bowl, place the chopped bittersweet chocolate and the butter. Melt until smooth by placing in a double boiler or microwaving in 45 second intervals at 60% power, stirring in between intervals. Set aside to cool briefly.
Make the dough. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar, and mix to combine, working out any lumps. Add the melted and cooled chocolate and butter, plus the eggs and vanilla, and mix to combine. Add about 7 ounces of the chocolate chips, and mix until evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough. Knead the dough until it comes comes together and is chunky, not crumbly.
Shape & bake the cookies. Line a new rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, and drop 2-teaspoonsful pieces of dough on the baking sheet. With wet hands, shape each piece of dough into a ball and place the pieces of dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press 2 or 3 of the remaining chocolate chips into the top of each disk of cookie dough. Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and, holding it securely on each short side above a heat-safe flat surface, bang the tray down hard 4 or 5 times, or until the cookies have begun to crack on top a bit. Return to the oven and bake for another 4 to 5 minutes, or until the cookies are are just set in the center. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe originally posted on the blog in 2012. Recipe unchanged, photos and video all new, method modified, text mostly new.
Sue says
Can we reduce the sugar amount?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid the recipe only works as written, Sue. You can’t reduce sugar in a recipe and have it turn out the same. Sugar isn’t only a sweetener, it’s also a tenderizer.
Betty Van Horn says
What kind of chocolate are you using. Sweetened, unsweetened, semisweet?
Nicole Hunn says
The recipe calls for dark chocolate, Betty. Dark chocolate is sweetened chocolate that has little or no milk solids. It is never unsweetened. A good recipe that calls for unsweetened chocolate would always specify that.
Rosie says
These look just like the ones my grandma used to make… I think that means you ‘ve nailed it!
Nicole Hunn says
I think so, too, Rosie. :)
Three Brits says
Must must must try these out, love chocolate and these sound amazing!!
Rebekah says
Hi! I started following your newsletter about a month ago and I wondered if you are planning on doing more non-chocolate items. I don’t like chocolate, though I know a lot of people do, and most of the recipes I see for GF stuff are chocolate.
Thanx!
Nicole Hunn says
There are 850+ recipes on the blog, Rebekah. Feel free to have a look around!
Sloluckystyle says
Wow, easy to make and they turned out perfect…and so delicious. Thank you. My son and I love these. Very chocolatey taste, not sugary or fudgy….perfect. And the dough is tasty too :-)
Susan says
I can’t wait to try them, they look yummy. Are the recipes in your blog in your cookbooks. I have the first one and getting the 2nd for christmas? Thanks
Marilyn says
My husband loves you!!!!
JoAnn C. says
Wow! Wow! Wow! And Thank You!!!
gfshoestring says
Oh, JoAnn, I knew you would like these. Wait ’till you make them. :)
xoxo Nicole
Jennifer S. says
Yum – i love you (even if my waist does not!)
gfshoestring says
Your waist loves me, Jennifer, in moderation. :)
xoxo Nicole
Dana Schwartz says
Oh, these are a chocoholics dream! Yum! How I wish I lived close enough to be cookie’d by you. But since I’m not I’ll happily be virtually cookie’d instead. Thanks for another great recipe!
So, I bought those white and red striped minty Hershey kisses for your choco thumbprints? Um, good thing I bought 2 bags is all I have to say.
Q – what brand chocolate chips do you use?
gfshoestring says
You’re allllllmost close enough to be cookie’d by me, Dana. Here’s a promise: if I ever know I’m going to meet you, I’ll bring you cookies.
For chips, I almost always use Nestle. They’re not top shelf, but they’re reliable and GF and good. :)
xoxo Nicole