These gluten free New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies taste exactly like the famous crispy-outside-chewy-inside cookies published by the New York Times in 2009. You just won't believe how good they are!
I have many recipes for chocolate chip cookies on this site. But this is the only recipe I have that is quite literally the stuff of legends. Like the time (just yesterday) that I gave my husband half of one cookie—and then he took out his wallet and offered me $1 for another cookie.
I talked him up to 2 bucks, and took his money. ? Our children looked on in total confusion, and then offered up their own piggybanks. I turned them down. I'm not that crazy.
This recipe for gluten free New York Times chocolate chip cookies is precisely the sort of recipe that would have been solidly off-limits before writing Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread.
Before Bakes Bread, there was no gluten free bread flour. Now, we have gluten free bread flour. A whole new world of possibilities has opened up. To be fair, though, my gluten free bread flour does require the addition of dairy in the form of whey protein isolate.
Of course, you could also avoid a rice flour-based blend and avoid dairy completely with these Paleo chocolate chip cookies. Paleo is dairy free by definition.
These are the cookies to scale, in the hands of my then 8-year-old daughter. They are not for the faint of heart.
You can, of course, make them smaller. Just divide the dough into whatever size pieces you like best, and bake them as directed. You'll just have to watch the baking time, as they will be done baking faster if they're smaller.
What makes these cookies different?
What makes these cookies different is the flour used to make them, mostly. Are you familiar with the Famous New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies? They're made with a combination of bread flour and cake flour.
We make bread flour like we do with our newer-style gluten free breads. We make cake flour the way everyone does: with a combination of about 80% all purpose (gluten free) flour + 20% cornstarch.
All that means is that, if you have 1 cup (or 140 grams) of flour, 80% (or 112 grams) will be an all purpose gluten free flour blend, and 20% (or 28 grams) will be cornstarch. Here, I've done the math for you in the recipe below by including all purpose gluten free flour (my mock Better Batter or Better Batter itself work best here) and cornstarch separately in the ingredients.
If you can't have cornstarch, try using potato starch or arrowroot. It should work just fine. If you can't have dairy, you can try using rice protein isolate or pea protein in place of whey protein isolate, along with Expandex, in the bread flour. I haven't tried it, though, so you'll be experimenting!
Why chill the dough?
The dough really does benefit from being chilled for 24 to 72 hours. I've tried baking the dough right away, and baking it after chilling it for at least a full day. The texture of the baked cookies is really amazing after the wait.
In fact, even the color of the dough seems to change color a bit as the dough rests. It goes from being quite light in color to a deeper brown, a bit more like the cookies as baked. I could make up some sort of smartypants science reason for that, but I like you too much. :)
If you think you won't be able to wait without even a taste, try chilling half the dough and baking off half the dough. Then, you can judge whether it was worth the wait.
One way or another, you're gonna need to make these. They're the perfect combination of chewy (in the center) and crispy (on the edges).
Be sure to sprinkle that little bit of coarse salt on top.That salty-sweet combination of tastes, along with all that texture magic, is something you won't soon forget.
Gluten Free New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (105 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter; please click thru for appropriate blends)
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 1 ½ tablespoons (14 g) cornstarch
- ⅞ cup (122 g) gluten free bread flour (you must use my gf bread flour blend; click thru for full details)
- ⅝ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅝ cup (120 g) granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) packed light brown sugar
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate disks
- Coarse salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the all purpose flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Add the light brown sugar, and whisk again to combine, working to break up any lumps in the brown sugar.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, egg and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough will be thick.
- Add the chocolate disks, and mix until they are evenly distributed throughout. Wrap the cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate ideally for 24 to 72 hours.
- On baking day, preheat your oven to 350°F. Line three large rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 9 balls, each about 3 1/2 ounces (the size of generous golf balls), and place them at least 6 inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheets.
- Sprinkle the tops lightly with coarse salt, and place in the preheated oven. Bake until golden brown all over but still soft toward the center (18 to 20 minutes).
- The cookies will spread to about 5-inches in diameter. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, or until set before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Gluten Free New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (105 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter; please click thru for appropriate blends)
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 1 ½ tablespoons (14 g) cornstarch
- ⅞ cup (122 g) gluten free bread flour (you must use my gf bread flour blend; click thru for full details)
- ⅝ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅝ cup (120 g) granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) packed light brown sugar
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate disks
- Coarse salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the all purpose flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Add the light brown sugar, and whisk again to combine, working to break up any lumps in the brown sugar.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, egg and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough will be thick.
- Add the chocolate disks, and mix until they are evenly distributed throughout. Wrap the cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate ideally for 24 to 72 hours.
- On baking day, preheat your oven to 350°F. Line three large rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 9 balls, each about 3 1/2 ounces (the size of generous golf balls), and place them at least 6 inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheets.
- Sprinkle the tops lightly with coarse salt, and place in the preheated oven. Bake until golden brown all over but still soft toward the center (18 to 20 minutes).
- The cookies will spread to about 5-inches in diameter. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, or until set before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Arnell VerHoef says
I can’t have white sugar, also. Is there a ratio I should follow if I use coconut sugar instead of white sugar? It’s weird but brown sugar doesn’t seem to bother me but white does! Will it change the texture? I have Xyletol, also. I haven’t used it in cooking yet however. Any ideas?
PS. I make smaller cookies so that my kids think they are getting more when I give them a couple… ;D
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, it will change the texture to use coconut sugar in place of white sugar, Arnell. Xylitol is not an appropriate substitute for brown sugar. Feel free to experiment, though! I have only made the recipe as written.
Louise says
I made these yesterday and the dough is very wet…no way it is going to make it into balls. Anyone else have a similar problem?
Nicole Hunn says
Louise, as you can see from the video, the dough is not wet at all. If you aren’t measuring your ingredients by weight, or are making substitutions, that is likely your issue.
Rachana Parekh says
Oh and would like to have substitute for butter too?
Rachana Parekh says
Any substitute for eggs my son loves cookies but due to allergies he can’t have , egg allergy too? can you help
Nicole Hunn says
Rachana I haven’t tried this recipe with any substitutions, so you’ll have to experiment. Since it’s only one egg, you can try a “chia egg” (just google it). For a butter substitute, try butter-flavored Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening. But if you have to be dairy-free, the bread flour contains dairy, so this really isn’t the recipe for you.
Susan Beck says
These look yummy and I can’t wait to make them. Do you have any suggestions for a brand of bittersweet chocolate disks ? Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Susan, you can find dark chocolate wafers for baking on nuts.com.
Kim @ The Baking ChocolaTess says
I’m all about chocolate chip cookies! These look amazing Nicole! xoxo
Karen says
Any suggestions for egg substitutes?
Brandy says
Just made the last 2 cookies I saved from the first batch which I baked after 24 hours. Leaving them in the fridge the extra day was definitely an improvement, and I didn’t think there could be any more improvement! Best chocolate cookie ever – gluten-free or not. Slightly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Thank you thank you :) :)
Erin Lowery Baerwaldt says
These are super yummy! Baked up two and kept the rest of the dough balls in the freezer for those “i just need a chocolate chip cookie” times!
Roger Christos says
I avoid sugar so I’ll try this coconut sugar. It tastes a lot like brown sugar. Do you ever substitute sugar for a healthy sweetener? Most white sugar is GMO too.
Nicole Hunn says
Roger, I recommend you see my Paleo recipes, here on the blog.
Michelle says
I am making the chocolate mousse cake for my husband’s birthday this weekend, but may have to make these as well for his…. birthday breakfast? birthday lunch? He’ll be thanking you either way!
Nicole Hunn says
Birthday snack, Michelle? ;)
Michelle says
Good idea, since I am making the yeasted waffles for birthday breakfast.
Candice says
Thinking that these will be on the list of things to do tomorrow. Its supposed to rain here and I think that cookie baking will be a perfect activity for a rainy spring day. Not to mention, my kiddos are going to FLIP when they see the size of these cookies:)
Nicole Hunn says
Definitely perfect for a rainy day, Candice! Yeah, they’re huge. :)
Lucy says
That was one BIG cookie :)
I bet she asked for seconds, right?
I most likely will be baking on Monday for the week lunch boxes and these will be one to bake for sure!
Love ya….hugs
Nicole Hunn says
I know, right, Lucy? That would be one lucky kid, to open up a lunch box and find one of these. :)
Jennifer S. says
These look freakin’ awesome! Wow! My kids will just go ga-ga over these. Also, you know what you could do? Make an individual frosted chocolate chip cookie from these for parties or whatever. So awesome. Thanks for another home run!
Nicole Hunn says
Oh that would be awesome, Jennifer. :)
Donia Robinson says
The question is – did you let her eat the whole thing?
Jennifer S. says
No kidding right? It’s as big as her head I bet!
Nicole Hunn says
I think I gave the kids the cookies one half at a time, Donia!