“Mrs. Fields” gluten free chocolate chip cookies are made with half all purpose gluten free flour, half oat flour for the perfect crisp chewiness.
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Why is there oat flour in this chocolate chip cookie recipe?
The gluten free cookie recipe collection on this blog is vast, but chocolate chippers are my absolute favorite—and this may be my most favorite recipe for them of all. They're just like the kind Mrs. Fields first made in her kitchen, except none of the gluten.
The ground oats lend a really nice chewiness but keep in mind that I never buy or bake with actual oat flour. Instead, I take certified gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats and grind them into a flour quickly and easily with a food processor or blender.
Not only is certified gluten free oat flour super expensive, but it's so simple to grind your own—and I usually leave a few slightly larger pieces. If you're making something with oats, you generally want some chew to the recipe.
If you can't have oats, don't worry! I've got you completely covered in my full discussion about how to substitute oats in baking. See the “Ingredients and substitutions” section below, right above the recipe, for a full explanation of what to do—or click through to the substitution post.
What to expect of this cookie dough
Whenever you're making thick chocolate chip cookies, expect the dough to just barely come together when you mix it. Resist the urge to add water to it, though! You'll end up with cookies that don't hold their shape.
When you start mixing the wet ingredients (butter, egg, vanilla) into the dry (flours, baking soda, salt, sugars—although the sugars are technically “wet” but you know what I mean), you'll find that you really have to work to bring them together.
Just keep mixing, and press down on the back of the spoon to spread the wet ingredients and press them into the dry. Turn the dough over with the bowl of the spoon, and press down with the back of it. Repeat!
How to shape the cookie dough
There are two ways to shape this raw cookie dough for baking. One is the usual way that I make drop cookies like our thick and chewy gluten free chocolate chip cookies: shape the dough into a round, then press into a disk, chill and bake. That way of course works fine.
The second method is to roll the cookie dough into a ball, and then bake it from a ball shape without pressing it into a disk. You don't chill the dough, either. Just bake for about 8 minutes, remove the tray and bang it flat on a heat-safe flat surface a few times to make the cookie spread a bit, then return it to the oven to finish baking.
Using the ball-shape dough method is easier to shape, doesn't require chilling, and still makes perfectly shaped cookies. But it does require more hands-on baking.
Ingredients and substitutions
Dairy
I've successfully made these cookies dairy-free for my oldest, who can't have dairy, using my favorite butter substitute: Melt brand VeganButter. It's dairy and soy free, and it behaves the most like “real” butter of any I've tried.
If you'd like to try using Earth Balance buttery sticks, try using half Earth Balance and half shortening to create the right moisture balance. And of course be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips!
Egg
Since there's only one egg in this cookie dough, you should be able to use a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel). I haven't tried it, though, so you'll have to experiment!
Oats
Well, now that I've fully explored whether oats are gluten free, and how to substitute oats in your gluten free baking, I can suggest with confidence that you try replacing the oat flour in this recipe with quinoa flakes. I have a feeling you could also use cream of buckwheat, but that one I haven't experimented with myself.
Sugars
I recommend trying Lankato brand monkfruit or Swerve brand granulated sugar substitute for the granulated sugar, and Swerve brand brown sugar replacement for the brown sugar. I haven't made this recipe with any sugar substitutes, so you'll be experimenting.
Alternative granulated sweeteners tend to be drying, though, so you might have to add a bit of water to the dough to get it to come together properly. Be very careful, though, and only add as much as is absolutely essential, or the cookies will spread a ton.
“Mrs. Fields” Style Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 g) certified gluten free oat flour
- 1 cup (140 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click thru for appropriate blends)
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the oat flour, all purpose gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt, and whisk to combine well.
- Place the chocolate chips in a separate, medium-sized bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture, and toss the chips to coat them in the flour. Set the chips aside.
- To the flour mixture, add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and whisk again to combine well, working out any lumps in the brown sugar.
- Add the butter, egg, and vanilla, and mix to combine. The dough will be thick and somewhat difficult to bring together, but keep working it and don’t add anything else.
- Add almost all the chips to the dough, reserving about one ounce of chips, and mix until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
How to shape and bake the cookies: Option #1
- Drop the dough by rounded tablespoon on the prepared baking sheet with about 1 1/2 inches between each piece of dough.
- Roll each piece of dough between slightly wet palms into a ball and press it into a disk. Press a few of the reserved chips into the top of each cookie.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes, or until firm.
- Bake the cookies in the center of the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until they are very lightly golden brown all over, and slightly more brown around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool until set on the baking sheet. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to shape and bake the cookies: Option #2
- Scoop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoon and roll each piece into a tight ball between your palms.
- Place the pieces of cookie dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
- Using pot holders that allow you to grip the tray well, remove it from the oven and bang it flat on a heat-safe surface a few times to make the cookie spread a bit.
- Return the tray to the oven and bake until the cookies are lightly golden brown all over and slightly more brown around the edges, about another 3 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool until set on the baking sheet. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
