Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Made with a simple recipe, using chickpea flour, you won’t be able to taste any difference in these yummy Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Gluten free chocolate chip cookies

Is there any treat as classic as the Chocolate Chip Cookie?  Chewy, flavorful and well… chocolatey, it’s a favorite of young and old alike.  And happily this version goes gluten free with zero loss of flavor or texture!

As a natural foodie, I’m a big believer that good food should be available to everyone!  So whether you’re gluten free—or just baking for gluten free friends and family—this is for you!

I first tasted these gluten free chocolate chip cookies, developed by cookbook author Camila Saulsbury, at a CSA harvest party. And I learned that she believes cooking gluten free shouldn’t be fussy. Wait, you mean you don’t need to buy, store and mix… 24 teeny bits of different ingredients to use as a flour substitute?  Count me in!    

Gluten free chocolate chip cookies

And the results?

After gobbling down handfuls of, err a few Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies at the party (and forcibly dragging my husband from the dessert table), I was excited to try making them myself.  They mixed up just like regular chocolate chip cookies and actually seemed more resistant to getting hard when baking (have you ever turned out rock hard chocolate cookies like me?). 

I served them at the next party we hosted, and our guests loved them.  And they noted the delightfully chewy texture.  Hooray!

Gluten free chocolate chip cookies

What is Chickpea Flour?  

Chickpea flour is flour that is made from chickpeas or garbanzo beans.  Dr Axe says “Eating more legumes is a great way to increase your intake of fiber [which] can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and even some types of cancer.  Garbanzo beans also offer a good array of vitamins and minerals and even some antioxidants”.   

And while you can’t normally just substitute chickpea flour for wheat flour, Camila has done that conversion and created a perfect recipe for you. 

Now I must admit that there is one downside to this recipe.   It’s that the cookie dough—pre-baking—tastes distinctly of chickpeas.  Clearly NOT appealing to a dough snatcher.

However since they’re always telling us not to snitch dough, maybe even that’s a win!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Why You’ll Love This!

Tasty & Chewy.  The taste and soft chew make chocolate chip cookies a favorite.  And this gluten free version is no different.

Single Ingredient Flour Substitution.  All you need is chickpea flour and standard chocolate chip cookie ingredients.   I’d probably cook gluten free more often if it were always this easy!

Gluten Free.  Pretty much every party I give now has at least one guest who’s gluten free.  I love being able to serve them something homemade that’s first rate delicious!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

  • Brown sugar. This adds sweetness and moisture.
  • Butter. This adds richness and slows staling.
  • Eggs.  This adds richness and helps the cookies hold together, rise and stay light.
  • Vanilla.  This adds flavor.
  • Chickpea flour.  This forms the bulk of the cookie and substitutes for the wheat flour you would see in a standard recipe.  
  • Baking powder. This helps the cookies rise and stay light.
  • Baking soda.  This helps the cookies rise and stay light.
  • Salt.  This enhances flavor.
  • Chocolate chips.  Yum!
  • Optional pecans or other nuts.  You can replace some of the chips with nuts.

Special Tools

  • No special tools required!

Step by Step Directions

Beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

beat butter and sugar

Beat in egg and vanilla.  

Add eggs and vanilla

Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda.

Stir into butter mix until just blended.

blend two mixtures

Stir in the chocolate chips (and nuts if using).  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 – 24 hours.

Add chips

Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper (the first is greener, the second will result in more perfectly shaped cookies).  Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheet.

put scoops on cookie sheet

Bake for 15-20 minutes until set and slightly golden on the edges. Remove from pan to cool.

How to Serve

These would make a fun dessert or snack, especially with coffee or milk. And the popular cookie would be a great contribution to a picnic or potluck–especially since even gluten free eaters can indulge!.

Variations and Special Diets

For other gluten free treats take a look at my Peanut Butter Gluten Free Blondies or  Gluten Free Ice Cream Sandwiches.  I have also made Camila’s very delicious Gluten Free Molasses Cookies

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Leftovers

These should last up to a couple weeks, sealed, and can be frozen in an airtight container for 3-6 months.  If the freezer is frost free, however, that time may be reduced.

Packable Picnic Recipes

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Gluten free chocolate chip cookies

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Betcha can't tell these are Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies! And made with a one ingredient flour (chickpea flour), they are easy too!
Author: Inger
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Refrigeration 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
Course Dessert
Servings 24
Calories 211 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 8 Tablespoons butter softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups chickpea flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • optional nuts (see note)

Instructions
 

  • With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add egg and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute.
  • Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir into butter mix until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips
  • Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 – 24 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper (the first is greener, the second will result in more perfectly shaped cookies).
  • Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until set and slightly golden on the edges. Remove from pan to cool.

Notes

Adapted from Camilla Saulsbury
You can substitute nuts like pecans for some of the chocolate chips.  I used 1 1/2 cups of chips and 1/2 cup of pecans.

Nutrition

Calories: 211kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 97mgPotassium: 154mgFiber: 1gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 141IUCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Updated from the original Nov 10, 2016 post.

Tagged on:

19 thoughts on “Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

    1. Inger Post author

      I was lucky I had tried them, because I would never have believed how good these were. And you just never know with some gluten free recipes.

  1. Pingback: Easy Gluten Free Molasses Cookies - Art of Natural Living

  2. David

    I use chickpea flour in so many things but never considered it for sweets. I will give this a try sometime – but must admit that, even though my post this week is one for cookies (!!!!!), I rarely bake them. Too easy to eat… 🙂

    1. David Scott Allen

      I finally made these this week (thanks for the reminder post) and they are delicious. I shared some with my pharmacist and his team because they have been so good to me. (I have to change pharmacies now because of Medicare.) My favorite part was how tender they are! It was VERY hard to give them away… Sorry it took me almost seven year to make them!)

      1. Inger Post author

        I always give the leftovers to the gluten free person I made them for, so I know it can be hard. I just tell myself “bye bye” temptation!

  3. Barbara

    I use almond flour a lot and also made a couple things with coconut flour, but never with chickpea flour. Your cookies look delicious…you’d never guess gluten free.

    1. Inger Post author

      I have used almond flour too but in limited applications like (usually failed) macarons or linzer pie crusts. I’ll have to keep my eyes open more there Barbara…

  4. Denise

    Thanks for the step-by-step guide. I can’t wait to try this out. I really am looking for a chocolate-chip cookie recipe that is friendly to my diet regimen. Thanks for sharing. Hungry for more posts.

  5. cheri

    Hi Inger, chickpea flour, who knew. My daughter-in-law has problems with gluten will have to pick some up, saw that Bob’s red mill has a product. So nice your CSA has a party like that.

    1. Inger Post author

      I am using Bob’s Red Mill right now–and planning to try grinding my own. That will be a future post if it works!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating





css.php