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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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 in egg and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Stir into butter mix until just blended.
Stir in the chocolate chips (and nuts if using). 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.
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.
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
- Chipotle Hummus from Magical Ingredients
- Classic French Bread from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Art of Natural Living
- Herb Garlic Potato Salad from That Recipe
- Pressed Picnic Sandwich from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Southern Style Potato Salad from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
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Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 8 Tablespoons butter or margarine, 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
Nutrition
Updated from the original Nov 10, 2016 post.
You can never go wrong with a classic chocolate chip cookie! These look so good!
Normally I’m not a fan of chickpea flour but these are so gorgeous they are a must try.
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.
Chickpea version is a great idea and it is one of our favorites. These cookies look and sound the best!
These look great! I’m always looking for Gluten free baked goods so I can make them for my GF friends!
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Chickpea flour has become my favorite flour to bake with. I am excited to try these out, thank you!
they look pretty perfect to me! i’m amazed at how far gluten-free baked goods have come!
Sounds like a great alternative for GF eaters. Thanks for sharing!
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… 🙂
I am soooo having that “too easy to eat” problem right now David!
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!)
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!
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.
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…
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.
I have some gluten free molasses cookies coming up soon Denise!
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.
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!