dessert

The Best Gluten & Dairy Free Creamy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Ultimate Guide to Dairy & Gluten Free Meals

I am not kidding when I say this: these were the best dairy & gluten free cookies I have had yet. They are creamy and just the right amount of gooey. NO crumbly texture or cardboard taste! I was very impressed. What is the secret ingredient? CREAM CHEESE! Dairy free cream cheese, of course.

Adapted from My Gluten Free Kitchen, I made these cookies dairy free with Earth balance butter and Green Valley Organics cream cheese (both found in Whole Foods). They turned out pretty spectacular. Here are some tips from My GF Kitchen, as I know nothing about baking, so they might save your life like they did mine:

There are 5 keys to this recipe being free of gritty texture or a weird mouth feel, and being perfectly chewy:

  1. First is the addition of cream cheese. That small 2 ounces of cream cheese is just enough to cover any grit that would have been in these cookies otherwise. I wish I had thought of this many years ago!
  2. Melting the butter is another key to this perfect cookie, as it adds to the chewiness and overall flavor profile.
  3. Using just egg yolks, no egg whites to help with the chewiness of the cookie. This is an old trick I learned from Alton Brown. I like to use an egg separator so that I don’t end up with any stray shells or break the yolks in the process.
  4. Using a good quality all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. Stay away from the blends that are primarily rice flour or that have any bean flours. I’ve had best results making this with Gluten Free Mama’s Almond Blend, and recently tried with Cup4Cup gluten-free flour with great results too. (Note, usually gfJules is one of my go-to blends, but it is a little too starchy to get the right chewy texture with gooey center in this recipe. It still makes a very good cookie, just won’t be as chewy or gooey.)
  5. Chill the dough at least 4 hours before baking any cookies. These will not come out like my photos or with best texture if you bake these without chilling thoroughly. You can also chill for 3 days, or you can scoop immediately and freeze the balls of dough to bake later.

For successful results, make sure you use room temperature ingredients, measure properly (the only ingredient you ever pack in is brown sugar), use a cookie scoop to make cookies all the same size, use a preheated oven that you have checked temperature on, and use parchment paper or silicone liners for your baking pans.

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 1/4 cups (~282 grams) good all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
  • 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (omit if gf flour blend has xanthan or guar gum already)
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 ounces dairy free cream cheese, room temp
  • 3/4 cups unsalted dairy free butter, melted
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 egg yolks (room temp)
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Chocolate Chips)
 INSTRUCTIONS
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, xanthan (unless flour blend already has xanthan or guar gum), baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, place the cream cheese, then pour melted butter over it. Add brown sugar and sugar and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. (I use the paddle attachment on my mixer.)
  3. Add vanilla extract and egg yolks (one at a time) mixing on low-medium speed until well mixed.
  4. Add the flour mixture that you set aside earlier, beating on low until just combined.
  5. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low or by hand, just until mixed thoroughly.
  6. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours and up to 4 days.
  7. When you are ready to bake, remove from refrigerator and let sit for about 15 minutes to soften enough for easier scooping.
  8. Preheat oven to 375°.
  9. Line cookie sheets with sheets of parchment paper or silicone liners. Do not spray!
  10. Use a #20 cookie scoop to scoop even mounds of cookie dough spaced several inches apart. I can get 12 per cookie sheet.
  11. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes at 375°. Remove when edges are set and just browning. The centers will look underdone, but will continue cooking as they cool. To ensure you don’t overbake, I suggest you bake a few test cookies so you can determine the right baking time for your oven. If you like gooey centers, cook less, if you like crunchier cookies, cook longer.
  12. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for just 2-3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

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