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Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten-free, dairy-free option)

Jul 29, 2019 · 51 Comments

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a tray with two rows of Chocolate Chip Cookies

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies that are soft on the inside, crispy around the edges, and gluten-free! These cookies are my go-to easy dessert, that everyone loves!

Something about a fresh, homemade chocolate chip cookie is Heaven sent.

But, I remember when I first started baking gluten-free exclusively (6 years ago) and realizing that gluten-free cookies seemed so hard to make.. and they were NOT Heaven sent! A little crumbly, not quite the right texture. Ugh.

Over the last 6 years I have tried several different cookie recipes, making each gluten-free and altering them a bit for high altitude. I had narrowed it down to two favorites that I made gluten-free, from Gimme Some Oven and Pinch Of Yum. I loved BOTH recipes, so I thought why not combine them AND make them gluten-free?!

So, these gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies are inspired by those two fantastic blogs. I’ve taken these cookies to dinner parties and Holiday events, and no one ever knows they’re gluten-free.

Crumbly, weird gluten-free cookies are a thing of the past (thank goodness!). These simple cookies are the BEST gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies, in my humble opinion 🙂

a stack of six Chocolate Chip Cookies

My second favorite part about these cookies? They’re easy to make dairy-free too!

My sister went dairy-free this year, and it’s inspired me to label more of my recipes as dairy-free. I don’t always bake with dairy, I just never thought to label it before!

All you need to do is use coconut oil (instead of butter) and use dairy-free chocolate chips. Easy as pie! Wanna bring a dessert to work but have coworkers that are gluten-free and dairy-free? MAKE THESE COOKIES! 🙂

BUT hold on – not all gluten-free flours are the same – there are a couple in particular that I’d recommend.

Look for Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour or Pamela’s gluten-free All Purpose Flour Blend. I’ve used both flours in this recipe and I love them both in it!

So, what makes these gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies better than the others?

There’s a few key ingredients and steps to these cookies.

Use cornstarch. Using cornstarch when baking will give you a slightly more tender baked good. Have you even had a melt-away cookie before? Those things are loaded with cornstarch, and they literally melt away in your mouth. Or at least, as much as a cookie can “melt away,” I mean a cookie isn’t a mint, sheesh! 😉

Next, be sure to cream together your butter (or coconut oil) with your sugars to get the best texture of cookie possible. You want soft in the middle, a little crispy on the outside, with a little chewy bite to them. (YUM!)

And last but not least, you should pull these cookies out of the oven when they look just barely done. You can gently touch the edges of one to make sure the edges are set, but the center may still look a little underdone.

That is OKAY! As they cool the center will bake just a tad more. As long as you time it right, you shouldn’t end up with under-baked gooey cookies; just watch for those set edges and just barely underdone center! If you aren’t quite sure, leave them in for one more minute.

top down view of a stack of Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is THE most simple and classic Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe! I know the cornstarch is a little odd, but I absolutely love cornstarch as an addition to gluten-free cookies!

Whether you’ve been gluten-free since you can’t remember, or are just dipping your toes in the water, I hope you make these cookies and absolutely love them! 🙂

Wanna drool over more cookie pictures? Check out my gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies, gluten-free Orange Cookies and gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

4.55 from 11 votes
A close up of cookies
Print
Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten-free, dairy-free option)
Servings: 18 cookies
Calories: 156 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened (or coconut oil, for dairy-free)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 flour)
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips (dairy-free if necessary)
Instructions
  1. To begin, preheat your oven to 350 and line two pans with parchment paper.

  2. In a large mixing bowl, add your butter and sugars and cream them together with a hand mixer for a couple minutes. Add in your egg and vanilla and lightly blend it together again.

  3. In a separate mixing bowl, add your dry ingredients and stir them together (flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt).

  4. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir/fold them together till you have one consistent, thick cookie dough. Add your chocolate chips and fold them into your batter.

  5. Scoop your cookie dough onto your pans with a small cookie scoop, evenly spaced apart (at most 12 cookies per pan).

  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or till the edges of the cookies are just set and the center is still a touch underdone.

  7. Let the cookies cool for about 20-30 minutes on the pan, and then transfer them to a cooling rack till they are cooled entirely.

  8. Devour!

Recipe Notes

Stored in an airtight container, these cookies taste best within the first 4 days. You can also freeze them (after baking) if you’d like to eat one a couple months later!

a tray of Chocolate Chip Cookies and a stack of the cookies

All Recipes, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten-free & Dairy-free

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maggie says

    January 10, 2021 at 12:23 am

    The flavor of the cookie was great, but mine turned out dry and crumby. I did not swap any ingredients. Any idea why? I’d love to make changes and try again!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      January 11, 2021 at 3:29 pm

      Hi Maggie. Which flour did you use? Butter or dairy-free? And is there any chance that you maybe baked them a bit too long?

      Reply
  2. Hailey says

    December 6, 2020 at 3:43 am

    I made mine vegan by using a flax egg (1 tbs flax + 2 1/2 tbs water) and vegan butter (earth balance) and I used the King Arthur GF flour mix. My batter came out super dry so I added some oat milk until I got the right consistency, baked them a little longer, and they turned out great! Super tasty!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      December 6, 2020 at 3:50 pm

      Great to hear Hailey, thanks for the info!

      Reply
  3. Bonnie says

    October 5, 2020 at 12:40 pm

    I want to double this recipe, how long should I bake for? Thanks… trying these for first time….

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      October 6, 2020 at 7:33 pm

      Hi Bonnie. You will still bake the cookies for the same amount of time, you will just have more cookies. However, if you’d like to make the cookies larger you can. A small cookie scoop bakes for about 9-11 minutes, and a large cookie scoop will be closer to 13-14 minutes.

      Reply
  4. Michelle says

    September 20, 2020 at 3:46 am

    I was in search for a Gluten Free, Dairy Free & Sot Free chocolate chip cookie recipe for my son who recently converted his diet. Chocolate Chip cookies are his favorite so I was in need of a recipe to keep some of his favorites on his menu & to make him happy. This was super easy if you follow the directions exactly! They were super moist as long as you undercook like it says… that will prevent the extra crumbly. Super easy & tastes delectable…. my son totally approves too! I also shared the cookies with some of my GF friends and they too were impressed too! Definitely making these again. I also found that putting the dough in the fridge for a little helps with the baking. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      September 21, 2020 at 2:09 am

      Aw, that’s great to hear, Michelle! I’m so glad I could help you with this recipe.

      Reply
  5. Ruth says

    July 22, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    Hi again Chelsey,
    So I know that coconut oil has a tendancey to harden, especially when it is cold, so I added coconut milk and it looks very light. I hope that I did not ruin them… I will see how they turn out.

    Reply
  6. Ru says

    July 22, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    Hi, I followed the recipe exactly, but with coconut oil instead of butter and it is so dry I can’t even stir it. What can I do?

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      July 23, 2020 at 4:21 pm

      Hi Ruth. Sorry to hear you struggled with this recipe. It sounds like your coconut oil must not have been soft enough. It sounds like you already tried to add some coconut milk to it though, which I wouldn’t have recommended. Sorry I didn’t see this in time! I would’ve said to lightly microwave it in a few small increments to get it to a texture where you could stir it, and then use it. Sorry if you these didn’t turn out for you because of that!

      Reply
  7. Sherry says

    June 2, 2020 at 1:18 am

    My first batch of cookies came out flat and I was pretty disappointed. I live in Colorado too so I had high hopes for this recipe. I’ve really struggled getting gluten free chocolate chip cookies to come out and my daughter was diagnosed celiac about 8 months ago. But, I made the recipe again and put the dough in the fridge overnight. And today, they came out perfect. I literally did a happy dance. Thank you so much!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      June 2, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      So great to hear that, Sherry! And that was a great idea to chill the dough. Chilling cookies is always super helpful for cookies if you’re in high altitude and they spread too thin!

      Reply
  8. Celia W says

    May 16, 2020 at 11:23 pm

    These are the best gf cookies I have ever made! I usually double the recipe because my husband and I can’t stop eating them. I’ve made them 3 times since we’ve been isolated at home and I don’t think I’ll ever stop!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      May 19, 2020 at 7:29 pm

      So happy to hear that, Celia! Thank you for taking the time to share. Love it!!

      Reply
  9. Jessica says

    May 14, 2020 at 8:29 pm

    These turned out fantastic! I have extra flour and Glutino Oreos on hand…. Do you have a cookies and cream type cookie recipe?

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      May 14, 2020 at 8:53 pm

      So great to hear, thanks Jessica! I don’t.. yet! That sounds delicious. I would think chopped up oreo’s would be amazing in my Chocolate Cookies or these Chocolate Chip Cookies, in place of chocolate chips. Hope you enjoy, again 🙂

      Reply
  10. Dana Laurita says

    May 6, 2020 at 11:53 pm

    These cookies are soooo delicious! Very fluffy and soft which I like in a cookie. Definitely will make them again, even though I have a hard time eating only one or two…

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      May 9, 2020 at 2:04 am

      Haha! I have the same problem, Dana, thanks for the sweet comment.

      Reply
  11. ashley says

    May 2, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    hi anna! i made these cookies around christmas time and they came out perfect! but i’m so confused because i tried making them again twice now and both times they came out terribly wrong.. they fluffed up but the taste was so weird as if there was too much flour or something and they were very crumbly.. but i measured everything exactly how the recipe says

    Reply
    • ashley says

      May 2, 2020 at 2:33 pm

      sorry Chelsea! i accidentally put Anna because i was looking at the last comment! my apologies!!

      Reply
      • Chelsea Green says

        May 3, 2020 at 4:19 pm

        No problem, Ashley! Glad to hear they turned out so great around Christmas time, but that is odd that they aren’t turning out the same now. Are you using the same GF flour as before? All of the same ingredients/brands?

        Reply
        • ashley says

          May 13, 2020 at 2:10 pm

          yes! it’s so odd.. the one time i used monk fruit sweetener instead of regular sugar and i accidentally melted the butter first before creaming it together with the sugar so i knew what i did that time. but the second time i followed it exactly and they came out so wrong. i’m not sure what’s happening lol!

          Reply
        • ashley says

          May 13, 2020 at 2:11 pm

          yes! it’s so odd.. i followed it exactly and they came out so wrong. i’m not sure what’s happening lol! because the first time they were seriously to die for they were amazing

          Reply
          • Chelsea Green says

            May 13, 2020 at 2:31 pm

            If you’re using the exact same ingredients and the exact same instructions then they should be turning out the same. That is very odd, Ashley!! The only other thing I would check for would be expiration dates on your ingredients and to be sure your oven is at the right temperature (I’ve accidentally turned mine off in the middle of baking somehow before! Sheesh!). Hope this helps! If not, I’m not sure I have any other suggestions for this mystery, sorry! 🙁

  12. Ana says

    April 26, 2020 at 10:20 pm

    Can you make them with no egg?

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      April 27, 2020 at 3:00 pm

      Hi Ana. No, you would need an egg or an egg substitute. I haven’t made these in particular with a chia or flax egg but I think that they would work well as a substitute. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  13. Celine says

    April 7, 2020 at 7:09 am

    My cookies did not come out good. They were not fluffy instead they came out completely flat tasting like way too much salt. I followed the recipe EXACT 🙁

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      April 8, 2020 at 2:44 am

      Hi Celine, I’m sorry to hear that! Could, by any chance, you have mixed up the baking soda and salt? I know I’ve done that in recipes more than I can count. If that’s what happened, it would make sense why the cookies were too salty and didn’t rise enough. If not, either way I’m sorry these didn’t turn out well.

      Reply
  14. Colleen says

    April 6, 2020 at 6:32 pm

    any idea how many calories per cookie? I don’t want to seem like a buzz-kill!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      April 6, 2020 at 9:47 pm

      Hi Colleen. No problem. If you get 18 cookies they should each be about 156 calories, depending on what brands you use for all of your ingredients (like flour, chocolate chips).

      Reply
  15. Margarite says

    March 24, 2020 at 9:42 pm

    hi,
    was wondering if they would work as cookie dough, obviously taking out the eggs. Would it taste good/work?

    thanks

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      March 25, 2020 at 1:46 am

      Hi Margarite – I think it would work great as a cookie dough, without the eggs! You just may need a little more liquid in place of them (like butter, sugar or milk) for the right consistency. If you try it, I hope it turns out great!

      Reply
  16. Heather Sparrer says

    January 26, 2020 at 4:52 am

    These cookies turned out great – I also substituted coconut sugar in place of white sugar and they were flavorful and fluffy

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      January 27, 2020 at 2:41 am

      Awesome!! Thanks for the comment Heather!

      Reply
    • Angie says

      December 8, 2020 at 3:48 am

      Hi! Mine came out so odd! I made small cookie dough balls and they never flattened or grew. They came out looking much like they did when they went in. The taste was there but the texture is dry and crumbly and they’re shaped like tiny little scones. I followed the recipe EXACTLY. Down to the type of flour in the recipe. Help!

      Reply
      • Chelsea Green says

        December 8, 2020 at 3:17 pm

        Hi Angie. That’s very odd! It sounds like you may not have added enough butter or sugar, which would help the cookies spread and not be so dry. By any chance could you have missed adding either brown or white sugar or enough butter? I know I made chocolate oatmeal cookies recently and almost forgot the cocoa powder, ha!

        Reply
  17. Emma says

    December 31, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    Hi just wondering do you have to use cornstarch as I have none?

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      January 1, 2020 at 3:08 am

      Hi Emma. The cornstarch isn’t a must have, the cookies will be just fine without them. It does make them a little extra tender and soft, but not worth an extra trip to the grocery store for just cornstarch!

      Reply
  18. Morgan says

    December 21, 2019 at 5:07 am

    Good flavor, but these cookies were so fluffy. It wasn’t a chewy or crispy chocolate chip cookie at all for me. I really didn’t like these.

    Reply
  19. Elle says

    December 16, 2019 at 10:30 pm

    Just made these and they turned out great. There was no gritty texture and the cornstarch kept the cookies from spreading out too thin. I liked the plump fluffy texture of these cookies. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      December 17, 2019 at 3:13 am

      So glad to hear that, Elle! Thank you for taking the time to leave the comment, it made my day 🙂

      Reply
  20. Louise says

    December 4, 2019 at 4:13 pm

    These were delicious but my cookies kept falling apart, is there anything I can do next time to prevent that from happening?

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      December 4, 2019 at 9:17 pm

      Hi Louise, I’m sorry to hear that! I haven’t had that problem before. What gluten-free flour did you use?

      Reply
  21. Amy says

    October 27, 2019 at 1:52 pm

    Would these cookies still turn out okay if I were to use monk fruit and/or stevia in place of the sugar?

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      October 27, 2019 at 7:46 pm

      Hi Amy, I honestly have no idea. I have never used stevia or monk fruit – I prefer to use sugar, honey or maple syrup. Sorry!

      Reply
    • Renae says

      December 15, 2019 at 8:16 pm

      Did you try them with Stevia? How did they turn out? I was going to ask the same thing.

      Reply
      • Chelsea Green says

        December 15, 2019 at 8:59 pm

        Hi Renae, I have not tried them with Stevia ever, I don’t use stevia so I’m not sure how that would work. Sorry I can’t be of more help.

        Reply
      • Mary says

        March 26, 2020 at 6:34 am

        Did anyone try the stevia? This was my question too

        Reply
        • Felicity says

          May 2, 2020 at 4:56 pm

          I used stevia in exact replacement of the sugar so 3/4 C and I also added two Tbl of agave syrup and little extra vanilla for flavoring. I used maybe just a little more than an 1/8 of a C of water so the cookies would stick a little better. Turned out great!

          Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Gluten and Dairy Free Snacks That Helped Keep Seizures Away says:
    December 5, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    […] I have tried a few different recipes and this one is my favorite. We use the dairy free option (coconut oil) and we use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1 to 1 flour. Or Trader Joe’s gluten free flour.https://www.milehighmitts.com/chocolate-chip-cookies-gluten-free-dairy-free-option/ […]

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Hey, I’m Chelsea! I'm a Colorado Mom baking up simple, gluten-free recipes at over a mile high above sea level. Here you'll find healthy breakfasts and snacks, decadent desserts, fun drinks, and high altitude adjustments. Join me, with a green smoothie in one hand and a cookie in the other! Read More…

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