Forward by Jennifer Rae Vliet: The biggest take away when it comes to gluten-free recipes is that the shelf life is extremely short. They don’t spoil necessarily; they just get dry and somewhat petrified. This recipe makes a dynamite chocolate chip cookie, you just have to freeze what is not eaten right away and then you can control how long they last. The ATK GF Flour blend is excellent and quite the investment but worth it so plan on several GF recipes to use up the nice amount of flour you are going to be putting together.
Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies as good as the original – ATK Staff
Why This Recipe Works
We started our testing by swapping in our flour blend for the all-purpose flour in a standard Toll House cookie recipe. It was no surprise that these cookies had problems: They were flat, sandy, and greasy. We’d discovered during our baked goods testing that gluten-free flour blends simply can’t absorb as much fat as all-purpose flour can, so cutting back on the butter helped to minimize greasiness. Less butter, along with some xanthan gum, also helped alleviate the spread issue, so the cookies didn’t bake up so flat. As for the sandiness, we knew from our gluten-free muffin testing that fixing this problem required a two-step approach. The starches in our blend needed more liquid as well as more time to hydrate and soften, so we added a couple tablespoons of milk and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This resting time also had a secondary benefit: It gave the sugar time to dissolve, which led to faster caramelization in the oven. And that meant a cookie not just with deeper flavor, but also with a chewier center and crisper edges. Finally, we wanted our cookies to be less cakey and chewier. We realized creaming the butter, as the original Toll House recipe directs, was aerating the butter too much. Melting the butter instead and changing the ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar, gave our cookies the right chewy texture. The extra brown sugar also gave our cookies a more complex, toffeelike flavor. Bite for bite, this was a chocolate chip cookie that could rival the best versions of the classic.
Gather Your Ingredients
8 ounces (227 grams/1 3/4 cups) America’s Test Kitchen Gluten Free Blend (see below) 1 teaspoon baking soda¾ teaspoon xanthan gum½ teaspoon salt8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted5 ¼ ounces (149 grams; 3/4 cup packed) light brown sugar2 ⅓ ounces (66 grams/1/3 cup) granulated sugar1 large egg 2 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 7 ½ ounces (213 grams/1 1/4 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
Before You Begin
*
Do not omit the xanthan gum; it is crucial to the structure of the cookies. Do not shortchange the 30-minute rest for the dough; if you do, the cookies will spread too much. Not all brands of chocolate chips are processed in a gluten-free facility, so read labels carefully.
Instructions
1.
Whisk flour blend, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in large bowl until well combined and smooth. Whisk in egg, milk, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth. Stir in flour mixture with rubber spatula and mix until soft, homogeneous dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 30 minutes. (Dough will be sticky and soft.)
2.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 2 soupspoons and working with about 1 1/2 tablespoons dough at a time, portion dough and space 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until golden brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
3.
Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cookies are best eaten on day they are baked, but they can be cooled and placed immediately in airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)
GLUTEN FREE FLOUR BLEND
When looking for a wheat-free substitute for all-purpose flour, no single gluten-free flour or starch behaves like wheat flour—a blend is a must.
24 ounces (680 grams/4½ cups plus 1/3 cup) white rice flour
7 ½ ounces (213 grams/1 2/3 cups) brown rice flour
7 ounces (1 1/3 cups) potato starch
3 ounces (3/4 cup) tapioca starch
¾ ounce (1/4 cup) nonfat dry milk powder