Gluten Free Dairy Free Cookies

The absolute best gluten free dairy free cookies you’ll ever make! This recipe has been tested and tweaked to perfection. They’re pillowy soft and chewy on the inside, and lightly golden around the edges. A classic chocolate chip cookie recipe no one will ever know is gluten free!

My favorite dessert is chocolate chip cookies. I’ll pass on gluten free cake any day if there’s a cookie around. But, my standards are high when it comes to cookie consumption. It must be dense, chewy, and pillowy soft, with just a hint of golden crisp around the edges. And all of that perfection can be found in this classic gluten free dairy free cookie recipe!

Because I’ve been making gluten free cookies for over a decade, I have more experience than I’d like to admit screwing them up. A small shift in ingredients, baking temp, or the type of flours you use can change a cookie entirely. While I like making all types of gluten free cookies, including my paleo chocolate chip cookies and oat flour cookies, these gluten free dairy free cookies are my absolute favorite. The ingredients require a little extra attention, but the end result is 100% worth it.

Rest assured, these cookies are NOT cakey, airy, or dry. Thanks to a little brown sugar and an extra egg yolk, you’ll get dense and chewy perfection every time. Best of all? No one will have any idea they’re allergy friendly! This recipe has a proven track record of success in fooling everyone.

Ingredients

Here are my notes on specific ingredients in the recipe:

• Coconut oil – Make sure the coconut oil is not melted. You want it to be soft, similar to the texture of butter.
• Brown sugar – I like to use an organic light brown sugar for the best texture and taste
• Cane sugar – I typically use an organic cane sugar
• Egg + 1 egg yolk – Yes, you need both! Use one whole large egg, then for the second egg, separate the white from the yolk and only use the yolk in the batter. Here are some simple ways to separate an egg yolk with the shell or a slotted spoon.
• Gluten-free baking flour  – Any all purpose gluten free baking flour should work! I’ve used and tested Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour and King Arthur’s Gluten Free Flour with success!
• Chocolate chips – Make sure to use dairy free chocolate chips. I like Enjoy Life chocolate chips.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Three Keys to Cookie Success

1. Chill the dough: Chilling the dough, even just for 15 minutes, prevents the cookies from spreading too much when baking. This helps the cookies keep their shape, and makes them pillowy soft and chewy in the center. Because these gluten free cookies are dairy free, coconut oil is used as the fat instead of butter. Coconut oil melts pretty quickly, and a little chill in the fridge slows the process down.
2. Scoop and sweep: When measuring the flour, fluff the flour first, then scoop up the flour with the measuring cup from a container. Sweep a knife over the top to level it off. Do not scoop your flour directly from the package. If you do, the flour will pack down and you’ll end up with too much flour. This can make cookies dry and crumbly.
3. Don’t overbake: Oven temperatures can vary. Because of this, it’s always best to check your cookies a minute or two before the cooking time is up. A slightly shorter cooking time will make them more chewy, while cooking them longer makes them more crispy.

How to Make Gluten Free Dairy Free Cookies

1. Cream: Add the coconut oil, brown sugar, and cane sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment. Cream the butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes until fully incorporated.
2. Combine: Add the egg and vanilla to the mixing bowl and mix until incorporated. Add the flour, sea salt, and baking soda and mix until a uniform dough is formed. The dough will be thick. Fold in the chocolate chips. Place the dough in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. 
3. Scoop: While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon dough balls about two inches apart. The dough will make 16 cookies.
4. Bake: Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly golden brown around the edges and set in the middle. If you prefer a soft center, do not overbake. Cool on a baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Baking Tips

• Make sure your coconut oil is soft, but not melted. When making dairy free cookies, you want to make sure the coconut oil is the same texture as butter.
• Chilling is your secret weapon! It helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much. The dough will get slightly hard, so only leave it in the fridge while the oven is preheating. If you end up chilling the dough for longer, let it thaw for a few minutes until it’s workable.
• Use a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop. This gives you the perfect amount of dough for a dense, chewy cookie that’s cooked through and perfectly golden on the edges.
• If you like your cookies chewy in the center, pull them out around 10-11 minutes to check for doneness. Leaving them in for 13-14 minutes will make them slightly more crisp.
• For a buttery flavor, you can swap the coconut oil for ghee! Ghee is butter with all of the milk solids removed. Some brands are certified lactose and casein free, so check the brand you use.
• Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. This lets the cookies firm up on the bottom while still remaining pillowy soft in the center.

Recipe FAQs

Make Ahead

Got a lot going on? Just make the dough ahead of time! The easiest way to do this is to make the dough up to 48 hours in advance as written. Then, store the dough in an airtight container in the fridge.

Because coconut oil gets hard when chilled for long periods of time, you’ll want to let the dough thaw slightly at room temperature (about 30 minutes) until the dough is workable. Scoop out the dough onto the baking sheets when you’re ready to bake the cookies!

Storage and Freezing

STORE: Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also store baked cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months. Use a piece of parchment paper to separate the layers when stacking them.

FREEZING THE DOUGH: To freeze gluten free dairy free cookie dough, just scoop out the dough into individual dough balls on a baking sheet. Freeze the dough balls on the baking sheet, then transfer them to an airtight storage container and store them in the freezer for up to two months.

Transfer the frozen dough balls to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them thaw in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Transfer directly to the oven when you’re ready to bake them!

More Gluten Free Cookies

• Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
• Almond Flour Sugar Cookies

Recipe by: Noelle Tarr and Kelsey Hite / Coconuts and Kettlebells | Photography by: Casey Colodny / The Mindful Hapa