Can we talk about how perfect these gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are? I could NOT stop eating these because they’re perfectly crisp and chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. They’re everything an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie should be, but made gluten free!
How to make gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
The cookie dough is made just like any other, so it’s a very simple recipe! You start by creaming together the butter and sugar, add in the eggs and vanilla, and mix in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
In the end you’re left with perfect gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that have all the texture of a regular recipe. Because let’s be real here, when a cookie recipe is gluten free you can usually tell. Not with this one!
Tips for baking the best gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
- Loosely ground gluten free oats – Make sure to use certified gluten free old fashioned rolled oats. Before adding them to the dry mix, pulse about 8 times in a food processor. You should be left with a mix of large and small oat pieces. Quick oats don’t give enough texture and whole old fashioned oats are a bit too clunky. This makes them perfect!
- Creaming the butter and sugar – Really whisk together the melted butter and sugar. After 2-3 minutes, you should be left with a smooth mixer, as seen in the photo below.
- Chill the dough – Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight for the best results. I’ve tried both ways and they always turn out delicious, but the longer you refrigerate them the stronger the flavor and texture gets.
- Extra chocolate chips – Once the dough is chilled, use a large 2 oz cookie scoop and scoop straight onto the baking sheet. Dot the tops with a few extra chocolate chips for some melty chocolate on top.
- Perfectly baked – They’re ready when there’s a wrinkly golden brown ring around the cookie and the very center is pale and puffed up. The center will settle and darken as the cookies cool for a soft texture.
What is the best gluten free flour to use in oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?
This recipe calls for two different types of gluten free flour. I always keep both on hand because of their versatility in both baking and cooking.
All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour
I can’t live without this stuff! There are many different variations of gluten free all purpose flour, but most are made with a mix of brown and white rice flour and a starchy flour.
Xanthan gum is another key ingredient that helps replace the chewiness you would get from gluten. Not all gluten free flours have it, so make sure yours does! My favorite flour is Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free all purpose flour. It never fails.
If you can’t find one with xanthan gum, add one teaspoon for every cup of flour.
Tapioca Flour (also known as Tapioca Starch)
However you choose to call it, tapioca flour is a great gluten free baking ingredient. It has the same exact light and airy texture as corn starch but is naturally derived from the cassava plant.
It also thickens just like corn starch but instead of creating a soft texture, tapioca flour has the ability to create crisp and chewy textures in baking.
So although the two look and feel very similar, they cannot be used interchangeably in this recipe.
How do I refrigerate the cookie dough?
This is a very crucial step when making these cookies. The freshly made cookie dough will be very thin and wet (as seen in the photo above). Once refrigerated, the dough is easy to scoop and will hold its shape. This is the consistency that will allow the cookies to spread the perfect amount once baked.
To chill the cookie dough, place the entire bowl in the fridge uncovered. Leaving it open allows the cookie dough to dry out and thicken, giving you the perfect texture and flavor.
But when I say dry out, that doesn’t mean the cookies will be dry. Allowing the excess water to escape the cookie dough will enhance the flavor. It’s kind of like if you add more water to koolaid, the flavor becomes weaker and weaker. The longer you leave the cookies in the fridge, the richer the flavor.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Yes! After the dough has chilled for about an hour, scoop out your cookie dough. If it’s still too wet, let it chill for longer. It should be cold enough to where you can scoop the cookie dough balls into a ziplock bag and freeze. This will keep for up to a month.
You could also freeze the entire container, but you will have to still chill the dough in the fridge for 2 hours and then transfer to the freezer. Make sure it’s covered when frozen. When you’re ready to bake, let the dough thaw at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes, or until it’s easy to scoop.
Both methods will need to bake for a little longer since the dough will be extra cold. Bake for an extra 3-4 minutes.
Can I use regular flour instead?
Unfortunately this recipe won’t turn out the same with a simple ingredient swap. BUT I do have a delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe that’s just as amazing and uses regular all purpose flour.
In that recipe I use both butterscotch and chocolate chips, but use whichever mix ins you prefer.
How can I make these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies dairy free?
Now this is an easy swap! I actually made mine dairy free but you can choose whichever ingredient works best for you.
To make dairy free, vegan butter works perfect. Make sure that it’s in baking sticks and not a tub because the two have very different textures.
My favorite plant-based butter is the almond oil butter by Country Crock. It’s available at most grocery stores so it’s easily accessible.
If you choose to make these dairy free, also make sure to use chocolate chips that are certified vegan. Enjoy Life is a brand that I love and they carry both semi sweet and dark chocolate chips. This can also be found in most grocery stores or online.
For more delicious gluten free cookie recipes, check out my:
- Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
- Gluten Free Peanut Butter Apple Sandwich Cookies
- Gluten Free Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and comment below if you make these Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
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Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes + 2 hours
- Yield: 15 large cookies 1x
Description
The BEST gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with a chewy outside and soft inside. So good you won’t even know they’re gluten free!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour (with xanthan gum)*
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour (also known as tapioca starch)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (regular or plant-based)
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips**
Instructions
- Add the oats into a food processor and pulse about 8 times. You should be left with some large pieces mixed in with loosely ground bits (see picture above).
- Toss this into a bowl with the gluten free flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Vigorously whisk for about 2-3 minutes until you reach a silky smooth texture (see picture above). You can also do this with a stand mixer using the paddle attachment.
- Once smooth, mix in the eggs and vanilla.
- Switch to a spatula and mix in the dry ingredients and then fold in the chocolate chips.
- You should be left with a fairly thin dough (see picture above). Place the bowl uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. I prefer overnight but 2 hours will definitely do the trick!
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 375F. Scoop the dough on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. At this point, it should be solid enough to where the dough will hold its shape (see picture above).
- You can either use a large 2 oz cookie scoop like I did or a medium cookie scoop. Large will give you 15 cookies and medium will give you around 18-20 cookies.
- Space the cookies about 2 inches apart as they do spread quite a bit. Bake for 13-15 minutes (for large size) or 11-13 minutes (for medium size). Place the remaining cookie dough in the fridge while the first batch bakes.
- They’re ready when you can see a thick golden brown ring around the edge and the center is still pale and slightly puffed up. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Now dig in! They’re best when fresh but still delicious days after. Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- *If your gluten free flour doesn’t have xanthan gum, add 1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum to the 1 1/4 cups of flour.
- **I used semisweet chocolate chips but you can use any chocolate you like, whether that’s dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or chopped chocolate.
Keywords: gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, gluten free chocolate chip cookies, gluten free cookies
These look delicious! Can I make them without gluten free ingredients? Swap them for the normal ingredients instead?
I linked to a recipe in the post for my butterscotch chocolate chip cookies that are almost the exact same, but using regular ingredients. It has that crispy and chewy outside and a soft inside. Just swap the butterscotch chips for regular chocolate chips!
If you needed to replace the flour with almond and/or coconut flour and/or flax meal, how much would you use and what else could you use instead of arrow Root or tapioca starch?
Unfortunately I didn’t test any of those and since they all bake very differently, I wouldn’t recommend swapping the flours. I wouldn’t be able to guarantee they’d turn out the exact same!
If the only gluten free flour I can find already has tapioca starch as an ingredient do I still do 1/4 cup tapioca starch separately ? Do all gluten free all purpose have a small amount of tapioca starch as an ingredient?
Yes still follow the recipe as listed. The one I used also has some tapioca starch in it, I just found the recipe needed more of it!
Which gluten free flour did you use? I know it makes a difference. Thank you.
My dough is thick 😞.
It’s likely you added too much flour, especially because gluten free flour tends to be more dense. Always gently spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off. If you scoop straight into the flour it will compact it into the cup and leave you with way too much.