Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Crisp on the outside with a soft and chewy center, packed with loads of chips in every bite.
These Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of my favorite cookie recipes. The addition of brown butter takes things to a whole other level. Crisp on the outside with a warm gooey center packed with not one but TWO types of chocolate chips! This recipe is sure to become a family favorite! Unlike other chocolate chip cookie recipes, the chill time is less than 1 hour, which makes it a perfect "day of" dessert. You could also prep the cookie dough the night before, then pop these in the oven about 30 minutes before guests arrive.
The BEST Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies!
What makes these cookies so great? It’s my secret ingredient, brown butter! Adding the brown butter to the recipe is simply a game-changer, producing a buttery caramel-like flavor.
So what exactly is brown butter? Brown butter is simply melted butter, gently cooked over a stovetop on medium heat until the butter turns a toasted brown color. The brown bits in the butter are caramelized milk solids, giving the butter a caramel-like nutty flavor.
Other reasons these cookies are the best:
- Soft-baked center with a chewy texture
- Crisp edges
- Packed with semi-sweet chips and dark chocolate chunks
- The best cookies to make year-round, versatile enough to go with many other dishes.
How To Make Brown Butter
Making brown butter is super simple! All you will need is a lightly coated frying pan, a wooden spoon, and a stick of butter.
Instructions:
- Melt the butter in a light-coated frying pan on low-medium heat, stirring frequently.
- Watch closely as the butter begins to melt. Within 2-3 minutes the butter will begin to foam and the milk solids will begin to carmelize producing a nutty aroma and chestnut color.
- Once the color starts to change to a golden brown color, quickly remove the butter from the heat. There is a short window between burnt butter and brown butter, so make sure to watch closely.
- Pour the brown butter into a glass container.
- Make sure to scrape all of the little brown bits into the glass container, this is where the flavor comes from.
How To Make Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- In a medium bowl whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside.
- Make the brown butter and pour it into a glass container with 1 tablespoon of almond milk. The little extra liquid from the milk will help keep the cookies soft with crisp edges.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer add both the white sugar and dark brown sugar. Pour the brown butter over the top and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Add the egg and vanilla to the large bowl. Continue to mix until light and creamy, around 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and allow the cookie dough to rest in the refrigerator for 60 minutes.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, then Set aside.
- Take 1.5-2 Tablespoons of dough and roll the dough into a ball. Place the mound of dough onto one of the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. You will have 6 balls of dough per baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Repeat until all the dough is used.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to rest on the pan for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm.
- Store the extra cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Tips To Make The BEST Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
For best results, follow the tips below.
- Do not skip chilling the dough prior to baking, this helps the cookies from spreading.
- Do not pack the flour! Weighing the flour and almond flour on a food scale offers more precision and better results.
- Choose premium chocolate chips. I love to use half semi-sweet and half dark chocolate.
- Use Dark Brown Sugar instead of light, as it provides both a rich flavor and softens the texture of the cookie.
- Optional: You can add a sprinkle of sea salt or extra semi-sweet chocolate chips to the cookies, straight out of the oven.
- Real Vanilla Extract: The right vanilla extract will provide so much flavor to your recipe. Make sure to choose one with alcohol. My favorite brand to use is Simply Organic.
DAIRY-FREE & NUT FREE
- I have substituted coconut oil and Vegan Butter Earth Balance Butter Sticks for those needing a dairy-free option with good results.
- Nestle Toll House has vegan white chocolate chips, that are free of the top-8 allergens.
- For nut allergies, you could replace the almond flour with 4 tablespoons of gluten-free flour, and leave out the macadamia nuts.
For More Tasty Cookie Recipes Check Out These Favorites Below:
- Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Mint Cookies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (Dairy-Free)
- Gluten-Free Oatmeal Scotchies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (Dairy-Free)
Recipe
Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup  unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- ¾ cup organic dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup organic sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cups gluten-free flour, (200g) Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour
- ¼ cup almond flour (25g)
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Ingredients To Fold In
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the measured gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Set the bowl aside.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously as the butter begins to foam. Once the butter begins to turn golden brown and emits a nutty aroma, turn off the heat. Pour the butter into a glass bowl making sure to scrape out all of the toasted milk solids. Add 1 tablespoon of milk to the bowl. (The milk plus the melted butter should equal 107 grams). Allow the butter to cool in the bowl for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, add the dark brown sugar, sugar, and cooled brown butter, whisking until combined. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Using a large cookie scoop or spoon, scoop the dough into cookie dough balls (about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place each ball of dough a few inches apart on the baking sheet. (You can also measure 40-45 grams of dough on a food scale, roll the dough into a ball and place the balls of dough onto the baking sheet.) Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes, until golden and the center is set.
- Remove the tray from the oven. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy!
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Danielle says
This is THE BEST gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever found! You can't even tell they're gluten-free! All of my family and friends rave over them!
Rebecca Taig says
Danielle,
Thank you for such a wonderful review. I'm so glad you and your loved ones enjoy this recipe.
Christine says
I substituted vegan butter and egg replacer and used chopped up chocolate bars instead of chips because it was on hand- the recipe came out great with those adaptations. I imagine with real butter and eggs it would still be phenomenal.
Rebecca Taig says
Christine,
Thank you for leaving a review, the substitutions sound fantastic! Such great tips for our plant based readers.
Rebecca Taig says
I'm so sorry the recipe did not come out for you. This is a tried and true recipe, I'd love to help troubleshoot if possible.
Feel free to email me at [email protected] and i'd be happy to help.
Becca
Bryan Dance says
Our family loves making this recipe! It has become our main go to cookie recipe! We followed the recipe exactly and the cookies turned out perfectly; crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside!! Truly just melts in your mouth, with the perfect amount of sweetness! Thanks for this recipe, Rebecca.
Bianca R. says
My family and I decided to make these cookies the other day. Immediately after adding the gluten-free and almond flour, the cookies started to crumble. We put them in the fridge for an hour, hoping it would help pull everything together, put it made the problem worse. My family and I pushed them together as much as possible and put them into the oven. After taking them out of the oven and letting them cool, they still tasted and felt undercooked. Upon picking the cookies up, they immediately fall apart. As much as I would have loved this recipe to work, sadly for us it did not.
Rebecca Taig says
Hi Bianca,
I'm so sorry this recipe did not work out for you as it has worked out for so many others and myself.
Did you weigh the flours and use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free flour? Both flours are very absorbent and any extra flour could caused the dough to be crumbly.
It sounds like there was not enough liquids in the batter.
Thank you for trying the recipe, wishing you well.
Rebecca
vanessa says
Hi! If I have an almond sensitivity what would you recommend substituting for almond flour? Thanks!
Rebecca Taig says
Hi Vanessa!
You can use an equal amount of gluten-free 1:1 flour to substitute the almond flour. 🙂
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
Becca
jacqueline gibbons says
Hi, could you tell me which gluten free flour to use. Am I looking for one with xanthan gum added or is it just any gluten free flour? Which one do you like?
Thanks
Rebecca Taig says
Hi Jacqueline,
I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour ( in the light blue bag ).
I hope you enjoy this recipe. 🙂
J Lin says
Hi! I have a question: I looked up your recipe, and I want to try to make it for a party. Do you have any alternatives for almond milk and almond flour?
Rebecca Taig says
Hi Jenna,
You can use regular milk or any milk alternative for the almond milk.
For the almond flour, you can replace it with an equal amount of gluten-free flour.
Allyson C says
I rarely leave reviews but I couldn’t resist. This was the best gluten free chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had. Crispy outside, gooey inside like a wheat cookie. I threw in about 1/3 cup of chopped toffee pieces and it was delish!
Rebecca Taig says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Allyson.
The toffee addition with the brown butter sounds incredible. I'm going to have to try that combination. 🙂
Happy Holidays!