These delicious soft cookies are the best of both worlds. If you can’t decide whether to make vanilla or chocolate cookies, why not make both? One bite of these Gluten Free Chocolate Vanilla Cookies, and you will want more!
I love to bake, and I bake several times a week. Some days I struggle to decide what to make that day. Today was one of those days because half the family wanted something vanilla, and the other person wanted chocolate. I created these cookies to use both.
I have over 100 gluten free cookie recipes on the blog. Check them out and find a new favorite cookie to bake!
Allergen Information:
These cookies are gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free. You can make them dairy-free by using non-dairy butter.
This is one of my favorite gluten-free flour blends for cookies, cakes, pie crust, biscuits, and muffins! (Do not use this flour blend for yeast recipes.)
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend. My DIY blend is gum-free. Both worked well in this recipe.
- Cocoa Powder – Most cocoa powder should be gluten free, but always check the package label to be sure it isn’t manufactured on shared equipment. I used King Arthur Black Cocoa Powder.
- Sugar
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Salt
- Eggs – Use size large eggs.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter.
- Vanilla Extract – I always recommend using pure vanilla extract in my recipes.
If you often wonder which gluten free flour blend to use for making cookies, here are some suggestions on which gluten free flour blends work for what kind of recipes.
Substitutions:
There aren’t many things you can substitute in this recipe because it is made with few ingredients. To make these cookies dairy-free, use plant-based butter.
Tips For Sucess:
- Use room-temperature butter and eggs. It sounds crazy to use butter and eggs at room temperature, but it dramatically helps how your cookies will turn out. You’ll thank yourself later if you try it.
- Take special care to measure correctly. If you add in too much gluten free flour or other ingredients, it can mess with the cookies as they bake. If they don’t have the proper ratios of ingredients, your cookies will not turn out well.
- Chill the dough when possible. I know you are probably ready to eat your cookies as soon as possible, but chilling the dough will improve your cookies.
For more tips, check out my Gluten Free Cookie Troubleshooting Guide. I have tested a lot of cookie-baking tools over the last ten years. Check out my favorite tools for making cookies.
Step-By-Step Directions:
Step 1: In a large
Step 2: In a smaller bowl, soften the butter for 30 seconds in the microwave. Add the vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix them into cookie dough.
Stand Mixer Directions:
You can also use a stand mixer if you prefer. If you use a mixer, add the wet ingredients and whip on low speed. Slowly add the dry ingredients until your mixture forms a soft cookie dough.
Divide the dough in half and place one half in another
Step 4: Add 2 TBSP of gluten free flour to the plain vanilla cookie dough in one bowl. Mix well. Note that some flour blends need more or less flour, so compare your photos and your dough to mine.
Step 5: Add the cocoa powder and mix well in another bowl. I used black cocoa powder, but regular cocoa powder is also fine. Your chocolate dough will not be as dark if you use regular cocoa powder.
Wrap both cookie dough balls in plastic wrap and chill them for 30 minutes.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350º F. Use a small
Step 7: Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. The baking time will vary depending on how large you made your cookie dough balls. My dough balls were roughly 2 inches wide.
Step 8: Remove the cookies from the oven. If you used parchment paper, you could slide the parchment paper with the cookies straight onto a cooling rack. If you didn’t, let the cookies sit for 2-3 minutes, then use a spatula to remove them from the pan and onto a cooling rack.
If you love combo cookies, try these Gluten Free Cookies and Cream Cookies. They are a fun combo of a cookie and gluten free Oreos.
Recipe FAQ:
To make pinwheel cookies, chill your dough as instructed. Roll the chocolate cookie dough into a ½-inch thick rectangle. Do the same with the vanilla cookie dough. Place one flavor on the other and roll as you would cinnamon rolls. Use string to cut circle cookies from the roll.
These cookies are soft with crispy edges. It is very hard to get gluten free cookies to turn out crunchy.
Store cookies in an airtight container. If you are not serving them in the next day or two, I recommend freezing them in a zipper-style freezer bag.
More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes:
- Gluten Free Buckeye Cookies – A yummy combo of chocolate and peanut butter flavors.
- Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies – These cookies are a classic.
- Gluten Free Gingerdoodles – I love these cookies year round.
- Gluten Free Crescent Cookies – This is another popular holiday cookie that can be enjoyed year-round.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This helps others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Chocolate and Vanilla Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup gluten free flour * see note
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature or slightly melted
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
After Splitting the Dough:
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder * see note
- 2 tablespoons gluten free flour blend
Instructions
- Add gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to blend them together.
- In a smaller bowl, soften the butter for 30 seconds in the microwave. Add the vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix them into cookie dough.
- Note: You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to mix the cookie dough.
- Divide the dough in half and place one half in another mixing bowl.
- Add 2 TBSP of gluten free flour to the vanilla cookie dough. Mix well.
- Add the 2 TBSP cocoa powder to the second bowl of cookie dough and mix well. I used black cocoa powder, but regular cocoa powder is also fine. Your chocolate dough will not be as dark if you use regular cocoa powder.
- Wrap both cookie dough balls in plastic wrap and chill them for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to scoop up a little of the chocolate cookie dough and a little vanilla cookie dough.
- Drop them next to each other on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Use your fingers to press them together in a circle gently.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. The baking time will vary depending on how large you made your cookie dough balls. My dough balls were roughly 2 inches wide.
- Remove the cookies from the oven. If you used parchment paper, you could slide the parchment paper with the cookies straight onto a cooling rack. If you didn't, let the cookies sit for 2-3 minutes, then use a spatula to remove them from the pan and onto a cooling rack.
Notes
- I tested this cookie recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour. Other brands should work, but keep an eye on the cookie dough. Depending on the blend, you may need a little more flour. I also tested this with my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend.
- If your blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum, add 1 teaspoon. If you need gum-free, use my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend.
- I used a black cocoa powder made by King Arthur. You can also use regular cocoa powder, but the black side of the cookies will be more brown.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or freeze the cookies in a zipper bag.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
