These gluten free chestnut cookies take advantage of that rich chestnut flavor. If you have ever wondered what to do with roasted chestnuts, why not try a fun roasted chestnuts recipe?

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Winter is all about warm fires and roasting chestnuts. I can just hear that chestnut roasting song in my mind. If you love the winter and holidays as much as we do, you will want to check out my best gluten free holiday cookies recipes!!
Chestnuts are one of the least used ingredients in baking. I am not sure why, they add a sweet nutty flavor to baked goods like these cookies. They have a distinctive sweet flavor that is hard to forget. Note you don't want to eat them raw because they are somewhat bitter!
If you want to explore another delicious chestnut recipe, here is another recipe to try using chestnut flour: Gluten Free Chestnut Apple Bacon Scones.
Where to find roasted chestnuts:
I am so happy to have found the little boxes of roasted chestnuts at our local Trader Joe's. Have you seen them in the refrigerated section? Trust me, these are so much easier than roasting your own chestnuts. Trader Joe's also sells unroasted chestnuts in their produce section.
A local Japanese grocery store, Mitsuwa, also sells fresh and roasted chestnuts. (Just in case you like your chestnuts freshly roasted and don't want to do the work :-).

How to roast chestnuts in an oven:
If you decide you do want to roast your chestnuts, this is the easiest way:
- Preheat your oven to 400º F.
- Get your chestnuts out of the bag.
- Take a sharp knife and slice a + at the top of each chestnut. This is SUPER important so that the steam can be released during cooking. Exploding chestnuts can be dangerous and messy!
- Bake with the + side up on a
cookie sheet for 30 minutes.

How to roast chestnuts over a fire:
This is for the brave at heart. You will need a special basket to roast your chestnuts in. I have this vegetable grilling basket that I like to use.
- Preheat your grill (or start a campfire, fire in a fire pit, or another safe fire.)
- You will want to use a sharp knife and slice a + at the top of each chestnut as described above.
- Put the chestnuts into the grill basket.
- Cook until the chestnuts start to open around the + sign.
Here is what the packaging looks like if you want to buy the pre-roasted chestnuts at Trader Joe's:

Honestly, the chestnuts are pretty ugly in their little vacuum-packed bag...so I didn't photograph them closely. (Okay, they look like poop :-), but they taste like a delicious freshly roasted chestnut!)
I first became addicted to roasted chestnuts when we were at our local Japanese grocery, Mistuwa. There is a small stand in front of the store where you can buy freshly roasted chestnuts. The line was always long, but it was worth the wait.
Now, you can get that same roasted chestnut flavor without the long lines.
The beauty of these gluten free chestnut cookies is their flavor. These cookies are delicious by themselves, or dip the bottoms in some dark chocolate!
Ingredient notes:
- Roasted chestnuts - shells removed.
- Gluten free flour blend - I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend in this recipe, but many other brands should work.
- Xanthan Gum - add if your gluten free flour blend does not contain this ingredient.
- Butter - use vegan butter if you would like these cookies to be dairy-free
- Pure vanilla extract - I do not recommend imitation vanilla.
Recipe step-by-step directions:
Step 1: Prepare your chestnuts with one of the methods above. Next, you will want to grind your chestnuts into small pieces.

You can see the ground texture I used for the chestnuts in these cookies:

HINT: It is fine to have some larger chunks of chestnut...it gives the cookies a little texture.

Step 2: Put the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to blend.
Step 3: In a smaller bowl, add your wet ingredients and mix well. Add your liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Step 4: Mix the wet and dry ingredients into a dough mixture like the photo above. Sorry for the dark photo, but I wanted to show you what the dough looks like. As you can see, the dough is on the stiff side.
Step 5: Use a

Step 6: Optional - Feel free to dip your roasted chestnut cookies in dark chocolate. To do this, melt dark chocolate in a microwave-safe dish. Dip the bottoms of the baked cookies and set them onto wax paper to allow the chocolate to harden.
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
How to grind roasted chestnuts:
I used my Cuisinart Immersion Blender attachment to grind up the chestnuts into a coarse mixture. (This is by far one of my favorite and most used kitchen gadgets. It whips, grinds, blends, and is super easy to clean up!)
You can also use a food processor if you have that. A Vitamix might work; I haven't tried this method. If you use a Vitamix, you must be careful not to over-grind your chestnuts into a paste.
You can easily make this chestnut cookie recipe dairy-free by substituting vegan butter.
These cookies will be kept for up to 4 days in an air-tight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Place the cooled cookies into a zip-style freezer bag and place in the freezer.
To see all of the cookie recipes on this site, click here gluten free cookies.
More cookie recipes to try:
- Gluten Free Cranberry Shortbread Bars
- Gluten Free Vanillekipferl Cookies
- Gluten Free Nutella Stuffed Linzer Tart Cookies
- Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
Reader Review:
This morning we went for a walk and found chestnuts across street. Came back home, roast them, found this recipe and voila! Learned xanthan gum’s sub is an egg white. Also melted a sneaker bar for the chocolate.
Nancy L. Pinterest User
📖 Recipe

Gluten Free Chestnut Cookies



Ingredients
- ¾ cup ground roasted chestnuts
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour *see note
- ½ cup sugar feel free to use less if you plan to dip these in chocolate
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- In a grinder or food processor, grind chestnuts to medium texture blend.
- Add all dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to blend.
- In a small bowl, add butter, vanilla and egg.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well.
- Drop by scoop onto a greased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until done.
- Remove and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
- Optional, dip the bottom into chocolate. I used this Wilton chocolate.
Notes
- If your flour blend has xanthan gum included great. If the blend you are using doesn't have it, add 1 teaspoon.
- Use a cuisinart, food processor, or Vitamix to grind up your roasted chestnuts into a fine grind.
- These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
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.
Fearless Dining
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(*This post was updated from a 12/2015 post)
Angela
This looks delicious Is there anything that can replace the xanthan gum?
Thanks,
Angela
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Angela, you could try guar gum or some psyllium husk. I haven't tested these but they usually perform in a similar way.
Lisa
How would I modify this recipe if I wanted to use regular all purpose flour instead of gluten free?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Lisa, I haven't used wheat flour in about 10 years so I am not 100% sure but I see no reason regular flour wouldn't work.
Alene
I have chestnut flour. Can I use that instead? I adore chestnuts. Thank you!
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Alene, I am not sure that chestnut flour would work the same as ground chestnuts because the ground chestnuts are moist and the flour is dry and absorbs more liquid. I do have a delicious chestnut flour scone recipe. If you try the flour in cookies, please let us know how it turns out.
Debra C.
These cookies look AMAZING! I would have never thought to use chestnuts in a cookie - what a lovely recipe!
Sandi Gaertner
Awww, thank you so much Debra 🙂
Laura
Either I'm really tired or it's just not written on the recipe...how many cookies does this recipe make? TFS!!!
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Laura, when I make this recipe, I get 16 cookies. It will depend on how big you like to make your cookies 🙂 Have a great weekend. Sandi
Laura
Hi Sandi,
I made these a few times now because my family and friends love them so much!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe
Sandi Gaertner
Wow Laura, thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. My family loves them too!
Charly Zawacki
These were delicious. i always try a new Christmas cookie every year hope my friends love them as much as me.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you liked these Charly. I also love new cookies and when I saw the roasted chestnuts, I had to try something new. Thank you so much for your kind words. Sandi
The Food Hunter
I need to give these a try
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much, I hope you like them.
Antonet Roajer
Wow!! Never tried making gluten free cookies. These cookies look yummy.
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Antonet 🙂
Dixie Lee
I lost my chestnut Cooke recipe. So happy to find this one. And gluten free as well. Thanks!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you are going to try this recipe :-).