If you are feeling for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie, get ready to bake these thick, gooey and chocolaty golden brown gluten free chocolate chip cookies (Levain style)! These will be the best gluten free chocolate chip cookie that you will have. They are to die for!
The Chocolate Chip Cookie And Why Everyone Loves It
Firstly, Levain cookies are huge and weigh about 170g each! It makes it a super indulgent snack that satisfies your cookie and chocolate craving. They are popular due to the intense amount of flavour in this big cookie, which often gets lost in cookies of that size.
Secondly, their texture is the perfect combination of soft and gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside. Lastly, these cookies are popular because of the hype and label of being the world’s best cookie.
Since you can’t try these being gluten free, don’t worry, I got you! This recipe will become a favourite of yours. So get excited about your new favourite gluten free chocolate chip cookie!
A note on ingredients for these gluten free chocolate chip cookies
Butter
Besides adding to the amazing flavour of the cookies, butter adds tenderness to cookies. Using margarine in place of butter will change the flavour as well as the texture of the cookies. Although it will change the flavour and texture, you can substitute the butter if required.
It is best to bake with unsalted butter as the amount of salt added to kinds of butter around the world varies greatly, so some kinds of salted butter will be perfect and others will be much too salty.
Light Brown and Granulated Sugar
Sugar makes the cookies get that golden brown colour when it caramelises during baking. It also helps to absorb moisture in the dough. White sugar contributes to the crispiness of cookies, while light brown sugar contributes to the moistness and chewiness of the cookies. Using both these sugars makes for the perfect combination.
Eggs
I have not tried any egg substitutes for this recipe so I cannot guarantee any results when doing so. You can try using egg substitutes (perhaps egg substitute powder or chickpea brine or water). If you do try it, let me know how it went in the comments below!
I can’t see how substituting the sugars in this recipe will work as it is quite dependent on the sugar.
Walnuts
Traditional Levain cookies contain walnuts, but to be honest I love using almond nibs in this recipe.
You can use whatever nuts you prefer!
Chocolate Chips
You can use your favourite chocolate chips. To elevate the flavour of these cookies more, use good quality couverture chocolate. I use Callebaut 811 which contains 54% cocoa solids (available here). You can also use a mix of dark and milk chocolate chips.
Tips on making the best gluten free chocolate chip cookies
- Use cold butter, cut into cubes. This will ensure your cookies stay thicker and don’t spread too much. You don’t want to cream the sugar and butter together, this will cause the cookies to be less crispy and too soft.
- Don’t overmix the batter. We want to mix the batter until just combined.
- TIP: Refrigerate your dough overnight and up to 24 hours. You won’t believe what a big difference this makes in texture and flavour, however, if you are desperately in need of a cookie, you can bake them straight away.
- When shaping the balls for the cookies, be sure not to roll them into perfect tight balls. Make sure you just press the dough together to form a rough ball. This will help your cookies spread instead of staying in a ball.
- Make sure you bake at a high temperature as indicated, this will make sure the centre of the cookies stays gooey and the outside gets a bit crispy.
- Don’t move the cookies straight away after taking them out of the oven. It is important to let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet so that they set properly. Moving them as soon as they are done baking, will just cause them to fall apart.
Tips on the spreading of these gluten free chocolate chip cookies
- Dark cookie sheets cause cookies to set up too quick which prevents the cookies from spreading. So using a lighter colour pan will help with spreading.
- If you freeze the dough, let them sit out at room temperature a bit before baking them.
- I find my cookies spread perfectly if I bake them from frozen using a Silpat baking mat.
- Use refrigerated dough when using baking or parchment paper for the perfect spread.
Storage
This raw cookie dough freezes so well, making it perfect to have them ready to bake whenever you need a cookie. Freeze the cookie balls until they are cold, then pop them into a freezer-safe bag. You can also bake the cookies, and then freeze them and warm up a little in the microwave when you need to satisfy that craving. To keep the crispiness, warm them in the oven for a few minutes. Store baked cookies in an airtight container
If you’ve tried this recipe, remember to comment below and let me know how it went.
Love,
The Best Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (Levain Style)
Ingredients
- 240 g Unsalted Butter cubed, cold (about 17°C (63°F))
- 135 g Light Brown Sugar
- 100 g Caster Sugar Or Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs Large
- 280 g Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Link to recipe for flour blend in Notes
- 2 ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum Omit if your flour blend already contains it
- 20 g Cornstarch
- 1 ¼ tsp Baking Powder
- 1 ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- 140 g Walnuts Chopped
- 220 g Semi-Sweet Dark Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium size bowl.
- Place butter in a large bowl and mix until butter starts to break up. Add sugars to the butter and cream together until smooth. Don't over cream your butter and sugar as this could cause your cookies to be too soft and more cake like.
- Add eggs one at a time and mix until just combined.
- Add your flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
- Add your walnutes and chocolate chips and fold into the mixture.
- Make balls of about 110g each (or preferred size). You could do 170g if you want to make a Levain size cookie. Don't roll the balls tight, just push the dough together until you have a ball shaped dough.
- Place your dough balls in the fridge until chilled or freeze at this point if you want cookie dough readily available to bake when you need it. If you freeze your cookie dough, leave them out to soften a little bit before baking.
- Preheat your oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C / 350°F with fan). Prepare your cookie pan and place the dough balls on the sheets allowing for some spreading space.
- Bake the cookies for about 11 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let cookies cool completely on the pan. They will crisp up as they cool.
- Enjoy!
