Contrary to popular belief, following a gluten-free diet doesn’t mean you have to miss out on delicious treats and desserts. Whether you have a gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, of you’ve removed gluten from your diet as part of your clean eating goals, we’ve curated the best gluten-free cookies the whole family will love! From healthy, sugar-free, and vegan recipes, to easy no bake cookies and simple cookie bars, this post has it all. Grab your almond and coconut flour and learn how to make chewy chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter cookies, and so much more!
6 Gluten-Free Baking Tips and Tricks
1. STORE GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR IN THE FRIDGE OR FREEZER
Gluten-free flours tend to have a shorter lifespan than traditional flours. Be sure to read labels carefully and take note of the expiration date as well as how you should store your gluten-free flour to ensure it remains fresh.
2. EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT SPICES AND FLAVORINGS
Gluten-free flours typically have a distinct taste to them, which can take some getting used to. Whether you’re baking gluten-free cookies, cakes, or any other dessert, choose recipes that call for flavors you like, such as vanilla or cinnamon as these tend to mask the taste of the base flour you’re using. You can increase the amount of your flavor of choice if desired.
3. FOLLOW A RECIPE
While cooking lends itself to experimenting with ‘a little bit of this and a little bit of that’, baking is much more precise. Swapping out or omitting ingredients can completely ruin your baked goods, so it’s better to start with tried and tested gluten-free recipes and go from there (see below for our favorite gluten-free cookies!). Once you get a sense for the science behind gluten-free baking, you’ll be much more successful at taking an existing recipe and making it gluten-free.
4. ADD MOISTURE AND STRUCTURE IF NEEDED
If you’re attempting to convert one of your favorite recipes into a gluten-free treat, you may need to add a little moisture. If your recipe already calls for ingredients such as eggs, oil, pureed fruits, yogurt, or cottage cheese, you may need to increase the amount slightly so your finished product doesn’t turn out too dry. You can also replace white sugar with brown sugar, or use a sugar substitute such as honey or agave to add moisture. In the absence of gluten, increasing the amount of wet ingredients in your recipe will also give structure to your baked goods so they don’t turn out too dense and crumbly.
5. INCREASE YOUR LEAVENING AGENT
Gluten doesn’t just give structure to baked goods – it helps them rise as well. If you’re adapting a traditional recipe into a gluten-free dessert, you will want to increase the amount of baking soda or baking powder you use by about 25%.
6. INVEST IN A COOLING RACK
Gluten-free baked goods have a tendency to become soggy if they aren’t transferred onto a cooling rack once they are removed from the oven. Be careful not to skip this step or you’ll end up with baked goodies that have a gummy consistency.
11 Healthy Gluten Free Cookies
Chocolate Avocado Cookies | Sweet As Honey
Banana Bread Cookies | Simply Jillicious
Apple Oatmeal Cookies | Pastry & Beyond
Best Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies | VEGGIEKINS
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies | Evolving Table
Almond Flour Sugar Cookies | Okonomi Kitchen
4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies | The Conscious Plant Kitchen
Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies | Simply Jillicious
Dutch Spice Cookies | VEGGIEKINS
4-Ingredient Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies | Evolving Table
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies | Okonomi Kitchen
11 Refined Sugar-Free Gluten Free Cookies
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies | VEGGIEKINS
Shortbread Cookies | Wholesome Yum
3-Ingredient Date Cookies | The Honour System
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | Build Your Bite
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies | Kalyn’s Kitchen
Chocolate Chip Cookies | The Big Man’s World
Salted Caramel Shortbread | VEGGIEKINS
Thumbprint Caramel Pecan Turtle Cookies | Wholesome Yum
Pumpkin Spice Tahini Cookies | VEGGIEKINS
Kid-Approved Healthy Oreos | My Planted Plate
Date Sweetened Peanut Butter Cookies | Okonomi Kitchen
11 Vegan Gluten Free Cookies
Easy Breakfast Cookies | Rainbow Plant Life
Salted Pretzel Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies | Okonomi Kitchen
Fig Bars | VEGGIEKINS
Mochi Stuffed Miso Chocolate Chip Cookies | Okonomi Kitchen
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies | The Banana Diaries
Peanut Butter Coconut No Bake Cookies | Mile High Mitts
Flourless ‘Nutella’ Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies | VEGGIEKINS
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies | VEGGIEKINS
Thumbprint Cookies | Mile High Mitts
S’mores Cookies | The Vegan Harvest
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies | Allergylicious
11 Gluten-Free Cookie Bars
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars | Okonomi Kitchen
Banana Monkey Bars | Fearless Dining
No Bake Cookie Dough Bars | Purely Kaylie
Peanut Butter Cookie Bars | Mile High Mitts
Banana Oatmeal Bars | Okonomi Kitchen
Monster Cookie Bars | Together As Family
Fudgy-Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars | 365 Days of Slow + Pressure Cooking
No Bake Samoa Bars | The Conscious Plant Kitchen
Turtle Bars | Gluten-Free Palate
Starbucks Oat Fudge Bars | Lau’s Healthy Life
Chocolate Coconut Sweeties | Gluten-Free Palate
If you follow a gluten-free diet, you don’t need to miss out on treats and desserts! With so many people opting to go gluten-free, the internet is full of yummy recipes that are easy to make. I hope you enjoy this collection of gluten-free cookies as much as we have!
