Inspired by conversations on the Food52 Hotline, we're sharing tips and tricks that make navigating all of our kitchens easier and more fun.
Today: Gluten-free cookies don't need to be dense hockey pucks or crumbly messes -- here's how to get them right, just in time for the holidays.
As far as baking goes, cookies are easy: There’s no risky bain marie or smoldering hot caramel, no worrying about your dough not rising. You just mix together some butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, form your dough into cute little shapes, bake them, and then eat a few too many while they are nice and warm.
Gluten-free cookies are a little more tricky. They have a tendency to become hockey pucks, which are useful for holiday family games, but not as fun to eat. They canfall apart upon first bite, resulting in a pile of buttery crumbs on your fancy dress. Worst of all: They taste“interesting.”
More:Alice Medrich's gluten-free Russian Tea Cakes are interesting in only the best ways.
There is hope, however, for good gluten-free cookies. With a few special floursand techniques, you’ll be able to make cookies that can hold their own at holiday parties.Here are a few important tips to keep in mind:
Use a Mix of Flours
Unfortunately, no single gluten-free flour will perform as well as ordinary all-purposeflour. A cookie made with just rice flour will be too cakey, while one made with only almond meal with be too dense. To mimic wheat flour, you will need to mix flours of different densities with a bit of tapioca or potato starch to lighten it up; the recipe below is a good place to start.
More: Baking with a scale will change your life -- here's why.
Remember: Xanthan Gum is Your Friend
It might sound scary, but xanthan gumis key for successful gluten-free baking. It helps bind together the ingredients, preventing your cookies from falling to pieces. Be careful to not use toomuch; no one likes gummy baked goods.
Let Your Dough Chill Out
Like serving booze at awkward family gatherings, refrigerating your dough will make your cookie experience much more pleasant. Chilling helps the flours and xanthan gum absorb liquid, which makes the dough sturdier and easier to handle. Without a proper rest, your cookies are likely to crumble.
Mix It Up
Think of mix-ins as the Spanx of the cookie world. They are a sly way to ensure that your cookies look like cookies, not misshapen gluten-free blobs. They give some structure to your dough, preventing it from crumbling. Fold in whatever you like: chocolate chips, dried fruit, chopped nuts. They add texture and variation, but also take the performance pressure off your plain dough. And really, do people complain about finding chocolate chips in their cookies?
These spicy chocolate cookies are a fun way to add some excitement to your cookie plate. A little bit of chipotle powder adds a subtle kick, while a hefty amount of chocolate makes them crowd-pleasing.
Spiced Chocolate Cookies
Makes 4 dozen
For the cookies:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
54 grams oat flour
58 grams brown rice flour
28 grams potato starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
See full recipe (and save and print it) here.
Do you have any special tricks for gluten-free cookies? Tell us in the comments!
Photos by Mark Weinberg
FAQs
You need a binding agent in your gluten-free cookies recipe; otherwise, your cookies will fall apart. Some flour blends may already contain a binding agent, so double-check the list of ingredients. If it doesn't, you can add flaxseeds, xanthan gum, or guar gum.
Which gluten-free flour is best for cookies? ›
Oat flour is best for cookies and quick breads, though you can use it for other things in combination with other gluten free flours. When making yeast bread, you'll need extra yeast to make the dough rise, and other recipes need about 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder per cup of oat flour.
What is the trick to baking with gluten-free flour? ›
Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.
How do you make gluten-free cookies less cakey? ›
Use a Mix of Flours
A cookie made with just rice flour will be too cakey, while one made with only almond meal with be too dense. To mimic wheat flour, you will need to mix flours of different densities with a bit of tapioca or potato starch to lighten it up; the recipe below is a good place to start.
Why are my gluten-free cookies dry and crumbly? ›
One of the most common gluten-free baking tips is “let your batter rest”. Letting the batter rest gives the gluten-free flours and starches more time to absorb the moisture. In theory, it will turn your dry, crumbly cakes into delicious, moist masterpieces.
Should I add xanthan gum to gluten-free cookies? ›
Using xanthan gum helps provide some of the stickiness that gluten free goods lack, replacing some elasticity. Xanthan gum mimics some of gluten's most essential properties by sticking to flour and its moisture. This helps create moist goods that hold their shape after being baked.
What makes gluten-free cookies rise? ›
2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.
What gluten-free flour is closest to all-purpose? ›
Common Flours
- Brown Rice Flour. Brown rice flour is about as close to a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour as it gets since it provides structure and a “wheat-like” flavor. ...
- White Rice Flour. ...
- Oat Flour. ...
- Almond Flour. ...
- Almond Meal. ...
- Cornstarch. ...
- Potato Starch (NOT Potato Flour) ...
- Buckwheat Flour.
Most gluten-free flours will have a unique taste, which can be hard to get used to eating. That's why we recommend adding extra vanilla. Adding more vanilla or other spices/flavorings will help cover these unfamiliar flavors.
What to avoid for gluten free baking? ›
Some baking ingredients that contain gluten (and thus are not suitable for a gluten-free diet) include:
- Wheat.
- Semolina.
- Spelt.
- Durum.
- Emmer.
- Einkorn.
- Rye, sometimes referred to as pumpernickel.
- Barley.
Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture. However, it's very important to drive off this extra moisture during baking, or you'll wind up with a gummy texture. The best way to do this? Longer baking times.
How to make gluten-free cookies not dry? ›
Use a Binder. Binders like xanthan gum and guar gum provide structure in gluten-free baking to make up for the missing gluten. This prevents cookies from being too crumbly plus it also helps with freshness.
What helps gluten-free cakes rise? ›
Gluten-free flour blends don't have the same elasticity as flour containing gluten so often the cakes don't rise as much or will sink after rising. To combat the flat cake problem, I add ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda to the recipe even when using a self-raising gluten-free flour blend.
Are M&Ms gluten-free? ›
The following Mars candies have no gluten-containg ingredients: M&Ms (except pretzel, crispy, and potentially seasonal items) Milky Way Caramel Bars (not the original Milky Way Bar) Snickers Bars.
Are Oreos gluten-free? ›
Are Oreos gluten-free? Short Answer: No… but also yes! Traditional Oreos do contain wheat flour, but Gluten-Free Oreos use gluten free flour. Gluten-Free Oreos are available in original and double stuf, and just recently, gluten-free mint Oreos have become a permanent addition to the lineup!
How do you make gluten-free baked goods less crumbly? ›
Add xanthan gum to gluten-free flour. It enhances elastic qualities that gluten-free flours lack, making it easier to work with and less likely to crumble. Add plenty of water to the gluten-free flour to prevent the pastry from becoming too dry when rolling out.
How do you keep gluten-free cookies from being grainy? ›
Chill the Dough
Adding too much sprinkling flour can result in a gritty taste to your finished cookies. Learn to keep the dough cold by working with one piece at a time, leaving the rest in the fridge.
Do gluten-free cookies bake differently? ›
Removing gluten makes cookie dough less springy. So the cookies spread as they bake. And then they spread some more. This is why my gluten-free cookies in the first experiment were so much wider than wheat-based cookies.
