Gluten Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Everyone loves Sugar Cookies so why not make them Chocolate? These Gluten-Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies are a delicious twist on classic sugar cookies. With the perfect chewy texture and crispy edges, these chocolate cookies will quickly become your new favorite cookie.

This recipe is perfect for the holidays, but Chocolate Sugar Cookies should be enjoyed year-round.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and my homemade gluten-free flour blend. This is a recipe that should work without any issues with any gluten free flour blend you may have on hand. Please make sure the blend does contain xanthan gum.

Cocoa Powder: I highly recommend using dutch processed cocoa in this recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies. Dutch-processed cocoa creates a rich chocolate flavor. My go-to brands are Cacao Barry Extra Brute and Valrhona Pure Cocoa Powder. If you are looking for a better price point cocoa powder I recommend Hershey’s Dutched Cocoa, Special Dark, 100% Cacao. Be aware if you use Natural Cocoa Powder in this recipe, the cookies may be dry and lighter in color.

Sugar: Clearly Sugar Cookies need sugar. Using brown sugar gives sugar cookies a darker, richer flavor due to the molasses found in the brown sugar. It will also keep the cookies moist and soft. Either dark or light brown sugar works in this recipe.

Instant Espresso: The instant espresso in this recipe brings out the chocolate flavor. It’s an optional ingredient but highly recommended. Instant Espresso can be found in your grocery store where the coffee is sold. It often comes in single servings but is also available in larger jars. Ground-up coffee beans can NOT be used instead of instead espresso.

Cornstarch: The added cornstarch gives the cookies a tender crumb and keeps them soft and chewy.

How to make Chocolate Sugar Cookie Dough

Gluten Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies are very simple to make. You can either use an electric hand mixer or use a stand mixer. Make sure to have your butter and egg at room temperature. The dough needs to chill for 30 minutes before baking which gives you plenty of time to preheat the oven (and clean up the kitchen).

1. Sift together the dry ingredients and set them aside. Not only does sifting dry ingredients make sure all the ingredients are blended well but it also helps to lighten up the flour mixture.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl beat together the butter, brown sugars, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, around 4-5 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides with a flexible spatula halfway through.
3. Add the room temperature egg and mix for an additional minute until fully incorporated.
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula before adding the dry ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients at a low speed into the wet ingredients until a dough forms. Your dough will be soft.
5. For the best results, transfer the sugar cookie dough to an airtight container and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. At this point, you can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to bake Gluten Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies

1. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350F. This recipe makes 22-24 cookies depending on which size of cookie scoop you are using.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
3. Scoop medium-sized balls of cookie dough (using a Medium Sized Cookie Scooper) and roll them into balls. Roll them in the granulated sugar, then place no more than 8 of them on the prepared cookie sheets. This recipe makes 22-24 cookies depending on which size of cookie scoop you are using.
4. If your cookie dough is very cold, I recommend gently patting down the cookie dough before baking. This will help with spreading. If the dough is at room temperature no need to worry about this.
5. Bake the gluten-free chocolate sugar cookies one tray at a time at 350F for 12-14 minutes or until they look puffy. If you make them smaller cookies, they will bake faster - around 9-11 minutes.
6. Remove the chocolate cookies from the oven and if desired, use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie to scoot them into a perfectly round shape. Allow the gluten-free chocolate cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack. Just like Snickerdoodles, these cookies will deflate after baking – that is completely normal.

Storage & Freezing

The best way to store these gluten free chocolate sugar cookies is in an airtight container at room temperature. These cookies should stay soft and chewy for 3-4 days.

The dough for Gluten Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies freezes beautifully. I recommend making the dough, allowing it to chill for at least 2 hrs (it will be easier to scoop that way), and form into balls. Do not roll it in sugar before freezing! Place them on a small sheet tray that’s lined with parchment paper in a single layer and freeze the dough balls. Once the dough is frozen you can transfer it to a freezer bag and store it in your freezer for up to 3 months.

To bake these gluten-free sugar cookies from frozen, remove the dough from the freezer, and divide it between parchment-lined sheet trays. Allow for it to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes while preheating your oven. When ready to bake, roll them in granulated sugar and bake cookies as directed.

Variations of Chocolate Sugar Cookies

If you know me, you know I love a good "base cookie recipe" and this simple recipe is one of them. Here are a few fun ideas on how to mix them up.

• Add up to 100 grams of chocolate chips or a finely chopped chocolate bar to the dough to turn them into Double Chocolate Sugar Cookies.
• Another fun variation is adding ⅛th of a teaspoon pure peppermint extract and maybe some chopped-up white chocolate to make Peppermint White Chocolate Sugar Cookies.
• A very easy way to dress up these cookies is to garnish them with some melted chocolate and sprinkles. Perfect for the holidays or special celebrations like Valentine's Day.

These delicious chocolate sugar cookies make fabulous cookies to make ice cream sandwiches with just like my gluten free ice cream sandwich cookies)