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
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 keep gluten-free cookies from falling apart? ›
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.
How do you improve the texture of gluten-free cookies? ›
Use xanthan gum or guar gum: Gluten-free flours lack the elasticity and structure that gluten provides, so adding a binder like xanthan or guar gum can help to hold the ingredients together and give your baked goods a better texture.
What is the best gluten-free flour for cookies? ›
What's the best gluten-free flour for baking? Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking mix is my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for baking. It has a mild texture and plenty of "stick" thanks to a blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, and sorghum flour, plus some starches and xanthan gum.
Is there a trick to baking with gluten-free flour? ›
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 do you make gluten free baking taste better? ›
Flavor. New bakers should try adding extra vanilla and/or spices to recipes. Gluten-free flours often have unique tastes, and adding additional flavoring to recipes will help cover up these unfamiliar flavors.
What holds gluten-free cookies together? ›
Binding agents (such as xanthan gum, guar gum, or flax) help give gluten-free baked goods the elasticity needed to create structure — so if your favorite gluten-free flour mix doesn't contain one, you'll probably want to add one.
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.
Should you chill gluten free cookie dough before baking? ›
— resting the dough makes SUCH a difference in the final cookie. You will not regret this extra step! ALL THAT SAID, if you simply don't have the time or patience to wait 24-48 hours, chill the dough for at least 2 hours in the fridge before scooping and baking.
Why are my gluten-free cookies dry and crumbly? ›
Another reason is that gluten-free flours, such as almond flour or coconut flour, can behave differently than wheat flour in baking. They may absorb more liquid, for example, which can result in dry or crumbly cookies.
Tips for Making Perfect Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
If your dough is sticky: You may have a sticky dough if you're baking at high altitude. Incorporate 2-3 Tablespoons more flour into the dough then refrigerate until firm and bake.
Should gluten free cookie dough rest? ›
Instead of proceeding directly to baking, let the gluten-free cookie dough rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. This resting period is crucial for hydration, not leavening. During this time, gluten-free flours absorb moisture from the wet ingredients, altering the dough's texture and consistency.
What is the closest gluten-free flour to all-purpose flour? ›
In contrast to tapioca flour, which is made from a starchy liquid extracted from the cassava root, cassava flour is made by grating and drying the whole root. This flour is gluten-, grain- and nut-free. It's most similar to white flour and can easily be used in recipes calling for all-purpose flour.
Which flour has the lowest gluten content? ›
The flour with the lowest amount of gluten in it is cake flour containing only 7-9% gluten. It is of course used in cake, but also muffins and delicate cookies. All-purpose flour has 8-11% gluten in it. It can be used to make things like waffles, pie crusts, pastries, and cookies.
Can you just replace flour with gluten-free flour? ›
If the original recipe calls for 260 grams of all-purpose flour, substitute with 260 grams of your blend. Beat the batter more. Because gluten-free flours provide less structure than all-purpose, the batter or dough you make with them may require more beating than that which you are accustomed.
Which gluten free flour is best for baking? ›
We often reach for almond flour in baking recipes when we're looking for a light, fluffy, cake-y texture with neutral flavor, because almond flour has a milder flavor than almond meal, and tends to fluff up nicely when baked! It works well in both egg and egg-free baking.
What is the trick to making good gluten-free bread? ›
Tips and Techniques to make better Gluten Free Bread
- Use psyllium husk powder.
- Let the dough rest (not exactly the same as a bulk proof)
- Mix or knead thoroughly.
- Use less yeast.
- Bake in a tin with tall sides.
- Bake for longer, often at a lower temperature.
- Create steam in the oven.
- Use the tangzhong or scalded flour method.
10 foods to avoid on a gluten-free diet
- Grains that contain gluten. Gluten is found in many grains, including: ...
- Pasta and noodles. Avoid wheat-based pasta, including: ...
- Packaged snacks. Many packaged snack foods may contain gluten, including: ...
- Meat substitutes. ...
- Baked goods. ...
- Bread and pastries. ...
- Sauces and condiments. ...
- Drinks.
Gluten-Free Bread Flour can be swapped 1:1 for all-purpose flour and bread flour by both weight and volume.
