Let’s be honest; most gluten free baking is terrible. Perfect consistency, texture, flavor, you name it, gluten free baking usually lacks it. Since I only ever want to eat delicious things, I usually don’t bake gluten free.

However, gluten allergies and intolerance are for real. And as a firm believer that everybody has a right to eat delicious baked goods, I feel it is my duty to venture back into the realm of gluten free baking. And I am happy to report that I love these cookies as much as I love their glutenous chocolate cousins.

These salted chocolate cookies are about as perfect as a chocolate cookie can get. Rich, gooey chocolate crumb, crackly top, molten chocolate chunks, and flakes of chunky sea salt. Plus they’re easy to put together, use pantry friendly ingredients, and are completely gluten free!

I’ve experimented quite a bit with wheat free baking over the years, and I always find my favorite alternative flour is finely ground blanched almond flour. No matter what alternative flour you use, gluten free goods will have a slightly different texture and flavor than traditional wheat containing bakes, but I love that almond flour is a natural, one-stop-shop kind of a substitute. With almond flour, I don’t need to purchase multiple kinds of alternative flours, spend extra time measuring or mixing a gluten free blend, or buy any additives like xanthan gum. Plus I almost always have it on hand for macarons and other such goodies.

This particular recipe does use butter and cane sugar. If you’re trying to avoid dairy and processed sugar, you could substitute coconut oil and date palm sugar instead to good effect. For those trying to avoid eggs, I have not found any fantastic options, but if you do discover one and try it in this recipe, please let me know!

A final note on styling your cookies. If you want to achieve really beautiful, uniform, round cookies, please purchase a set of differently sized circle cookie cutters. Use these cutters to shape just baked cookies. Simply place a cookie cutter that’s slightly larger than the cookies around each still piping hot cookie. Gently swivel the cookie around inside the cutter several times. The walls of the cutter will help form the soft cookie into a beautiful circle; it’s such a simple trick, but it makes all the difference!

Gluten Free Salted Chocolate Cookies - Makes 24

Equipment:

• 2 baking sheet

• Stand mixer (optional but recommended)

• Circle cookie cutters (optional but recommended)

• 1 1/2 TBS. cookie dough scoop

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely ground blanched almond flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

• 6 TBS. unsalted butter

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + more for topping

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 tsp. finely ground espresso

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Flaky sea salt for topping

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line the baking sheets with parchment paper. I use the convection bake setting in my oven.

2. Combine the almond flour, baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt in a medium mixing bowl, and stir well with a fork. Set aside.

3. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter and 1 cup chocolate chips together. Stir frequently and heat only until both are fully melted and combined. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and espresso. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, eggs, and egg yolk. Beat on medium speed until fully combined. Add the vanilla and beat again. Once the vanilla is blended add the chocolate mixture and mix just until combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Next, add the almond flour mixture. Mix just until the batter is uniform and all the chocolate and flour are combined.

5. Use the cookie dough scoop to portion out equal balls of dough. Space them about 2 inches apart on each cookie sheet. Top each ball of dough with a sprinkling of flaky salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are crackly and the cookies have spread. Remove the pan from the oven, and immediately use a circle cookie cutter to gently swirl and shape each cookie into an even circle. After shaping, top each cookie with a few chocolate chips. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the pan before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cookies can be stored covered at room temperature for a few days, or frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.