Here is a gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe that is advertised as being better than standard chocolate chip cookies.   Give it a try and let me know if you agree in the comments below!

Best Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter-flavored Crisco
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 6 oz. GF chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl: cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy.
3. Add egg and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl mix together flours, salt, xanthan gum (opt.), baking powder, and baking soda.
5. Slowly add flour mixture to butter and sugar mixture.
6. Last, mix in chocolate chips.
7. Place golf-ball sized dough portions 2 inches apart on an UNGREASED cookie sheet.
8. Bake 7-9 minutes or JUST UNTIL edges are light brown.
   (The cookies WILL NOT look completely cooked when you pull them out of the oven! That’s what you want! That’s part of the secret to these awesome cookies! DO NOT overbake them!)
9. Let cookies cool on a wire baking rack or the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes. This will allow cookies to retain their shape for eating!

[Recipe Courtesy of Ginger Lemon Girl]

There are a number of great gluten free recipes for cookies, but for some reason it is rare that I run across a good one for peanut butter cookies.  Enjoy!

gluten free Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Crisco
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1.5 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. Xanthan Gum
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening together for a few minutes until you have a paste that resembles dense frosting.
2. Add both types of sugar and continue creaming until the mixture resembles dense frosting with sand mixed in.
3. While the butter/shortening mixture is creaming, mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the peanut butter to the wet mixture and mix well, until the it is no longer readily apparent in the dough.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure the first completely incorporates before adding the second.
6. Top it off with the vanilla, and continue mixing until there remains no evidence of any of the individual ingredients.
7. If you decide to add any additional ingredients (i.e., chocolate chips, nuts, etc.) to the final cookie, this is the time to do it.
8. Slowly add the dry mixture, mixing steadily to ensure that the dry ingredients incorporate properly without clumping up.
9. After all the dry has been mixed in, you will have a very loose dough that will clump properly when compressed.
10. Scoop the dough with spoons (I like to use an ice cream scoop) into balls about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Try not to compress the dough too much in this process, as doing so can create a denser cookie.
11. Bake at 375F for about 14 minutes for a cookie portion the size of an ice cream scoop.
12. Allow the cookies to cool on a rack until they can be handled without burning your fingers.

[Recipe Courtesy of Carl's Kitchen]

Are you looking for gluten free christmas/sugar cookies?   Though there are many good desserts are available for people on a gluten free diet, the Christmas holiday season can often be very difficult due to the lack of gluten free sugar cookies available. 

I was able to locate a tremendous recipe for these cookies.   If you try them out this holiday season, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Gluten Free Christmas Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups shortening
• 6 eggs
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/4 cup vanilla (yes, that much)
• 1 cup amaranth flour
• 2 cups potato starch
• 2 cups sweet rice flour
• 4 cups brown rice flour
• 2 Tbsp xanthan gum
• 3 Tbsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325*. 
2. Mix together the flours, starch, xanthan gum and baking powder with a whisk until well-combined.  Set aside. 
3. Cream together the sugars, shortening, eggs, vanilla and salt. 
4. Add flour mixture, about 1/4 at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon. 
5. Once the flour mixture is mostly incorporated, knead the dough in the bowl, slowly punching the dough down in the middle and folding the sides of the dough into the middle.  You may also put the dough on a non-stick surface (like a silicone mat or a marble slab), and knead it on there.  The mixture should have the consistency of Play-Doh, but not too soft.  If it is too dry, add a Tbsp of water at a time until it will gather into a ball (Resist adding water if at all possible.  The dough works best if it is not very moist.)
6. After the dough is well-mixed, several things can be done with the dough. 
7. Unless a crispy cookie is desired, bake (preferably on insulated pans) at 325* until the edges are just golden. 

[Recipe Courtesy of Only Sometimes Clever]

Usually with many flour-based products, if you try a gluten free version they might be good, but you often lose a large amount of the taste.   Today I noticed a gluten free recipe for chocolate chip cookies that is actually advertised as being better than the wheat-based versions that most people eat.  

Is it true?  You be the judge!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup teff flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
• 3/4 cup Muscovado sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 sticks butter- softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 bag Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Put softened butter in a large bowl. Blend in sugars. Mix in eggs and then add vanilla.
3. Mix all dry ingredients together, and blend into wet mixture. Blend in chocolate chips and nuts. Put heaping teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack.

[Recipe Courtesy of The Daily Green]

If you liked the gluten free thin mint recipe, you may also like this gluten free version of the Do-Si-Do cookie, which is sold annually by the girl scouts.

Gluten Free Do-Si-Do Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 sticks butter
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 3/4 cup brown or Turbinado sugar
• 3/4 cup natural style chunky peanut butter (drain off oil, if needed)
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tb sweet rice flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
• 2 tsp kudzu (kuzu) powder, finely crushed

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Filling

• 6 Tb butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup natural style chunky peanut butter

Baking Instructions:

1. For the Cookies: Wait until the step where the cookie dough is chilling to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Melt 1 stick of the butter in a large skillet and then add the oats. Cook the oats until they are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Keep stirring so the oats don’t burn. Once toasted, set aside and allow to cool.
3. In a bowl place the various flours, oats, salt, soda crushed kudzu powder and blend. Then in the mixing bowl to an electric mixer, place the rest of the butter and beat until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla, then blend. Add the peanut butter and blend. Slowly add the oats and flour blend to the mixing bowl. Make sure the oat and flour blend is thoroughly blended. The cookie dough will still be a little soft, but it will make a ball. Place the mixing bowl in the refrigerator and allow the dough to chill for about an hour.
4. Using a melon baller, scoop out twelve balls of cookie dough and arrange on the cookie sheet. Press the cookies down with the tines of a fork. Then bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool before removing them from the cookie sheet.
5. For the Peanut Butter Cream Filling: In the mixing bowl to an electric mixer, place the butter and beat until creamy. Add the peanut butter and blend. Slowly add the powdered sugar and then beat on medium speed for about 1 minute.
6. Taking two peanut butter cookies, spread the cream filling on the bottom of the first cookie. Then place the bottom of the second cookie on top of the cream filling. The tops of the cookies should be on the outside.

[Recipe Courtesy of Gluten a Go Go]