Gluten Free High Altitude Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed my photo of some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! I decided to give this whole gluten free baking a try and though that this classic cookie would be the perfect place to start. I figured if I could make it taste as good as the original, then I would be sold on gluten free eating/cooking...

And we have a winner!

These turned out so delicious that dare I say it, are even better than with real flour! :) Also, since I live in Tahoe at 6,500' feet, I followed the high-altitude baking instructions as well to throw another twist into the recipe.

The best part was though, I was finally able to use my brand new Kitchen Aid mixer! It has been sitting in a box in our kitchen unopened for the last 7 months since I haven't really had a reason to cook with it. It was so fun and easy to use! It was also WAY better than trying to do it by hand or using a hand mixer.

I picked up some Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour at Costco the other day and found some Bob's Red Mill Xanthan Gum at our local grocery store, Raley's, in their gluten free section. Luckily you only use a tiny bit of xanthan gum per recipe because the tiny bag was really expensive! 

Otherwise I had all of the other ingredients in my cabinet and fridge which made it really easy to get to baking!

I followed the classic Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and their high altitude instructions that's on the back of their package of chocolate chips.  I just substituted the flour for the gluten free flour and added in the xanthan gum.  For the high altitude instructions, they have you increase the flour, reduce the amount of sugar and brown sugar, and add 2 tsps of water to the dry mix as well.

The rest of the recipe was straightforward and I had fun taking my time and really making sure everything was mixed nicely and trying out my new kitchen gadget.

Of course I also had to try the batter a few times! I did notice that the raw batter had a slightly different taste than "normal" cookies as the soybean flour has a distinct taste. I was a little worried that you'd be able to taste it once they were cooked as well.

Its been forever since I made homemade cookies from scratch so I had a little bit of an issue sizing the cookie dough on the sheet. By the way, has anyone else used these silicon non-stick baking pads before? If so I'd love to know if you have an easy trick for cleaning them!

I ended up baking them at 375 degrees F for between 8-10 mins depending on how large I made them.  I waited until the edges starting turning golden brown but the middles were still soft and then let them set on some cooling racks.

I'm so happy to report that these were some of the best cookies I've ever baked! They were super moist inside and a tiny bit crunchy on the outside. I'd dare say they came out perfect and not a single one was burnt! I will definitely be making these again :)

Gluten Free High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Nestlé Toll House

DRY Ingredients

2 1/2 c. Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

2 tsp. water

1/2 tsp. Xantan Gum

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp salt

WET Ingredients

1 c. (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened

2/3 c. granulated sugar

2/3 c. packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 12 oz. pkg Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine dry ingredients into a large bowl (including the water)
3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in the mixer with the flat beater. The slower the better on the speed -- don't rush it.
4. Once combined, add one egg at a time, mixing thoroughly after each one.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients allowing the dough to fully mix before adding more.
6. Once it's fully mixed, add the chocolate chips and mix to combine.
7. Create dough "drops" about the size of a large tablespoon on a cookie sheet lined with either parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a silicon baking mat.
8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

Note: High-altitude baking is for above 5,200' in altitude. For normal baking, visit the linked website for the original instructions.

Enjoy! :)