This gluten free millionaire’s shortbread, also known as caramel shortbread, has three rich layers: tender brown sugar shortbread, chewy caramel, and smooth chocolate ganache.

It looks like a bakery-style project, but I’ll walk you through each simple layer and show you how to streamline the recipe without sacrificing flavor!

Why this recipe works

The caramel is the part that usually makes people nervous, but here it so easy! I cook it in the microwave, with clear visual and texture cues to help you stop at just the right moment.

The ganache is firm enough to hold its shape cleanly at room temperature, but soft enough that it won’t crack apart when you slice or bite into it.

There's also plenty of room to simplify. You can make all three layers from scratch, or use a no-bake gluten free cookie crust, melted Kraft caramels, or both shortcuts whenever you want!

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make all 3 layers of these gluten free caramel shortbread bars, with the role each plays in a successful result. See the recipe card for full ingredient amounts.

Shortbread Layer

• Gluten free flour: Provides all the structure for the shortbread, so you need something well-balanced like Better Batter's classic all purpose gluten free flour blend, Nicole's Best with added xanthan gum, or Bob's Red Mill gluten free 1-to-1 in the blue bag.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor, smooth mouth feel, and moisture to bring the mixture together.
• Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness, flavor from the molasses, and locks in moisture for a tender crumb.

Caramel Layer

• Sweetened condensed milk: Contains sugar that has already been cooked into milk, reducing extra moisture and a shortcut to a rich caramel flavor.
• Light brown sugar: Adds more sweetness, brown color, and a butterscotch-style flavor regardless of how much you cook the caramel.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor and richness, and creates a smooth, creamy mouthfeel.
• Light corn syrup: Adds sweetness and prevents the sugar from crystallizing and becoming grainy.

Chocolate Ganache Layer

• Chocolate: Adds the base for this layer's rich chocolate flavor and is the reason the ganache solidifies after it cools.
• Cream: Heated gently to melt the chocolate and create a smooth, creamy emulsion. The more cream there is, the looser the cooled ganache will be.

How to make gluten free millionaire's shortbread (step by step photos)

This visual overview illustrates how to make this recipe in your own kitchen, with the reason behind each step. Don't be intimidated by all the photos, as there are 3 parts, but they're all super easy I promise!

Cream butter and sugar for shortbread
The shortbread layer is the only part that you bake, and sits on the bottom of the pan. Beat room temperature butter and brown sugar for about 3 minutes or until very light and fluffy. This traps air in the butter and helps dissolve the sugar by cutting it into the fat, creating a melt-in-your-mouth, delicate crumb.

Mix in flour
Mix the flour blend in until the butter and sugar mixture absorbs it. You can use a mixer, or just keep pressing turning the mixture over and pressing down gently until the dough comes together.

Spread the shortbread mixture
Scatter the raw shortbread mixture across the bottom of a carefully greased and lined pan, spread it into an even layer, then run a knife or small offset spatula around the perimeter. This separation will make it easier to peel away the paper from the finished bars.

Bake the shortbread layer
Bake at a low 325°F/163°C for about 18 minutes, or until the shortbread is set all the way to the center. It's a thin layer of cookie, so you can watch it become matte, not shiny, from the outside in. Let it cool while you make the caramel layer.

Melt the butter in the caramel mixture
Place all of the caramel ingredients (brown sugar, butter, sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup) in a large, microwave safe bowl (or see below for stovetop instructions). Use a large bowl since the mixture will bubble up. Microwave for about 1 minute on high power just to melt the butter, then stir until you have a smooth mixture.

Cook the caramel mixture
Cook the now-smooth mixture in the microwave for 5 minutes on high power. This is the bulk of the cooking where the sugar breaks down as moisture cooks off and it starts to change state. It will bubble and become a bit darker in color. Stir the mixture in case there are any hot spots, which the microwave tends to create.

Boil the caramel again
Microwave again on high power for until the mixture has started to darken in color more. I like to stir after 2 minutes to see if it's darkened on the bottom, and then continue cooking if necessary for up to another 2 minutes. This is how I avoid cooking it too far past the “soft ball” stage of 235°F, which is a chewy caramel that doesn't break your teeth!

Pour the caramel
Stir the caramel so it's evenly cooked and pour it over the shortbread layer in the baking pan. Let it set as you make the next layer so the layers stay distinct in the bars.

Combine the chocolate ganache
Heat heavy whipping cream to a gentle simmer over low heat so it is heated through but doesn't form a skin. Pour over chocolate pieces in a heat-safe bowl, ensuring that all the chocolate is covered. Let the cream sit to melt the cocoa butter.

Combine the chocolate and cream
Stir or whisk the cream and chocolate together into a smooth emulsification. For the smoothest layer, you can use an immersion blender, but it's not really necessary.

Pour the ganache
Pour the smooth, melted chocolate over the partially set caramel layer and spread it into an even layer.

Let set
I prefer to avoid putting anything hot in the refrigerator, so I let the bars set at room temperature first. Before the chocolate sets, try sprinkling the layer lightly with some coarse salt for a nice salty-sweet flavor balance.

Chill and slice
These bars can be served at room temperature and everything should hold its shape, but the caramel and chocolate layers are much easier to slice when they're chilled.

Expert tips

Try some shortcuts

For the shortbread layer, instead of baking a cookie layer, try crushing 8 ounces Schar or Walkers brand gluten free shortbread cookies into crumbs, and adding 8 tablespoons melted butter in the style of our gluten free graham cracker crust. For the caramel layer, melt the unwrapped caramels from one 11-ounce bag Kraft caramels with 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) milk and 4 tablespoons (56 grams), whisking frequently until smooth.

If you don't have a microwave

You can make the caramel layer on the stovetop. You'll need an instant read candy thermometer to judge doneness, and it should turn amber in color. Dice the butter and place all of the caramel ingredients in a medium, heavy bottom saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over low heat until the butter is melted. Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook the mixture without stirring for 8 to 10 minutes or until it reaches 235°F/113°C.

Avoid chocolate chips

You can use chocolate chips in the chocolate layer, but they have more stabilizers in them that are meant to prevent melting. They have a tendency not to melt fully especially in ganache, where the heat of lightly simmered cream is the only melting agent.

Ingredient substitutions

If you need to make this recipe without additional allergens or you have ingredient preferences, here are my suggestions:

Dairy free

In place of the butter in the shortbread and caramel layers, try block-style vegan butter (Melt and Miyoko's brands are usually best) or half butter-flavored shortening and half Earth Balance buttery sticks (and reduce or eliminate the salt). For sweetened condensed milk, try dairy free sweetened condensed milk from Nature's Charm or Let's Do Organic dairy free varieties. For the chocolate layer, use dairy free whipping cream or coconut cream and make sure your chocolate is dairy free.

Corn syrup

Light corn syrup can sometimes be confused with high fructose corn syrup, but they're entirely different. If you need to avoid using corn syrup, you can use glucose syrup or Lyle's Golden Syrup in its place. Lyle's will add some additional flavor that not everyone will like, though. You can try using honey, but it's much less useful in preventing sugar crystallization.

Storage instructions

The bars will keep for over a week in the refrigerator if they're well-sealed. I like to wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap, but you can place them all in a single layer in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid.

For longer storage, wrap tightly in freezer-safe wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then serve.

Print

Gluten Free Millionaire's Shortbread

This gluten free millionaire's shortbread takes melt-in-your-mouth shortbread to a new level with a simple microwave caramel layer and a chocolate top!

Course Bars

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free caramel shortbread, gluten free millionaires shortbread

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Chilling time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 9 bars

Calories 813kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the shortbread layer

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ¼ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• ⅓ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)

For the caramel layer

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter chopped
• 1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)

For the chocolate layer

• 12 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate chopped or melting disks
• ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
• Coarse salt for finishing (optional)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then set the pan aside.

Make the shortbread

• In a large bowl, place the butter, brown sugar, and salt. Beat with a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
• Add the flour blend with xanthan gum, and mix until just combined. The dough will seem crumbly at first, but just keep mixing until it comes together.
• Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared baking pan, and use a small offset spatula or knife to spread it into an even layer. Run it around the perimeter of the pan to create some separation.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until lightly golden brown on the edges and set all the way to the center (about 18 minutes). It’s set in the center when it no longer shines.
• Remove the pan from the oven and set it aside to cool briefly.

Make the caramel

• Place all of the caramel ingredients in a large microwave-safe bowl. Use the largest bowl that will fit into your microwave since the mixture will bubble as it cooks.
• Place the bowl in the microwave and cook on high power for 1 minute or until the butter is completely melted. Mix to combine.
• Microwave again on high power for 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave and mix again.
• Microwave again on high power for another 2 to 4 minutes or until done. It's done when the mixture has begun to turn a bit more amber in color and can be pressed into a soft ball when dropped in a bowl of cold water.
• Pour the hot caramel mixture into an even layer on top of the cooled shortbread.
• Bang the pan flat on the counter to break any large air bubbles. Allow to set at room temperature.

Make the chocolate layer

• Place the chocolate pieces in a medium-sized, heat-safe bowl.
• Bring the cream to a simmer over low heat on the stovetop (or in the microwave) and pour it over the chopped chocolate.
• Allow the mixture to sit for about 1 minute, then stir or whisk until smooth.
• Pour the chocolate over the cooled caramel layer and spread it into an even layer. Bang the pan flat on the counter a few times to break any large air bubbles.
• Allow to sit for about 5 minutes before sprinkling with the optional coarse salt.

Chill and slice

• Allow the bars to chill for about 30 minutes at room temperature or until no longer hot to the touch.
• Refrigerate until the bars are firm enough to hold their shape when lifted out of the pan (about 1 hour).
• Slice into 9 equal squares with a sharp knife, and serve chilled or at room temperature.
• If the caramel layer is hard to bite or slice after chilling, allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing or serving.

Notes

For the flour blend

I recommend Better Batter’s original all purpose gluten free flour blend, Nicole’s Best multipurpose with added xanthan gum, or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 in the blue bag. 

To make your own high-quality gluten free flour blend, check out my mock all purpose gluten free flour blends.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 813kcal | Carbohydrates: 98g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 429mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 74g | Vitamin A: 987IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 5mg

This gluten free blackberry cobbler has a rich, jammy filling packed with bold, sweet-tart blackberry flavor, and a soft, golden pastry topping.

The berries bake into a thick, glossy syrup, and the topping stays fluffy and tender with lightly crisp edges. It’s a simple recipe that works every time, even when your berries aren't perfect.

Why this recipe works

The filling in this cobbler highlights what makes blackberries special while never ignoring their complexity, and the topping is the perfect complement.

To balance the variable tartness of these berries, we add just enough sugar, salt, and cinnamon, plus some sweet raspberries. We also coat the berries in tapioca starch to create a thick, glossy syrup that doesn't turn cloudy or leave the dish runny.

The topping is a soft gluten free drop biscuit with just a bit of extra moisture so it spreads into “cobblestones.” The cold butter, layered in thin pieces then folded gently into a soft dough, bakes up fluffy and tender, with crisp, buttery edges.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make the pastry topping and filling for this recipe, plus an explanation about the role each ingredient plays in a successful cobbler:

• Gluten free flour blend: The pastry topping calls for a well-balanced all purpose gluten free flour blend, including xanthan gum, that will provide enough structure without drying out the topping. I recommend Better Batter's original blend, Nicole's Best multipurpose with added xanthan gum as directed in the recipe, or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 GF flour with an additional scant 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum since that blend has some, but not enough.
• Granulated sugar: The mere 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar in the topping helps lock in moisture and adds a bit of sweetness. The 100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar in the berry filling draws out the berries' moisture during baking to create a syrup and rebalances some of their natural tartness.
• Baking powder & baking soda: Baking powder in the pastry helps the topping rise. Baking soda helps the biscuits brown during baking.
• Salt: Enhances other flavors in the topping and filling, and helps reduce the tart flavor of the blackberries.
• Butter: Thin slices of cold butter in the pastry topping are easily spaced throughout the relatively loose gluten free drop biscuit-style topping to help make it soft and pillowy, add buttery flavor and help the edges get brown and crispy.
• Buttermilk: Adds a light tangy flavor to the topping, and enough extra moisture so the mounds of pastry spread a bit in the oven and stay extra fluffy inside.
• Blackberries: Choose berries that are large and plump, with no wrinkles. Shake the container gently to rotate the fruit inside and see if any are wrinkled or have burst, since that moisture will lead to mold. Do not wash any berries until you're ready to eat them, then pat them dry well before using.
• Raspberries: Add some extra sweetness and aromatic flavor to balance the sour blackberries without adding more sugar. You can replace them with more blackberries if you'd prefer.
• Tapioca starch: Thickens the rendered moisture from the berries into a clear liquid that takes on all the rich color of the berries without becoming cloudy. Also called tapioca flour interchangeably.
• Ground cinnamon: Softens some of the tartness of the blackberries and enhances their earthy flavor.

How to make gluten free blackberry cobbler (step by step photos)

This is a visual overview of how to make cobbler in your own kitchen. For full ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below.

Combine dry filling ingredients
Whisk all the dry ingredients for the filling (1/2 cup granulated sugar, tapioca starch, salt, and ground cinnamon) in a large mixing bowl until well-combined. Once you add the berries, mix carefully to avoid bruising or breaking them.

Set some aside
Transfer a few tablespoons of this dry mixture to a small bowl. We'll use that to coat the raspberries separately so we can place them on top of the blackberries in the baking dish.

Combine the blackberries and dry mixture
To the large bowl with most of the dry topping ingredients, add the blackberries and toss them to coat well. Toss carefully so you don't break them.

Transfer to the baking dish
Transfer the coated blackberries to a prepared 9-inch square stoneware baking dish and spread into an even layer.

Repeat with the raspberries
Toss the raspberries with the reserved dry ingredients in the small bowl, and place them evenly on top of the blackberries already in the baking dish. Scatter any remaining dry ingredients from either mixing bowl evenly on top of the berries to absorb liquid as it's released in the oven.

Combine dry topping ingredients
To make the topping, whisk the all purpose gluten free flour with xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Avoid any pockets of leavening which can create a bitter taste.

Add cold butter
Slice very cold butter into thin shards and toss with a mixing spoon to coat them in the dry ingredients. These slices will scatter throughout the topping easily and expand to create a fluffy biscuit topping in the oven. If there are any thicker pieces of butter, press them with floured fingers to flatten them and avoid any pooling, leaking butter.

Add cold buttermilk
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in cold buttermilk. This will make it easier to mix without handling the dough too much.

Finish the topping mixture
Use a silicone spatula to fold the buttermilk into the dry ingredients and butter pieces. You'll have a wet and sticky but cohesive dough.

Scoop on the topping
Use a large spring-loaded ice cream scoop or two large spoons to scoop 7 to 8 mounds of topping, about 3 tablespoons each. Position the mounts across the top of the berries in the baking dish next to one another without overlapping them. Keep them toward the center of the baking dish so they can spread toward the edges during baking.

Bake until done
Bake for 20 minutes at 375°F/190°C to get the topping to rise and start to brown and the berries to start to release their moisture quickly. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F/176°C and bake for about another 20 minutes. The dish is done when the topping is baked all the way to the center, the berries are softened, and the tapioca starch has thickened the filling liquid into a syrup.

Expert tips

Expect the topping to spread

The pastry topping has some extra buttermilk beyond what I would use for drop biscuits so they flatten a bit during baking, creating the classic cobblestone appearance of a cobbler. For slightly drier biscuits that hold their shape better in the oven, you can reduce the buttermilk by 1 fluid ounce to 1 cup, or 8 fluid ounces.

Don't replace the blackberries

This filling is designed to let blackberries shine while adjusting for some of their limitations, and I don't recommend any other berries or fruit in their place. If you don't like blackberries, try my gluten free blueberry cobbler recipe or my gluten free peach cobbler recipe or even my gluten free peach crisp recipe.

Ingredient substitutions

Diary free

In place of dairy butter, try block-style vegan butter like Miyoko's or Melt brands, or butter-flavored Spectrum shortening. In place of buttermilk, use half nondairy unsweetened milk with a similar consistency to cow's milk (like coconut milk in the carton or soy milk) and half nondairy sour cream or plain Greek-style yogurt, both by volume. Vegan butter will melt more quickly, so I'd recommend reducing your buttermilk sub by about 2 tablespoons for a firmer topping that can absorb more liquid.

Raspberries

You can replace all of the raspberries with more blackberries, by weight, if you don't have or don't want to use raspberries.

Tapioca starch

If you don't have tapioca starch, I recommend superfine white rice flour (nothing gritty), or cornstarch. Cornstarch creates a cloudier, not clear, gel and has a greater tendency to weep or release liquid as it cools, but it can withstand high heat (unlike arrowroot or potato starch).

No buttermilk on hand

If you can have dairy but just don't have buttermilk on hand, you can use half sour cream or plain Greek-style yogurt, half cow's milk (not fat free), by volume. You can also replace the buttermilk with as much plain lowfat or whole milk kefir without any other changes.

Storage instructions

I don't recommend assembling this dish before baking and serving it. It's best freshly prepared and baked.

Since the pastry topping is more fluffy than it is crispy, you can store completely cooled leftovers in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can transfer it to a small, microwave-safe bowl and warm briefly in the microwave to loosen the filling a bit before serving, but it isn't essential. You can store it for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, but it will dry out a bit.

For longer storage, freeze individual portions in tightly sealed, freezer-safe containers and defrost at room temperature.

Print

Gluten Free Blackberry Cobbler Recipe

This gluten free blackberry cobbler has a jammy, sweet-tart filling and a soft biscuit topping that bakes up golden and tender. This reliable recipe works even when your berries aren’t perfect.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free blackberry cobbler

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Resting time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 462kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the filling

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons tapioca starch or superfine white rice flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 24 ounces fresh blackberries about 5 1/2 cups, rinsed and patted dry
• 6 ounces fresh raspberries about 1 1/4 cups, rinsed and patted dry

For the pastry topping

• 1 ½ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend See Recipe Notes
• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter thinly sliced and chilled
• 1 ⅛ cups buttermilk chilled

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Grease a 9-inch square stoneware baking dish, preferably in a light color, lightly with butter or neutral oil. Set it aside.

Prepare the filling

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, tapioca starch, salt and ground cinnamon.
• Transfer about 3 tablespoons of this dry mixture to a small mixing bowl. Add the fresh raspberries to the dry ingredients and toss to coat them in it, then set the bowl aside.
• Add the fresh blackberries to the large mixing bowl with the remaining dry ingredients, and toss them gently to coat all the berries well in the dry mixture.
• Transfer the blackberry mixture to the prepared baking dish, and spread them gently into an even layer. Add any dry mixture that remains on the bottom of the bowl.
• Scatter the raspberries on top in an even layer, scattering any leftover dry ingredients on top. Set the baking dish aside.

Prepare the topping

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
• Add the slices of cold butter, and toss to coat in the dry ingredients. If any slices of butter weren’t thinly sliced, flatten them with floured fingers.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the buttermilk to the center.
• Mix gently with a silicone spatula until you've created a soft, relatively wet biscuit dough.
• If the topping seems like it isn’t very cold or the butter has melted at all, place the topping mixture in the refrigerator to chill briefly.

Add the topping

• Use a large ice cream scoop or two large spoons to top the berry mixture in the baking dish with 6 relatively equal scoops of the pastry topping. Concentrate them mostly toward the center as the biscuits will spread in the oven toward the edges.

Bake

• Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 350°F for another 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling, the topping feels firm when pressed gently, and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the biscuits (without entering the filling) comes out clean.
• Let cool for about 15 minutes in the pan before serving warm.

Notes

Flour blend notes

For the all purpose gluten free flour blend, I recommend Better Batter's original blend, Nicole’s Best with added xanthan gum, or Bob’s Red Mill GF 1-to-1 should also work if you add an extra scant 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum. 

Want to make your own blend? See my all purpose gluten free flour blends page.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 673mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 793IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 187mg | Iron: 1mg

These soft, chewy gluten free chocolate cookies have all the richness of brownies in a simple slice-and-bake cookie. With a combination of cocoa powder and melted chocolate melted baked right in, they taste like they came from your favorite bakery. For chocolate lovers only!

Why this recipe works

These cookies are so rich and brownie-like because they're made with cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and a touch of molasses. In combination, they add deep chocolate flavor and the perfect chewy texture.

Dipping the raw, shaped cookie dough in a little extra granulated sugar gives them a slight sugary crunch on the outside. It won't make them sparkle like coarse sugar would, but adds some texture and sweetness, and makes them a bit sturdier.

These aren't a chocolate version of chocolate chip cookies, or gluten free double chocolate chip cookies. Those are absolutely delicious, but are not nearly as rich and brownie-like as these cookies.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these cookies, plus a few words about the role each plays in the perfect rich, soft chocolate cookies:

• Gluten free flour: Provides foundational structure to bind the fat, sugar and moisture into a cookie that spreads evenly and not too much. You need a blend with a superfinely ground rice flour base like Better Batter's original all purpose gluten free flour blend without more xanthan gum, Nicole's Best multipurpose with added xanthan gum, or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 in the blue bag.
• Cocoa powder: Adds chocolate flavor and richness, only adding a minimal amount of fat compared to melted chocolate, so it helps the cookies maintain their shape and structure. Dutch-processed cocoa powder makes a richer result, but natural cocoa powder works fine, too.
• Chocolate: Adds depth of chocolate flavor and a fudgy, brownie-like density. Be sure to use baking chocolate that is made for melting, with flavor you like. Avoid chocolate chips which contain added wax to help them hold their shape in the oven, but melting disks are fine.
• Unsulphured molasses: This sticky, brown liquid made from mature sugar cane deepens and enriches the flavor of the chocolate, and helps make the cookies tender.
• Brown sugar: Adds sweetness, a bit of extra molasses for chewy texture and depth of flavor, and locks in moisture for tender, chewy cookies.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor and fat for richness, and helps bring the cookie dough together by adding moisture. It also helps the cookies spread in the oven.
• Egg: Add some rise and provides structure to help the cookies hold their shape as they cool.
• Baking soda: Reacts with the acid in molasses to create some rise, and neutralizes any acidity if you're using natural cocoa powder.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors and balances sweetness.

How to make gluten free chocolate cookies (step x step photos)

This visual overview should help you imagine how to make these cookies in your own kitchen. See the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts:

Melt chocolate and butter
Place chopped butter and melting dark chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Melt them together gently by placing over a simmering pot of water or microwaving at 50% power in 30-second bursts, stirring frequently. Melting the chocolate gently keeps it from breaking the emulsion into unmanageable clumps or burning it.

Add other wet ingredients
Once the chocolate mixture is no longer hot to the touch so it doesn't scramble the egg, whisk in molasses brown sugar and an egg until smooth. Make sure everything is smooth and glossy so the sugar is dissolved and the egg fully integrated.

Whisk dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together gluten free flour including xanthan gum, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Cocoa powder tends to resist combining with liquid, so whisking it thoroughly will disperse through the flour blend and avoid any clumps of leavener.

Combine wet and dry
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients to make it easier to mix in the wet. Pour the chocolate and butter mixture in, and mix until fully combined. Since the wet ingredients are still warm, the cookie dough will be very soft.

Shape the dough into a log
Place a large sheet of parchment paper on your work surface, and scrape the soft dough into a loose log on top about 2-inches in diameter and 8-inches long. Wrap the paper around the dough and rock the dough gently back and forth to help round it a bit.

Squeeze the dough along the length to avoid any gaps toward the center of the dough, then cinch the ends so the dough doesn't dry out.

Chill the cookie dough
Place the log of dough on a flat surface in the refrigerator and chill for about 1 hour, or until firm enough to slice but not so so hard that you can't slice through it.

Slice the dough
Once the log is chilled enough, you should be able to slice it with a sharp knife without splintering the dough. If it's too firm to slice, allow it sit at room temperature until you can slice it but it's still firm. Slice by cross-section every 1/2-inch for 16 rounds.

Reshape and decorate
Slicing the dough will inevitably flatten the bottom a bit. Place a flat side of each disk in the palm of your hand and squeeze to force it back into a smooth round.

Press top, bottom and sides of each disk into a shallow bowl of granulated sugar. It should stick easily unless the dough is super cold.

Bake
Place the prepared raw cookie slices about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet to allow them room to spread during baking. Bake at 325°F for about 12 minutes, or until spread about an inch on all sides and they don't glisten wet in the center.

“Scoot” as needed
If the cookies have spread unevenly, coax each back into shape while they're hot out of the oven by placing a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter on top. Move the cutter around in circles to tuck any uneven edges under the cookie.

Allow them to cool on the baking sheet or they'll fall apart. Once cool, they're very stable.

Expert tips

Don't chill too long

If you've chilled the log of uncut dough for too long, you won't be able to slice it without its splintering into irregular pieces. Just let it sit at room temperature until it's soft enough to slice.

For round cookies

It's impossible to make the perfect round cylinder that you slice into ideal rounds right away. Luckily, after slicing the log, you still get 2 chances to shape the disks into smooth rounds.

First, when raw, place each slice flat in the palm of your hand and squeeze gently all around. This also ensures that there's no gap in the center of the cookie. Second, after baking, tuck under any irregular edges of the hot, just-baked cookies under by moving a plain round cookie cutter around each in circles.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

To replace the butter, try block-style vegan butter like Melt or Miyoko's brand. Plus, make sure the bittersweet chocolate you use is dairy-free, too. The darker the chocolate, the more likely it is to be dairy free, but always check.

Egg free

To replace the egg, try a “chia egg” substitution, JustEgg refrigerated liquid egg replacer, or Bob's Red Mill egg replacer. Even a flax egg, which tends to have a strong color and flavor, should be fine since the chocolate flavor is quite strong.

Molasses

If you don't have molasses,try honey or Lyle's Golden Syrup in its place. Instead of light brown sugar, though, I'd recommend using dark brown sugar to replace the flavor.

Storage instructions

Once they're cooled, these cookies can be stored in a sealed glass container at room temperature for up to 5 days and they should retain their texture.

For longer storage, freeze the cookies in tightly-sealed freezer-safe zip-top plastic bags. Remove as much of the trapped air as possible to avoid freezer burn. They should stay fresh that way for up to 3 months. They won't freeze solid, so you can eat them right out of the freezer, or defrost at room temperature.

Print

Soft Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Soft gluten free chocolate cookies have all the richness of brownies in the form of a chewy, rich cookie.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword brownie cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Chilling time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 27 minutes minutes

Servings 16 cookies

Calories 187kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 4 ounces dark baking chocolate chopped
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
• ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 ¼ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• ⅜ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar for coating (optional)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a medium-size, microwave-safe bowl, place the chopped chocolate and chopped butter.
• Melt in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second bursts at 50% power, stirring until smooth. Allow the mixture to cool briefly.
• To the melted butter and chocolate, add the molasses, brown sugar, and egg. Mix to combine, and set the bowl aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda, and whisk to combine well.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the chocolate mixture. Mix to combine. The dough will be very soft.
• Transfer the dough to a large piece of unbleached parchment paper. Shape the dough into a cylinder about 2-inches in diameter and about 8-inches long along the length of the parchment paper.
• Roll the paper tightly, cinching the ends to seal.
• Place the cylinder of dough in the refrigerator until firm enough to slice (at least 1 hour).
• Once the dough has chilled enough to be sliced, preheat your oven to 325°F. Line large rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
• Remove the chilled cylinder of dough from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Rock the cylinder back and forth on a flat surface to round out any flattened edges.
• Using a large, sharp knife, attempt to slice the cylinder at the very end. If it's too difficult to slice without splintering the dough, let it sit until it's sliceable but still firm.
• Slice into 1/2-inch thick disks by cross-section. You should get about 16 cookies.
• Cup each slice separately in your palm to reshape any rounds that have become misshapen during slicing.
• Place the (optional) granulated sugar in a small bowl. Dip each of the raw cookie disks in the sugar, pressing gently to coat on all sides.
• Place the disks of dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. They will spread during baking.
• Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the center of the preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are spread about 3 inches in diameter and don't seem shiny wet in the center.
• Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet before serving. If you attempt to move the cookies before they are cool, they will fall apart but will be stable once set.

Video

Notes

Flour blend notes

This recipe works best with Better Batter’s original all purpose gluten free flour blend, Nicole’s Best multipurpose with added xanthan gum, or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 in the blue bag. If you aren't chilling the raw dough overnight before baking, add an extra ½ teaspoon xanthan gum to Nicole's Best or an extra 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to Bob's.

To make your own high-quality gluten free flour blend, check out my mock all purpose gluten free flour blends.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 193IU | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

These gluten free lemon bars have a crisp, buttery shortbread crust and a smooth, bright lemon custard filling that sets just right every time. They’re simple to make, slice neatly, and deliver that classic balance of sweet and tart without any guesswork.

Why this recipe works

The texture is exactly what you want from classic lemon bars, and is even better without gluten. The crust bakes up tender but sturdy, with just enough chew to hold its shape under the filling without turning soft or greasy.

The filling is smooth, creamy, and full of real lemon flavor. Fresh lemon zest flavors the crust, not just the custard, so every bite tastes balanced and bright instead of flat or overly sweet.

The filling sets properly because you’re not guessing when it’s done. Since ovens vary, I give you multiple doneness cues so you can use your best judgment and pull it at just the right moment. That’s how you avoid a filling that’s underbaked or firm and rubbery.

Recipe ingredients

Here's a bit about the ingredients you'll need to make these bars, how to select the best of each, and what they do to contribute to the best result:

• Gluten free flour blend: Both the shortbread-style crust and the filling require a gluten free flour blend with superfinely ground rice flour as a base, without any xanthan gum. I’ve found that adding a binder like that makes the crust more chewy and the filling gummy, not smooth. The flour blend adds structure to both components of the bars. You can use my 3-ingredient blend or Nicole's Best. If you choose to use King Arthur Flour's gf blend without xanthan gum, I highly recommend sifting it multiple times before you measure to ensure there's no grittiness.
• Confectioners' sugar: In the crust, it adds sweetness and helps create a lightly crispy crumb that melts in your mouth. We dust more on top for extra sweetness and because it looks pretty (and covers any imperfections in the top of the bars).
• Granulated sugar: In the filling, it balances out the tartness of the lemon and ensures that the filling is smooth since the sugar dissolves in the lemon juice.
• Lemon juice: We use a lot to add tons of fresh lemon flavor. As it bakes, the taste intensifies, so avoid bottled juice in favor of freshly-squeezed. And strain out the pulp and seeds before measuring, to make sure you have enough.
• Lemon zest: Adds extra lemon flavor since it contains all of the essential lemon oils. Be sure not to grate down all the way to the bitter white pith.
• Butter: Brings the shortbread crust together, provides buttery flavor and richness, and makes the crust crisp on the outside.
• Eggs: Thicken and bind the custard filling, setting into a creamy structure that holds as the bars cool.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and brightens the other flavors.
• Baking powder: Gives the filling a bit more rise for a slightly lighter-textured custard.

How to make gluten free lemon bars (step by step photos)

To make these bars, you have to place the pan in the oven twice. This visual guide includes an explanation of the reason behind each step in the recipe. For full ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

For the crust: whisk dry ingredients
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients to make the shortbread-style cookie crust of these bars, including the flour blend, confectioners' sugar, salt, and lemon zest. The lemon zest will stick to itself, so keep whisking until everything is fully combined, with no clumps.

Add melted butter
The only remaining ingredient to bring the crust together is 9 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter. I melt the butter in the microwave on medium power, stopping just before it's fully liquid, as the residual heat will melt the rest and it cools more quickly and doesn't cook, losing moisture.

Mix into clumps
I prefer to mix the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork to create large, fully incorporated clumps that are easy to scatter evenly in a fully lined and greased pan. To keep the parchment paper in place during baking, you can clip all 4 sides with small binder clips.

Smooth the crust
Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to press down on the cookie clumps, smoothing them into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Don't press down too hard or you'll compress the crust and it won't bake as evenly.

Parbake it
To seal the crust and ensure it doesn't get soggy once you add the liquid filling, partially bake it first at 325°F for about 15 minutes. As it parbakes, the crust will turn shiny as the ingredients melt, then lose its shine and the crust will turn very pale and matte. Let it cool briefly while you make the filling mixture. This also prevents you from having to overbake the filling just to get the crust firm enough to hold it.

For the filling: whisk dry, then wet ingredients
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 2/3 cup of the flour blend, granulated sugar and a bit of baking powder. Whisk fully to avoid any pockets of leavening which will cause uneven baking and can taste off.

Add 2/3 cup of fresh-squeezed and strained lemon juice and 4 eggs to the mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. Whisk fully to ensure that everything is smooth and fully combined, and the eggs well-beaten, but not so roughly that introduce too many air bubbles.

Combine crust and filling
Pour the smooth filling into the partially baked crust. It will be thin enough to smooth itself into an even layer. Tap the bottom of the pan a few times on the counter to help break as many air bubbles as possible for a filling that bakes as smoothly as possible.

Finish baking the bars
Bake the crust and filling together for about 25 minutes. The filling may seem like it's going to remain liquid for the first 18 to 20 minutes, until it finally appears set. When it's done baking, the filling will have begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, will look uniformly risen across the top, and will only jiggle a bit in the center when you shake the pan gently back and forth, much like gluten free cheesecake.

Chill and slice
Remove the baked bars from the oven, place them on a wire rack, and let them cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. This allows the pan to release any residual hot air from the oven so you don't trap condensed steam, making the bars soggy. Refrigerate the bars for at least 2 hours to allow the egg custard to set enough to allow you to slice it.

Expert tips

Use fresh lemon juice

Like in our gluten free lemon pie, bottled lemon juice tends to taste bitter, and the heat of baking intensifies flavors. If the flavor isn't great at the start, it will be worse after baking. Conventional lemons are available year-round, and there are even seedless ones that have more juice per lemon. Be sure to strain any pulp and seeds away before you measure the 2/3 cup of juice you need.

Whisk the filling fully, but gently

The filling mixture is quite thin, since it starts out as mostly liquid, then thickens in the oven as the eggs set with some stability added by the added flour. If you whisk the filling too vigorously, you'll create more air bubbles in the mixture which will break through the surface during baking.

If you've created too many bubbles, just let the filling sit for a while to allow the bubbles to break through, tapping the filling flat on the counter to help them burst. You can't eliminate every bubble though, so don't stress.

Allow for setting time

The lemon filling slices cleanly on top of the shortbread crust, but only if you allow it enough time to set in the refrigerator. Chilling allows the egg-based filling to set so that it's firm enough to slice.

Ingredient substitutions

Here are my suggestions for how you might be able to avoid some of the ingredients in these bars, and where you can't:

Dairy free

For the butter in the crust, I recommend using half Spectrum brand nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening and half block-style vegan butter to mimic the flavor profile and moisture content of dairy butter. For vegan butter, I like Melt or Miyoko's brand.

Egg free

There are 4 eggs in this recipe. I don't believe that you can replace all 4 of them with an egg substitute and achieve anything like the texture of these smooth, creamy custardy bars.

Lemon alternatives

In place of freshly squeezed lemon juice, try lime juice or orange juice, along with the corresponding zest.

Storage suggestions

These bars can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. If you've already dusted them with confectioners' sugar, it will likely absorb into the bars so you'll have to dust them again before serving.

For longer storage, freeze the bars uncovered just until firm (about 1 hour), then wrap each bar individually with plastic wrap for up to 3 months. They won't freeze solid, so they'll defrost quickly even in the refrigerator. Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.

Print

Gluten Free Lemon Bars Recipe

Fresh, tart and sweet gluten free lemon bars are packed with the bright taste of citrus in a smooth, creamy filling and easy shortbread crust.

Course Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free lemon bars

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Chilling time 2 hours hours

Servings 9 bars

Calories 292kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 cup gum-free gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar plus more for dusting
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest from 1 large lemon
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled

For the filling

• ⅔ cup gum-free gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice juice of 4 to 5 medium lemons, strained of seeds and pulp
• 4 eggs at room temperature

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan, line with criss-crossed pieces of parchment paper that overhang the sides, and grease the parchment paper. Set the pan aside.

Make the crust

• In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 cup (140 g) of the flour blend, confectioners’ sugar, salt and lemon zest and whisk to combine, breaking up any clumps of lemon zest.
• Add the melted butter and mix with a fork until well-combined. The mixture will be clumpy.
• Scatter the clumps evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then use a small offset spatula or knife to press the mixture into a smooth, even layer on the bottom of the dish.
• Place the baking dish in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until no longer shiny. When it's done, it will have a matte look to it and be very pale in color.
• Allow the crust to cool briefly while you make the filling.

Make the filling

• In a separate large mixing bowl, place the remaining 2/3 cup (93 g) flour blend, granulated sugar, and baking powder, and whisk to combine.
• Add the lemon juice and the eggs, and whisk until smooth. The mixture will be very thin. Make sure there are no dry patches and the eggs are fully combined.
• Pour the filling into the baked crust.

Bake

• Return the pan to the center of the oven. Bake until just set (25 to 30 minutes).
• The filling is set when it does not jiggle more than a tiny bit in the center when the pan is shaken gently back and forth. It will also likely have begun to pulled away from the sides of the pan and should look uniform across the top.
• Remove the pan from the oven. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the bars to cool, still in the pan, for about 20 minutes.

Chill the bars

• Cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm (at least 2 hours).
• Remove the bars from the pan by running a butter knife or thin spatula around the perimeter of the baking dish, then lifting the bars out of the pan by the overhung pieces of parchment paper.
• Pull the paper away from the sides of the baked bars to expose the sides. Use a very sharp knife to slice into 9 equal squares. Separate the bars from one another.
• Dust the top of the cut bars with confectioners sugar. Serve chilled.

Video

Notes

Flour blend notes

To make the full 1 2/3 cups (233 grams) of the gum-free blend needed for the filling and the crust, combine 154 grams superfine white rice flour + 51 grams potato starch + 28 grams tapioca starch/flour. Since I created Nicole's Best, I often use that in place of this blend.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 194mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 457IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg

FAQs

More lemon dessert recipes

Here are a few more of my favorite gluten free lemon dessert recipes.

• Gluten Free Lemon Cookies – Buttery-rich and light, these delightful lemon cookies melt in your mouth, and call for only 15 minutes of prep time.
• Gluten Free Lemon Brownies – The chewy consistency of a brownie with the bright flavor of citrus.
• Gluten Free Lemon Cake – If you've ever had the lemon cake at Olive Garden, try this tender, lemon-rich copycat recipe.

Make this decadent gluten free dairy free chocolate cake without any dairy-free butter or milk substitutes for a cake that's designed to be made without dairy. It's rich in chocolate flavor, stays fresh at room temperature for days, and is even tender when chilled.

Why this recipe works

This rich chocolate cake doesn't call for any nondairy substitutes that you may not already have, so you can bake it for a dairy free friend without having to buy something special at the store. Plus, the flavor of vegan butter can have an artificial taste due to added culturing agents.

Since this cake was originally made with mayonnaise instead of a combination of an egg and oil, it's easily adapted to being made with vegan mayonnaise for an egg-free, dairy-free cake with deep cocoa flavor.

Recipe ingredients

Here are a few things to keep in mind about each of the ingredients in this cake and what role they play in a successful result:

• Boiling water: Water of course adds moisture to bring the cake together. We use boiling water to dissolve the cocoa in boiling water in a process called “blooming,” which deepens the chocolate flavor.
• Cocoa powder: Adds lots of rich chocolate flavor. Since this cake has baking soda in it to neutralize any acid in your natural cocoa powder, you can use natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed, or even Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, which is a blend of the two.
• Brewed coffee: Deepens the chocolate flavor without adding any noticeable coffee taste. You can use decaf or caffeinated coffee, or replace it with more water.
• Dairy free chocolate: Adds more chocolate flavor and creates a fudgier, more dense and rich texture. You can use vegan chocolate disks or chopped chocolate. Be sure to use melting chocolate that is made for baking, and avoid chocolate chips which contain added wax to prevent them from melting in the oven.
• Egg: Adds structure, some lift and keeps the cake from falling as it cools.
• Oil: Adds fat for richness and mouthfeel, and keeps the cake moist for longer at room temperature and even when chilled.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness and tenderizes the cake's crumb by locking in moisture.
• Salt: Enhances the other flavors.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract is as delicious in chocolate cake as it is in vanilla cake, deepening all the other flavors. Use vanilla bean paste for extra flavor.
• Gluten free flour blend: Any well-balanced gluten free flour blend that is designed to work well to make cakes should work, as long as it has finely ground rice flour or the cake will be gritty. I like Better Batter's classic blend, Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 blend with an additional 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (the blend has some gum but not enough), or Vitacost's Multi-Blend gluten free flour with added xanthan gum as listed in the recipe. Avoid Nicole's Best here, since it contains dairy.
• Baking soda – Helps give the cake lift, and neutralizes acidic ingredients like natural cocoa powder, if you're using it.

How to make gluten free dairy free chocolate cake (step by step photos)

This visual guide demonstrates how to make this cake in your own kitchen and includes an explanation for each step. For the exact ingredient amounts and instruction, please see the recipe card below.

Make the hot chocolate mixture
In a 4 cup/950 ml heat-safe measuring cup or medium-size bowl, whisk boiling water, hot brewed coffee and 1/2 cup cocoa powder. The cocoa powder will resist combining so keep whisking until it's smooth.

Add chopped dairy free chocolate to the hot mixture and whisk it in so it melts, then let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so the cocoa powder blooms, or develops its full flavor potential.

Add the remaining wet ingredients
The chocolate mixture should be warm, but no longer hot, so it's cool enough enough that it won't cook the egg when you add it. Add an egg, oil, sugar and vanilla. Whisk vigorously to emulsify the egg, oil and water together into a stable mixture that ensures even moisture distribution in the cake. This creates a glossy mixture that won't turn greasy.

Whisk the dry ingredients
In a large separate mixing bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking soda to avoid any pockets of leaveners.

Combine wet and dry ingredients
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredient mixture so you can incorporate them together gradually, decreasing mess and creating a more uniform batter quickly and easily.

Finish the cake batter
Whisk together the dry and wet ingredients. As you mix, it will turn smooth and glossy. Make sure to scrape the bottom of mixing bowl to incorporate any dry patches into the batter.

If you'd like to add chocolate chips, you can mix in up to 4 ounces of dairy free chocolate chips now using a spatula. You can also scatter up to 1 ounce more on top of the raw cake after transferring it to the pan.

Transfer the batter
Scrape the batter into a lined baking pan, and smooth it into an even layer with a small spatula. The batter will be thick enough to spread, but not so thick that spreading is difficult.

Bake the cake
Bake at 350°F until the cake is rounded at the edges, and a tester inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, at most. If the tester comes out wet but you're concerned you may overbake the cake, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F or even lower until done.

Cool in the pan
Let the cake cool completely in the pan while it rests on a wire rack. The cake is so moist that, if you try to turn the cake over onto a wire rack and remove the pan before it's completely cool, it will stick to the rack.

Expert tips

Avoid olive oil

Olive oil has a distinct fruity and earthy flavor that will compete with the chocolate flavor of this cake. Any neutral oil without any flavor of its own will work though. Try canola, vegetable, grapeseed, avocado, or peanut oil.

Try canned dairy free frosting

I love the taste of shelf stable frosting in the can, and many of them are gluten free and dairy free. Miss Jones brand canned frostings are gluten free and dairy free; so are many Pillsbury and Duncan Hines frostings, but always read labels to be sure. To give canned frosting more of a homemade consistency, attach one beater to a handheld mixer, insert it in the can, and beat until smooth before using to frost the cooled cake.

Don't skip the coffee

Brewed coffee deepens the chocolate flavor and we use so little that you really don't taste it, so I recommend using it even if you don't like the taste of coffee. You can also double down on the coffee and replace some more or all of the hot water with more coffee. Espresso granules dissolved in the boiling water should also work well.

Ingredient substitutions

Egg free

You can try using a 150 grams of a vegan mayonnaise in place of the egg and oil, or try an egg replacer like Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, a chia or flax egg, or JustEgg liquid egg replacer (in the refrigerated case).

Oil

This recipe was originally developed to use mayonnaise in place of oil and eggs. I found that the crumb of the cake was too fragile, so I reworked it for a cake made with 2/3 cup of oil and 1 egg. The result is a more tender cake with a crumb that's still very moist but less fragile. If you'd like to avoid using oil as an individual ingredient, though, you can replace the oil and the egg with 2/3 cup (150 grams) full-fat mayonnaise at room temperature.

Coffee

If you want to avoid coffee altogether, you can use more boiling water in its place. Decaffeinated coffee works just as well. Keep in mind that chocolate and cocoa powder also add some caffeine.

Chocolate

You can't leave out the cocoa powder and chocolate to make this into a vanilla cake, but if you'd like, you can leave out the chocolate as a separate ingredient. The cake will have a more mild chocolate flavor and will be overall less rich. For a vanilla version, try our vanilla-flavored gluten free dairy free cake.

Storage instructions

This cake is moist enough that it will stay fresh on the counter, covered well, for a couple of days. Wrap the cooled and unfrosted cake tightly in plastic wrap, and store it at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. Once you frost the cake, it's really hard to wrap it tightly, so it's best to serve it the same day after frosting.

For longer storage, wrap this cake tightly in freezer-safe wrap like Glad Press ‘n' Seal. You can freeze it frosted or unfrosted, but it's easiest to store the uncut cake unfrosted.

If you have leftover cake that's already been frosted, slice it into squares and wrap each frosted square tightly on its own, then freeze. Defrost at room temperature, or in the refrigerator.

Print

Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

This gluten free dairy free chocolate cake is rich in chocolate flavor with a soft, tender crumb and a rich chocolate frosting.

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword dairy free gluten free chocolate cake, gluten free dairy free chocolate cake

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Setting time for frosting 20 minutes minutes

Servings 9 slices

Calories 586kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the cake

• ¾ cup boiling water
• ¼ cup strong brewed coffee hot (See Recipe Notes)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
• 2 ounces dairy-free chocolate discs, or chopped
• 1 egg at room temperature (See Recipe Notes)
• ⅔ cup neutral oil vegetable, canola, peanut, grapeseed, and avocado all work (See Recipe Notes)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1 ¼ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 1 /4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

For chocolate frosting (optional)

• 10 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate chopped
• ¾ cup canned coconut cream (See Recipe Notes)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the cake.

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan. Set the pan aside.
• In a medium-size, heat-safe mixing bowl or measuring cup, place the boiling water and brewed coffee and the cocoa powder, and whisk until well-combined. The cocoa powder will resist combining, so just keep whisking.
• Add the chocolate discs or pieces to the hot mixture and whisk until melted and smooth. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to deepen the chocolate flavor.
• To the chocolate mixture, add the egg, oil, sugar, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and well-combined.
• In a separate large mixing bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda, and whisk to combine well.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the wet mixture.
• Whisk until very smooth and well-combined. Keep whisking until the batter begins to thicken.
• Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan, and smooth into an even layer using a spatula or broad, flat knife.
• Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until done.
• Doneness should be determined by a few things: the cake should be puffed and rounded at the edges. It also shouldn’t jiggle when moved back and forth, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean (and certainly not wet).
• Place the cake pan on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely in the pan. If you've used mayonnaise instead of an egg and oil, chill the cake pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes for cleaner slices.

For the topping

• Place the chopped dark chocolate in a small, heat-safe bowl.
• Place the coconut cream in a small, heavy-bottom saucepan and over a low flame just until melted and then simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.
• Allow the chocolate and hot cream to sit, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes before whisking until completely smooth.
• Pour the glaze directly over the cooled cake, and allow it to set at room temperature.
• To whip the chocolate ganache into frosting, allow it to cool at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate it until beginning to set (about 20 minutes).
• Using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the frosting until lighter in color and relatively fluffy (about 3 minutes).
• Frost the cakes as desired, then slice into 9 equal pieces and serve.

Notes

Flour blend notes
I recommend Better Batter's original all purpose blend, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 (in the blue bag) with an additional 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (it contains gum but not enough), or Vitacost's Multi-Blend Gluten Free Flour with added xanthan gum. Nicole's Best doesn't work here because it contains dairy. 

If you'd like to make your own blend, please see my all purpose gluten free flour blends page. 

About the brewed coffee 
You can use decaffeinated coffee. You can also replace the brewed coffee with more water.

Egg and oil
In place of the egg and oil, you can use 2/3 cup (150 grams) regular, full fat mayonnaise. I can only recommend Hellmann's brand regular mayonnaise. Avoid anything flavored, any sort of light mayo, or mayo made using olive oil (which is really just light mayo by another name). The cake will rise a bit less and be a bit more fragile. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 412mg | Potassium: 374mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 5mg

FAQs

These tender, flexible gluten free crepes always bend and roll without breaking, and are even better than conventional ones. Made with only 5 ingredients (including salt!), they're so easy to make, and turn an everyday meal into something extraordinary!

Why this recipe works

Gluten free crêpes are simple, French-style pancakes. Light, airy and delicate but never fragile, these pancakes can be served sweet or savory.

The simplest recipes are frequently the trickiest, and the ones most likely to frustrate you when you're new at making them. That's why the method and ingredients here are clear, concise, and specific. And since gluten works against tenderness here, gluten free crepes are actually than “regular” ones.

With my simple blender method that provides an easily pourable batter, and detailed instructions for how to you swirl it around in a hot, lightly greased pan, you'll get good at it fast!

Recipe ingredients

Here's everything you need to make crepes at home, plus some information on what each ingredient does in the recipe:

• Gluten free flour blend: This recipe calls for our gum-free gluten free flour blend, made with superfine white rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch. Anything with xanthan gum or a substitute will lead to rubbery pancakes. You can also use a gum-free blend as long as it has a finely ground rice flour, like Nicole's Best.
• Eggs: Serve as a binder, adding leavening and elasticity.
• Butter: Butter adds richness, flavor, and tenderness.
• Milk: Adds moisture to hydrate the batter and make it pourable. Whole milk works best because the fat makes the crepes more tender.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors.

How to make gluten free crepes (step by step photos)

This visual guide for how to make these pancakes at home in your kitchen includes an explanation of the reason behind each step. For full ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

Place all the ingredients in a blender
In a simple blender or in a tall jar, place the milk, eggs, butter and salt, then top with the flour blend in an even layer. Be sure to place the wet ingredients closest to the blade so the dry flour doesn't get stuck to it. If you're using a blender like the Nutribullet with the blade in the lid, reverse the order of the ingredients.

Blend until smooth
Use a spoon or spatula to mix the ingredients just enough to moisten the flour so it doesn't fly out of the blender when you turn it on.

Switch on the blender at medium speed and blend for 2 to 3 minutes or until very smooth so all the flour is moistened and the eggs are fully beaten. Stop halfway through to scrape down the sides of the blender to make sure everything is evenly mixed.

Transfer and refrigerate the batter
The batter should be pale yellow from the fully emulsified eggs and milk. Transfer it to a container with a tight-fitting lid. A 32 ounce or 1 liter mason jar is ideal. Refrigerate the batter for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days to allow the liquids to fully hydrate the flour for smooth crepes. This steps is often used to relax the gluten in the flour, but that isn't our problem to solve here!

After the batter has chilled
Before cooking with the batter, allow it come to room temperature, which could take about 45 minutes. Since some of the flour will have dropped out of solution, place an immersion blender or tall whisk in the jar and blend or whisk until smooth and well-combined again. The batter should be thicker than milk, thinner than cream (like half and half).

Prepare the pan
Heat a 9 or 10 inch nonstick skillet (a crepe pan with low sides is easiest, but it's not at all necessary) over medium heat for about 1 minute or until it feels almost too warm to hold your open palm right above the pan. Grease it lightly but evenly with cooking oil with a high smoke point like canola, vegetable, grapeseed, avocado or peanut oil.

Cook the first side
Transfer the batter to a large measuring cup or bowl with a pour spout, or use a large ladle. Hold the pan just above the heat at a 45° angle (with the handle pointing up) and pour or ladle about 5 tablespoons or 75 ml of batter in the center of the hot pan.

Working quickly, move your wrist in a circular motion to swirl the batter evenly around the pan, and place the pan down on the heat source. As you swirl, you'll create a very thin layer of batter around the edges, which is what turns the lacy and crispy. Let the crepe cook for about 90 seconds.

Finish cooking
Use a large spatula or your fingers to flip the pancake over and press it down gently onto the pan. Let it cook for another 30 seconds until you can tell it's brown on the second side. Flip again to add more color to the first side if necessary.

Stack the crêpes
Repeat with the rest of the batter, stacking the pancakes right on top of one another on a parchment paper-lined plate to prevent them from sticking to the plate.

Expert tips

Use the right gluten free flour blend

A rice flour-based gum-free gluten free flour blend without any xanthan gum or substitutes is essential here to avoid rubbery pancakes. And, as always, measuring flour by weight, not volume is needed for precise, reliable results.

Rest the batter first

Allowing your batter to rest in the refrigerator first gives the flours time to absorb the milk. Your batter will be more stable and your crêpes more tear-resistant.

Use the right pan

A non stick pan works best here, but if you have a crêpe pan (which is really just a nonstick skillet with low sides), use that. A well-seasoned cast iron 9-inch skillet is great, too. There are even electric crepe skillets that come with a wooden spreader, but I find that the batter begins to set before you've spread it out evenly if the skillet is hot enough to brown the pancakes.

Preheat the pan for even browning

Warm your pan over medium heat before you begin to swirl in the batter. You'll know from the first crepe pour whether your pan was hot enough.

Keep your pan well-greased

Even nonstick pans should be lightly greased and stay that way, so the batter slides around smoothly before it sets.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

In place of cow's milk, I recommend coconut milk in the carton or unsweetened and unflavored soy milk. Just make sure to use something with fat that has a similar consistency to regular milk. In place of butter, try block-style vegan butter like Miyoko's, Melt, or Trader Joe's brands.

Egg free

There are 3 eggs in this simple recipe, which is a lot to replace. I'm not sure if any of my usual recommendations like chia eggs or flax eggs would work. You might be able to use JustEgg refrigerated plant based eggs.

Storage instructions

Fresh crepes can be made a few hours ahead of time. Just cover the plate, and serve them at room temperature. They’ll still be soft and pliable.

You can also place them in a stack in an air-tight zip-top bag, and refrigerate on a flat surface for up to 3 days. Freeze them the same way for up to 3 months, and then defrost by in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

To refresh unfrozen but still cold pancakes, warm them in a hot, dry skillet, or warm them in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

Print

Gluten Free Crepes Recipe

These tender, flexible gluten free crepes with lacy brown edges are even better than the gluten ones. They stay fresh at room temperature for hours or in the refrigerator for days. Serve them sweet or savory!

Course Pancakes

Cuisine French

Keyword gluten free crêpes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting time for batter 12 hours hours

Servings 12 crepe pancakes

Calories 115kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Blender or immersion blender optional

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk at room temperature
• 3 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ¾ cups gum-free gluten free flour blend See Recipe Notes

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a blender or large jar if you're using an immersion blender, place the milk, eggs, butter, and salt. Spoon the flour blend on top in an even layer.
• Use a large spoon to mix the batter gently just until the liquid has begun to absorb the loose flour.
• Cover the blender or insert the immersion blender into the jar. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender with a spatula about halfway through.
• See the Recipe Notes for how to make the batter without a blender.
• For best results, place the batter in a sealed container and refrigerate overnight or for up to 3 days.
• Before using the batter, remove it from the refrigerator, whisk until smooth, and allow it to come to room temperature. It should be about the consistency of half and half (thicker than milk, thinner than heavy cream).
• Transfer the batter to a large spouted measuring cup for easy pouring into a skillet to cook.
• Heat a heavy-bottom nonstick 9 or 10 inch skillet, well-seasoned cast iron skillet or crepe pan over medium heat for 1 minute or until it feels slightly uncomfortable to hold your open palm right above it. Grease it lightly but evenly with cooking oil.
• Holding the warm skillet at a 45° angle just above the flame, carefully pour about 5 tablespoons (a bit more than 1/4 cup) of batter right into the center of the skillet and swirl the pan to distribute the batter evenly across the entire flat surface of the pan.
• Once you get a rhythm going, you should be able to begin swirling as soon as the first drop of batter hits the pan. Cook over medium heat until the edges and underside of the crêpe are lightly golden brown (about 90 seconds).
• With a wide spatula (and/or your fingers, carefully), turn the pancake over and cook until the other side is lightly golden brown (about another 30 seconds). Slide the crêpe out of the skillet onto a parchment-lined plate.
• Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the finished crêpes on top of one another.
• The pancakes may be covered well with a moist towel and kept at room temperature for about 3 hours until you are ready to serve them, or wrapped tightly in freezer-safe wrap and frozen until ready to use.
• Defrost at room temperature, and refresh the crêpes in a warm, nonstick skillet for a few moments per side.

Video

Notes

Flour blend

Here are the ingredients you need for 245 grams of the gum-free blend: 162 grams superfine white rice flour + 54 grams potato starch + 29 grams tapioca starch/flour. Since I created Nicole's Best, I use that in place of this blend. 

If you don't have a blender

To make the batter without a blender, beat the eggs. Then place the flour blend in a large bowl, add the milk, beaten eggs, butter and salt, and whisk vigorously until very well combined.

Nutrition

Serving: 1crepe | Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 184IU | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg

FAQs

These extra soft, tender gluten free Hawaiian rolls have a lightly sweet, tropical flavor that's just right for savory sandwich fillings, or to serve alongside a salty meal.

They brown deeply in the oven with a generous egg wash that keeps the moisture in and develops a super thin, shiny shell as the rolls cool.

Why this recipe works

These Hawaiian rolls are made with plenty of pineapple juice for a unique lightly sweet, tropical, and tangy flavor. Enriched with butter, an egg, and some sugar, they have an incredibly tender, pillow-soft crumb, and turn deep golden brown in the oven.

Learn my secrets for making perfectly round rolls, then shape them into 8 full-size rounds for sandwich buns. Or try dividing the dough into 12 equal pieces, shaping them into classic rounds rather than pressing them into disks, and serving them as savory-sweet gluten free dinner rolls.

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these rolls at home, plus an explanation of the role that each ingredient plays in the expected results:

• Gluten free flour: Provides most of the structure for the rolls, so be sure to choose a well-balanced blend based on superfinely ground and sifted rice flour as an all purpose gluten free flour blend. I recommend Nicole's Best multipurpose gluten free flour blend or Vitacost's Multi-Blend Gluten Free Flour with added xanthan gum, or Better Batter's original all purpose blend without additional xanthan gum.
• Tapioca starch/flour: Adding additional tapioca starch (the same as tapioca flour) as a separate ingredient in addition to what is already in all my recommended gluten free flour blends adds stretch and chewiness to the rolls.
• Instant yeast: Provides the rise in these rolls. Instant yeast, also called bread machine or rapid rise yeast, has less of a protective shell around each grain than active dry yeast, so it doesn't have to be soaked before adding it to the other ingredients. If you'd prefer to use active dry yeast, you'll need 25% more yeast by weight for a bit below 8 grams, and you'll need to proof it first in some of the pineapple juice.
• Sugar: Adds some added sweetness, locks in moisture for tender rolls, feeds the yeast and helps the rolls brown deeply in the oven.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors and helps control the activity of the yeast.
• Butter: Adds richness, buttery flavor, and moisture for a tender, flavorful crumb.
• Egg: Helps the rolls rise, and the white helps the rolls hold their rise as they cool. The egg wash we brush on top of the rolls helps browning in the oven and gives the rolls a shine even as they cool.
• Pineapple juice: Adds tanginess, flavor and moisture to bring the roll dough together and hydrate the yeast so it's active. The classic flavor of Hawaiian rolls comes from using pineapple juice in place of milk or water. Make sure you're using pure 100% juice, without additives. I usually buy Trader Joe's brand canned juice, which has a little less than I need for this recipe, so I top it off with just a little water rather than opening a second can.
• Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor, complementing and enhancing the flavor of the pineapple juice.

How to make gluten free Hawaiian rolls (step by step photos)

This is a visual guide for how to make these rolls at home in your kitchen, including an explanation of why the recipe is written as it is. For full ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

Combine the dry ingredients
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the gluten free flour blend including xanthan gum, plus more tapioca starch, yeast, and sugar,. Whisk in the salt separately to avoid any possibility of the salt and yeast clumping together, since they operate at cross purposes.

Add the wet ingredients
To the dry ingredients, add the butter, egg, vanilla and pineapple juice, making sure that everything is at room temperature so everything combines completely and smoothly. Cold liquid will cause softened butter to clump.

Mix the dough
Add the paddle attachment, and mix on low speed first until the flours are moistened so everything stays in the mixing bowl. Increase the speed to medium, and beat until the dough begins to look whipped, like it has had more air incorporated into it. This helps create well-rising, less dense rolls.

Chill the dough
Transfer the dough to a bucket or bowl with a tight-fitting lid that’s large enough for the dough to expand to about double its size, although it won't rise quite that much. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. This cold rise is for flavor development and to let the dry ingredients absorb some of the moisture, making the dough easier to shape.

Smooth the dough
When you're ready to work with the dough, turn it out onto a clean surface sprinkled lightly with tapioca flour, and dust the top with more. Turn the dough over a few times until it's no longer sticky.

Divide into equal portions
Use a bench scraper, cake turner, or sharp knife to cut the dough evenly in half, then each half into 4 equal parts for a total of 8 pieces, each weighing about 4 ounces. Equal sized rolls will rise and bake evenly together.

Shape the raw rolls
Pull the edges of each piece of dough toward the center, and pinch between your thumb and forefinger to secure. Flip the dough over so that the gathered edges are on the bottom.

Cup the palm of your dominant hand around the dough with the side nearest your pinky resting on the flat surface. This side of your hand should always maintain contact with the surface.

Move your hand in a tight circle to round the edges, using your fingers to coax the sides upward. Press each round into a round, flat disk with your palm to make rolls with a wider bottom for proper sandwiches.

Let rise covered
Place the shaped pieces of dough on a lined baking sheet, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Make sure it's secured all around the perimeter so the rolls maintain enough moisture to allow them to rise.

Brush with an egg wash
After 30 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and brush generously with an egg wash. The egg wash will keep them from drying out even without the plastic covering. It also helps the rolls brown in the oven and creates a thin glossy shine during baking.

Finish rising
Let the rolls finish rising uncovered until they're at least 50% bigger in size than when they started. They won't fully double. If the dough begins to dimple or look pockmarked, the rise is breaking through and the rolls are beginning to overproof.

Bake
As soon as the rolls are done rising, or if you see signs of overproofing, place them right into the oven and bake at 375°F. They're done baking when they're golden brown all over, appear tight across the top, and register at least 185°F on an instant read thermometer. Cover the hot rolls loosely in a tea towel to trap moisture as the hot rolls cool, keeping the crust from getting too crispy or drying out.

Expert tips

The first rise has a different purpose

When you first make the dough, you'll seal it in an airtight container and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. This is a “cold rise,” but don't worry about how much the dough actually rises. As long as the yeast is activated by adding moisture to it, the dough will develop some flavor.

This rest is also designed to give the flour time to absorb some of the moisture in the egg, juice, and butter, making the dough easier to handle and shape. Avoid letting it sit for much longer than 3 days, though, or it will taste too yeasty for Hawaiian rolls and the rise after shaping may be more irregular and uncontrolled.

Handle the dough lightly

As you incorporate additional flour into the raw dough during shaping, you're lowering the overall amount of moisture in the dough, which can prevent a proper rise. To avoid adding too much extra flour, work with the dough cold, handle it more with your fingertips than with your palms, and keep it moving so it doesn't have a chance to stick to anything other than itself.

If you don't have a stand mixer

You can't make a well-incorporated dough that rises smoothly by hand here. A handheld mixer with miniature balloon attachments won't work, and will incorporate too much air into the dough.

If you don't have a stand mixer with a paddle attachment try using a food processor with the plastic, and be careful not to overprocess or heat the dough.

Ingredient substitutions

If you need to eliminate other allergens from the rolls, here are my suggestions for how to do that.

Dairy free

Instead of dairy butter, try block-style vegan butter like Melt, Miyoko's, or Trader Joe's brands.

Egg free

These rolls contain only one egg in the dough, and one egg in an optional egg wash. In place of the egg in the bread dough, try using a chia egg, Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, or JustEgg refrigerated liquid egg replacer. In place of the egg wash on top of the shaped rolls, try brushing them with cream.

Pineapple juice

If you can't have pineapple juice or just don't want to use it, try apple juice for a similar, although more mild, lightly sweet roll. You can also use milk in place of pineapple juice, in equal amounts, for a rich, tender and not really very sweet roll. Nothing else in the recipe has to change.

Storage instructions

Once completely cool, each leftover roll can be wrapped tightly in freezer-safe wrap and frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, sprinkle lightly with water, and refresh in the microwave or a toaster oven.

Print

Gluten Free Hawaiian Rolls Recipe

Super soft, lightly sweet gluten free Hawaiian rolls are highly enriched, impossibly tender rolls with the most tender crumb. Use them as sandwich rolls, or just enjoy a toasted roll with butter.

Course Bread, Rolls

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free Hawaiian rolls

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Rising time 13 hours hours

Servings 8 bun-size rolls

Calories 344kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Stand mixer with dough hook (gf bread flour) or paddle attachment (all purpose gf flour)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend See Recipe Notes for help choosing
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• ½ cup tapioca starch/flour plus more for sprinkling
• 2 ⅓ teaspoons instant yeast
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups pineapple juice at room temperature
• Egg wash 1 egg, at room temperature, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the bread dough

• Place the all purpose gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, and tapioca starch, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer, and use a handheld whisk to combine well. Add the salt, and whisk to combine again.
• Add the butter, egg, vanilla, and pineapple juice, and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until just combined. Raise the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes or until it begins to take on a whipped appearance, sticking to the sides of the bowl and stretching from the paddle to the sides.
• Spray a silicone spatula lightly with cooking oil spray, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl or proofing bucket large enough for the dough to rise to double its size, and cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap (or the oiled top of your proofing bucket).
• Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.

Shape the rolls

• On baking day, line a large rimmed baking sheet and set it aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the dough lightly with more flour, and turn over a few times until it appears smoother and is less sticky.
• Use a floured bench scraper, cake turner or large sharp knife to divide the dough into 8 pieces of equal size, each weighing about 4 ounces.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape it into a round by rolling it with a floured palm in circles on the lightly floured surface. Handle the dough lightly and keep it moving in a circle with your palm, keeping your pinky and that side of your hand in contact with the surface all the time.
• Pinch together any cracks and keep shaping, sprinkling lightly with flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Use your palm or 4 fingers of your hand to press down the round of dough into a disk for even rising.
• Place the first roll in the prepared baking pan. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, placing the rolls less than an inch apart from one another.

Let the shaped rolls rise

• Cover the baking pan with oiled plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm, draft-free location to rise for 30 minutes.
• Uncover the pan and brush the rolls generously with the egg wash. Allow the rolls to finish rising, uncovered, until at least 50% larger than when you began, about 20 to 30 minutes more.
• Preheat your oven 375°F, while the rolls finish rising. If they begin to take on a dimpled appearance, they have begun to overproof and should begin baking immediately.

Bake

• Place the baking pan on the lower rack of the preheated oven and bake until golden brown all over, appear taut across the top, and the inside of the rolls registers at least 185°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 25 minutes.
• To maintain the softest crust on the rolls, cover them loosely with a tea towel while still hot out of the oven. Allow the rolls to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Video

Notes

Flour blend choice

I highly recommend Nicole's Best multipurpose gluten free flour blend or Vitacost's Multi-Blend Gluten Free Flour with added xanthan gum, or Better Batter's original all purpose blend without additional xanthan gum. Poorer quality flour blends that aren't balanced well will not work in shaped yeast bread like this.

To build your own blend or learn more about this important subject, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page here on the blog. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

This easy gluten-free peanut butter cookies recipe, made crispy and crunchy and in the classic crosshatch style, is rich with tons of peanut butter flavor. For peanut butter lovers only!

Why this recipe works

These classic crunchy peanut butter cookies are made with a rich, thick cookie dough that has more peanut butter than anything else. Every batch of 24 cookies has almost a full pound of smooth peanut butter, and over 80% more peanut butter than flour! That gives it the most peanut flavor, makes the best crispy cookies.

The original purpose of the crosshatch pattern in the top of the cookie was to ensure that the cookies bake evenly, all the way to the center. To maintain the round shape of the cookies and keep them from splintering around the edge, I like to press them into disks before adding the crosshatch pattern.

Recipe ingredients

This is what you need to make these cookies, plus an explanation of the role that each plays in the perfect end result:

• Gluten free flour: Provides much of the structure for the cookies. You need a well-balanced blend containing superfine rice flour to avoid any of the grittiness that ruins gluten free baked goods. My favorite blends are Better Batter's original blend, Nicole's Best multipurpose gluten free flour with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 should also work, since it works well in most cookies, but you may need to add an additional 1/4 teaspoon more xanthan gum, since the blend generally has too little.
• Peanut butter: Adds almost all of the flavor of these cookies, and also contributes to the classic crispy, crunchy texture. You'll need almost a whole jar of peanut butter. I usually use Jif, Skippy or Peter Pan brands, which are generally gluten free. Avoid anything with additional flavors, and make sure yours doesn't separate in the jar.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor, helps the cookies spread in the oven, and keeps the cookies from being chewy.
• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and locks in moisture for a crumbly cookies that's still never dry. Also helps the cookies brown in the oven.
• Light brown sugar: Also adds sweetness and locks in moisture, plus color and depth of flavor from the molasses.
• Salt: Brightens other flavors.
• Baking soda: Reacts with the acid in the brown sugar and the peanut butter to create rise. Helps the cookies brown.
• Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor. You can also use an equal amount of vanilla bean paste for more flavor.
• Eggs: Help add rise and structure, keeping the cookies from falling as they cool.

How to make gluten-free peanut butter cookies (step by step photos)

Here's an overview of how to make this recipe, with the “why” behind each step. For ingredient amounts and full details, please see the recipe card below.

Melt the butters
To make it easier to mix everything together and to ensure crunchy cookies, we melt the peanut butter with chopped butter until smooth. Then set it aside to cool so it doesn't scramble the eggs when we combine everything.

Combine the dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour (including xanthan gum), baking soda, salt and granulated sugar. Mix in the brown sugar separately, since there will be clumps you have break up. I like to use the back of the mixing spoon to press out the lumps.

Add the peanut butter mixture
Use the mixing spoon again to create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and then add in the melted butter and sugar. The cookie dough will be very thick and somewhat lumpy.

Add the eggs and vanilla
Adding the beaten eggs will smooth out the cookie dough. It should be soft and sticky, but not oily. If it feels greasy or oily, chill the dough for no more than 10 minutes so it doesn’t become stiff.

Shape the dough into disks
Scoop or pull off pieces of cookie dough about 2 tablespoons in volume, weighing about 1 ounce. Roll them into rounds between your clean palms, then press them into disks by cupping your palm around the dough to help them stay round. Then, use the fingers of your other hand to flatten the dough into a disk. The dough doesn't spread that much in the oven, so this is how we get them into the shape we want.

Make the crosshatch pattern
Wet the tines of a small fork, dip in some sugar for added sparkle, and press it into each disk. Rotate the tines of the fork 90° and press them again onto the cookie in the opposite direction for a # pattern so the cookies bake evenly. It's also nostalgic to give peanut butter cookies that shape.

Bake the cookies
Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until they’re pale golden all over. To make sure they don't blacken on the bottom before they're browned enough, reduce the oven temperature to about 325°F for the last few minutes of baking. They’ll crisp as they cool, so you have to judge doneness by color, not by touch.

Expert tips

Avoid “natural” peanut butter

Truly “natural peanut butter,” which is made of only peanuts and salt, with oil that separates in the jar and drips off the spoon at room temperature, won't work here. It makes the dough greasy and crumbly, and doesn't bake as expected. You need the no-stir type of peanut butter, which is usually blended with shortening to stabilize the mixture, keeping it creamy.

Shape the dough carefully

The raw cookie dough contains nearly a whole jar of peanut butter, making it very high in fat. That's why it's prone to cracking during shaping and baking. As you shape each ball of dough, cup it gently in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Use the fingers of your dominant hand to shape the dough into a disk and press in the tines of a fork for the crosshatch pattern. That will help it keep its round shape without splintering on the edges.

Ingredient substitutions

If you need to eliminate some allergens other than gluten, here are my recommendations of what to try:

Dairy free

In place of regular butter, try block-style vegan butter like Miyoko's, Melt, or Trader Joe's brand.

Egg free

You can try replacing each egg with 2 “chia eggs”, Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, or JustEgg refrigerated egg replacer. Flax eggs might perform best, but they will add a competing, earthy flavor.

Peanut butter free

If you can't have peanuts, this recipe works well with no-stir almond butter, but make sure it's no-stir creamy almond butter, like Barney Butter brand.

Storage instructions

These cookies will maintain their texture at room temperature for at least 5 days in a sealed glass container. Glass isn't porous, so it keeps out moisture, which would make the cookies soft, not crisp.

For longer storage, place in a freezer-safe container, eliminating as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.

You can freeze the raw cookie dough, but only if you shape it fully first. Then, defrost at room temperature and bake as usual.

Print

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

This easy gluten free peanut butter cookies recipe, made in the classic crosshatch style, is rich with tons of peanut butter flavor.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free peanut butter cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Optional chilling time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 184kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups smooth, creamy no-stir peanut butter the kind that doesn't separate at room temp
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter chopped
• 1 ½ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend See Recipe Notes
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Granulated sugar for dipping or sprinkling optional

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line large rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
• In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan or a microwave-safe bowl, place the peanut butter and chopped butter. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat (or in the microwave for about 45 seconds on high) and stir until just melted and smooth (less than 2 minutes). Set aside to cool briefly.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the light brown sugar, and mix to combine, working out any lumps by pressing down with the back of the spoon.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the melted peanut butter and butter mixture. Mix to combine.
• Add the beaten eggs and vanilla, and mix again to combine well. The cookie dough will be soft and sticky.
• If the cookie dough is too sticky or soft to handle, or it feels particularly greasy, cover it and refrigerate it for about 10 minutes. You can also cover the mixing bowl and let the dough sit for a few minutes to give the flour a chance to absorb some of the oil.
• Pull or scoop off pieces of dough, each about 2 tablespoons in volume and weighing about 1 ounce. Roll each piece of dough into a round between your palms.
• Press each ball into a disk about 1/2-inch thick, and place about 1 1/2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Wet the tines of a salad fork, dip in the optional extra sugar, and press the tines firmly into the top of each cookie while you hold the disk in the palm of your other hand. (See Recipe Notes)
• Rotate the dough in your palm 90°, then press the tines into the top of the same cookies in the opposite direction to make a crosshatch pattern. Return each disk to the baking sheet.
• Place the cookies, one baking sheet at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake.
• Bake until lightly golden brown all over, about 15 minutes. If the bottoms of the cookies seem to be browning more quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. For crunchier cookies, continue to bake until more brown (about another 3 minutes).
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet until set (at least 5 minutes) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• The cookies will be very fragile when they first come out of the oven, so it is very important to let them sit on the baking sheet until they are set. They will crisp as they cool.

Video

Notes

Flour blend options
This recipe works best with Better Batter’s original blend or Nicole’s Best multipurpose flour with added xanthan gum. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 should work, too, but I'd recommend adding an extra 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum since the blend tends to be too low in gum.

Want to make your own blend? Check out my mock all purpose gluten free flour blends.

About dipping the fork in sugar
When you dip the fork in sugar, it sticks mostly to the top of the fork. I often also sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the additional sugar after shaping.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 78IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.4mg

FAQs

This gluten free Irish soda bread is a lightly sweet quick bread that tastes best slathered with some extra Irish butter. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day, or any day, the way you remember with this classic, golden brown soda bread!

Why this recipe works

Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread, not a yeast bread, but it's not your typical quick bread. You don't bake it in a loaf pan, to start. Plus, I make it more like a pastry, with clumps of cold butter, chilled buttermilk, and a light touch when handling.

Made this way, the bread is light, tender and buttery. But you can slice it perfectly, either in wedges or more traditional slices.

I first developed this recipe 2015 when my gluten free son's grammar school class was celebrating St. Patrick's Day by sharing Irish soda bread. He still remembers today how I made sure that he could have what everyone else did when he was small. Let's bring it all back, for ourselves and our gluten free loved ones!

Recipe ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this recipe, including the role each ingredient plays in a successful soda bread:

• Gluten free flour: Provides most of the structure for the soda bread. Choose a well-balanced flour blend with a base of superfine rice flour like Better Batter's original blend or Nicole's Best multipurpose with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 in the blue bag may also work with an additional 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum since it doesn't contain enough to provide the necessary binding.
• Baking soda and baking powder: Provide rise in the oven and help the soda bread brown.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors.
• Cream of tartar: Along with the acid in the buttermilk, reacts with baking soda to create a full rise in the oven. Adds a slight tangy flavor, too.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness that complements the dried fruit and locks in moisture for a tender crumb.
• Butter: Adds buttery flavor and creates steam as the clumps of cold fat layered between flour expands, lifting the dough. It also helps the bread brown.
• Raisins: Add sweetness, a bit of moisture, and helps make the bread more festive as a special occasion holiday treat.
• Buttermilk: Adds moisture, tanginess, and reacts with baking soda to create rise.
• Eggs: Help bind the dough together and create structure that helps the bread keep its shape as it cools.

How to make gluten free Irish soda bread (step by step photos)

Here's a visual representation of how to make this recipe in your own kitchen. For full instructions and ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below.

1. Combine dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum, baking powder and soda, salt, cream of tartar and sugar. Whisk well to avoid any pockets of leavener and create a cohesive dough.

2. Add butter
Starting with very cold butter, use a coarse grater to shred the butter into the bowl of dry ingredients and toss to coat. You can also dice the butter, toss it in the dry ingredients and flatten the pieces into shards between floured fingers. Either way will scatter cold clumps of butter throughout for an even rise.

3. Mix in raisins
Add the raisins or other dried fruit pieces to the mixing bowl, and mix gently until evenly scattered in the dry ingredients. The mixture will look dry and clumpy.

4. Whisk wet ingredients
In a small bowl or 2 cup or larger measuring cup, whisk together cold eggs and buttermilk. It's best to beat the eggs first for about 30 seconds to ensure the yolks and whites are fully combined for a smooth mixture.

5. Add wet to dry
Create a well in the center of the ingredients in the mixing bowl and pour in the cold buttermilk mixture. That makes it easy to combine with a mixing spoon without overmixing to combine, which can melt the cold butter. If there are any very dry pockets of flour, add a bit more buttermilk sparingly to just those parts until the dough holds together.

6. Shape the loaf
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface (on a piece of parchment if you're baking in a cast iron skillet) and shape gently into a round disk about 9-inches in diameter. Handle lightly so you don't melt the butter and don't compress the dough too much.

7. Score
Use a large, sharp knife and slice a cross or X about 1-inch deep into the center of the loaf, stopping about 1-inch away from the edges of the disk all around. This will allow steam to escape during baking.

8. Bake
Lift the shaped loaf (on parchment if using) into the center of your baking pan or skillet. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until the loaf is lightly golden brown all over, firm to the touch in the center, and a tester pressed down into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet).

Pay attention to all doneness indicators, not the clock, when determining that the loaf is done baking. If you're baking in a cast iron skillet, the baking time may be shorter and the crust will likely be crisper.

9. Let cool, slice and serve
Allow the loaf to cool in the pan until stable enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. Slide out any paper lining between the loaf and the wire rack so air can circulate all around during cooling.

Expert tips

Keep your ingredients cold

Keep the butter cold to allow it to expand in the oven and lighten the crumb of the bread. Like with gluten free biscuits, handle the dough lightly so the heat of your hands doesn't melt the butter and begin with very cold buttermilk.

Slice the raw bread fully

The deep cross sliced into the raw soda bread dough lets heat escape during baking. Be sure to slice it about 1-inch thick to allow the bread to bake fully all the way in the center of this large loaf, without splitting haphazardly. Also, slicing the shape of cross into the bread was originally thought to let the devil out of your Irish soda bread!

Use real buttermilk or a proper sub

Real buttermilk is not just acidic and slightly curdled, it thicker than milk, so it has less moisture. Adding some lemon juice or other acid to milk only creates acidity, but does not mimic real buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, use plain lowfat kefir, or half plain Greek-style yogurt or sour cream and half whole milk, by volume.

Ingredients and substitutions

Dairy free

Try replacing the cold, chopped butter with Melt brand or Miyoko’s Kitchen brand vegan butter. In place of buttermilk, use half plain nondairy yogurt and half unsweetened nondairy milk with a similar texture to cow's milk, by volume. My favorite nondairy milks here are coconut milk in the carton and soy milk.

Egg free

There are two eggs in this recipe. You might be able to replace each with chia eggs, Bob's Red Mill egg replacer, or JustEgg liquid egg replacer. If you choose to use flax eggs, keep in mind that they will add an earthy flavor.

Raisins

You can use currants or chopped dried apricots or prunes in place of raisins. In place of raisins, you can also try chopped raw unsalted walnuts or pecans, but you may need to add a bit more buttermilk since the dried fruit adds a bit of extra moisture. If you omit the raisins entirely, your loaf will be somewhat smaller and will probably bake a bit faster.

Storage instructions

Once cooled, you can wrap leftover Irish soda bread tightly in plastic wrap or Glad Press ‘n' Seal and store it at room temperature for about 2 days. Refresh slices by sprinkling lightly with lukewarm water and toasting lightly.

For longer storage, wrap tightly in freezer-safe wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend slicing the loaf before freezing it so you can defrost individual slices rather than the whole remaining loaf. Defrost at room temperature or in the toaster.

Print

Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread Recipe

This authentic-tasting gluten free Irish soda bread, made with baking soda and buttermilk, & no yeast. A classic Irish-American bread!

Course Bread

Cuisine Irish

Keyword gluten free Irish soda bread

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 10 slices

Calories 420kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

• 4 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend plus more for sprinkling (See Recipe Notes for choice of blend)
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter kept very cold
• 1 ½ cups raisins or currants (plus up to 1/2 cup more, if desired)
• 2 eggs chilled and beaten
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk chilled (plus more as necessary)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease and line a 9-inch round baking pan or line a 9-inch or 10-inch cast iron skillet with parchment paper, and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well.
• Using a standard coarse grater, grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients, and mix gently to distribute the butter evenly through the mixture. You can also dice the cold butter, toss it in the dry ingredients to coat in flour, then flatten each piece of butter between floured fingers.
• Add the raisins or currants (or up to 1/2 cup more, as desired), and toss to coat the pieces in the dry ingredients.
• Place 1 1/2 cups of the chilled buttermilk in a large measuring cup or bowl with a pour spout, add the eggs, and whisk to combine well.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk and egg mixture and mix gently to combine. The dough should come together.
• With clean hands, knead the dough gently. If there are any spots that are dry and crumbly, add more buttermilk sparingly by the tablespoon as necessary to bring the dough together.
• If using a baking pan, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. If using a cast iron skillet, remove the parchment from the pan, sprinkle it lightly with flour, and turn the dough out onto that. Sprinkle the top lightly with more flour.
• Pat the dough into a round that is approximately 9-inches in diameter, piling it slightly higher toward the center. Sprinkle lightly with more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
• If using a round baking pan, place the dough gently inside of it. If using a cast iron skillet, lift the paper with the dough on it and place back into the skillet.
• With a very sharp knife, slice a large “X” on the top about 1-inch deep (each slash should be about 6-inches long). If the dough seems to have warmed during handling, place the pan or skillet in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes or until the butter is once again firm.
• Place the baking pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake until lightly golden brown all over, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet), and the bread is firm to the touch (about 45 minutes). If you've used a cast iron skillet, the bread may bake faster than if you've used a cast aluminum round baking pan.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool until stable (30 to 60 minutes). Remove any paper from below the bread.
• Slice and serve warm, with butter. It's also excellent the next day, toasted.

Video

Notes

Flour blend choices

I recommend Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour and Nicole's Best multipurpose blend with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour may also work, as long as you add 3/4 teaspoon additional xanthan gum since the blend has xanthan gum, but not enough. 

To make your own blend, visit my all purpose gluten free flour blends page for DIY “mock” recipes. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 426mg | Potassium: 257mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 317IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 1mg

These gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are soft, warmly spiced, and packed with real carrot flavor. They have the classic taste you expect from carrot cake in a perfectly portioned cupcake.

They have less flour than gluten free carrot cake needs since they're supported by the muffin wells, so the crumb is extra tender. They strike that ideal balance between sweetness and spice, without being overly rich.

Why this recipe works

The carrots are grated on the larger holes of a box grater, not finely shredded. That small detail changes everything.

The thicker shreds soften in the oven while still holding their shape, so they add sweetness and structure instead of disappearing into the batter. That means we can use almost as much carrot as flour, for a moist, flavorful crumb with visible flecks of carrot throughout.

The balance of oil, brown sugar, and spice keeps the flavor carrot-forward without feeling greasy or overly sweet. It also keeps the cupcakes tender even when chilled.

Recipe ingredients

These are the ingredients you'll need to make these carrot cake cupcakes, including some information about the role each plays in the perfect result.

• Carrots: Add gentle, slightly earthy sweetness to the cupcakes as they soften and their natural sugars and moisture are released in the oven. These cupcakes can hold almost as much grated carrot as gluten free flour without collapsing because we grate the carrots coarsely. That way, they maintain some structure rather than melting into the cake.
• Gluten free flour blend: Provides most of the structure for the cupcakes. Select well-balanced blend with a finely ground rice flour as its base like Better Batter's original gluten free flour blend or Nicole's Best with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free blend with an additional 1/4 teaspoon gum should also work. We use less flour here than in our gluten free carrot cake recipe since cupcakes bake more quickly and have the support of the muffin wells for baking structure.
• Baking soda & baking powder: Help the cupcakes rise. The baking soda reacts with acid in the brown sugar and buttermilk, and helps the cupcakes brown in the oven.
• Salt: Brightens all the other flavors.
• Ground cinnamon: Adds deep, warm flavor to the cake and enhances the natural flavor of the carrots.
• Granulated & light brown sugars: Lock in moisture, add sweetness, and help the cupcakes brown. The molasses in the brown sugar also adds depth of flavor and reacts with the baking soda to create rise.
• Oil: Creates a velvety crumb and mouthfeel and keeps the cake moist even when cold, unlike butter. Any neutral oil will work, like vegetable, canola, grapeseed, avocado, or peanut oil. Avoid anything with competing flavors like olive oil.
• Eggs: Help bind the cupcakes together. The yolks add richness and the whites help the cupcakes maintain their rise even as they cool.
• Buttermilk: Brings the mixture together with moisture, adds a lightly tangy taste that balances the richness of the oily so the cupcakes don't taste or feel oily. Reacts with baking soda to enhance the rise. If you don't have buttermilk, try plain lowfat kefir or half sour cream and half milk, by volume.
• Vanilla: Adds complex depth of flavor and a touch of sweetness when you use vanilla bean paste. If you don't have vanilla bean paste, you can use pure vanilla extract.
• White chocolate chips: A small amount adds pockets of simple, rich sweetness for an overall more decadent flavor.

How to make gluten free carrot cake cupcakes (step by step photos)

For visual learners like me, here are step by step photos that illustrate how to make these cupcakes in your own kitchen. For exact ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

1. Prepare the dry ingredients
Other than a grater for the carrots, you'll only need a single large mixing bowl to make the cupcake batter. In it, whisk together the gluten free flour blend including xanthan gum (plus a bit more if you're using Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1), baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, granulated sugar and brown sugar. You'll need to use the back of a mixing spoon to break up the inevitable lumps in your brown sugar.

2. Add the wet ingredients
Make a well in the center of the well-combined dry ingredients to make it easier to mix in the wet ingredients fully. Add neutral oil, beaten eggs, buttermilk and vanilla bean paste, and mix until combined. The mixture should be smooth and will be soft, especially because of the oil, which is fully liquid at room temperature.

3. Add the mix-ins
Add grated carrots and white chocolate chips (or another mix-in, like chopped pecans), and mix until uniformly mixed throughout the cupcake batter. We add the carrots at the end to make it easier to mix everything else fully first for a uniform batter that bakes evenly.

4. Bake the cupcakes
Fill the wells of standard, lined 12-well cupcake tin about 3/4 of the way with the batter. If your cupcake wells are smaller than mine, you may have some leftover batter. Don't fill the wells more, since you want cupcakes to bake flat, not domed like muffins, so you can frost them easily.

Expert tips

Don't overfill the cupcake tin

Cupcakes are meant to bake flat, not domed, like gluten free muffins, to maximize the surface area available for frosting. That's why we have a thinner raw batter, bake at a lower temperature for less structure and a more delicate crumb, and only fill the wells of the tin no more than 3/4 of the way. If you have extra batter because your muffin tin wells are smaller than mine, make more cupcakes!

Coarsely grate the carrots

Choose the largest regular hole on your box grater, with each hole about 1/4-inch wide, to grate the carrots. They're small enough to fully soften in the oven so the cupcakes are tender, but thick enough to hold their shape without releasing too much moisture. They even help give the cupcakes some of their structure this way.

Use only freshly-grated carrots

Avoid pre-shredded carrots, which are too thick and don't have enough moisture. They may not fully soften in the oven and they won't be sweet enough. In fact, for the sweetest cupcakes, only grate your carrots from the middle to the tapered end, where the carrots are sweetest and most flavorful.

Vary your mix-ins

If you don't like white chocolate chips, don't have them, or have to avoid dairy, try using any other dry mix-ins you like. You can use raisins or other small dried fruit, chopped pecans or walnuts, or another flavor gluten free chocolate chip (cinnamon chips are delicious). Measure by weight, not volume, for precision in this and every other ingredient.

Try canned frosting

For the easiest carrot cupcakes, consider using canned, store-bought frosting rather than making your own. Without butter to soften, these cupcakes are really quick and easy, so you don't necessarily need to complicate them by making your own frosting. Try Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting.

Ingredient substitutions

If you have to cater to additional allergens other than gluten, here are my suggestions for how to do that. Keep in mind that chopped pecans are optional, so if you have to be nut-free, just leave those out.

Dairy free

In place of buttermilk in the cupcakes, use 1 1/2 fluid ounces (3 tablespoons) dairy free sour cream or Greek-style yogurt and 1 1/2 fluid ounces unflavored dairy free milk (I like coconut milk in the carton or soy milk). Use dairy free white chocolate chips or replace them with another flavor of dairy free chips, small dried fruit pieces and/or chopped walnuts or pecans.

For the frosting, I recommend using canned cream cheese frosting like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker, which are usually free of dairy and gluten.

Egg free

In place of the 2 eggs, you can try chia eggs, Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, or JustEgg liquid egg replacer in the refrigerated section.

Print

Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe

These gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are soft, warmly spiced, and have almost as much shredded carrot as flour for tons of flavor!

Course Cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free carrot cake cupcakes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Cooling time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 cupcakes

Calories 256kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Equipment

• Stand mixer or handheld mixer for making the frosting

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 1 cup all purpose gluten free flour blend See Recipe Notes
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅜ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup neutral oil (like sunflower, grapeseed, canola or vegetable oil)
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• ⅜ cup buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups peeled and coarsely-grated carrots (See Recipe Notes) (from about 2 medium carrots)
• ½ cup gluten free white chocolate chips (can replace with any other dry mix-ins)

For cream cheese frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar plus more as necessary
• Chopped pecans for decorating (optional)

Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the cupcakes

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin, and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Whisk to combine well. Break up any lumps of brown sugar with the back of a mixing spoon.

• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the oil, beaten eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla, and mix to combine. The mixture will be very soft and quite thin.
• 
Add the grated carrots to the mixture, plus the white chocolate chips, and mix until evenly distributed throughout. The batter will thicken a bit as you mix.
• Fill the wells of the prepared muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full with batter. Shake the pan back and forth to distribute it evenly in each well.
• Place the muffin tin in the center of the preheated oven and bake until they’re uniformly lightly golden brown on top, spring back when pressed gently in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out not wet, but may have a few moist crumbs attached (18 to 20 minutes).
• Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for no more than 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. A small offset spatula slipped underneath each cupcake can help remove them while still hot without burning your fingers.

Make the frosting

• While the cupcakes are cooling, in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer), place the cream cheese and butter.
 Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Add the salt, and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low speed until the sugar is absorbed. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the frosting is thickened and fluffy, about 2 minutes more.

• Beat in more confectioners’ sugar as necessary to thicken the frosting enough to hold its shape when scooped with a spoon.

Decorate the cupcakes

• To frost the cupcakes, pipe a generous swirl of frosting using a large open piping tip, or snip the corner off a zip-top bag for a homemade version. You can also use an ice cream scoop to place a large dollop of frosting on top of each. Swirl with a spatula or spoon.
• Top with chopped pecans, if desired.

Notes

Choosing a flour blend
For expected results, use one of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends (like Better Batter original blend or Nicole’s Best multipurpose with added xanthan gum as directed in the recipe). If you use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, add an extra heaping 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to avoid crumbly cupcakes. 

To make your own blend using one of my “mock” recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page.

Grating the carrots
On a standard box grater, use the large holes which are about 1/4-inch in diameter. It's the side you'd use for mozzarella cheese. Do not use the finer grate. You should be able to see each individual shred. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1frosted cupcake | Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 2971IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Storage instructions

Since these cupcakes are made with oil, not butter, you can store them in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let them come closer to room temperature before serving.

For longer storage, freeze unfrosted cupcakes wrapped tightly for up to 3 months, and defrost at room temperature or in the microwave for about 20 seconds each. Frosted cupcakes can also be frozen, but will have to defrost at room temperature.