Looking for a soft and chewy gluten free chocolate chip cookie bar recipe? I have the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe that is made with almond flour! They are soft and chewy without being crumbly, just like a traditional cookie bar.
They're so good in fact, your friends who can eat gluten won't even know they are gluten free (trust me, I tried these on multiple families and NO ONE, even the kids, guessed that they were gluten free!)
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
I love cooking and sharing food with friends and I LOVE having a few really simple, but really solid, gluten free recipes up my sleeve. That way, when I'm cooking for someone who eats gluten free, I can make food that they will love too. The best part is, I don't have to make an exclusive pan of something special. I just make these cookie bars and everyone eats them and loves them because you can't even tell they are gluten free!
I'm working with my very favorite long term partner today, Bob's Red Mill, and featuring their almond flour. It's so easy to work with, has a light texture and flavor, and is so easy to get (I just put in an order on their website every few months to stock up on pantry staples). I know you all love and use Bob's Red Mill in your kitchens as much as I do, so here's a fabulous recipe for you.
Don't let alternative flours scare you, with a solid recipe they are really easy to use! Almond flour is fun because not only is it gluten free but it's fully grain free too, so it can fit into a lot of dietary needs!
Here's how you make almond flour chocolate chip cookie bars:
- Add softened butter and brown sugar to a bowl and mix it until fully combined. I just used a spoon for this recipe, you can use a mixer if you want too.
- Add the egg and vanilla. This will loosen up the mixture so now you can really beat it well. Beat until it's light and fluffy, about 2 minutes by hand.
- Add the Bob's Red Mill almond flour and other dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add the chocolate chips (use whatever kinds you like best, it's flexible!) and combine.
- Add the cookie bars to a pan and spread them out. I like to line the pan with parchment so that I can pull them out after baking to cut them up pretty.
- Bake, cool, cut, serve, DEVOUR!
See! They aren't fussy, they are no harder than making traditional chocolate chip cookie bars and they turn out just as well.
What is almond flour?
Almond flour is a really fun product! Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour is made from the finest California-grown almonds, which have been blanched and ground to a fine meal that is ideal for gluten free baking. Almond flour is also a must-have for paleo and grain free baking recipes. So it's literally just ground almond, or almond meal. I like Bob's Red Mill brand because they blanch the almond which helps the skins to come off. You get a finer flour that way and I think it looks better, tastes better, and has a better texture when used in baking.
Tips for gluten free baking:
- Follow a solid recipe: If I'm new to a product or baking technique I like to use a recipe I know will work. I'll often search Bob's Red Mill's website or go to a gluten free cookbook as a resource. I tested and tweaked this recipe 4 times (my poor kids) to get it just right, so I know you'll have success!
- Buy quality ingredients: good flour (*cough*like-Bob's-Red-Mill*cough*), good chocolate chips, quality butter, all of these things help to make a really delicious dessert in the end.
- Don't make your own substitutions right out of the gate. Try the recipes as written to get a feel for it first. Alternative flours often absorb liquid and fats differently than traditional flours, so you'll want to get an idea of what they are doing and how they bake up before playing with them.
Even if you aren't a gluten free family, it's great to have a few gluten free recipes up your sleeve. I make these bars and take them to church things so that one of my girlfriends has a treat she knows she can have. I make them too when my father-in-law is going to a family dinner, he's gluten free too.
Seriously though, who's so excited to make these?!
A few other gluten free dessert recipes for you:
- Rich and Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe
- The Best Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Easy Healthy No-Bake Cheesecake
Gluten Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies Bars
- Total Time: 55 min
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill almond flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a 9x9 inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Spray the foil or parchment paper with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the butter and brown sugar and beat until well combine, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the almond flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and stir until combine.
- Add ¾ of the chocolate chips, reserving ¼ to sprinkle on the top. Stir to combine.
- Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of the dough in the pan and gently press them down.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. The cookie bars with be slightly puffy and golden brown on top.
- Let the cookie bars cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before using the foil or parchment to help remove the chocolate chip cookies bars from the pan.
- Place the bars on a cutting board and cut into 16 even pieces.
- Enjoy warm, at room temperature, or even frozen.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Notes
- You'll be shocked how traditional these cookies bars are in taste and texture. I made them a few times to get things just right and I had lots of people sample them. Not one person guessed they were gluten free.
- You can sub arrow root powder for the cornstarch if you prefer.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten free chocolate chip cookie bars, chocolate chip cookies bars, how to make gluten free dessert, almond flour dessert, almond flour recipe, almond flour chocolate chip cookies, almond flour chocolate chip cookie bars, chewy gluten free chocolate chip cookies
Disclosure: This recipe was sponsored by and created in partnership with Bob's Red Mill. Thank you for supporting the brand that make Bless this Mess possible and that I use and love in my kitchen daily.
You are going to love how soft and chewy these gluten free chocolate chip cookies bars are, and you'll be even more surprised at just how easy it is to bake with almond flour.
Heather Lewis
This recipe is delicious! It is my go to gluten free chocolate chip recipe now. Thanks Melissa! I’ve tried probably 29 other recipes in 4 years and these bars hit the spot!!
★★★★★
Nikki
These were so good and easy my 9 year old made them for me
★★★★★
Melissa
Awww I love that, I'm so glad they were able to make them for you!
Veronica
How to adjust ingredients to make a 9x13 sz pan?
TIA!
Melissa
I double it and bake it for 30-35 minutes
Julie
Hi Melissa, this recipe is amazing! Made them several times for my family!
Kaysha
I made these the other night with my friend who has to eat gluten free, and we were grateful to find a recipe she can eat, yet does not taste ‘gritty’ because of the almond flour! The amount of chocolate chips in these bars make for a very gooey, yet extremely tasty bar! Thanks for the recipe!!
★★★★★
Gabby
I made these cookie bars the other day, before Christmas, fantastic recipe!! Really, would never know they are “gluten free” I did need to substitute, almond flour with coconut flour. I only had 1.5 cups of almond flour.
I found that you can substitute, just need to do 1/4 cup of coconut flour for every cup of almond flour and add 1 egg.
not sure I would try with all coconut flour but the sub for the 1 cup worked and they were heavenly!! I did need to cook for 10 more min.
they were delicious and will be making these again. Not a fan of people who change recipes, but I know when baking sometimes helpful to have a substitute!
thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Katie
Thank you! This exact thing happened toThank you! This exact thing happened to me!
deb c
The poor kids having to be your guinea pigs!
Melissa
It's a hard life having to live next to me...