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Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

· Updated on 2/7/19 Cookies

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Homemade Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies have sweet chocolate chips and chewy salted caramel in every bite! These cookies are chewy in the center with crispy edges and so good, no one will be able to tell they are gluten free!

3 Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies Close Up on a White Background

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This recipe for Gluten Free Salted Caramel Cookies is the first variation that I made using my basic Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies recipe. And, it just so happens to be my favorite, although they are all pretty amazing!

In the base recipe, I had mentioned that while creating a few varieties of dark chocolate cookies that were not gluten free, I felt a little bad that my gluten free fiancé couldn’t enjoy them with us. I decided to attempt to recreate that recipe into a gluten free version for him. It turned out that we all love them!

The only differences between this recipe and the base recipe for the dark chocolate cookies is that I use a gluten free all purpose flour (see the recipe notes for more information on what brands work best) and regular unsweetened cocoa rather than dark.

Why This Recipe Works

  • These homemade gluten free cookies taste just as delicious as a non-gluten free version.
  • The cookies come out of the oven soft in the center with crispy edges just as you’d expect any homemade cookie to be. They hold up perfectly!
  • The flavor combination of sweet chocolate and chewy salted caramel is just too delicious not to try!

How to Make Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep!

Make sure to set your butter out to come to room temperature about an hour before you begin baking. If your butter is too warm (if you microwave it to soften it this can happen) or too cold, the cookies may not turn out perfectly.

When you are ready to begin, preheat your oven to 350°F.

Create!

Dry ingredients for chocolate cookies in a silver bowl with a spoon on wood background

In a medium bowl, combine the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

Butter and sugar creamed together until smooth in a silver mixing bowl on a wood background

Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream together on medium speed until completely smooth.

Butter and sugar creamed together with the eggs and vanilla in a silver bowl with a green spatula on a wood background

Lower the speed and add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cookie dough in a silver mixing bowl on a wood background

Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and caramel pieces.

Tip: to get cookies that look like the ones in the photos, leave some of the mix-ins to the side, then press them on top of the dough balls before putting them in the oven. 

Cookie dough with extra chips and caramel pieces pushed on top of them on a silpat baking mat

Drop by the tablespoon full about 2 inches apart on to a baking sheet.

Tip:  using a Silpat mat like the one pictured above not only helps keep cookies from sticking, but came in especially handy with this recipe because the melted caramel came right off as well!  

Bake 9-10 minutes until cooked through.

Present!

A single gluten free salted caramel cookie up close on a silpat mat

Sprinkle on the salt the salt, then allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to prevent breakage.

Tips & Techniques for the Best Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Set the butter out at least an hour before you begin baking to let it come to room temperature. If the butter is too warm (as it might be if you were to soften it using a microwave etc.) or too cold, the cookies may not turn out perfectly.
  • Don’t pack the flour into the measuring cup. Simply spoon it in and level off the top.
  • Using a Silpat mat helps keep the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet, but also made it easy to remove any melted caramel as well.
  • Be sure to allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. If you attempt to move them too soon, they may break. They “set-up” more as they cool.
  • The best caramel for this recipe is Kraft traditional caramels cut into smaller pieces (not the bits – they don’t melt). I have tried Werther’s soft caramels and even though they tasted really good, they melted way too much.
  • Store extra cookies in an air-tight container and use within a week for the best results.

FAQ’s

  • What is the best gluten free all purpose flour to use for baking cookies? I have made this recipe with both Pillsbury Gluten Free All Purpose Flour and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. I found that the cookies made with Pillsbury puffed up a little more, but broke a little easier. The cookies made with Bob’s Red Mill had more “crinkling” on top but held up a little better.
  • Can you freeze these gluten free cookies? Yes. You can roll out the dough ahead of time and store it in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to add a couple minutes to the bake time.  You can also freeze baked cookies on a baking sheet first, then transfer to a freezer bag.

Other Recipes to Try

I have several more recipes for variations of gluten free chocolate cookies:

Love this Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe?  Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more!

3 Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies Close Up on a White Background
Print
Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

These homemade Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies have sweet chocolate chips and chewy, salted caramel in every bite!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Gluten Free
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 146 kcal
Author: Lauren
Ingredients
Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

  2. In a medium bowl, combine the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
  3. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream together on medium speed until completely smooth. Lower the speed and add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.

  4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.

  5. Stir in the chocolate chips and salted caramel pieces.

  6. Drop by the tablespoon full about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet (I use a Silpat Mat to prevent sticking)

  7. Bake 9-10 minutes until cooked through.

  8. Remove from the oven and sprinkle on the salt.

  9. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to prevent breakage

Recipe Notes

Tips & Techniques for the Best Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Set the butter out at least an hour before you begin baking to let it come to room temperature. If the butter is too warm (as it might be if you were to soften it using a microwave etc.) or too cold, the cookies may not turn out perfectly.
  • Don’t pack the flour into the measuring cup. Simply spoon it in and level off the top.
  • Using a Silpat mat helps keep the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet, but also made it easy to remove any melted caramel as well.
  • Be sure to allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. If you attempt to move them too soon, they may break. They “set-up” more as they cool.
  • The best caramel for this recipe is Kraft traditional caramels cut into smaller pieces (not the bits - they don't melt). I have tried Werther's soft caramels and even though they tasted really good, they melted way too much.
  • Store extra cookies in an air-tight container and use within a week for the best results.

FAQ's

  • What is the best gluten free all purpose flour to use for baking cookies? I have made this recipe with both Pillsbury Gluten Free All Purpose Flour and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. I found that the cookies made with Pillsbury puffed up a little more, but broke a little easier. The cookies made with Bob’s Red Mill had more “crinkling” on top but held up a little better.
  • Can you freeze these gluten free cookies? Yes. You can roll out the dough ahead of time and store it in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to add a couple minutes to the bake time.  You can also freeze baked cookies on a baking sheet first, then transfer to a freezer bag.

** Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary.

Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)
Calories 146 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 26mg 9%
Sodium 40mg 2%
Potassium 40mg 1%
Total Carbohydrates 19g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 13g
Protein 1g 2%
Vitamin A 4.3%
Calcium 1.7%
Iron 3.2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe was originally published on May 24, 2016. It was updated with new images and text in February 2019.

Comments

  1. Hello, the way I read your recipe it’s one and a quarter cup butter for 2 cups of flour. that didn’t turn out too well. Is it just one quarter cup of butter? thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Jim. It is 1 and 1/4 cups. However if the butter is too cold or too warm that may have affected the final results. Baking is so finicky. I’m actually retesting this recipe next week and will alter the recipe, if needed. The feedback I’ve gotten from this recipe, and a few others that use the same base, have not had this issue. So sorry!

      Reply

  5. Lauren, you had me at salted caramel, and I’m loving all the chocolate in these beauties! Looks like I need to try AP GF flour sometime too. Just pinned!

    Reply

  7. How did you get your chips and caramel on top of your cookies exposed like that to have it look so pretty? Not mix them into the batter like your directions?

    Also what caramel did you use? Does it turn hard after baking (melting) then cooling? Or is it chewy?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Jamie! In the post between the last two photos, I explain that to get the cookies to look like the ones in the photos, I leave a little bit of the mix-ins aside and press them on top right before baking them 🙂 I usually use Kraft caramels and cut them into small pieces. They stay chewy after baking. I’m going to be trying prepackaged caramel bits in an upcoming recipe soon, but don’t know yet if they would work as good. Hope this helps – Lauren.

      Reply

      • Thanks for your response! I know you posted this one a bit ago. Sorry, I saw that you stated how to have the same end result after I posted the comment.

        Really appreciate know what caramel you used. I used ‘caramel flavored chips’ and I think using what you used might taste a bit better.

        Thanks again so much!

        Reply

  8. Have you ever frozen the dough and made the cookies later? With the holidays coming, I’m curious if I can work ahead. 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Alison! I haven’t tried freezing this particular dough, but I think it would work as long as you let it come to room temperature before baking them 🙂

      Reply

  11. These look absolutely delicious! I will have to try them out because I am always looking for easy gluten free desserts for my mother-in-law who is Celiac! Thanks for the inspiration and recipe!

    Reply

    • Addictingly good! I didn’t use dark chocolate in the cookies pictured but have done it before as well and used it in the non-gluten free version 🙂 I think I like dark chocolate more than regular now!

      Reply

  13. These look so great! And they’re GF! I’m not gluten-free, but I have some family members who are, so I love finding GF recipes. 🙂

    Reply

    • Yes, the blends do make things so much easier! I’ve made cupcakes using a variety of flours and they were awesome, but now I had to buy 3 different flours and it gets expensive.

      Reply

  15. omg! Did you make this recipe JUST for me?! What an awesome recipe for fall, TOTALLY gonna try this!

    Reply

  16. These look perfect – like from a cookbook perfect haha! I also have to follow a gluten free diet and my husband is a huge sweets junkie, so I’m always trying new GF recipes to let us both enjoy yummy things. This clearly was a Must-Pin. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  17. These look absolutely delectable! I also love using coconut, almond, oat, or spelt flour for gluten free options 🙂

    Reply

    • I’ve made cupcakes once with a variety of flours, but usually take the easy way out and buy a blend. Once I have more time to work on the combo myself, I’m going to try to perfect my own version 🙂

      Reply

  22. Oh my, these looks mouth-watering! Gorgeous pictures and great recipe! – Love, Anna

    Reply

  23. These look delicious. I’ve never been one for gluten free, but I definitely want to have one of these!

    Reply

  24. Pinned to my “cookies” board. I have been craving cookies lately. Must get my son to help with a batch. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Aww how nice to have a helper…mine starts to help then disappears until they are ready to eat!

      Reply

  28. These look so decadent. These would be a huge hit in our home! I will have to try these soon! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

    • I want caramel in every bite, but not too much, so I thought I’d chop it up and it worked out great!

      Reply

  35. You have just made my mouth water! I love everything about this. I am such a salted caramel chocolate girl. It doesn’t matter what it is I love it. These look fabulous by the way!!

    Reply

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