Perfect for bake sales, after school treats, and potlucks, these gluten-free chocolate chip cookie bars will be a hit with all the chocolate lovers! They’re easier and quicker to make than cookies.
So many of you have tried and love my gluten-free chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe, that I thought I’d post a few adaptations of it this year. First up – gluten-free chocolate chip cookie bars!
You’ve got to make these yummy gluten-free chocolate chip cookie bars. In making these bars instead of cookies, I made a few changes. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some disappointingly dry cookie bars before. I didn’t want that to happen here, so I increased the butter so that these bars wouldn’t be dry at all. It was a good decision!Secondly, I used two different sizes of chocolate chips. I wanted to make sure there was a bit of chocolate in every single bite! I used both regular semi-sweet morsels and mini semi-sweet morsels.
You could also mix it up by using some milk chocolate and some dark chocolate. But definitely consider including some mini ones for sure. They help make sure that you don’t get a single little bite that isn’t chocolatey!
Notes on ingredients for these gluten-free chocolate chip bars:
- Flour: tested successfully with Gluten Free Mama’s Almond Blend and Cup4Cup. Other varieties of flour that are not only rice based should work okay in these. With the two I recommended, there isn’t any grittiness. I can’t guarantee that with your favorite blend, but do feel free to try it!
- The cream cheese is a key ingredient here. Don’t skip it!
- So is the butter. Mmm, butter.
- Chocolate chips: for good chocolate chips that are easy to find at most grocery stores, I love Guittard semi-sweet chocolate baking chips. They are made in a gluten-free, and peanut-free facility. If you’d like chocolate chips that are certified gluten-free as well as top 8 free, I love and recommend Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolates available as mini chips or mega chunks.
I like sprinkling a few more chips on them for the last couple minutes of baking for that shiny, slightly melted look like you see in the pictures above. If you’d like that too, just reserve some of the chocolate chips called for in the recipe.
However, if you’re wanting to pack these up to mail to someone, I’d skip the chocolate chips on top so they aren’t so messy.
After these cool in the pan, then you can slice them up. I recommend you use a plastic knife to cut these. I recently bought this one and it works so well! This keeps you from scratching up your pan, and it slices through the bars so cleanly instead of getting gunked up.
You can slice these up as big or small as you’d like. I usually think about how many people will be eating them at whatever gathering I’m bringing them to, and slice accordingly.
These would be a fun treat to bring to share at a potluck or to mail to a loved one. Let me know if you make them and what flour you used!
If you make these and love them, please come back and give this recipe a 5 star rating in the recipe card! Feel free to comment with tips or to share any successful substitutions you made.
Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Bars Recipe:
Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
All the yummy flavor of my chewy gluten-free chocolate chip cookies in a much easier, quicker bar cookie form!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (~282 grams) good all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
- 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum*
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temp
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 egg yolks (room temp)
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup additional semi-sweet chocolate chips for topping if desired
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (unless flour blend already has xanthan or guar gum), baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, place the cream cheese, then pour melted butter over it. Add brown sugar and sugar and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. (I use the paddle attachment on my mixer.)
- Add vanilla extract and egg yolks (one at a time) mixing on low-medium speed until well mixed.
- Add the flour mixture that you set aside earlier, beating on low until just combined.
- Add both sizes of chocolate chips and mix on low or by hand, just until mixed thoroughly.
- Spread into lightly greased 9x13 metal pan. Bake in preheated 350˚ oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with additional 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and return to oven for 2-3 more minutes.
- Remove from oven and place pan on cooling rack. Let cool before cutting. (Note, to save your pan from getting scratched up, I like to use a plastic knife to cut the bars.)
- You can cut these whatever size you'd like of course, anywhere from 12 big bars to 24 smaller ones. Enjoy!
Notes
*omit xanthan gum if gluten-free flour blend has xanthan or guar gum already
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Trader Joes Semi Sweet Gluten Free Chocolate Chips (Pack of 4) - 12 oz Per Bag -
Guittard Chocolate Chip Semisweet 12oz (Pack of 2) -
Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Vegan Mini Chocolate Chips -
OXO Plastic Brownie Spatula for Non-stick Pans, Black -
Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, 4 oz. -
Cuisinox Egg Separator
I hope you love these! Let me know if there’s another gluten-free bar cookie you’d like me to have a recipe for!
Diana Swanson
Sunday 30th of June 2024
my comments were for the chocolate chip cookie bars!
Diana Swanson
Sunday 30th of June 2024
I was asked to make bars for my granddaughters' graduation. I'm celiac, (diagnosed at 65) and my sons' family has chosen to be GF as they feel better not eating gluten. After searching for a bit, I came across this recipe. The cream cheese aspect intrigued me as GF is generally a bit on the dry side. WHAT A HIT! I made the recipe using Almond Flour and Xanthan gum. I was asked for the recipe by several non-GF persons and have shared your site with them. Thank you to people like yourself that have put together some amazing recipes that are not only tasty but are moist as well! Thanks again
Jan Henson
Monday 25th of March 2024
Maybe tahini or a nut butter to substitute for cream cheese.
Mary Virnig
Tuesday 24th of October 2023
Have you tried these with lower carb value sugar substitutes? Diabetics are often gluten intolerant.
Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen
Friday 3rd of November 2023
I have not. I am aware of the crossover with diabetes, but there are a number of websites already providing sugar free recipes so I've stayed with what I'm experienced with.
Veronica
Thursday 31st of August 2023
Mine had too much butter. :( They are buttery, and give butter fingers! I used Bob’s gluten free and added the xantham. I’m not sure what I did. Maybe I should have weighed it.