Pioneer Recipes

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies (Texas Size!)

Okay, who doesn’t like a giant cookie? If you are one of those rare individuals who doesn’t delight in chomping into a huge, gooey, delicious giant cookie, then this recipe is not for you (maybe check out this traditional grain-free cookie recipe). But for those of us who do enjoy giant sized cookies, these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are what we dream about! They are large…. like fill the palm of your hand large. They are insanely delicious, like… if they weren’t so big you would have two, that kind of delicious. And to boot, they are even gluten-free, meaning there is no guilt involved when you bite into one of these giant chocolate chip cookies! It can’t get much better than these cookies!

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Modern Pioneer Recipe

This is totally a modern pioneer recipe. However, I do know that the early pioneer recipes would include a lot of sugar and a lot of flour, so these cookies are somewhat close to a pioneer recipe. But don’t be thrown off by the ‘lot of sugar’ part. These cookies may be huge and they may require a few more ingredients than your classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, but they are still relatively ‘healthy’ as far as desserts go!

For one, these cookies don’t contain any refined sugar. Instead, I use a natural sweetener… coconut sugar… to sweeten these giant cookies. Coconut sugar is less likely to cause blood sugar spikes due to the fact that is metabolizes more slowly and can be used more gradually by the body.

I also tried to keep the other ingredients as simple and wholesome as possible. Being that these cookies are gluten-free, they are less likely to contribute to inflammation and gluten-free flours actually do provide some dietary benefits. Most of the ingredients in this cookie recipe will be supplies you already have stocked in the homestead pantry!

These modern pioneer giant chocolate chip cookies are also….

  • gluten-free
  • nut free
  • corn free
  • brown rice free
  • soy free
  • refined sugar free options

Why are they Texas Size?

We’ve all heard the saying, ‘everything’s bigger in Texas’, and I’m not one to dispute that claim! When I set out to make a giant cookie, I just naturally thought I’d call them Texas cookies. Bigger than your average chocolate chip cookie, these giant chocolate chip cookies are definitely Texas size!

I also love monster cookies, which are essentially the same thing. However, I tend to think of monster cookies as more of giant oatmeal cookies that contain colorful chocolate gems and other goodies. And besides, Texas cookies sounded more ‘pioneerish’ than monster cookies (sorry all you monster fans out there, but I’m not really big into monsters).

Instead of chocolate gems and other little goodies, these Texas size cookies are loaded with chocolate chips! You definitely don’t want to skimp on the chocolate chips in this recipe. And to keep the cookies ‘healthier’, make sure you use allergy-friendly chocolate chips like Enjoy Life brand or sugar-free chocolate chips like Lily’s Sweets brand.

Honestly, I think any cookie recipe could be turned into a Texas sized cookie, but some just lend themselves to being huge cookies naturally. My ultimate favorite cookie recipe of all time is indeed a giant cookie. These gluten-free peanut butter oatmeal cookies are my all time favorite cookie and I love making them both regular size and Texas size! Another fun recipe to make into Texas-sized cookies are these gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!

Filling the Modern Pioneer Cookie Bin

Cookies are my go-to dessert option. When I don’t know what to make for dessert, I sort through all my cookie recipes and pick out one to make. Take that back… I sort through all my cookie recipes and then finely decide to make my ultimate favorite cookies again (peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies). But sometimes I do like to switch things up and give the cookie bin a little variety.

Speaking of cookie bin…. I don’t have a cookie jar on the counter. Instead, I keep a cookie bin in the freezer. There are two reasons for this. One, I am a huge fan of frozen cookies, and of frozen desserts in general. While I enjoy the occasional warm, soft and gooey cookie straight from the oven, I typically prefer my cookies frozen. The second reason being that Anna and I generally like to have a go-to stash of dessert in the freezer. We don’t make a batch of cookies and then eat them all within a few days. Instead, we like to make a batch of cookies and store them in the freezer.

Whenever we want dessert (which, to be honest, is quite frequently), we just hit up the cookie bin in the freezer. In fact, we have two cookie bins in our freezer. One is labeled ‘gluten-free’ and that’s the bin that we store our allergy-friendly cookies in. The other bin is not labeled and it is our dad’s cookie bin, since he also loves his non-gluten-free cookies frozen!

Okay, enough of the cookie storage methods. Whether you like your cookies warm and soft or cold and frozen, check out these allergy-friendly cookie recipes that you might want to try after making these Texas sized chocolate chip cookies!

Allergy-Friendly Cookie Recipes:

Tips for Making Big Cookies

While I did mention that just about any cookie recipe can be turned into a Texas-sized cookie, there are some recipe tips that accompany these gluten-free Texas-size chocolate chip cookies. I made this recipe twice, making minor tweaks to the recipe on the second round. While I do think that both versions turned out great, I decided to share with you my second version. However, I would like to go over what I did the first time in case you feel experimental and want to try a different style of Texas chocolate chip cookies.

For the first attempt at these giant cookies, I didn’t shape them prior to baking them. Instead I took scoops of the dough and plopped them on the cookie baking tray. Then I baked them. Halfway through the bake time I ended up taking them out of the oven, flattening them a little, and then returning them to the oven to finish baking. I don’t think the flattening step really did much for the end results, but I had initially thought the cookies were going to flatten out themselves when they baked. They did not, and the cookies were still delicious!

So, if you don’t feel like flattening or shaping your Texas size cookies, just plop them on the baking sheet and bake them anyways! They will still turn out good and taste delicious! But for the second version (which is what you see pictured in this post), here are a few Texas size cookie making tips:

Cookie Tips:

  • Creaming the Ingredients– Beating together the butter, eggs, sugar, and half of the flour helps keep these cookies light despite being so big.
  • More Flour– This cookie recipe calls for more flour than most cookie recipes. This is essential for the cookies to be Texas sized and for them to hold their shape.
  • Softened Butter– I generally soften my butter about 3/4 of the way, but fully melted butter will also work.
  • Shaping– Like I mentioned earlier, you can either hand shape these cookies, plop the dough balls on the cookie sheets, or spoon-shape the cookies. Just keep in mind that whatever shape the cookies go in the oven as, that is how they will bake! They don’t flatten very much and will retain their original shape.
  • Lots of Chocolate!– All the chocolate chips in these cookies are also essential for creating a Texas size cookie that is soft and chocolatey! Any less chocolate chips and your cookies will loose some volume and you may find yourself with bites of cookie that don’t contain any chocolate (how disappointing!).

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Tips

The tips I mentioned above are to help your create the Texas-size chocolate chip cookies. Follow those tips and you will be sure to have some giant chocolate chip cookies on your hands! Now I would like to run through just a few recipe tips to ensure these cookies turn out perfectly, no matter if you make them Texas-size or not:

  • Butter & Egg– Beating together the butter and egg first is essential! If you add the sugar before combining the butter and egg there will be some separation since butter and coconut sugar don’t combine very well together.
  • Flour Subs– I have not tried any other flour substitutions for the cassava flour or oat flour in this recipe.
  • Egg Free?– The egg is essential in these cookies for holding them together. I have not tried any egg replacements in this recipe.
  • Sugar Subs– You can substitute other granulated sugars for the coconut sugar in this recipe.
  • Butter Subs– You can use any dairy-free butter alternative in these cookies as a substitute for the butter. Just make sure you melt the substitute half way or fully.
  • Cooling Tip– Letting these cookies cool for a few minute after they come out of the oven will prevent them from breaking apart when you go to pick one up.
  • Storing– These cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Now you are all set to try your hand at making a batch of gluten-free chocolate chip cookies! Don’t be tempted to skimp, this recipe is designed to make 12 large cookies! Try other recipes if you are going for more classic sized cookies. These Texas cookies are meant to be big and delicious!

Print

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies (Texas Size!)

Recipe by The Pioneer Chicks
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 12 large cookies
Author Alexa Lehr

Ingredients

  • 1 cup organic, grass-fed butter (softened)
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 large pasture-raised, organic egg room temperature
  • 1/2 cup cassava flour
  • 1 1/4 cups gluten-free oat flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two cookie baking trays with unbleached parchment paper.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and egg. Next add the vanilla extract, coconut sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until smooth.
  • Add the cassava flour. Beat until the batter is smooth. Add the oat flour and stir until everything is combined. The batter will be too thick to easily beat at this point. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Place six dough pieces on each cookie tray. Use a spoon to shape the dough into domed cookies.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies should be light brown around the edges. Cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
  • Optional: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press additional chocolate chips onto the tops of the cookies.

Where to Find the Ingredients

These Texas-sized gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are palm-size chunks of soft, delicious goodness! They remind me of gluten-free giant Nana cookies, but these are allergy-friendly, homemade, and healthier! I love that despite their size, these cookies aren’t all that bad for you. Yes, they may be saved for special occasions or made as an occasional treat, but when you do enjoy one of these giant cookies, you can eat the whole thing guilt free. And you certainly can’t go wrong with a gluten-free cookie loaded with chocolate chips…. modern pioneers of all ages won’t be able to keep their hands out of the cookie bin!

Need more modern pioneer recipe inspiration? Then you came to the right place! I share a new recipe every week that is guaranteed to be delicious, so don’t miss the next chuck wagon recipe and make sure you are part of our weekly modern pioneer newsletter community!

by Alexa

ThePioneerChicks

We are graphic designers who love to bake & cook, go crazy about chickens, have a passion for photography, are naturally adventurous, each have our own crafty talent, respect nature, strive to live a sustainable lifestyle, and aren't restricted by our dietary limitations! Our goal is to become modern pioneers! Learn more about us and why we started The Pioneer Chicks on our About page.

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