Gluten free cookie bars recipe – easy peasy to make and simple to make dairy free and vegan too. Trust me, these are the BEST way to enjoy cookies!

Gluten free cookie bars recipe anyone? Not only are these lovely and thick, they’re chewy in the middle and packed with chunky chocolate chips in every bite. And nobody would ever know they’re gluten free!

Ok, raise your hand if you’ve ever had a cookie bar before? No, me neither! ? But actually, they’re now my absolute fave way to enjoy a chocolate chip cookie.

Whilst my classic gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe is amazing, nothing beats these cookie bars when it comes to a chunky cookie.

Thin, chewy cookies can be really nice, but I have always preferred a chunky cookie with a nice bite to it. You get so much more of that chewy centre and more chocolate chips!

And if we’re on the same page, you will definitely love my gluten free cookie bars recipe!

Every cookie bar has that lovely crisp, golden exterior you’d expect on a perfect, freshly baked cookie. But the inside is an explosion of chunky chocolate chips and chewy sweet cookie.

I then often top mine with a little more melted chocolate for the ultimate indulgent experience. My gluten free cookie bars can be eaten just as they are, but they also make the BEST dessert.

Simply warm them up a little in the microwave and top with a little vanilla ice cream. Maybe even a little salted caramel if you’ve had a tough day! Trust me – it’s one of the best gluten free desserts you’d never know was gf.

And the best part is that it’s so incredibly easy to make! Simply whip up your dough in a mixing bowl, pop into your 9 inch square baking tin and bake. Job done!

Ok, here’s what you’ll need for my gluten free cookie bars recipe. Consider this your shopping list…

Ingredients for my gluten free cookie bars recipe

130g butter (dairy free if necessary)
50g caster sugar
150g light brown sugar
1 large egg (egg replacer if necessary)
1 tsp vanilla extract
280g gluten free plain flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cornflour (also known as corn starch)
200g chocolate chips (dairy free if necessary)

Looking for the method? Keep scrolling down until you see the recipe card ?? See you down there!

Can I make this recipe gluten free? Is it suitable for Coeliacs?

It is gluten free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!

Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.

Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make that that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).

Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten free products.

Can I make your gluten free cookie bars dairy free?

Of course you can! All you need to use are dairy free chocolate chips – I’d recommend these Moo Free Chocolate Chips.

Also, you’ll need to use a hard margarine instead of butter – I use a block of Stork. Both of these are gluten free too obviously!

This is one of those recipes that makes barely no difference whether it’s dairy free or not. So the choice is yours!

Is your gluten free cookie bars recipe nut free?

Yep, this is a nut-free recipe. But of course, make sure you check the ingredients label on all the products you use to bake these cookies.

Even if the products don’t contain nuts, they may have a ‘may contain nuts’ warning due to being produced in a factory that handles nuts.

You can never be too careful so always read the labels on everything first!

Can I make this recipe vegan?

If you follow the steps above to make this recipe dairy free then all you’ve got left to contend with is one egg.

Here’s a few ideas you can use as egg replacements, so each of these = 1 egg.

3 tablespoons of aquafaba – water from a can of chickpeas. Keep the chickpeas for a future dinner!
Egg replacement powder – I’d recommend using Orgran as it’s gluten free.
1 tablespoon of chia/flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
3 tablespoons of applesauce.
1 small, mashed ripe banana

Is this recipe low FODMAP?

If you use dairy free or lactose free chocolate chips, then yes!

Can I make your gluten free cookie bars in a food processor or standing mixer?

Of course you can and to be honest, a standing mixer would probably be easier! I always make this just by hand because I always have – not because it’s better or anything.

But to be honest, there’s something so satisfying about when it comes together and you’re using your hands. And less washing up – hooray!

I’ve never actually tried to make this in a food processor myself. But if you do, just make sure that the mixture is really well combined and that you scrape the sides down occasionally too. The same goes for a standing mixer.

Do I need any special equipment to bake your gluten free cookie bars?

As I mentioned, you can easily make this entire recipe by hand, so you certainly don’t need any crazy appliances or anything like that.

What you will need however is a 9″ square baking tin – here’s the one I use. Apart from that, you’ll just need a little baking paper too!

Do I need weighing scales to bake your gluten free cookie bars?

In short… yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any of my recipes without them. One of the worst things you can do in any baking recipe is alter the quantities by mistake or on purpose.

(unless you know what you’re doing of course)

Why? Well, you’re sort of just gambling with the recipe and praying that it turns out ok. And I’ve generally already done the hard work there for you!

A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities so I wouldn’t mess around with them unless you really know your stuff.

What chocolate chips should I use to bake your gluten free cookie bars?

I’ve already mentioned the Moo Free Chocolate Chips above if you’re dairy free, but if not, I usually use the Dr. Oetker chocolate chunks.

They’re nice a big so they don’t vanish into the mixture as easily and they’re nice a chunky – which is really nice to eat!

Don’t have any chocolate chips? Fear not as you can easily cut up chocolate and use that instead. I’d recommend baking chocolate however as the melting point is usually much better!

Can I bake your gluten free cookie bars with less sugar?

I can definitely understand the need to reduce sugar in our foods, but this is one of the recipes where I wouldn’t advise it at all!

Of course, the sugar isn’t just for sweetness. It’s integral to the structure of the cookies once baked and is sooo important.

The sugar caramelises to produce a nice, crispy exterior on the outside and without that… they’re not gonna be nice, crisp out the outside, soft in the middle cookies at all are they?!

Can I make this recipe without xanthan gum?

In some of my recipes, yes, but I wouldn’t recommend leaving xanthan gum out of this one. You’ll see xanthan gum in a lot of my recipes as it’s an essential ingredient in gluten free baking.

Since we’re using gluten free plain flour in this recipe, which has no xanthan gum in it all (self-raising flour has a little in), it’ll make it even more important.

Some people have asked if they can use psyllium husk powder instead of xanthan gum, which would work here too. It can make cakes a little crumbly, but it shouldn’t make a different here.

So TLDR; definitely use xanthan gum if you can!!

Can I make this recipe using other gluten free flours like buckwheat flour or coconut flour?

There’s a big difference between ‘gluten free plain/self-raising flour’ and a *singular* type gluten free flour. When I say ‘gluten free plain or self-raising flour’ in a recipe, I mean a BLEND of gluten free flours, not just one, singular flour.

Most gluten free flour you buy in the supermarket typically contains a blend of rice flour, potato flour, maize flour, tapioca flour AND buckwheat flour. That’s a lot of different flours!

In gluten free self-raising flour, there’s usually even a little baking powder and xanthan gum in it too which always helps.

So to replace it with just one specific type of flour… that’s not going to cut it at all. Definitely go for a gluten free flour blend.

How long can I keep your gluten free cookie bars for?

I’ve kept my gluten free cookie bars for around a week. They still taste as good as they day they were made! Obviously store them in an air-tight container too.

You can always reheat them for 20-30 seconds in the microwave at 900W for the ‘fresh out of the oven’ feel too.

When they lose the crispiness on the outside, they’re probably starting to get past their best.

Can I freeze your gluten free cookie bars?

Of course! I’ve frozen them for up to a month and after allowing them to fully thaw, you’d never know they were frozen. Each bar should take around 3-4 hours to thaw at room temperature.

After thawing, I’d recommend baking them in the oven for 5 minutes or so just to remove any excess moisture before enjoying them warm though.

Can I eat your gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough?

Well, I suppose the sensible answer is that they contain egg and eating raw egg isn’t the most advisable thing in the world…

But yes, I do eat some when I’m making it and it tastes great! ?

It’s probably more advisable to use one of the vegan egg replacements I just listed above to make it a little more of a good idea!

How can I tell when my gluten free cookie bars are done?

They should look nice and golden, but not actually browned or browning at the edges.

Poking them doesn’t help much because they won’t be nice and crisp until they’ve cooled a little. So just aim for how mine look in the photos and if you take them out early – no bother!

Just pop them back in until you’re happy with the colour. Oh and make sure you leave them to cool before sampling them!!

Can I print your gluten free cookie bars recipe?

Of course! Just hit the print button located on the recipe below ?? (otherwise you might end up printing this entire post which would probably make your printer go into early retirement)