Make Ahead

Gluten-Free, Mostly Whole-Grain Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

February 18, 2018
4.5
4 Ratings
Photo by Jenny Huang
  • Makes about 36 cookies
Author Notes

These tender, not-too-sweet shortbread cookies are laced with finely ground chocolate and flecked with larger chocolate bits as well. A food processor and a bag of chocolate chips produce this effect in the easiest possible way. The cookies end up with plenty of chocolate flavor without sacrificing the tender texture of the cookie. You can substitute chopped dark chocolate with 55% to 70% cacao—the higher percentage will make the cookies more chocolate-y and less sweet than they already are. It’s your call! —Alice Medrich

Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
  • 1 (11-12 ounce) bag (311-340 grams) dark chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (140 grams) gluten-free oat flour
  • 1/3 cup (50 grams) white rice flour
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
  • 3/8 teaspoon salt (I use fine sea salt)
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 tablespoons (60 grams) cream cheese, softened
  • 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon water
Directions
  1. Combine the chocolate chips, oat flour, rice flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process and pulse until the mixture feels like fine gravel, with the largest chocolate pieces no bigger than ¼ inch (some of the chocolate will be more finely ground—this is correct).
  2. Add the cream cheese and the butter to the bowl in several small pieces. Add the water. Process just until the butter and cream cheese are blended in and the dry ingredients look damp. Scrape the mixture together onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper and knead in any stray dry ingredients. Form a 12-inch log about 2 inches thick and wrap it well. Refrigerate for at least two hours and up to a couple of days.
  3. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325° F for non-convection (adjust the temperature for convection according to the instructions with your oven). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  4. Use a sharp knife to cut slices 1/3 inch thick (I mark the log at 1-inch intervals and cut three slices between each mark) and place them 1 inch apart on lined sheets
  5. Bake 16-20 minutes; the cookies will still be very soft but will firm up as they cool. Rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back about half way through the baking time. Set the pans on racks to cool and cool cookies completely before storing. Cookies keep for at least a week in an airtight container.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

My career was sparked by a single bite of a chocolate truffle, made by my Paris landlady in 1972. I returned home to open this country’s first chocolate bakery and dessert shop, Cocolat, and I am often “blamed” for introducing chocolate truffles to America. Today I am the James Beard Foundation and IACP award-winning author of ten cookbooks, teach a chocolate dessert class on Craftsy.com, and work with some of the world’s best chocolate companies. In 2018, I won the IACP Award for Best Food-Focused Column (this one!).

18 Reviews

anne7hall January 17, 2021
These are so good. My teenager said these need to be made weekly! Easy to make, you can bake off just want you need, and they are fabulous. I’m so glad I found this recipe. These should have been highlighted more.
missshar September 12, 2020
Is it possible to substitute the cream cheese for something without dairy?
Totallybemused October 2, 2018
The batter is almost too delicious to cook! Almost, but the cookies are even amazing-er!
Victoria C. March 4, 2018
I made these exactly according to directions. They are delicious and very fragile. The fragility is part of the charm. Because they are so fragile, I left them on the half-sheet pan for a minute before I CAREFULLY moved them to a cooling rack. I baked mine for 17 minutes in convection at 300°F. If you have a friend who is a true celiac, he or she will be thrilled to have one of these cookies for dessert with some vanilla ice cream.
Alice M. March 7, 2018
if you bake on parchment, you can simply cool them on the parchment, on the pan, on a rack. This way you don't have to contend with their fragility while hot. They are a little sturdier once cool—as you found out!
Pam March 2, 2018
Can I use “cup for cup” gluten free flour instead of the rice and oat?
Alice M. March 14, 2018
Probably! I don't usually work with the all purpose blend. But go for it!
Holly N. March 2, 2018
can you make oat flour by whirling oat meal in a food processor?
Mother D. March 2, 2018
Yes. That's the way I have always done it when needing oat flour.
Holly N. March 2, 2018
Thanks so much for the prompt reply!
Alice M. March 7, 2018
you can, but it is not as fine as purchased oat flour. It should work well here though!
Greenandleafy March 2, 2018
Thank you for creating GF bliss!!!💖💖
Emily B. March 2, 2018
Can these be made with all-purpose flour?
Rebecca S. March 2, 2018
I’m wondering this too!
Sandra M. March 2, 2018
Add me to the list wondering the same....or instead of AP, what about almond flour? Chocolate and almond...pretty epic...
Emily B. March 2, 2018
Oooh almond flour! That is a great idea! Maybe even add a little almond extract?
Sandra M. March 2, 2018
Why not?!?!? GREAT suggestion..
Alice M. March 7, 2018
Why not go to my post on chocolate tea cakes—the recipe is very similar, but with all purpose (not gluten free flour)!