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Fancy trying my gluten free chocolate chip shortbread recipe for the perfect tea-time treat?
A good gluten free shortbread can be hard to come by but these as are buttery and melt-in-the-mouth as they should be.
Packed with giant chocolate chunks, these are the perfect gluten free version of the Starbucks chocolate chip shortbreads I hear so much about!
Making gluten free shortbread is super easy – plus the recipe is naturally egg-free and can easily be made vegan with a simple swap.
There’s a printable recipe card for this gluten free chocolate chip shortbread at the bottom of this post – and keep scrolling for lots of helpful tips, tricks and swaps.
How do you make gluten free shortbread?
I’ve always found making gluten free biscuits a little tricky but now I’ve nailed this gluten free chocolate chip shortbread, it’s actually really simple.
These shortbreads only need a few basic ingredients to make which makes them even more appealing.
The actually making of them is very quick too – but it’s very important to set aside enough time to chill them before baking (more on that later!)
To make these, you simply mix together all the ingredients into a dough, roll it, cut out your shapes, chill and then bake.
The simplicity of this gluten free chocolate chip shortbread recipe means it’s also a great recipe to make with kids.
They’ll love rolling out the dough and you could get creative and cut out all sorts of inventive shapes.
I went for a simple round shape to make these really easy but if you want them more like the Starbucks chocolate chip shortbread, you’ll need to cut out a sort of ‘wonky triangle’ shape.
But however you cut them, they taste simply delicious and you’ll want to make them over and over again!
What do I need to make gluten free shortbread?
There’s a full recipe card down below, but for the shopping list you’ll only need a few basic ingredients:
- Caster sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Plain gluten free flour
- Xanthan gum
- Jumbo milk chocolate chips
I tend to use either the FREEE plain gluten free or the Asda one – can’t beat that at only 45p a bag really!
If you’re reading this in the US you want an ‘all purpose’ flour, one without any raising agents.
For the chocolate chips I used the Dr Oetker Jumbo Milk Chocolate Chips which you can find in the baking aisle.
Any chocolate chips will do as long as they’re gluten free, but I like these as they’re larger so you get big bites of chocolate.
Of course, you could use dark or white chocolate if you wanted – or even a mixture of all three.
Do I need to use xanthan gum?
I get asked a lot of xanthan gum is necessary in my recipes and the answer is simple.
If the recipe includes xanthan gum, then yes, it needs to be in there!
This is especially important when it comes to gluten free biscuit recipes as I find they tend to crumble into a dusty mess without it.
If you’re using a gluten free flour blend which includes xanthan gum, you still need to add it.
I’ve tested this recipe, as stated in the recipe card, with both xanthan-containing and non-xanthan-gum gluten free flour blends and found it works just as well with both.
If you’re using a gluten free flour which doesn’t include xanthan gum, you may want to add a tiny bit more, no more than 1/4 tsp, to help with the texture.
However, I’ve usually found the 1/4 teaspoon in the recipe works perfectly with all gluten free plain flours I have tried.
Xanthan gum is found in most free from aisles in UK supermarkets and helps to replicate some of the texture of gluten.
Can I make these shortbread cookies dairy free / vegan?
These gluten free chocolate chip shortbread cookies are already egg free, so they’re actually really easy to make vegan too.
To make these dairy free, you need to swap the butter for a dairy-free margarine.
I’d recommend using something like Stork Baking Block which is harder and designed for baking.
You may find the dough is a little stickier, so you may need to chill it a little before rolling it out.
You’ll also need to swap the chocolate chips for a dairy free/vegan variety.
These are usually easy to find in the free from aisles, or some dark chocolate chips will be vegan too.
My gluten free chocolate chip shortbread recipe
These gluten free chocolate chip shortbread are just THE easiest treat to make and perfect for dunking!
This recipe makes around 12 shortbread cookies using a 3.5-inch cutter.
But if you want to make your gluten free shortbread a different size, check out the notes of the recipe card below for some tips.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
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Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread
This gluten free chocolate chip shortbread recipe is an easy, egg-free recipe. Buttery, melt-in-the-mouth shortbread with giant chocolate chunks! Makes approximately 8 large, round shortbreads (using a 3.5-inch cutter).
Ingredients
- 100g caster sugar
- 200g unsalted butter (softened)
- 350g plain gluten free flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 125g jumbo milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line two large baking trays with baking paper and set to one side. Add the sugar and softened butter to a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon (or electric mixer) until combined.
- Stir the gluten free flour and xanthan gum together then add to the butter and sugar mix. Pour in the jumbo chocolate chips. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until it starts to clump together. Once the mixture starts to form more of a dough, use your hands to bring it together into a ball.
- Roll the mixture to around 1.5cm thick (you may find it easier to roll between two sheets of clingfilm - see notes if your dough is very sticky) and cut out round shapes using a 3.5-inch cutter. Lay the shapes on the lined baking trays, allowing around 3-4cm between them. They shouldn't spread much. Keep re-rolling the dough until you have cut out all of your shapes - this usually makes around 8 shortbread cookies.
- Once you have cut out all your shapes, place the baking trays in the fridge to cool for at least 30 minutes. This step is VERY important to stop the shortbread biscuits spreading in the oven.
- When the dough has been chilling for 30 minutes, heat the oven to 180'C / Fan 160'C / Gas Mark 4. Pop the trays in the oven, straight from the fridge, and bake for 15 minutes until the shortbread starts to go lightly golden - you don't want them to go too dark as they are quite a pale bake.
- Remove the trays from the oven and place on a cooling rack for at least 15-20 minutes BEFORE removing the shortbread from the trays. They need to firm up before you try to move them, otherwise they will break. Store in an airtight container once cooled.
Notes
- If the dough is very sticky (for example you're making these on a warm day) then pop the ball of dough in the fridge for around 20 minutes to chill and firm up a little before rolling.
- Some plain gluten free flour blends already contain xanthan gum but I still add the extra anyway to help hold the biscuits together.
- I used a 3.5-inch cookie cutter but if you use a smaller one (or a different shape) you may need to adjust the cooking times. Keep an eye on the shortbreads in the oven and remove them when they start to go lightly golden.
- These shortbreads will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 471Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 16mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 2gSugar: 21gProtein: 6g
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Need some more gluten free baking inspiration?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog?
Give some of these other gluten free bakes a try and see what you think!
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple of easy baking ideas to get you going:
- Millionaire’s shortbread recipe
- White chocolate chunk cookies
- The BEST chocolate chip cookies
- Viennese Whirls recipe
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
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Like this Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread recipe?
Make sure you pin these recipe cards below for later! Do head over and follow me on Pinterest too for more gluten free recipe inspiration.
