Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten free)

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Gluten free cookies have never looked so good with these gooey chewy oat flour chocolate chip cookies! They have perfectly crispy edges with a soft and ooey center. You'll never know they're made gluten free!

Oat flour cookies with chocolate chips on parchment paper with a bite taken out of one.

These chocolate chip cookies look and taste just like the classic but are made with oat flour in place of white flour. They're still soft and gooey and hold their circular cookie shape when baked.

If you prefer an almond flour cookie, check out my almond butter chocolate chip cookies or my oatmeal peanut butter chip cookies. For a vegan cookie, my SunButter chocolate chip cookies are super popular. And if you're looking for a chunky bakery-style cookie, my gluten free copycat Levain cookies are out of this world delicious!

Why you will love these cookies

Naturally made gluten free
Can be made dairy free with a few simple swaps
Completely nut free thanks to oat flour
Chewy in the middle with golden brown crispy edges
Easy to make in one bowl
No chilling required
Made with two types of chocolate - mini chips and chunks

Ingredients and substitutions

Oat flour cookie ingredients on a tan surface with labels in black.

Oat flour - The only flour used in this recipe. I prefer store-bought for cookies as they will turn out smoother and less grainy. See section below on how to make your own at home.
Butter - Make sure it's room temperature and slightly softened. Swap with vegan butter to make these cookies dairy free.
Brown sugar - Adds some caramel-like flavor to the cookies. You can also use coconut sugar.
Egg - Make sure it's room temperature. You can add it to a bowl with some warm water for a few minutes to expedite it. The egg is necessary for these cookies and helps bind the dough together. I have not tried this with a flax egg but I think the cookies would fall apart after they're baked.

How to make homemade oat flour

Oat flour is really easy to make at home! Make sure to use rolled oats, not steel cut oats. Simply add them to a food processor or blender and blend well until the oats turn into a soft powdery texture. A cup of oats should yield a cup of oat flour.

You will need to blend for a while, at least 4 minutes to ensure the oats are ground up into fine pieces. If you see some large pieces of oats, stop the processor, stir the oats around a little in the appliance, and then continue to blend.

Up close image of an oat flour cookie with a bite taken out of it.

Why store bough oat flour is best

Although homemade oat flour will work in this recipe and is convenient if you have oats on hand, I much prefer store bought oat flour in this cookie recipe. I want a nice smooth and buttery texture to these cookies and that's hard to achieve with homemade oat flour.

The kind bought in the store, like Bob's Red Mill, Arrowhead Mills, or Gold Medal, is much softer and more powdery like white flour. This is because the oats have been blended with an industrial-grade processor so the oats are super fine. Your personal food processor or blender can only blend them up so well and you're usually left with a few larger pieces of oats.

One oat flour cookie with chocolate chips on parchment paper.

Step by step directions

You will need a large mixing bowl and a hand or stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, for this recipe.

Step 1 : Beat the butter with the sugars

Place the room temperature butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl and beat well until the sugar is well mixed into the butter.

Mixer beating butter with sugar in a clear bowl.

Step 2 : Add the egg and vanilla

Add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and beat well to incorporate into the butter mixture.

Mixer mixing butter and sugar with eggs in a large bowl.

Step 3 : Fold in the dry ingredients

Add the oat flour and baking soda to the bowl and gently fold into the dough until no flour clumps remain. You can use a mixer on low speed or a rubber spatula. Just be careful not to over mix the dough.

Overhead view of a mixing bowl about to mix in flour.

Overhead view of a mixer mixing cookie dough in a clear bowl.

Step 4 : Add the chocolate

Add the chocolate chunks and mini chocolate chips to the bowl and fold into the batter with a spatula to incorporate.

You can use only one type of chocolate if you prefer, just double the quantity.

Oat four cookie dough with chocolate chips in a clear bowl.

Step 5 : Bake

Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the dough into cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Leave at least 2 inches in between each cookie so they have room to spread in the oven. Bake until the edges are nice and golden brown and center is slightly set.

Right after you remove the pan from the oven, use a circular cookie cutter around each cookie to form it into a perfect circle. You can also use a fork and press the edges of the cookie towards the center to form a circular shape.

Add a few more mini chocolate chips on top while the cookies are still warm (optional) and allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet.

Oat flour cookies on a cooling rack with parchment paper and a cup of oats in the background.

Expert tips

Make sure your butter and egg are at room temperature. If you forgot to set these ingredients out on the counter, you can easily expedite this process. For the butter, heat it in the microwave for 8 seconds, flip the stick over and heat again for 8 seconds. Do this until you can press into the butter with your finger and it leaves an indention. For the egg, place it in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes which will warm it up quickly.
Store bought oat flour is best for these cookies. It provides a smooth and soft texture. Homemade oat flour will also work but the cookie will be a little clumpier.
Use a large cookie scoop (about 5 tablespoons) to scoop the cookies. The larger cookies will give you the gooey soft center. You can use a medium sized cookie scoop if desired but he cookies won't be as chewy.
Allow the cookies to cool all the way on the cookie sheet. The cookies will bake a little more once they are out of the oven. Letting them cool on the cookie sheet will make sure the bottom if stable and the edges are crispy.

Chocolate chip cookie made with oat flour on parchment paper with a bite taken out of it.

Can I make these dairy free?

You can easily make this recipe dairy free by using a vegan butter and dairy free chocolate chips. I highly recommend the Enjoy Life brand and they have both mini chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.

How to store?

Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container or cookie jar with a lid. They will keep for up to a week out on the counter.

You can also freeze the dough. Simply thaw the dough until it is soft and able to be scooped into a ball and bake as instructed.

Frequently asked questions

When you use oat flour in chocolate chip cookie recipe does it taste like oatmeal cookies?

There is a slight oatmeal flavor but it's not as oatmeal forward as an oatmeal cookie. I like to use 2 teaspoons of vanilla which helps make the cookie taste more buttery and sweet. Oatmeal cookies also usually have pieces of oats in the batter while oat flour cookies do not.

What does oat flour do to cookies?

Oat flour can easily be swapped with white all-purpose flour in cookies to make them gluten free.

Can I replace all-purpose flour with oat flour?

Yes oat flour is one of the best gluten free substitutes for all-purpose flour as it has similar texture and taste. You may need to use a little more oat flour when compared to all-purpose since it's lighter in weight. I like to start with adding ¼ cup more per 1 cup of all-purpose flour.

Make sure to check out these other oat flour recipes:

PS : If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star review and comment below! Also be sure to follow along with me on Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date on all tasty recipes here at The Fit Peach!

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