Description
These Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cookies feature a rich, gooey chocolate filling nestled inside soft, cocoa-flavored cookie dough, topped optionally with a fluffy Swiss meringue toasted to perfection. Perfect for those adhering to a gluten-free diet, these cookies combine the indulgence of hot chocolate in a delightful, chewy treat with a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate center and an elegant meringue topping.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate filling:
- 75 g (2⅔ oz) dark chocolate (60-80% cocoa solids), chopped
- 80 g (⅓ cup) heavy/double cream
- 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 75 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) caster/superfine or granulated sugar
- 1 US large/UK medium egg, room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- ⅛ tsp salt
Chocolate cookie dough:
- 170 g (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g (¾ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 3 US large/UK medium egg yolks, room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 280 g (2⅓ cups) plain gluten free flour blend
- 45 g (⅓ cup + 2 tbsp) Dutch processed cocoa powder
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp xanthan gum (omit if your gluten free flour blend contains xanthan gum)
- ½ tsp salt
Additional:
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
Swiss meringue:
- 2 US large/UK medium egg whites
- 100 g (½ cup) caster/superfine or granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar (or ½ tsp lemon juice)
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Prepare Oven and Baking Sheets: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC), and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper to prepare for baking.
- Make Chocolate Filling: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the dark chocolate, heavy cream, and butter together until fully melted. Pour into a bowl to cool until warm, then stir in sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt gently with a balloon whisk to keep it smooth and glossy without aerating. Set aside.
- Prepare Chocolate Cookie Dough: In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and light brown sugar until pale and fluffy using a balloon whisk or mixer. Add egg yolks and vanilla, mixing until combined.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Whisk together gluten free flour blend, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add this dry mix to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth and scoopable without clumps, ensuring the dough is firm but not crumbly or sticky.
- Shape Dough Balls: Place granulated sugar in a small bowl. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie or ice cream scoop, shape dough into balls, roll each in granulated sugar to coat evenly, and place on baking sheets spaced at least 2 inches apart. Use a 1-tablespoon spoon to make an indent in the center of each dough ball.
- Reheat Chocolate Filling if Needed: If the chocolate filling has firmed too much, gently reheat by placing the bowl in hot water (without water touching the filling) and stirring until loose in consistency, avoiding microwave to prevent scrambling the egg.
- Fill Cookies: Spoon about 1 tablespoon of chocolate filling into the indent of each cookie dough ball, filling to the brim without overflow. Use all the filling evenly across the cookies.
- Bake Cookies: Bake one sheet at a time at 350ºF (180ºC) for 8-9 minutes until cookies have spread, puffed slightly, and the filling is still wobbly when the baking sheet is shaken. Keep the unbaked sheet at room temperature while baking the first batch.
- Cool Cookies: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets until warm and firm enough to handle; moving them while too hot can cause them to crumble or break.
- Prepare Swiss Meringue: Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160ºF (70ºC) and sugar dissolves.
- Whisk Meringue to Peaks: Transfer mixture to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip on high speed for 5-7 minutes until volume increases significantly and stiff peaks form. Add vanilla and mix to combine.
- Pipe and Toast Meringue: Transfer the meringue to a piping bag with the desired tip and pipe onto warm or room temperature cookies. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue topping.
- Serving and Storage: Serve cookies warm, at room temperature, or chilled. For extra gooey filling, reheat briefly in the microwave. Store without meringue at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for 4-5 days; store meringue-topped cookies refrigerated up to 2 days. Reheat as needed before serving.
Notes
- Use a gluten free flour blend without xanthan gum if adding xanthan gum separately; omit xanthan gum if already included in the blend.
- King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour is not recommended for this recipe.
- Reheating the chocolate filling in the microwave can scramble the egg; instead, use gentle heat via a hot water bath.
- Swiss meringue is best prepared and piped just before serving for optimal texture.
- Cookies are fragile right out of the oven—handle with care during cooling.
- Try both warm and chilled cookies to find your preferred texture, from soft and gooey to fudgy and firm.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes per baking sheet (total about 18 minutes)
- Category: Dessert, Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten free cookies, hot chocolate cookies, chocolate cookies, Swiss meringue topping, gluten free dessert
