Gluten-free and lactose-free cookies: a healthier recipe that still packs a punch!

It took me a while to find a gluten-free and lactose-free cookie base that really made a “classic cookie”: not a dry biscuit, not a crumbly thing that falls apart at the first bite.

After quite a few tests, this one has become my standard. The combination of rice flour and almond flour gives a tender crumb, and coconut oil replaces butter without losing the deliciousness.

I often make them when I want a simple snack, or when I have friends over with different dietary restrictions. It saves me from making two desserts. And frankly, even fans of "traditional" cookies don't necessarily guess that they're gluten-free and lactose-free.

To stay true to the classic style, I keep the basic structure: sugar (a little brown sugar for a moist texture), an egg, a raising agent, and chocolate chips. My little touch is orange zest (when in season), which enhances the chocolate without turning the recipe into a "weirdly flavored cookie".

And if you happen to find hazelnuts, a small crushed handful provides the crunch that is sometimes missing from gluten-free versions.

As for texture, the secret is simple: don't overbake. The cookies should come out of the oven still a little soft. They'll firm up as they cool, and you'll keep that gooey center that makes all the difference.

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Gluten-free and lactose-free cookies

Recipe by Nathalie Laplace

5.0 based on 2 votes

Type of dish: dessertKitchen: FrenchDifficulty: easy

Portions

4

people

Preparation

14

minutes

Cooking

28

minutes

Calories

681

kcal

Total time

42

minutes

Healthier cookies, crispy on the edges, soft in the center, with dark chocolate chips. Rice flour and almond flour give them a classic texture, gluten-free and lactose-free, without the fuss.

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Ingredients

• 110g of rice flour

• 70g of almond flour

• 1/2 teaspoon of gluten-free baking powder (approx. 3g, multiply as needed)

• 1 pinch of salt

• 80g of deodorized coconut oil (melted then cooled)

• 90g of brown sugar

• 40g of light brown sugar

• 1 egg (approx. 55g without shell)

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• 1 orange (finely grated zest)

• 120g dark chocolate (chopped or in chips)

• 40g hazelnuts (crushed)

Preparation steps

• Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• In a bowl, mix the rice flour, almond flour, yeast and salt.
• In another bowl, whisk the melted and cooled coconut oil with the brown sugar and blond sugar, just until dissolved and well combined.
• Add the egg, vanilla and orange zest. Whisk for 20 seconds: no need to overdo it, we're not trying to "whip" anything.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix with a spatula until there are no more traces of flour.
• Stir in the dark chocolate and crushed hazelnuts.
• Form 12 balls of dough (approx. 45g each) and place them on the baking sheet, spacing them apart. Flatten the tops very lightly with the palm of your hand: just a light tap to help them spread.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, depending on your oven. The edges should be set and golden brown, the center still slightly soft.
• Let them cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet (they are fragile at first), then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

📊 Nutritional Information

1 serving (3 cookies, approx. 135g)

* RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance

📝 Notes

If you like thicker cookies, put the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes before forming the balls: this limits spreading and strengthens the soft center.

💡 Chef's Tips

For a truly "cookie" texture, slightly underbake them: they'll seem too soft when they come out of the oven, that's normal. And if your coconut oil is very hot, let it cool for 5 minutes before adding it, otherwise the egg may curdle in places.

🔄 Variations

• Nut-free: replace the almond flour in the cookies with 70g of buckwheat flour and remove the hazelnuts (add 10g of rice flour if the dough seems very soft).
• For an even more chocolatey version: replace 20g of rice flour with 20g of unsweetened cocoa and add 1 tablespoon of plant-based milk if needed.

Nathalie Laplace

Food writer for the Simple & Bon website. Passionate about healthy cooking and especially salads, slow-cooked or oven-baked recipes.