Panda Cookies (GF)
Neena BrostowskiThe Gluten-Free Lovechild of Bear Paws and Chocolate Chip Cookies ✨🐼🍪🏁☁️
These Panda Cookies are soft, chewy, chocolatey, and honestly so nostalgic in the best way.
They’re kind of like if bear paws and chocolate chip cookies had a gluten-free little baby. Soft in the middle, loaded with dark chocolate chips, and finished with a sprinkle of flaky salt because we love a sweet-salty moment.
They’re easy to make, perfectly cozy, and ideal for when you want a homemade cookie that feels a little nostalgic without being overly complicated.
🛑 Before You Start
Make sure your gluten-free flour contains xanthan gum. This helps give the cookies structure and keeps them from falling apart.
If your flour blend does not contain xanthan gum, add ½ tsp to the recipe.
You can use regular butter, vegan butter, or ghee. If using butter, I like to cream it with the maple sugar until smooth and fluffy. If using ghee, you can keep things a little lazier and simply mix until combined.
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
Makes 12 cookies
- ½ cup butter, vegan butter, or ghee
- 1 cup maple sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup milk of choice
- 1½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, with xanthan gum
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- Coarse or flaky salt, to top
How To Make It
-
Preheat your oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. -
Cream the butter and sugar
In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and maple sugar until smooth and fluffy. If using ghee, you can skip the full creaming step and simply mix until combined. -
Add the egg and vanilla
Add the egg and vanilla extract, then mix well. -
Stir in the milk
Add the milk of choice and stir until combined. -
Mix the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, mix the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt. -
Combine wet and dry
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms. -
Fold in the chocolate chips
Gently fold in the dark chocolate chips. -
Chill the dough
Place the dough in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes. This helps the cookies hold their shape while baking. For best results, chill for a few hours or overnight. -
Scoop and bake
Scoop the dough onto your lined baking tray, leaving a little space between each cookie. Sprinkle with coarse or flaky salt. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centres still look soft. -
Remove and cool
Let cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Note:
Make sure your gluten-free flour blend contains xanthan gum. If it does not, add ½ tsp xanthan gum to the dry ingredients.
The cookies will continue to set as they cool, so try not to overbake them. Pull them when the edges look set but the middles still look soft.
Make It Your Own
- Swap maple sugar for coconut sugar if needed.
- Add chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch.
- Use dairy-free chocolate chips to keep them dairy-free.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon for a warmer flavour.
- Make them smaller for mini snack cookies.
Why You’ll Love It
- They’re gluten-free.
- They’re soft, chewy, and chocolatey.
- They taste nostalgic, like a mix between bear paws and chocolate chip cookies.
- They’re easy to make with simple ingredients.
- They can be made dairy-free depending on the butter and chocolate chips you use.
- They’re perfect for a cozy snack, lunchbox treat, or freezer stash.
Final Thoughts
These Panda Cookies are cute, cozy, and dangerously snackable.
They have that soft, nostalgic cookie texture with melty chocolate chips and a little flaky salt on top to make them feel extra special. Basically, they’re the kind of cookie you make once and immediately decide you need to keep on rotation.
With love from my kitchen to yours,
—Neena