Chestnut Cookies with chocolate chips are soft, buttery, subtly spiced, and have a delicious nutty, earthy flavor. Made with chestnut flour, these super tasty gluten-free cookies are a lovely Christmas Cookie and perfect for the holiday season!
If you want an amazingly delicious gluten-free cookie that everyone will love, this is it!
With chocolate in every soft and chewy bite, a slight crunch around the edges, and a nutty rich flavor, these Chestnut Cookies are undeniably dreamy.
While these cookies are quite special with a unique flavor, they're as simple to make as a typical chocolate chip cookie.
Fun side note: Tried and true, this Chestnut Cookie recipe was published in the American Chestnut Foundation Magazine.
The Key Ingredients
Aside from some usual baking suspects like butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and powder and eggs, below are the ingredients that make Chestnut Cookies exceptional:
- chestnut flour - Chestnut flour is a gluten-free flour made only from roasted ground chestnuts. It has a subtly sweet, nut-like earthy flavor that adds a heartiness and a delicious taste to these cookies (and to most baked goods it's added to). Most small Italian markets carry it, and you can also get here.
- pure vanilla extract - I use this vanilla, and you can substitute with vanilla paste if you'd like. (The amount would be the same.)
- cinnamon and salt - While the cookies will not have a strong cinnamon flavor, it adds a delicious hint of warm spice, and the salt enhances that flavor.
- semisweet chocolate chips - You can substitute with bittersweet or milk chocolate if that's your preference.
Pro Tip: You can make your own chestnut flour with fresh chestnuts and a food processor. Use step 1 only in the instructions for my Chestnut Butter Recipe. Please note that the consistency and moisture level might be different if you make it at home, which could alter this chestnut flour cookie recipe. (Store bought chestnut flour is dry -- the same consistency as most baking flours.)
How to Make Chestnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Adjust a rack (or two) to the center of the oven, preheat to 350°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use an electric mixer to blend softened butter with the sugars, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Add the egg and mix on a low speed for 1 minute. The batter should be very smooth.
- Measure the chestnut flour and then sift it into the batter with the baking powder and soda. Mix just until the flour is fully incorporated, and then fold in the chocolate chips.
Recipe Tip: Chestnut flour tends to clump together, so do not skip sifting it, or the cookie batter will be lumpy. Once sifted, it becomes a soft, fine powder.
- Use a 1¼-inch cookie scoop to shape your cookies, placing them on the parchment-lined baking sheets as you go, with at least 2-inches between them. Do not flatten them!
Recipe Tip: Chestnut cookies will spread a fair amount, so be sure to leave ample space between them on the cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies until they're ever-so-slightly golden along the edges, about 10 minutes. (They should still look a bit wet/doughy when you take them out.)
Pro Tip: With most cookie dough, there's no better way to shape it than with a cookie scoop. Not only is it easy, but it ensures your cookies will be evenly-sized, and therefore bake evenly.
- Let them sit for about at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully use a flat-bottomed, metal spatula to move them to a cooling rack. (They will look plump when you take them out of the oven, and then flatten out as they cool.)
As you can see, they are a flat cookie, and should look like the photos once they cool.
Making the Cookies Ahead and Storage
Room temperature. Once they've cooled completely, the cookies can be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for two to three days.
Can you freeze them? Yes, you can freeze them. Let the cookies cool completely, then they should ideally go in an airtight Ziploc freezer bag with all of the air removed. They can be frozen for up to four months.
How to Store Chestnut Flour
Chestnut flour has a short shelf life of about 1 month. Keep it stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, or you can freeze it for about 6 months.
More Must-Try Chestnut Recipes
Other Unique Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
Chestnut Cookies with Chocolate Chips are lovely for the holiday season and for absolutely any time. I hope you love them as much as my family and I do!
Chestnut Cookies with Chocolate Chips Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup golden brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup (about 5-ounces) chestnut flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheets. Adjust a rack (or two) to the center of the oven, preheat it to 350°F, and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the batter. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the butter with the sugars, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Add the egg and mix on a low speed for 1 minute. The batter should be smooth. Measure the chestnut flour and then sift it into the batter with the baking powder and soda. Mix just until the flour is fully incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Shape the cookies. Use a 1¼-inch cookie scoop to shape your cookies, placing them on the parchment-lined baking sheets as you go. There should be at least 2-inches between them.
- Bake. Bake the cookies in the preheated 350°F oven until they're very slightly golden along the edges, about 10 minutes.
- Cool. Let them sit for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then carefully use a flat-bottomed, metal spatula to move them to a wire cooling rack. (They will look plump when you take them out of the oven, and then flatten out as they cool.)
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Dawn
These chestnut chocolate chip cookies sound like the perfect addition to my holiday cookie tray! I've never tried putting chestnuts in cookies, but what a fun, festive and yummy idea!! I can only imagine how delicious they are freshly baked with a tall glass of milk. 🙂
Valentina
Hi Dawn! Thank you. I hope you love them as much as I do. Wishing you and your a very happy holiday season. 🙂 ~Valentina
Monica
Hi Valentina,
My son has some food intolerances including gluten-free but also dairy and egg. Baking something for his class to share for his birthday that the kids will recognize and eat is a bit of a mission (understatement of the year). I’m thinking to substitute a psyllium/flax egg (no fear there, it’s easy and reliable), but am wondering about coconut oil vs ghee (or other) instead of butter. Any advice?
Valentina
Hi Monica. 3 limitations for baking is certainly challenging. I only had to worry about gluten-free with my son who has Celiac. I felt like every single birthday party was all about cake and pizza. My expertise is gluten-free, however, I've had a lot of success using olive oil in cakes and cookies and I love it. It changes the flavor very subtly as well as the texture (cookies tend to be crispier, and cakes more moist). I think coconut oil should be okay, but since I haven't tested this recipe with it (which I assume you're thinking about?). People with various dietary restrictions love this site for desserts. It's packed with gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, etc. I spotted these chocolate chip cookies, which might be great for a classroom party, and if not, there are many others there. And not for a classroom party, but for a dessert at home, we love this 2-ingredient chocolate mousse, which has no egg, gluten or dairy. I hope this helps! 🙂 ~Valentina
Elizabeth
We made our own flour and then made the cookies. The flour was easy to make with the KitchenAid mill attachment. The cookies are delicious though they don't look like yours...they did not spread out very much and the dough was very thick, though we liked them that way. The difference probably had to do with the flour (we did sift it).
Valentina
Hi Elizabeth. So cool you made your own flour! My guess is that's why the cookie baked differently. So happy you still loved the taste! Thanks so much for visiting my site and trying the recipe. 🙂 ~Valentina
Sofia
Eating my first cookie straight out of the oven, and just need to say WOW! Best cookies ever!! No other recipe needed in life 🙂
Valentina
Hi Sofia, This makes me so happy. Thank you so much for sharing!! 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
I have so much Italian chestnut flour in my freezer — so glad to have another recipe other than castagnaccio! These sound amazing, Valentina!
valentina
Thanks, David! So fantastic you already have chestnut flour. I finally found it at a local Italian Deli near us. I try to make sure it's always in the freezer. Hope you and and Mark have a wonderful Thanksgiving. xo Valentina
Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man!
Those cookies look delicious!
valentina
Thanks, Jeff! 🙂