• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cooking On The Weekends
  • About Valentina
    • Press
    • Contact
  • Recipe Index
  • "How To"
  • Work with Me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Valentina
    • Contact
  • Recipe Index
  • Collaborate
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Valentina
      • Contact
    • Recipe Index
    • Collaborate
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Desserts » Cookies, Bars & Brownies » Chestnut Cookies with Chocolate Chips

    Chestnut Cookies with Chocolate Chips

    Nov 19, 2020 · by Valentina · 29 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Chestnut Cookies with Chocolate Chips are soft and buttery, subtly spiced, and have a delicious nutty, earthy flavor. Made with chestnut flour, they're a super tasty gluten-free treat. Perfect for the holiday season!tall stack of Chestnut Cookies with chocolate chips on raw chestnuts next to them

    If you want an amazingly delicious, unique gluten-free cookie that everyone will love, this is it!

    With chocolate in every soft, chewy bite, a slight crunch around the edges, and a nutty rich flavor, these Chestnut Cookies are undeniably dreamy.

    The first time I worked with chestnut flour was shortly after my son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I was inspired to try all sorts of interesting flours to see how many different and delicious, gluten-free baked goods I could come up with. (You'll find more of them here.)

    What is Chestnut Flour?

    • Typically labeled Italian Chestnut Flour, because it's imported from Italy, it's made from roasted chestnuts.
    • Chestnut flour is one of the most fundamental ingredients in the Tuscan mountains in Italy, and in years of poverty, chestnuts supported the local population.
    • The flour has a subtly sweet, nutty and earthy flavor that adds a heartiness to baked goods.
    • Chestnut flour is great in cakes, cookies, pasta, crepes and quick breads.
    • The flour clumps together, but becomes a fine powder when it's sifted.

    chestnut flour being poured out of green bag

    Where to get Italian Chestnut Flour

    • You might see chestnut flour in specialty markets, some health food stores, and you can also get it here or here.
    • You can make your own chestnut flour using the instructions here, going through step no. 2. (Please note that the consistency and moisture level might be different if you make it at home, which could slightly alter this chestnut flour chocolate chip cookie recipe.)

    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.

    Close up, top view of baked Chestnut Cookie swith Chocolate Chips

    What's in this recipe?

    • unsalted butter
    • granulated sugar
    • brown sugar
    • vanilla
    • cinnamon
    • salt
    • egg
    • chestnut flour
    • baking soda
    • semisweet chocolate chips

    How to Make Chestnut Cookies with Chocolate Chips

    - Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

    - 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.

    - Sift the chestnut flour into the batter with the baking soda. Mix just until the flour is incorporated and fold in the chocolate chips.chestnut flour being sifted into a bowl of cookie batter

    - Shape the cookies with a cookie scoop, placing them on the parchment-lined baking sheets. They should have a couple of inches between them.ball of chestnut cookie dough

    - Bake in a 350°F preheated oven until they're golden along the edges.

    - Let them sit for about a minute on the baking sheet, and then carefully use a flat-bottomed, metal spatula to move them to a cooling rack.Baked Chestnut Cookies with Chocolate Chips on cooling rack

    (More detailed instructions are below.)

    Recipe Tips for Chestnut Cookies

    • Do not skip sifting the chestnut flour, as it tends to clump up in the packaging. (See above photos.)
    • These chestnut cookies will spread a good amount, so be sure to leave ample space between them on the cookie sheet. They are a flat cookie, and should look like the photos once they cool.
    • These cookies are best within a day of baking them.

    Can you freeze Chocolate Chip Chestnut Cookies?

    Yes, you can freeze them. Once the cookies are baked and cooled to room temperature, they can be frozen in a tightly sealed container for up to four months.

    Stack of Chestnut Cookies with one on top broken in half

    Chestnut Cookies with Chocolate Chips are perfect for the holiday season and for all of the gluten-free eaters in your life. 

    Enjoy!

    Fun side note: My recipe for these Chestnut Cookies was published in the American Chestnut Foundation Magazine.

    More delicious chestnut recipes:

    • Chestnut Butter
    • Roasted Chestnuts
    • Cream of Potato and Chestnut Soup
    • Braised Chestnuts and Pearl Onions
    stack of Chestnut Cookies with chocolate chips on raw chestnuts next to them

    Chestnut Cookies with Chocolate Chips

    Valentina K. Wein
    These Chestnut cookies are packed with chocolate chips and they're a super delicious gluten-free treat. Made with chestnut flour, these cookies are perfect to share during the holiday season!
    *Makes about 2½ dozen / about 2 cookies per serving
    4.50 from 4 votes
    Print
    Prep Time 25 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 15
    Calories 173 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • ½ cup golden brown sugar
    • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 cup (5-ounces) chestnut flour
    • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheets. Preheat the oven 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 and light. Measure the chestnut flour and then sift it into the batter with the baking 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 golden along the edges, about 10 minutes.
    • Cool. Let them sit for about a minute on the baking sheet, and 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.) Serve at room temperature.

    Notes

    Calorie count is only an estimate.
    Keywords gluten-free cookies, holiday cookies
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

    Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

    More Cookies, Bars & Brownies

    • Several Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies surrounded by lemons.
      Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies
    • Several Pumpkin Almond Flour cookies in a white ceramic box on wood surface.
      Pumpkin Almond Flour Cookies for Halloween and Thanksgiving
    • Pile of peanut butter cookies with a fork indentation in each one.
      Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies (Easy)
    • Stack of about 7 Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookies on black background.
      Toasted Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Angie Halten

      December 15, 2011 at 3:34 am

      I haven't heard of chestnut flour before, but your recipe sounds so good I'm going to try and find some!

      Reply
      • valentina

        December 15, 2011 at 8:59 pm

        Hi Angie! You can get chestnut flour here. Hope you make and enjoy the cookies! Happy holiday's! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Erica

      December 11, 2012 at 6:19 am

      Hi- I came upon your blog and recipe a while ago, but finally got a chance to try it! These are the first GF ones I've tried that have the perfect texture. They have a mellow sweetness from the chestnut (which I like). I put a bunch in the freezer. Sometimes frozen GF goodies can end up with a weird or pasty texture after being thawed, but these didn't! I just popped a couple in the toaster oven on low heat and it came out tasting and feeling exactly like they did fresh out of the oven. Perfectly crispy on the outside, and soft and gooey on the inside. Had to write and thank you!

      Reply
      • valentina

        December 11, 2012 at 7:10 pm

        Hi Erica, I'm so glad you tried these cookies! My recipe for them is now in the American Chestnut Foundation Magazine. 🙂 Happy to hear they froze well, too. Thank you for visiting my site and sharing in my love of cooking. ~ Valentina

        Reply
    3. Amy

      May 16, 2013 at 11:54 am

      Ciao Valentina, I'm a gluten-free American expat living in Italy, where chestnuts are like the national nut. I can't throw a pizza without hitting a bag of chestnut flour, one of which has been sitting around my place since a failed experiment with banana bread many moons ago. I must say, these could be the very best chocolate chip cookies I've ever, ever had. The nutty, creamy flavor from the flour takes this classic to a completely different place. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 16, 2013 at 4:12 pm

        Thank you so much, Amy! Last year this recipe was featured in the American Chestnut Foundation's magazine. 🙂 My gluten-free son loves them, too. How lucky you are to be in a place a beautiful as Italy -- with such delicious food!

        Reply
    4. Dana

      October 11, 2013 at 4:44 pm

      Hi Valentina,

      I love this recipe you've shared, I had 1.5kgs of chestnut flour and wasn't sure what to do with it! I made one batch as a test run and loved them so now I'm making 3 batches for Thanksgiving this weekend. They are sooooo delicious! I am making them vegan and substituted the egg for 3tbsp's ground flax mixed with 5tbsp's water (I also tried out using oil instead of butter). They came out perfect and taste amazing- no one in my family would've guessed that they were gluten free & vegan. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 11, 2013 at 7:57 pm

        Hi Dana, Thanks so much for the lovely comment! So happy you found a way to make them vegan, too. I was so excited when I discovered chestnut flour . . . so many possibilities! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Jerri-Lynn DeGayner

      January 23, 2014 at 3:59 pm

      Hello

      Just stumbled across this recipe, trying to find an alternative to almond flour all the time.
      I'm trying to stay away from refined sugar, do you think it could be replaced with honey or maple syrup and if so, how much? Would it be still the 1/2 brown + 1/4 white so 3/4 total of honey or maple syrup? Thanks for any input.

      Reply
      • valentina

        January 23, 2014 at 7:39 pm

        Hi there -- I would use honey rather than maple syrup, and I would use 3/4 cup. Lower the oven temp to 325 degrees F because honey browns faster. I haven't ever done this, but it's my best guess. (You could also try agave -- if you do, use 2/3 cup as it's slightly sweeter than honey.) Thanks for visiting my site! 🙂

        Reply
        • Jerri-Lynn DeGayner

          January 23, 2014 at 8:02 pm

          Thank you very much!

          Reply
    6. Gabriele

      October 09, 2014 at 5:10 pm

      Valentina,
      We have a rather large chestnut orchard here in middle TN and make our own chestnut flour. I followed the recipe word for word. Cookies taste great, but I think I'll cut back on the chocolate a bit. My cookies looked a bit darker than your and seemed to flatten to semi-transparent. Wonder what I'm doing wrong. Thoughts

      Reply
    7. valentina

      October 09, 2014 at 6:00 pm

      Hi Gabriele,
      How fantastic to have a chestnut orchard. Love it. I'm so happy you tried this recipe. Some things to try . . .
      After you shape the balls of dough on the baking sheet - cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
      Make sure not to press the balls of dough down after you shape them -- they should should be like a ball.
      If you still have problems with them being too thin, you could add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the recipe.
      Hope this helps! 😀

      Reply
    8. Onur

      October 09, 2016 at 1:33 pm

      Hi, I have chestnuts, picked them today from a forest 🙂 How can I use them to make this cookie? I have boiled them and now they are in the fridge.

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 09, 2016 at 11:41 pm

        How incredibly cool that you picked your own chestnuts! I love that! While I haven't tried it, I think that you could roast the chestnuts (here's how), you could grind them in a food processor to make the chestnut flour. Just be careful not to grind for too long, or it'll become a "butter."I hope this helps. Have fun and thank you for checking out my recipe! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Renee

      February 07, 2018 at 12:40 pm

      I made my own chestnut flour from our chestnut tree harvest, so perhaps that skewed the recipe, but my cookies turned out very, very flat. I noticed the “dough” was very wet, so perhaps it needed more flour? Perhaps a weight measurement would be more accurate. Otherwise, they had very good flavor. I also used half the amount of chocolate. It was more than enough.

      Reply
      • valentina

        February 07, 2018 at 3:22 pm

        Hi Renee, Thanks so much for writing in. First of all, I love that you have a chestnut tree. Lucky you! My best guess would be that the difference was in the consistency of the flour. My chestnut flour is quite dry -- a similar, if not the same, consistency as an all-purpose flour. I have just weighed 1 cup of the chestnut flour (5-ounces), and edited it into the recipe. (Good idea - thank you!) They are a flat cookie -- every time I make them, the look almost exactly like those in the pictures. As for the chocolate -- I tend to always use a lot because I like a chip in every bite. 😉 Adjusting the chocolate to how you like it, is great. I so much appreciate feedback like this, and I'm sorry they didn't turn out better for you. Thank you for visiting my site and trying the recipes. 🙂 Warmly, Valentina

        Reply
    10. Emily

      February 11, 2018 at 7:11 am

      I absolutely love this recipe! It’s impossible to have any self control with these cookies. I will admit I’ve never made them exactly as written 😐 I leave out the chestnuts themselves, and I use a blend of puréed honey dates and coconut sugar instead of white and brown sugars. I’ve also made a version with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries which was fantastic. One thing to note is it seems chestnut flour goes rancid very quickly and is best stored in the freezer.

      Reply
      • valentina

        February 12, 2018 at 1:28 am

        Hi Emily, Thanks so much for writing. The white chocolate and dried cranberries in this cookie sounds so delicious! That would be so festive for the holidays. 🙂 And thank you for pointing that out about the chestnut flour. I do keep mine in the freezer, and I'm going to edit that into the recipes notes. If you love chestnuts, I recently made this chestnut butter, you might like. I appreciate you visiting my site and reading and cooking my recipes. 🙂

        Reply
      • Alene

        September 29, 2021 at 6:00 pm

        I just made these because I was so happy to see a use for my chestnut flour. Mine didn't spread after took them out of the oven. I may try them again with a fresh package of chestnut flour. This one has been hanging around for awhile. I do love chestnuts in any form! Thank you for the recipe. And so easy! I love that too.

        Reply
        • valentina

          September 29, 2021 at 7:54 pm

          Hi Arlene. I keep my chestnut flour in the freezer and it keeps really well. I'm glad you like the cookies, and maybe you will even more with a fresh batch of flour. Thank you! I love chestnuts, too. Especially their scent while roasting. 🙂 ~Valentina

          Reply
          • Alene

            October 16, 2021 at 4:38 pm

            Guess what! I froze them and just remembered them today, several weeks later. They are delicious reheated quickly in my toaster oven. I am going to make them again soon! Thank you for a wonderful recipe.

            Reply
            • Valentina

              October 16, 2021 at 6:07 pm

              Hi Arlene. Thank you so much for this note. I'm so happy the cookies held up so well after being frozen. And what a great idea to warm them quickly in the toaster oven. I love it! I hope you're having a great weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina

    11. angiesrecipes

      November 19, 2020 at 7:36 pm

      These cookies sound and look incredible with chestnut flour. Love the crisp edges and soft chewy center. A winner and keeper!

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 19, 2020 at 10:20 pm

        Thanks, Angie! Enjoy. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    12. Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man!

      November 20, 2020 at 5:16 am

      Those cookies look delicious!

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 20, 2020 at 8:33 am

        Thanks, Jeff! 🙂

        Reply
    13. David Scott Allen

      November 22, 2020 at 11:02 am

      I have so much Italian chestnut flour in my freezer — so glad to have another recipe other than castagnaccio! These sound amazing, Valentina!

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 22, 2020 at 12:30 pm

        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

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Get new recipes
    you’ll love!

    Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

    More about me →

    Seasonal Comfort Foods

    • ceramic bowl with Tuscan Bean Stew with green and white striped napkin
      Vegetarian Tuscan Bean Stew
    • Smoky Spanish Smashed Potato Casserole -- These potatoes are deliciously rich, super creamy, and comforting beyond belief. This is the perfect fall side dish to go with braised meats, chicken or even a salad.
      Smashed Potato Casserole
    • Creamy Parsnip Soup with Baby Parsnip French Fries in a purple bowl on a wood with a green floral cloth.
      Creamy Parsnip Soup Recipe
    • Cheesy Pancetta Brussels Sprouts Bake being spooned out of cast iron skillet with an orange spoon.
      Baked Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

    Spring!

    • Slice of olive oil carrot cake on white plate with spiced whipped cream dollop on top.
      Olive Oil Carrot Cake with Apricot
    • Blue-rimmed plate with asparagus salad and pickled red onions
      Parmesan Asparagus Salad
    • Steamed artichoke with lemons slices between the leaves on a white plate
      Steamed Artichokes with Lemon Beurre Blanc
    • Top view of Spring Lamb Stew with Green Garlic in a cream-colored bowl
      Spring Lamb Stew with Green Garlic

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Press

    Newsletter

    Get new recipes you’ll love!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with Me

    Review the privacy policy for Cooking on the Weekends

    Copyright © 2023 Cooking On The Weekends, All Rights Reserved