These gluten free chocolate wafer cookies are thin and crispy, super chocolatey, and just downright delicious. They're rolled out very thin and then baked until crispy for the perfect wafer cookie without the gluten!
Don't be fooled by this close up of a stack of chocolate cookies. They look thick but really they are only about an ⅛ of an inch thick when they go into the oven. I even used a ruler to check.
I wish I would have taken a picture of them next to an actual cookie for reference but you know what they say …. hindsight's 20/20!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. In other words, if you click a link and purchase something I will receive a commission at no cost to you. I only recommend products I use and enjoy myself.
What is a chocolate wafer cookie?
Chocolate wafer cookies are thin and crispy chocolate cookies that taste delicious on their own but are often used to make cookie crumbs. The cookie crumbs are then made into pie crusts or used as a topping.
How to make the cookies
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla then beat until combined. I like to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat until a chocolate cookie dough forms.
- On a floured surface roll out the cookie dough and cut out round cookies that are ⅛ inch thick. My cookie cutter was about 2 ¼ inch wide. You can chill the dough for a couple hours if you find it hard to work with while soft.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit on a lined sheet pan turning halfway through. Let them set for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Let the cookies cool completely before crushing in a food processor to make cookie crumbs.
Tips & Things to Remember
- Chilled cookie dough is easier to roll out and cut. If you are a novice baker or don't work with dough often simply chill it for a couple hours before rolling it out. If you are an experienced baker and/or very confident with dough I would skip chilling it. The dough is a nice texture and rolls out really nicely without chilling.
- If you decide to chill the dough overnight or longer than a couple hours be sure to let it sit out at room temperature until it's still firm but easy to work with. It will be too hard straight out of the fridge.
- Be sure to roll the cookies out thin! Gluten free chocolate wafer cookies are supposed to be thin and crispy.
- Generously flour the work surface and the top of the dough. There's nothing worse than rolling out cookies only to have them stick all over the counter when you try to move them.
- I tested these cookies baked for different lengths of time. I started at 10 minutes then I did 12, 14, and 16. Ultimately 14 minutes time was the perfect amount of time to get a crispy cookie that snaps when you break it. If you don't plan to make cookie crumbs and would like a chewier cookie only bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
- I use Dutch processed Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder in this recipe. Dark cocoa powder is much darker and has a richer taste than regular cocoa powder. It also has a much darker color. You can read about the differences here.
Other Gluten Free Cookies You Might Love
- Soft Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Gluten Free Funfetti Sugar Cookies
- Gluten Free M&M Cookies
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Flourless Oatmeal Cookies
Gluten Free Chocolate Wafer Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill 1:1 All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- ⅔ cup Dutch processed dark cocoa powder
- ½ t. baking powder
- ¼ t. kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy about 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and beat until the mixture comes together and forms a chocolate cookie dough.
- Flour a work surface and roll half the cookie dough out ⅛ inch thick with a rolling pin. Cut out round cookies about 2 ¼ inch wide and bake on a lined sheet pan for 14 minutes turning the pan halfway through. Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough.
Susan Sheldon says
I made these to have on hand for pie crust. I rolled the dough into a tube approx. 10" long, wrapped firmly with plastic wrap and put the tube in the freezer for 1 hour. After unrolling from the plastic wrap I sliced the cookies approx. 1/4" thick, or slightly less, measuring with a ruler. I baked them at 350 degrees on lined pans for 14 -16 minutes, approx. 20+ cookies per pan. Excellent flavor! Made a great mud pie crust with some leftovers for tea!
Thanks,
Susan
Susan says
I have made these a few times, once for a pie crust. Each time I have treated the dough/cookies as "refrigerator cookies", chilling in the freezer for an hour and slicing thinly or even freezing the dough for a month before using. I have taken the frozen dough out of the freezer, scored it with a knife, then thinly sliced the cookies without thawing. This was done while the oven was pre-heating. The cookies, perhaps a little thicker than the 1/8", were deliciously chocolaty, crisp and perfect for a GF choc. crumb pie crust too. Few ingredients for a great result!
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Susan