Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread

These chunky gluten free chocolate chip shortbread wedges have a rich, buttery taste with pockets of chocolate and a crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture. They only require a few ingredients and are so simple to make.

These gluten free shortbread cookies are a regular bake in my kitchen, but are a firm favorite during the holidays. You might also want to check out my gluten free Christmas desserts for more recipes.

I adapted this recipe from my plain gluten free shortbread recipe and have also used it to make gluten free lemon shortbread cookies.

Recipe Development

Traditional shortbread uses shortening, but I opted for good-quality butter. I tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill 1-1 gluten free flour and Dove farm free from plain flour. When using Bob's Red Mill, I reduced the xanthan gum as the flour blend already contains it.

I used my gluten free Scottish shortbread recipe as base as this recipe was tested many times to get it just right and has been a popular recipe with others. I added the chocolate chips and baked the shortbread in a 9-inch cake pan instead of an 8x8 baking pan. This makes chunky traditional petticoat tails wedges that melt in your mouth.

I have used gluten free shortbread as a base for other recipes such as Millionaires cheesecake, gluten free apple pie bars, and gluten free Millionaires shortbread.

📋 Ingredients Notes

• Unsalted Butter - Always use high-quality European butter that has a lower water content at room temperature. The quality of the butter you use in shortbread is crucial because it directly impacts the taste, texture, and overall quality of the cookies. High-quality butter enhances the rich, buttery flavor, ensures a desirable melt-in-your-mouth texture, and enhances the overall finished shortbread.
• Sugar - Use superfine sugar also known as bakers sugar or caster sugar. This helps create a smoother texture and more consistent sweetness in the gluten free shortbread due to its smaller granules that dissolve easily. I also sprinkled the top of the shortbread with extra sugar as soon as it came out of the oven but this step is optional.
• Gluten free All puropse Flour - I tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill 1-1 gluten free flour and Dove farm free from plain flour. When using Bob's Red Mill, I reduced the xanthan gum to ¼ teaspoon as the flour blend already contains it.
• Cornstarch - Cornstarch is added to shortbread recipes to create a tender, crumbly texture, and reduce cookie spread. I have tested without cornstarch and although it still resulted in a delicious gluten free shortbread I preferred the recipe test that contained the cornstarch. If you don't have cornstarch, you can substitute an equal amount of the flour already included in the recipe. Note- Cornstarch is known as cornflour in the UK.
• Salt - The addition of salt will overall enhance the flavor of the gluten free shortbread cookies.
• Xanthan Gum - Works as a binder just as gluten would in regular baking. You can omit if the flour blend used already contains xanthan gum.
• Chocolate Chips - I used milk chocolate chips, but you can use your preferred chocolate, such as dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, white chocolate, or a combination of chocolate chips. Always check that the chocolate is gluten free as some brands may contain gluten.

See the recipe card below for ingredient measurements.

⚡ Substitutions & Variations

🥣 Step by Step Instructions

Below is a brief step-by-step process with photos of how to make Gluten free Chocolate Chip Shortbread.

See the recipe card below for more detailed recipe instructions.

Place a sheet of parchment paper at the bottom to line the baking pan and grease the sides of the pan.

Making the Gluten Free Shortbread Dough

Step 1: Cut the butter into small cubes and place the sugar and butter in a large bowl.

Step 2: Beat together butter and sugar until fully combined but not creamed as we don't want to add any air into the shortbread dough.

Tip: Stop beating once the butter and sugar are fully incorporated as too much air through over-beating will cause the top of the shortbread to puff up when baking and we don't want that.

Preparing the Dough

Step 3: In a large bowl mix together the flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, and salt. Combine the flour mix with the butter and sugar mixture and knead together until it looks like large crumbs. Mix in the chocolate chips (See image 3).

Step 4: Pour the mixture into into the lined baking pan and spread out evenly. You can sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top and gently press them into the dough.

Tip: I like to use my hands to spread it in the pan and then use a small offset spatula to smooth out the surface (See image 4).

Baking the Shortbread

Step 5: Using a knife cut into the dough about ¾ deep to score in the shape of the shortbread triangles, and then pierce each shortbread triangle with a fork a few times (See image 5).

Tip: Scoring the lines of the shortbread triangles will make it easier for clean cuts after they have cooled. Pricking the tops of the cookies before baking will allow air to escape and help prevent the shortbread from puffing up during the baking process.

Place the gluten free Shortbread dough in the fridge for 15 minutes and Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Step 6: Place in the oven for 50-60 minutes (Mine took 55 minutes) until slightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and place the baking pan on a cooling rack.

With a knife carefully go over the lines previously made while the shortbread is still soft. Sprinkle the top with the optional sugar if desired.

Tip: It is important to leave the gluten free chocolate chip shortbread in the baking pan on the cooling rack to fully cool before removing it from the pan as it will firm up nicely once fully cooled.