Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread

5 from 1 vote

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Chill time15

Total Time1 15

Course: Baking

Cuisine: scottish

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: Wedges or 8 large wedges

Calories: 269kcal

Author: Amanda

Equipment

9-inch round baking pan or a 8x8 square baking pan will also work well.

Ingredients

Ingredients for gluten free chocolate chip shortbread

280 grams Unsalted butter room temperature
150 grams Superfine sugar (Optional- Plus 1 tablespoon extra for sprinkling over the finished shortbread) Such as Caster or Bakers sugar (It is a finely granulated sugar that is finer than granulated sugar but not as powdery as powdered confectioner's sugar).
370 grams Gluten free all purpose flour See the blog post above for the flour brands I have tested.
70 grams Cornstarch Also known as cornflour in the UK
⅛ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Xanthan gum If the flour blend already contains xanthan gum reduce to ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum.
200 grams Chocolate chips

Instructions

How to make gluten free chocolate chip shortbread

Place parchment paper at the bottom to line the 9-inch round baking pan and grease the sides of the pan.
Cut the butter into small cubes and place the sugar and butter in a large bowl.
Beat together butter and sugar until fully combined but not creamed as we don't want to add any air into the shortbread dough.
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.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, and salt. Combine the flour mix with the butter and sugar mixture and mix together until it looks like large crumbs. Then Mix in the chocolate chips.
Pour the mixture 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.
I like to use my hands to spread it in the pan and then use a small offset spatula to smooth out the surface.
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 in the post above).
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.
Place in the oven for 50-60 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. (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.)

Notes

Recipe Tips

Tip #1: Quality ingredients - Using high-quality ingredients such as European butter that has a lower water content is essential as there are very few ingredients needed to make the gluten free shortbread so it really matters when it comes to achieving the best texture and flavor.
Tip #2: Don't overbeat - 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.
Tip #3: Pricking the top - By 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.
Tip #4: Chilling the dough - Chilling shortbread dough before baking helps solidify the butter, reduce cookie spread, enhance flavor, and make the dough easier to handle for a tender, crumbly texture and well-defined shape.
Tip #5: Let it fully cool - It is important to leave the gluten free shortbread in the baking pan on the cooling rack to fully cool after baking before removing it from the pan as it will firm up nicely once fully cooled.

Nutrition