GFCF Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars made with GLAD flour

These are great for potlucks and school parties when you want something that tastes very good, and is as normal as you can get. No one ever knows they’re gluten free. They just taste like very good homemade cookies.

Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips are dairy-free as are the more expensive Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips. Sometimes generic and store brand chocolate chips are dairy-free too. I recently found some at Big Lots that are dairy free, very good quality and were less than $2 a package. My local Kroger used to produce their lowest priced, value brand chocolate chips without any added dairy, but just recently changed their formula. I was terribly disappointed because they were such good quality and such a good price. This proves the adage,”Always read the package. Always.” Manufacturers can change their product’s formula without notice and it’s a terrible thing to have four packages of chocolate chips in the pantry that you can’t even eat. Luckily Kroger is pretty easy going about returns.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup dairy free margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups homemade GLAD flour or your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 to 12-ounces dairy free chocolate chips (1-1/3 to 2-cups)

Directions

Allow the margarine to come to room temperature, or soften it in the microwave. I have used Blue Bonnet lactose free margarine in this recipe and it works flawlessly. Any other dairy-free margarine should work fine too.

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Place the margarine in a mixing bowl and work it with a wooden spoon until it is easy to stir. Add the sugars, vanilla and eggs. Stir until well mixed. Add the gluten free flour, baking soda and salt. Stir again until you have a nice, thick dough. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Coat a 15 by 10-inch cookie sheet (the kind with sides, also called a jelly roll pan) with solid shortening or coat it with no-stick spray. Turn the cookie dough into the pan. Wet your hands with water and then use your wet hands to pat the dough into the pan evenly.

Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the sides of the bars have pulled away from the sides of the pan. Remove the bars from the oven and allow them cool for about 15 minutes. Cut into bars. I cut the pan 6 by 8 to make 48 bars. Serve with your favorite dairy free milk.

Makes 48 cookie bars.

If you prefer to make drop cookies instead of bars, then drop the dough by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375° for about 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 4 or 5 dozen. I always make cookie bars because I am lazy and they are faster to prepare than cookies.