Gluten Free Chocolate Filled Cookies

Are you ready to make the best cookies you’ve ever made? These gluten free chocolate filled cookies are scrumptious, spectacular-looking, and easier to make than you’d imagine. They are a perfect sweet to bring to a summer picnic, or a winter potluck.
I used oat flour to make the cookies gluten free, and I found it easier to work with than other gluten free flours. As you can see from the picture, I was able to cut the cookie in half and it didn’t crumble and fall apart. I also used one egg to help bring (and keep) the dough together. I find it is especially important to use eggs when baking with gluten free flours. Eggs help prevent the baked goods from crumbling.
Note: Oats are naturally gluten free, however, sometimes they can get contaminated during processing or packaging. If you cannot tolerate gluten, I recommend you buy oats and oat flour that are certified gluten free.
In addition I also used vanillated sugar instead of vanilla extract to minimize the liquids added to the dough. You can find vanillated sugar in most grocery stores that carry European products. If you have vanilla paste, you could use that instead.
The chocolate filling is made from ganache. Although it is easy to make, ganache requires quite a bit of time. So if you wish to save some time, I recommend you make the ganache the night before and refrigerate it over night.
These cookies are coated in crushed hazelnuts, which go very well with the chocolate filling. However, if you (or someone else) have allergies to nuts, you could make substitutions. I suggest crushed toasted sesame seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, or even quick cooking oats. Additionally, you could also leave the cookies uncoated and they will taste just as well.
You should eat the cookies within 2 days of baking them. In the meantime, I recommend you store them covered, at room temperature to prevent them from drying.
When I made these cookies I used an ice-cream scoop of 17 ml (½ fl. oz.) to scoop the dough, and this resulted in 12 cookies. The number of cookies will vary with the volume of the ice-cream scoop. Moreover, the baking time will also differ.
I strongly recommend you use an ice-cream scoop instead of pinching the dough with your hands. Using an ice-cream scoop ensures all your cookies will come out the same size, and bake evenly.
See more cookie recipes here.
Here you have the recipe for the gluten free chocolate filled cookies:
Gluten Free Chocolate Filled Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 2 cups (200 g/ 7 oz.) oat flour
- 1 stick (115 g/ 4 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (60 g/ 2 oz.) icing sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup (30 g/ 1 oz.) hazelnuts, finely crushed
- 2 tbsp. vanillated sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
For the ganache filling:
- ¼ cup (60 ml/ 2 fl. oz.) cream (35% fat content)
- 60 g (2 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
For the ganache filling:
- Place the chocolate into a medium-sized bowl.
- Pour the cream into a small pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Once it begins to simmer, pour the cream over the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate is melted, and mixture is creamy. Let it cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, until it is firm enough to form small spheres. Form small balls the size of ½ a tsp. and refrigerate them until ready to use.
For the cookies:
- Place the oat flour, vanillated sugar and salt into a bowl, and whisk them together.
- In a large bowl beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat together until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture in three to four steps, mixing well after each addition, forming a soft dough. Allow the dough to rest 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Place the crushed hazelnuts into a small bowl.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop the cookie dough, using an ice-cream scoop. Flatten the dough with your hand. Place a ganache sphere in the center and fold dough over the ganache. Roll dough in your palms to form a ball. Roll each cookie dough ball into the crushed hazelnuts to coat it. Place the cookies on the baking tray 5 cm (2 inch) apart. Place the baking tray in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- After 30 minutes, remove tray from the fridge and place directly into the preheated oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cookie edges become lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 2 minutes on the baking tray, then transfer them to a rack to cool to room temperature.