gluten free Christmas cookies - cookie brittle broken into pieces on a sheet pan — Makes: *6 Servings*
Per SerVing: *12g Protein | 330 Cal*

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There’s just something about a thin, crispy, caramelized cookie. If you agree, you’re going to absolutely love this high-protein crispy cookie brittle. Sweet, crunchy, and buttery, with 12 whole grams of protein per serving, it’s a protein-packed treat that you’ll love having on your cookie plates this holiday season.

Gluten-free, ultra crispy, and lightly chewy in the center, this cookie brittle is perfect for holiday gifts or any quick snack or dessert. Plus, you can decorate your brittle with any kind of seasonal sprinkles or candies for a tasty treat that always looks great.

Why You’ll Love This High-Protein Cookie Brittle Recipe

Super crispy: It’s just not brittle if it’s not, well, brittle. This cookie brittle is super crispy thanks to a low-moisture dough and the addition of butter.
Easy enough for novice bakers: All you have to do is mix up your dough, spread it on a pan, bake it, cool completely, break it up, and enjoy.
Completely festive: Thanks to the addition of wintry or Christmas-y M&Ms or festive sprinkles, it’ll fit in perfectly on your holiday cookie plate.
High-protein, but delicious: Each serving of cookie brittle contains 12g of protein, but still tastes just like the classic cookie you know and love.
Great for gifts: Package up cookie bark for friends, family members, clients, neighbors, or anyone you want to give a little holiday cheer.
Stay good for a few days: They store well in an airtight container at room temperature for several days (if you can keep yourself from eating them all for that long!).

gluten free christmas cookies - cookie brittle on a pan

What’s the Difference Between Cookie Brittle & Regular Cookies?

If you’ve never tasted cookie brittle before, you may wonder what it’s really like and how different it is from regular cookies. The good news is, cookie brittle is even easier to make than a batch of cookies. Let’s break down the differences so you know what you’re getting yourself into (and what to expect from the result):

Cookie Brittle

The dough is spread in a very thin layer on the cookie sheet instead of formed into individual portions.
It gets super crispy.
You break it up into pieces after baking it instead of shaping individual cookies before baking.
When stored properly, cookie brittle will stay crunchy for several days.
It’s a great choice for giving as gifts, breaking up and sprinkling over yogurt, or getting a quick hit of protein after a workout.

Classic Cookies

Unlike cookie brittle that’s spread thin on a sheet pan, classic cookies are scooped, rolled, or otherwise shaped into individual portions before baking.
Cookies are usually thicker and some have a softer, chewer interior (though not all do).
You often need to bake cookies in multiple batches and multiple baking sheets versus just placing one pan in the oven to bake all of your dough at once like you do with cookie brittle.
Classic cookies are usually higher in moisture, so the softer, chewier cookies can go bad more quickly.
Basically, cookie brittle is like if you had cookies that were made of “all edges”. It’s crisp, caramelized, and super delicious with very little effort on your part. Mix up the cookie dough, spread it thinly and evenly on the pan, bake until cooked through, cool completely, then break into pieces. If you’re a crisp edges person, you’ve gotta try this.

gluten free christmas cookies - cookie brittle broken into shards

High-Protein (& Gluten-Free!) Baking with Almond & Oat Flour

Though most of the protein in this recipe comes from the addition of protein powder, if you’re prioritizing your protein intake, it’s good to know that the flours you use can also influence the protein content of your finished product.

You have a ton of different options to choose from when working with gluten-free flours.

But in this recipe, we’re using a combination of almond flour and oat flour. The mix gives the right texture and consistency to the dough and makes this cookie brittle so delicious. Here’s what you should know about how these flours can help give your baked goods a little protein boost.

Almond flour: Almond flour adds a little healthy fat and nutty flavor to baked goods, which can help make things crispy. There’s about 6-7 grams of protein per ¼ cup of almond flour (the exact amount depends on the brand you’re using), which is a little bit more than many other traditional baking flours (even "regular" flour and a gluten-free flour blend).
Oat flour: Oat flour helps add a little bit of a chewy center to the brittle, while also giving it some structure. It has a little less protein than almond flour, coming in at about 4 grams of protein per ¼ cup.

The combination of the flours not only gives you the perfect texture for your cookie brittle, but also adds a little bit of extra protein to the finished product. Crunchy and sweet, this high-protein cookie brittle tastes just like classic chocolate chip cookies.

Gluten-Free Baking Tips for the Best Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies

This cookie brittle is naturally pretty easy to make gluten-free, but here’s how to make it the best it can be, ready and willing to stand up next to your crinkle cookies, peanut butter blossoms, gluten-free sugar cookies, gingerbread men, and more:

Make sure you use a certified gluten-free flour

Even if you’re using oat flour or almond flour, you should always double-check that it’s gluten-free. Oats, in particular, are naturally gluten-free, but commonly cross-contaminated with gluten. If you have to strictly avoid it, looking for a “gluten-free” label is key.

Consider measuring by weight instead of volume

Digital scales are pretty affordable and easy to use. If you do a lot of gluten-free baking, you might want to consider picking one up and measuring by weight instead of volume. It can give more precise measurements than your usual cups, teaspoons, and tablespoons.

gluten free christmas cookies - bowl of cookie brittle next to a pan of brittle

Cornstarch helps with crispiness

If you’re making this cookie brittle (or any other gluten-free cookies you’re making this time of year that you’d like to get a little crispy), consider cornstarch your secret weapon. It can help add a little texture and structure and make your cookies crispier (or in this case, help your brittle shatter).

Let your gluten-free baked goods cool completely

Like many baked goods, most gluten-free baked goods firm up and get a bit less fragile as they cool. That goes for this brittle as well. Don’t worry too much if it feels a bit soft when it comes out of the oven. Let it cool completely and it should get crispier as it sits.

If you’re adding protein, make sure you pick the right protein powder

I like using a combination of whey and casein protein powders (or just whey protein powder) when baking. The whey protein can help add a little structure that you’re missing from gluten. If you must use a vegan protein powder, try to avoid blends that are overly pea-protein-heavy and add a little extra liquid if your dough looks dry.

Swaps & Substitutions

For the butter: Use coconut oil. If you don’t want a coconut-y flavor, make sure you use a refined version.
For the Greek yogurt or cottage cheese: You can swap these for each other. Use whichever you prefer!
For the protein powder: If you don’t want to use a plain whey protein powder, consider swapping in a whey/casein blend. Plant-based proteins can make doughs thicker and chalkier, so you may need to add more liquid if you need to use one of those.
For the chocolate chips or Christmas M&Ms: Try mixing in chopped pretzels, toffee bits, crushed candy canes (or other festive flavors, like fragrant spices), sprinkles (Supernatural makes great artificial dye-free sprinkles, if that’s important to you), or crushed up freeze-dried berries. Whatever you choose, just make sure to keep the mix-ins to about ¼ cup (or less) so that you’re still able to spread the brittle thinly on the pan—just just a little bit more can make a big difference in how crispy your finished product gets.

gluten free christmas cookies - cookie brittle on a plate

FAQs

There are a few reasons why your brittle may not have crisped up in the oven like you’d anticipated. The dough may not have been spread thinly enough, the center may not have been baked enough when you turned off the oven, there might’ve been too much moisture from the yogurt or cottage cheese in the dough, or you may not have let it fully cool on the baking sheet before going ahead to try to break it into pieces.
If you find that your brittle isn’t crispy enough, pop it back into a low oven (about 250 degrees F) for about 5 minutes, or until it gets crunchy.
Store leftover cookie brittle in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
You sure can! Place the cookie brittle in an airtight container or freezer-safe baggie and freeze for up to 2 months. Let it thaw uncovered and crisp quickly in the oven if needed.

Baking holiday cookies is such a cherished tradition for so many families. Save this high-protein, gluten-free holiday cookie brittle recipe to add to your line-up this year. And if you do make it, I’d love to hear how it goes! Happy Holidays!