Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies that are naturally gluten-free, grain-free, perfectly chewy, buttery (but butter/oil-free), a bit cookie-doughy in the middle and super yum. Mixed up and ready in under 20 minutes!  

These Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies are EVERYTHING in my life right now – chewy, soft, full of chocolate chips, sweet and buttery. And they also happen to be gluten-free, grain-free and contain no vegan butter or added oil at all. 

And did I mention how quick and easy they are to make? No food processor or mixer required. A bowl and spoon, 20 minutes and you’re good to go. Perfect for when you want a yummy baked treat but don’t have much time. 

Best things about my Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies:

• Naturally oil-free, gluten-free, vegan and still taste amazing!! 
• Great texture. Just the right amount of softness, chew and a bit cookie dough-like in the middle. 
• Excellent with coffee for a mid-morning snack and can also stand in for dessert … or breakfast ;o) 
• Really quick and easy to mix up 
• No dough refrigeration required
• Almond flour makes them taste buttery without the butter.

One of these chewy chocolate almond flour cookies alongside your mug of coffee and your day just got a whole lot better! 

What you need to make these cookies and why

Almond flour – Gives these cookies a delicious buttery, rich flavour and a soft chewy texture. There is no nut-free option with this recipe and it will not work with regular all purpose flour. 

Nut butter – A healthy and delicious way of making the cookies rich, flavourful and satisfying. 

Sugar – For sweetness and texture. It’s what makes them chewy. You can replace it with coconut sugar or maple syrup (see recipe notes for how), but for best results use cane sugar or granulated white sugar as listed. 

Vanilla – Flavour. It works really well with the almond flour. 

Cinnamon – Not a usual ingredient in chocolate chip cookies, but I always add it to mine. It’s just a touch and adds a little something without being obviously cinnamon-y. 

Chocolate Chips – I like semi-sweet chocolate chips in these cookies. Just be sure to check the ingredients and make sure they are vegan. A lot of dark chocolate chips / dark chocolate bars are accidentally vegan but some do contain milk products. Enjoy Life is a popular brand that is vegan and allergen friendly. 

Fine salt – Essential in almost all recipes even sweet ones for the very best flavour. 

Flaky sea salt – Optional but highly recommended. It really makes the flavours pop and adds a special something to this recipe. 

What is the difference between almond flour and almond meal?

Almond flour is typically made with blanched and skinless almonds and is ground into a very fine flour, whereas almond meal is made with unblanched (skin on) almonds and is ground into a courser flour or meal. For this recipe it is important to use almond flour. 

Almond flour is readily available at most grocery stores and is usually found in the baking aisle or with the gluten-free flours. 

How to make Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST

You can have freshly baked, chewy, delicious cookies in just a few easy steps.

Step 1: Whisk the nut butter, vanilla and milk together. 

Step 2: Add everything else except the chocolate chips and mix up well. 

Step 3: Add the chocolate chips and stir them in. 

Step 4: Roll into balls and place on a baking tray and flatten them down with your fingers. 

Step 5: Maybe sprinkle with a few more chocolate chips and definitely sprinkle with some delicious flaky sea salt, then bake. 

Step 6: Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the tray before moving to a cooling rack. 

Success Tips

– Use drippy nut butter, not the really super stiff stuff, and not the end of the jar that always ends up getting a bit dry and hard. 
– Weigh the almond flour with a digital scale for best results. 
– Don’t sprinkle the cookies with table salt instead of the flaky sea salt. It’s not the same at all and does not taste good when used like this. You need delicious flaky sea salt. My favourite brand is Maldon. 
– Be sure to line your baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone liner. 
– Don’t try to move the cookies too soon after removing them from the oven. Leave them on the tray for 10 minutes to firm up. They will break if you try to move them while hot. 

Ways you can adapt this recipe

Keep the base Almond Flour Cookie recipe the same but feel free to “do you” and adapt the add-ins and flavourings. Your customizing options could include:

• any nut or seed butter. Use your favourite. 
• omit the chocolate chips
• switch the chocolate chips for dried fruit, cacao nibs, vegan white chocolate, chopped nuts or seeds, crystallized ginger
• switch the vanilla for almond extract
• orange or lemon zest or orange or lemon extract, with or without the chocolate chips 
• add a drizzle of melted chocolate over the top of each one
• dip them in chocolate (half way to look kinda cool) or just do the tops
• add some ground ginger as well as or instead of the cinnamon
• a bit of shredded coconut or coconut flakes

How long do these cookies last?

These aren’t your typical cookies and don’t keep quite as well as most.

Once they are completely cool store them in an airtight container. They will last for up to a week but they do get softer and softer with time. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though because it makes them cookie-doughy! 

How to freeze 

You can make the cookie dough, shape the cookies, then freeze them prior to baking. 

Once the cookies have been shaped and are sitting on the tray, put the whole tray with them on in the freezer uncovered. As soon as the raw cookies are hard you can transfer them to a freezer proof container or bag until needed and get your tray back for other things.

When you want to cook the cookies, remove from the freezer, lay out on a lined baking tray again and bake from frozen at the same temperature as stated, just allow an extra 5 minutes baking time. 

How to store almond flour

Almond flour is more expensive that regular wheat flour, so it’s important to know how to store it correctly.  

Because it’s made from nuts with a naturally high oil content it is prone to going rancid.  If you smell your almond flour it should smell sweet and nutty. If it smells bitter and unpleasant it has probably gone rancid and you will need to discard/compost it. 

To avoid almond flour going rancid, store it in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer. In the fridge it should last about 6 months and in the freezer up to 12 months. You can use it in any recipe straight from the fridge or freezer. It stays flour-like in the freezer and doesn’t turn into a solid lump.

More recipes that use almond flour

If you are liking the almond flour recipe vibe and want more recipes that use almond flour, then you might enjoy:
Vegan Butter
Almond Cherry Muffins
Healthy Vegan Biscuits

And if you love this recipe, please do check out my cookbook, and subscribe to my email list for a fabulous FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes. Being on the list means you will be first to see my new recipes and you’ll be kept in the loop on all things new and exciting too!

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies that are naturally gluten-free, perfectly chewy, buttery (but with no butter), a bit cookie-doughy in the middle and super yum. Mixed up and ready in under 20 minutes!  

4.84 from 6 votes

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Course: Baked Goods, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Canadian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Serves: 14 cookies

Calories: 168kcal

Author: Melanie McDonald

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons / 64 g smooth nut butter of choice * see recipe notes
• 6 tablespoons / 90 ml plant-based milk of choice , plain, unsweetened & not flavoured
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups / 192 g almond flour ** see notes re measuring
• ½ cup / 100 g cane sugar or granulated white sugar *** see notes for sugar-free alternative
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup / 87 g dairy-free chocolate chips , plus a few more for decorating the tops

Optional (but recommended)

• flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set the tray aside, away from the oven so it doesn't get warm.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the nut butter, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk together until combined. Be sure to scrape the whisk off well when you remove it from the bowl, so that you don't waste any.
• Add the almond flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the bowl and mix really well with a wooden spoon or spatula until you can't see any dry flour anymore and it looks like cookie dough. It starts off looking like it will be too dry but suddenly comes together as you stir it. Then add the chocolate chips and stir them through.
• Roll into balls and place on the baking tray with about 2 inches free space between each one . I used an ice cream scoop to portion my dough so they were all the same size or you can measure about 2 tablespoons of mixture for each one.
• With slightly damp fingers (dip them in a cup of water and shake them off) press the top of each ball down to flatten it so it's about half an inch thick. The water stop your fingers sticking to the dough.
• Stick a few extra chocolate chips in the top of each one and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, then bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and leave on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring carefully to a cooling rack. It is normal for them to be really soft while hot but they firm up as they cool.
• Once completely cool store in an airtight container.

Notes

* Any smooth nut or seed butter is fine but it must be a nice loose, slightly runny one, not a really stiff one or the hard remnants from the bottom of the jar. 

** I highly recommend that you use a digital kitchen scale to measure the almond flour. Cup measurements are not accurate enough to get the best and consistent results. Digital kitchen scales are available at most big superstores now and you can pick one up for around $10. They are a great investment and are so worth having!

If you do need to use cups, spoon the flour gently into the measuring cup and don't compact it or shake it down. By filling the cup like this you will get roughly the correct amount and make your chances of success better. Do not scoop the flour up into the cup as you will end up with much more than intended and it will affect the outcome of the recipe. 

***Cane sugar or granulated white sugar gives the best results/texture. Coconut sugar will work too but won't give the same chew, or you can replace it with real maple syrup (the natural stuff, not pancake syrup). To do this omit the milk from the recipe and use 7 tablespoons of maple syrup instead. Mix the dough really well as directed. If it doesn't come together into a rollable cookie dough, add more maple syrup a tablespoon at a time, stirring well in between each addition, until it does come together. 

Don’t sprinkle the cookies with table salt instead of the flaky sea salt. It’s not the same at all and does not taste good when used like this. You need delicious flaky sea salt. My favourite brand is Maldon. 

FREEZING

Once the cookies have been shaped on the tray, but before they are cooked, you can put the whole tray with them on in the freezer uncovered. As soon as the raw cookies are hard you can transfer them to a freezer proof container or bag until needed.
When you want to cook them, remove from the freezer, lay out on a lined baking tray and bake from frozen at the same temperature. Just allow an extra 5 minutes baking time. 

Recommended Products

• USA Pan Baking Tray
• Pyrex Mixing Bowl Set
• Silicone Spatula Set
• Cookie Scoop
• Silicone Baking Mat

Estimated nutrition per serving:

Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg

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