The BEST Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies – soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies made undetectably gluten and grain free with almond flour and simple, gluten free ingredients. These cookies are tried, tested and easy to make
I think I say this every time I share new chocolate chip cookie here recipe but really, these almond flour chocolate chip cookies are without a doubt my new favourite. They’re soft, chewy and studded with little morsels of semi-sweet chocolatey goodness made entirely gluten and grain free with the use of almond flour.
Let’s bake!
Ingredient Checklist
- butter: You can sub out the butter for a dairy free/ vegan friendly butter. Coconut oil can also be used but I don’t recommend it for best results. I haven’t tried this myself but I have heard from readers that palm shortening also works as a good butter sub.
- sugars: Use a combination of white and brown sugar. White sugar will help make for cookies that are a bit crisp around the edges while the brown sugar makes for soft and chewy centres. I used light brown sugar, but you can also opt for dark brown sugar. Just keep in mind that dark brown sugar has more molasses meaning the cookies will be sweeter and softer.
- egg: One egg provides moisture and binding in these cookies. If you’re in need of an egg-free option I have heard from readers that using 1 flax egg or chia egg also works well!
- vanilla extract & salt: What’s a chocolate chip cookie without a little vanilla? Both vanilla and salt work as out flavour enhancers in this recipe.
- almond flour: Fine almond flour makes for the most undetectably grain-free cookies, but almond meal works just as well! I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure out the flour for the most accurate weight and best results.
- chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are the usual cookie go-to but dark chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips are also good options. Use whatever you like!
How to Make: Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Altogether this recipe requires only 8 ingredients to make and can be completed in easily under an hour. The steps are simple and similar to most regular cookies.
To begin, simply beat together your butter and sugars together in a large mixing bowl until you have a light and fluffy mixture using an electric or stand mixer. Continue by adding in the egg and vanilla and beat once more to fully mix it all together.
In a separate, medium bowl whisk together your dry ingredients: almond flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk well to evenly distribute the baking soda and salt throughout the flour and remove any stubborn lumps. Once mixed, add the flour mixture in with in with the butter mixture and mix once again to combine until a soft dough forms.
At this point all that’s left to do is stir in your chocolate chips, roll and bake. Use a tablespoon to scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into little cookie dough balls. Place the dough on a greased or lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. The cookies will spread slightly as they bake so it’s important to leave a little room in between.
When you’re ready to go simply pop the cookies in the oven and bake for 10-11 minutes and that’s it! I prefer taking my cookies out at the 10 minute mark for more chewy centres. They do look slightly under baked at this point but continue cooking as they cool on the cookie sheet. If you’d prefer more crispy edges leave them in the full 11 minutes.
Once done, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling and that’s it!
In Summary
- In a large bowl: Beat together butter and sugars.
- Add the egg and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl: combine almond flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk.
- Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix into a thick, soft dough.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheet.
- Bake and enjoy!
Final Tips, Substitutions and other Questions:
Storage Tips
These cookies keep better than most chocolate chip cookie recipes. They stay soft and chewy for at least a week. The only real thing to keep in mind when it comes to storage is to make sure the cookies have completely cooled before you pack them away in an airtight container or cookie jar.
You can keep these stored at room temperature or packed away in the fridge. I even like keeping some cookies in the freezer to satisfy sweet cravings in the warmer summer months.
Freeze for Later
Yes! Both the dough and the baked cookies can be frozen.
- To freeze the dough: roll cookie dough into balls and place in the refrigerator for an hour or so. Once the balls have chilled and hardened place in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready for cookies simply bake from frozen – just add an extra 2-3 minutes to the overall bake time. You may also want to write down the date frozen as well as the bake temperature and time.
- To freeze baked cookies: Once fully cooled place the cookies on a baking sheet you can fit in the freezer. Place in the freezer until solid and then transfer the cookies to a bag or Tupperware container – place a small sheet of baking parchment in between each cookie to prevent cookies from freezing together. Cookies will keep at least 3 months in the freezer. You can enjoy frozen cookies straight out of the freezer or allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight.
What’s The Difference Between Almond Flour And Almond Meal?
Though almond flour and almond meal are made from essentially the same thing (ground almonds) there are a couple of key differenced between the two.
- Almond flour is typically made with blanched (skinless) almonds into a more fine flour.
- Almond meal is usually made with un blanched (skin on) almond into a more coarse flour.
Can I use almond meal instead of almond flour?
Yes! In many cases you cannot swap out almond meal/almond flour interchangeably but with these cookies you can.
Can I use another type of flour?
No. I tested this recipe multiple times using almond flour/meal. I can’t guarantee the same results if you use any other types of flours.
If you’re interested in making cookies with different types of flours there are plenty of other recipes on this site you might prefer instead.
- Sunflower Seed Chocolate Chip Cookies (nut free, paleo, low fodmap and vegan)
- Chickpea Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies (grain free/nut free)
- Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (used coconut, almond and tapioca flour)
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oat Cookies (vegan option and low FODMAP )
- Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (flourless, paleo)
Can I use coconut sugar?
Yes! If you wanted to make these with all coconut sugar your cookies will be more crispy and less chewy but it will still work. I prefer using a blend of brown and white sugar for the soft and chewy texture but you can swap those out and sub coconut sugar if you’d prefer!
Can I make these with coconut oil?
Yes, but it’s not recommend for best results. I’ve found that the times I’ve made these cookies or other almond flour cookies using coconut oil (like these almond flour snickerdoodles), the cookies come out less soft and chewy and are more likely to spread and make for overly flat cookies. You can combat the spread by chilling the dough for about 20 minutes before baking, but then if the dough has been chilled too long, they don’t spread at all and can come out a little dense.
If you want to make them dairy free I recommend a good vegan butter substitute like Earth Balance Butter Spread.
The end result? The BEST almond flour cookie made entirely gluten and grain free! Make sure to check out the recipe notes on how to adapt this recipe to be dairy free, egg free and low carb friendly!
I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we have these past few weeks! If you have any more questions just let me know in the comments below!
More Almond Cookies and Baked Goods You Might Enjoy:
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies with Almond Flour
- Chocolate Chip Almond Zucchini Cookies
- Almond Flour Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
- Golden Almond Cookies
- Almond Flour Cookie Bars
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies - soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies made undetectably gluten and grain freeÂ
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup | 150 g butter, salted or unsalted, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup | 165 g brown sugar
- 1/4 cup | 50 g white sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons | 10 ml vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups | 265 g almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup |1 25 g chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C. Line a couple of large cookie sheets with baking paper. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl with an electric or stand mixer. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In another small bowl whisk together the almond flour, baking soda and salt until combine. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and mix in on a low speed until a dough forms. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart leaving room for spreading.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges have goldened slightly. At the 10 minute mark the cookies will still look a little under baked but will continue bake as they cool on the cookie sheet. If you prefer chewier cookies 10 minutes should be enough. If you want crispier edges bake 11 minutes
- Allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the tray before carefully moving them to a wire cooling rack. The cookies will come out of the oven puffed up but deflate as the cool. Fresh out of the oven they will be fragile, but as they cool they will be easy to handle.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- To freeze the dough: roll cookie dough into balls and place in the refrigerator for an hour or so. Once the balls have chilled and hardened place in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready for cookies simply bake from frozen - just add an extra 2-3 minutes to the overall bake time. You may also want to write down the date frozen as well as the bake temperature and time.
- To freeze baked cookies: Once fully cooled place the cookies on a baking sheet you can fit in the freezer. Place in the freezer until solid and then transfer the cookies to a bag or Tupperware container - place a small sheet of baking parchment in between each cookie to prevent cookies from freezing together. Cookies will keep up to 3 months in the freezer. You can enjoy frozen cookies straight out of the freezer or allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight.
- If you wanted to make these with all coconut sugar your cookies will be more crispy and less chewy but it will still work. I prefer using a blend of brown and white sugar for the soft/chewy texture but you can swap those out of you'd prefer!Â
- You can use almond meal instead of almond flour
- You can use a granulated sugar substitute like monk fruit sugar or erythritol (I've used swerve & monk fruit) in place of the white and brown sugar here for a low carb twist. The cookies won't spread as much though so make sure you flatten them out before baking.
- I have heard positive feedback from readers saying that flax and chia eggs work well in place of the egg.
Marie says
Wonderful recipe! I used monk fruit in place of sugar and only used 1/4 cup of each and replaced chocolate chips with 70% dark chocolate chunks. 10/10. Thanks so much!
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Marie! So glad you enjoyed it! Really helpful to know about the monkfruit too – thank you 🙂
Maria says
Made these this evening with almond meal. Absolutely divine. Flavorful, chewy, very good recipe. Recipe is perfect as is. I baked for ten minutes. If you prefer less sweet treats a little less sugar would work. I lightly packed my light brown sugar and used organic golden for the rest. Superb! Didn’t even use a mixer.
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Maria – so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Barbara says
I tried this recipe and was very pleased with outcome. My family enjoyed the cookies very much. These were the first Almond flour cookies I have made. I look forward to trying other recipes.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Barbara! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! I hope you enjoy everything else you try just as much 🙂
debbie says
Hello, can I use splenda instead of sugar and if I would like the cookies to be crispy, is thee anything I can do?
Thank you!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Debbie! I’ve never tried this with Splenda myself but I have had many other readers tell me they’ve been able to successfully use it. In a recent comment, one reader said they did everything the same except they used brown sugar Splenda. By the sound of it the cookies came out great for them, but they did need to bake a little longer (13 minutes).
As for the texture – these cookies are quite soft. I haven’t tried making them crispy personally, but if I were to try it I would start by decreasing the amount of butter. Between the butter and the almond flour, there is quite a lot of fat in this recipe which makes for a softer texture. I recommend using only 1/2 cup (113 grams) butter instead of the 2/3 cup listed in the ingredients. I think even 1/3 cup butter (75 grams) might even be enough, but it’s quite a big deviation from the original recipe, I’m not positive how effect the overall outcome. Just something to keep in mind if you want to play around with the recipe a little bit.
I hope that helps – good luck!
Kasia says
Overall an ok cookie, easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly as written except I substituted the white sugar with monk fruit (1:1). They’re a little too sweet for me so I would reduce the sugar/sweetener by 1/3 next time. The cookies came out a lot flatter and thinner than I hoped (despite being spooned out as balls onto the baking sheet) so they don’t have a lot of integrity even after cooling. Next time I’ll use half baking sofa half baking powder to see if I can get a little more substance to them.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Kasia! I’m glad they turned out alright even if they weren’t perfect! I’m not surprised the cookies might have come out too sweet with monk fruit as monk fruit is much sweeter to taste than regular table sugar (150-200 times sweeter).
This only applies if you used measuring cups to measure your ingredients as opposed to a kitchen scale, but one more thing you could try to thicken them up (in addition to using half baking soda half powder like you mentioned – good idea!) is to pack the almond flour into your cups a little more.
Hope that helps!
Jean says
I substituted brown sugar with 1/3 cup of honey and maybe a tbsp of white sugar. They didn’t come out as sweet as I had expected. Will have to make again when I have brown sugar. I added some cinnamon and powdered sugar to the top to bump up the sweetness/flavor. It also looks really nice. This recipe 100% turned me on to brown butter though. Smells amazing! Next time I would also likely want to process and sift my almond flour. They came out pretty grainy.
Sarah Nevins says
Ooh, I do like the sound of using a bit of honey in these! I might have to play around and try that out myself!
Know what you mean about the almond flour too – I’ve found that the texture can vary quite a bit depending on what brand I’m using. If you do process the flour more, make sure to do it carefully. I recommend you pulse the flour in short bursts and stop to scrape down the sides and around the blade often. If you over blend the flour it will start to release oil and become overly greasy (it’s basically on its way to becoming almond butter when it gets greasy). Sifting the larger grains out will definitely help too!
Kevin says
The only change I made was to use splenda brown sugar blend instead of regular brown sugar.
They came out great except for one thing.
The cooking time is wildly short. It took 13 minutes for perfect soft texture.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Kevin! I’m so glad you enjoyed these! It’s also always really helpful to know about substitutions so thanks for coming back to share how these went with the Splenda!
Nancy says
I noticed that the almond flour does not absorb the butter and even though they are light and airy, they are also greasy/oily.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Nancy! Almond can be a bit greasy sometimes because it naturally has a lot of fat in it already. That being said the cookies here shouldn’t be greasy. How warm is your butter usually? Butter that’s too warm/softened in the microwave can sometimes result in greasy cookies. On a similar note – if your dough gets too warm before baking that can sometimes make for more oily looking cookies
Dee says
These are definitely the yummiest gluten free cookies I have ever made!
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Dee! 🙂
Caitlin says
I’ve made this recipe several times. It has come out fantasticly chewy and delicious every time, despite varying ingredients and amounts slightly. I cant do diry , so i substitute a half cup coconut oil for the butter. I don’t have vanilla so I swap for rum. No matter what changes I make, it still comes out great.
Thank you for an excellent recipe.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Caitlin, that is so great to hear 🙂 I’m so glad you’ve been able to enjoy the cookies with all of your experimenting! Also – I really love the sound of adding rum instead of vanilla extract! I will definitely be trying that soon!