The BEST ever almond flour chocolate chip cookies, paleo and gluten-free. Perfectly soft and chewy on the inside, and crisp on the edges. This is my most requested recipe!
I love this recipe so much I've also made a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip version and a Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Version!
If there was ever a time in the world to perfect a chocolate chip cookie recipe it would be now!
I have been playing with this recipe for the better part of the last 6 months. Testing every variation I could think of to come up with the BEST EVER almond flour chocolate chip cookies.
You see, I've been making almond flour chocolate chip cookies for the last 13 years. I know this because I brought them to my nephew's 1st birthday party, he will be 13 this summer.
I was satisfied and happy with my original recipe and then I started thinking… these can be better, I just know they can be better.
So I put in the work. I have the world's best taste tester at home who just happens to ADORE chocolate chip cookies. After over 20+ trials the result is… perfection.
Cookie perfection.
- Perfectly chewy with a crisp outer edge
- Loaded with chocolate chips
- The perfect balance of salt and vanilla
- Bursting with flavor (seriously white flour will never compare to almond flour)
When I say perfection I truly mean that no cookie can compare. Last week I made an old school batch of white flour, straightforward chocolate chip cookies (from the #1 rated recipe on the entire internet), and do you know what happened? I threw away the entire batch. Seriously, we ate like 2 cookies, and Jordan declared… I just can't eat any other cookies now that you perfected your recipe.
Jordan said it and now it is truth.
We will only have my cookies from now on.
Let's get cooking! I can't wait for you to try this recipe.
Ingredients You Will Need
See the full recipe below for ingredient quantities.
- Almond flour – Almond “meal” will work but almond flour works better. My preferred brand is Bob's Red Mill
- Coconut Palm Sugar – Brown sugar will also work
- Butter – I use salted butter, I know this is blasphemous in the baking world, but trust me when I say it is the right choice here. Coconut oil will work, but you will taste the coconut.
- Large Eggs – I have not found flax eggs or chia eggs to produce the same luscious texture.
- Vanilla – Good Madagascar vanilla is my first choice but any pure vanilla extract will work.
- Salt – Do not skip this ingredient!
- Chocolate Chips – Dark chocolate chips are my preference.
- Baking Soda
Tools You Will Use
Tips to Make the Best Ever Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
I'm obsessed with this recipe, not only because it's delish but also so crazy easy. Here are a few tips I learned that made the recipe even better.
- Use salted butter – I love the added salt in this recipe.
- Melt your butter and then chill the dough– I tested this recipe with melted butter and with softened butter and had 6 people blind taste test the cookies, the melted butter version won. Honestly, I couldn't decide which I liked better so if the melt and chill step is too annoying you could easily use softened butter.
- Take the cookies out of the oven way before they seem done! – This is not uncommon for cookie recipes, but even more so in this recipe. When you remove the cookies from the oven they will be completely soft. They firm up and harden as they rest and cool. You will not be able to pick up a cookie right out of the oven, they are that soft.
The Recipe That Will Convince You to Add Almond Flour to Your Pantry!
I am not a newbie to the wonder that is almond flour, you can try my almond flour strawberry cake, almond flour banana bread, chewy molasses orange cookies, paleo cherry crumble, and upside-down blueberry bundt cake.
Almond flour is nothing more than ground almonds, full of nutrients, fiber, fat, and protein. Almonds are not only nutrient-dense they are also flavor dense, but this also makes almond flour the perfect baking pantry staple.
Can you substitute “regular” flour for almond flour?
No, almond flour is its own thing. It is denser than white flour and requires a different ratio of wet ingredients.
Is almond flour expensive?
It is more expensive than white flour for sure, after all, it is ground almonds. I find recipes made with almond flour are more satisfying (most likely due to the protein, fiber, and fat that almonds provide).
The Difference Between Almond Flour and Almond Meal
Almond flour tends to be more finely ground than almond meal. I find in most recipes they are interchangeable but in this recipe, I prefer the texture of almond flour to almond meal.
I used Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour for this recipe. I tested the cookies with 4 different brands of almond flour and found Bob's Red Mill to be the superior choice, hands down.
Dietary Modifications for Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is gluten-free and paleo-friendly.
- Paleo – Technically butter is not a paleo-friendly ingredient, but “ghee” is. Ghee is clarified butter, in the “clarification process” the milk solids (non-paleo) ingredients are removed. You can easily substitute butter for ghee in this recipe I love Fourth and Heart vanilla ghee (SOOOO GOOD!). Coconut oil is another paleo-friendly substitute for butter.
- Keto – To make this recipe keto, you would have to use a non-nutritive sweetener. I wouldn't recommend it.
- Dairy-Free – Replace butter with coconut oil and use a dairy-free chocolate chip like Enjoy Life.
- Vegan – Replace the butter with coconut oil, use a dairy-free chocolate chip and replace the eggs with a flax or chia egg. This will change the texture of the cookie.
- Low Fodmap – This recipe is low fodmap friendly if you tolerate coconut palm sugar.
Your turn, get baking! I'd love to hear how this recipe turns out for you, comment below or shoot me a message on social.
MORE HEALTHY BAKING RECIPES
The BEST Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
Almond Flour Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
SOUR CREAM BLUEBERRY THYME SCONES
I can’t wait for you to try this Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe! When you make it, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk to combine, set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together melted butter and coconut palm sugar using an electric mixer. Beat for 1-2 minutes until slightly frothy. Add egg yolk, full egg, and vanilla, mix until well combined.
- Combine reserved almond flour with wet ingredients. Stir well using a wooden spoon. Add chocolate chips and stir well to combine.
- Dough will be quite soft. Cover dough with wax paper and place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 325°
- Remove dough from refrigerator. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop drop batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Alternatively, form the dough into 1/2 inch balls.
- Press the dough down gently with your fingers to flatten the balls slightly. Do not flatten all the way.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes.
- Remove from oven (the cookies will appear very soft) and place tray on a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. They will harden as they rest and cool.
Notes
- You can use softened butter rather than melted butter in this recipe. The dough will still be quite soft and the recipe will perform better if you chill the dough
- Melted butter results in a slightly crispier edge on the cookie, whereas softened butter is a more soft and chewy all around cookie
- In testing this recipe (over 20 times) I found that 9 minutes in my small apartment oven was the perfect cook time, however since moving to a house I find that my larger oven takes 14 minutes to produce a soft chewy cookie with crisp edges. Please note: The cookies coming out of the oven will be soft and then firm up as they sit, so don't be too alarmed if they seem soft at first.
- According to other rock star cookie testers, the cooking time may be longer depending on your oven. I recommend checking your cookies at 9 minutes, the bottom of the cookie should be slightly browned, but they will be soft to the touch.
