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.
Video
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.
Tricia DiMarco says
These are so good. I was nervous because the dough is a little weird. But they turned out to be the best gf chocolate chip cookie I’ve made!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Woohoo! I love hearing that. Thanks for commenting!
Kelsey says
Cookies tasted amazing! Was wondering if you had any tips. Mine came out flat. Almost paperthin. Do you think it’s the baking soda?
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Hmmm… potentially was your baking soda out of date? They are a flater cookie for sure. You can bake them larger if you like them fluffier.
Rosa says
Hi, can I use ghee instead of butter?
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Definitely
Tracey N. says
Happy New Year! I just made these cookies for the third time tonight. Best batch yet! Added about 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut too. Thank you for such an awesome recipe. A keeper, for sure!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Oh love the idea of adding coconut!! Thanks for sharing Tracey and I’m so glad you love the cookies!
Jennifer says
Absolutely love your recipes! They work great when modified to use monk fruit sweetener or dairy free alternatives! Thank you❤️
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Yay! I’m so glad Jennifer thanks for sharing 🙂
Jeanine says
Honestly you can’t call these Paleo if you have butter as one of the ingredients. Paleos don’t eat dairy. Now perhaps a plant based dairy free butter can be substituted but the consistency may not be the same. I’m not certain how these cookies would turn out.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Honestly, you should really take 2 minutes to read the post before commenting:
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 (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 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.
Cari says
I made mine with avocado butter and they were delicious! Best gluten free cookies I’ve made thanks up your recipe
Deirdre says
Can you please tell me how you measure the almond flour? I find recipes that don’t explain that or don’t weigh it come out different each time. Thanks!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Hi Deirdre,
Excellent question! I will update the post with this information as well. In this recipe, I measure the almond flour as you would measure AP flour, spoon it into a measuring cup, and level off. I do not pack the flour into the cup (which some recipes using almond flour may call for).
Hope that’s helpful!
Nancy says
We absolutely LOVE these cookies! Thank you so much for a heathy, almond flour cookie that taste better than unhealthy ones!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Yay!! So thrilled you love them Nancy!
Katy says
Love these so much! My family is celiac and also cannot have sugar or butter- how sad!! I replace the butter with melted coconut oil, and use coconut sugar, and these are now my favorite over traditional cookies ALWAYS. The coconut flavor with the almond flour is delicious! I often leave it to chill overnight as well, but have done the 2 hour as well. When we don’t have to share I use real butter and so delicious as well. Thanks for the great recipe!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Yay Katy! So happy to hear you are loving these cookies. The coconut oil swap out works perfectly!
Kathy says
I have been searching high and low for a chocolate chip cookie recipe to replace traditional ones I used to make. My family, as a whole, decided to cut back on refined sugars and flours. THIS recipe turned out a delicious batch of cookies! Using l Lily’s chips I followed the baking time for 1/2 the batch and these came out crispy on the outside while moist on the inside. The second half was baked longer and came out crispy inside and out. Those were my favorite! My quest is over! I found the perfect cookie recipe.
JF says
When substituting with coconut oil, do you substitute 1:1?
Will these freeze well, if they last that long?
Looking forward to trying the recipe out.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Yup, you can sub 1:1 with coconut oil and they freeze very well, but will probably be gobbled up quickly 🙂
Christine says
These are delish! Used Lily chocolate chips. My 6 yo son loves them too. Thank you! Been looking for a good paleo cookie recipe for a while.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Awesome! So glad you found the recipes. Lily’s chips are always a good idea 🙂
Kelli Riese says
You recommended not doing it, but I went ahead and attempted making these a little more keto-friendly by using erythritol. I added about a teaspoon of molasses to the “sugar” in my half batch, and they turned out great! I love the crisp edges and soft center of these!
Yvonne says
I have tried this recipe a few times. Even though everyone loves them, I just can’t get them to be crispy! Any suggestions?
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Hi Yvonne, the edges should be crispy but the center of the cookie should be soft and gooey. If you want them crispier try to flatten them more when you put them in the oven 🙂
Ally Garnaat says
I had to go gluten-free a couple months ago and have greatly missed a “real cookie”. Not anymore! Thank you! I also used brown sugar and they turned out perfectly 🙂
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Fantastic! That is exactly why I created this recipe. There is absolutely no missing gluten when you eat these!
Daphne says
Just made these cookies tonight. Super easy and super good!!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Yay!!! Love hearing that!