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Perfect almond flour chocolate chip cookies made grain free, are thick, soft and chewy, but not too sweet. Such a satisfying treat!
Why I love these cookies
- Amazing taste: They taste like “regular” chocolate chip cookies, just with a slight almond flavor like you added a touch of almond extract.
- Great texture: They have slightly crisp edges and they're chewy all the way to the center.
- Versatile recipe: You can add coconut flour or tapioca starch to almond flour; you can also use coconut sugar or light brown sugar.
- Easy to make: Make the whole recipe in one mixing bowl, without any equipment. No creaming the butter first or anything.
what's in it
Recipe ingredients
- Almond flour: Be sure to use finely ground blanched almond flour, not almond meal. I really like Blue Diamond brand, Wellbee's brand which you can find on Amazon, and Costco's Kirkland Signature brand.
- Tapioca starch/flour: Helps create a more “regular” chocolate chip cookie texture than almond flour alone or than coconut flour.
- Coconut flour: Creates a thicker texture than almond flour alone; adds structure.
- Eggs: Add moisture, thickness, and help bind the cookies.
- Butter: Adds richness, flavor, moisture and texture.
- Coconut sugar/light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and tenderness. Coconut sugar is an unrefined sugar that has a unique flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Adds flavor and authentic chocolate chip cookie taste. You can replace it with almond extract or leave it out altogether.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies brown in the oven.
- Salt: Brings out the flavor of the cookies and balances the sweetness.
- Chocolate chips: Use whatever chips you like, or whatever other mix-ins in their place, like chopped nuts. Don't eliminate them, as they add some structure during baking.
substitutions
Ingredient Substitutions
Almond-free/nut-free
If you can't have almond flour, you can try replacing it with cashew flour. For a nut-free version, try replacing sunflower seed flour. They may take on a greenish tint, though, as the baking soda will activate the chlorophyll in the sunflower seeds, but it's harmless.
Dairy free
In place of butter, you can use an equal amount of virgin coconut oil (the kind that's solid at cool room temperature) or vegan butter in block form. My favorite vegan butter brands are Miyoko's Creamery and Melt.
Egg free
If you can't have eggs, try using a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel) for each of the eggs you're replacing. Flax eggs should work, too, but they have a strong flavor.
Tapioca starch/coconut flour
If you can't have tapioca starch, use coconut flour instead in the amount specified in the recipe card. If you can't have coconut flour, use the tapioca starch variation in the recipe. If you can't have either, try using glutinous white rice flour in place of the tapioca starch in that variety.
Coconut sugar
If you don't like granulated coconut sugar (also called palm sugar) or just don't want to buy it, use the same amount, by weight, of refined light brown sugar. You must use a granulated sugar, not a liquid one like maple syrup.
How to make almond flour chocolate chip cookies
These step by step photos are meant to give you an idea of what it's like to make the almond flour and tapioca starch variety of these cookies in your own home. For full instructions including precise ingredient amounts and a printable recipe, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Make the cookie dough in one bowl
Place all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. Add beaten eggs, melted butter (not softened butter) and vanilla, and mix to combine. Mix in the chocolate chips, and your cookie dough is done!
Chill the cookie dough, then shape and bake
Cover the bowl and chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour. You can chill it for almost as long as you want, and the cookies will only be easier to handle and have better texture with crispy edges.
Scoop the dough into mounds with two spoons or an ice cream scoop; you can roll the dough into round but it's not really necessary. Place the dough on a baking sheet, and bake at 325°F. Let set briefly, and enjoy!
My Pro Tip
Expert Tips
For a crisp outside, chewy inside cookie add tapioca starch
You must use finely ground blanched almond flour to make these thick and chewy cookies. But you can add tapioca starch/flour or coconut flour to it. Coconut flour is a healthier alternative, but tapioca starch makes a cookie with the better crisp-outside, chewy-inside texture.
Don't use almond meal
Almond meal is not the same as almond flour as it's much more coarsely ground, and the almonds still have their skins on (so you'll see flecks of dark brown).
Choose a good grand of finely ground blanched almond flour
Make sure your almond flour is “blanched,” which just means that the skins have been removed from the almonds. Here are some of the brands I like:
- Almond flour from nuts.com (the superfine is best, but it's also more expensive and their “regular” blanched almond flour is really pretty good)
- Wellbee's brand super fine almond flour (affiliate link; shop around!)
- Amazon Fresh brand super fine almond flour (affiliate link)
Keep the oven temperature at 325°F or below
Almond flour has a tendency to burn during baking, so I usually bake it in a 325°F oven, no higher. If you bake these cookies at a higher temperature, the bottoms will likely turn a bit black but it shouldn't affect the taste too much.
FAQs
Almond flour has a lot of fat and tends to make baked goods very soft. We add tapioca starch or coconut flour to it to provide more structure and absorb some of that moisture. Be sure to chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour so that the fats become firmer and the dough is easier to handle.
Yes! If you use less almond flour, add some arrowroot or cornstarch, and some coconut flour to the tapioca starch variety in the recipe below, you'll have crispy cookies! Bake at 300°F for about 16 minutes, or up to 18 minutes for really crispy cookies. Only the flours change, and the rest of the recipe is as written. Here are the amount of flours to use:
1 cup (112 g) blanched almond flour
1/2 cup (60 g) tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup (32 g) arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
2 tablespoons (16 g) coconut flour
If you didn't chill the cookie dough, or your butter was too soft, your cookies will spread too much.
As written, the recipe uses butter, which is not Paleo. I like the flavor of butter here better, but if you replace it with virgin coconut oil and use Paleo-friendly chocolate chips, these cookies will be Paleo.
You can add almond flour or tapioca starch to the almond flour to make these cookies. When you add coconut flour, it creates quite a lot of structure and helps to give them that familiar “chew.” You'll also find that they don't spread as much as the tapioca flour variety. It helps to press the balls of dough into flat disks before baking, so the cookies don't end up too thick.
make ahead/leftovers
Storage instructions
These cookies freeze really well, and also do well in the refrigerator. They don't freeze entirely solid, though, because of the almond flour base which is high in healthy fats, so I prefer to freeze them. You can even eat them right out of the freezer, or let them sit on the counter for an hour to come to room temperature.
They will stay fresh at room temperature, even uncovered, for about 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months, or even longer if they're wrapped tightly.
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
For the tapioca starch variety
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) finely ground blanched almond flour
- ½ cup (60 g) tapioca starch/flour
For the coconut flour variety
- 1 ⅔ cups (200 g) finely ground blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup (24 g) coconut flour
For both varieties
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup (120 g) granulated coconut palm sugar, or an equal amount, by weight, light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (or an equal amount of virgin coconut oil)
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 5 ounces dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Make and chill the cookie dough.
- In a large bowl, place the 1 1/2 cups of almond flour and 1/2 cup tapioca flour, or 1 2/3 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup coconut flour), salt, baking soda, and sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough, and mix until the chips are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Both varieties of the dough will be soft but the almond flour/coconut flour combination will be softer than the almond flour/tapioca starch combination.
Chill the cookie dough.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but up to a week or more if you don't want to bake all of the cookies at once.
- When you are nearly ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 325°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.
Shape the chilled cookie dough.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap and using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, divide the dough into about 20 portions, each about 30 grams. Place about 2 inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheets.
- You can roll each piece of dough into a round between your palms, or leave it as is. The longer you chilled the dough, the easier it will be to shape into a round.
- For the coconut flour variety, flatten each ball of dough into a 1/2-inch thick disk on the baking sheet after rolling into a ball. The coconut flour cookies will not spread as readily.
Bake the cookies.
- Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake until lightly golden brown all over and mostly set toward the center (about 12 minutes).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet (about 10 minutes). They will become more firm as they cool.
- Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Video
Notes
- 1 cup (112 g) blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup (60 g) tapioca starch/flour
- 1/4 cup (32 g) arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) coconut flour
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are delicious! I’ve had a big bowl of the dough stashed in my refrigerator 24/7 since discovering this recipe. Any suggestions as to how I could make ‘sugar’ cookies and snickerdoodle cookies modifying this recipe or using it as a base? Please keep healthy/paleo recipes in queue!
Hi, Gigi, so glad you love these cookies! There’s no real way to version the recipe, but I do have a recipe for almond flour sugar cookies that I think you’ll really like. And an almond flour snickerdoodle cookie recipe in my development queue, so stay tuned!
I don’t follow Paleo so I used brown sugar as that is what I had. I also used peanut butter chips. These were some of the best cookies I’ve ever had. Crispy and chewy, easy to make, a real winner. Thanks Nicole.
So glad to know that brown sugar worked well for you in this recipe, Fiona. And that you enjoyed the cookies! I’m so pleased.
I gave up paleo baking six months ago when I devoted myself to the 20lb subscription of Better Batter, but you’ve got me re-upping on my almond flour and coconut flour stock, opening my kitchen (and my heart) to paleo baking once again. These look amazing- I always had my paleo chocolate chippers turn out like some kind of sad, crumbly macaroon, but I trust that my children will be happy to share these with their friends. Thank you!
I’m so glad you’re opening back up to the idea of baking with almond and coconut flours, Julie. They’re not an “everyday” sort of thing, but they’re great for things like these cookies and some of my favorite low carb tortillas. And the happy-to-share-with-friends goal is always my guidepost! ?
It is ok to use regular sugar or
Brown sugar instead of cocconut sugar?
Love from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I haven’t tried this recipe with brown sugar, Fernanda, but it should work just fine if you measure by weight, not volume. If you don’t need a Paleo recipe in general, maybe use one of my conventional gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipes.
The BEST Paleo cookies out there! A great blend of almond and coconut flour. A winner!