Healthy Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies are slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside with a buttery melt in your mouth taste! Naturally gluten free and grain free, these will be your new favorite dessert.
Other family favorite healthy cookie recipes include healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe, healthy banana oatmeal cookies, and almond flour skillet cookie. When I can’t wait for baking to be done, I make edible cookie dough!
Table of contents
Healthy almond flour chocolate chip cookies come out thick, a bit chewy/crispy outside, soft baked inside with no high amount of oil/butter or sugar because I believe it is not necessary as baking with almond flour is high in fat.
This is such a simple recipe with no bringing to room temperature butter and eggs, or chilling the dough. I make these gluten free almond flour cookies, alternating between protein cookies and healthy pumpkin cookies, whenever kids demand “Cookies!”.
Why Make Almond Flour Cookie Recipe?
- 5 star reviews: The best almond flour chocolate chip cookies on the web, I promise!
- Tested multiple times: I made this almond flour cookie recipe in multiple ovens, pressing the dough more at times and less at others, to deliver you the best results.
- Versatile: Make with coconut oil or butter, your favorite chocolate chips and even add in dried fruit or nuts!
- Diet friendly: Gluten free, grain free, paleo, vegetarian and even dairy free when using coconut oil. They can even be made sugar free (suitable for keto).
- No empty calories: Most often cookies are deemed off limits because of the large amount of processed white flour, sugar and butter in them! These cookies are made with almond flour, rich in vitamin E and lower in carbs, just enough butter/coconut oil and organic cane or coconut sugar.
Ingredients
- Almond flour or almond meal: I use Kirkland almond flour. It can be pricey but Costco “fixes everything” and when I am not making these I am using the flour to make almond flour thumbprint, pb cookies, or snowball cookies. A few readers have reported successfully making these cookies with all of almond meal or most (75%) almond meal. So, I am pretty sure you can. Maybe, just maybe, the look will be a bit different.
What is the difference between almond flour and almond meal? Almond flour is made from blanched peeled almonds and has a fine texture, almond meal on the other hand has a coarser texture as it is made from raw unpeeled almonds.
- Eggs: Don’t skip. Almond flour needs “glue”.
- Cane or coconut sugar: Has to be dry sweetener, cookies need sugar. But erythritol will also work as I tested it in cinnamon bread and sugar cookies!
- Coconut oil or butter: General rule is that cookies with coconut oil come out more crispy and softer with butter. In this particular recipe I prefer coconut oil!
- Chocolate chips: I use dark chocolate chips as they have less sugar than semi-sweet. I also prefer to use mini chocolate chips in these cookies chocolate chip muffins. You get more chocolate with each bite but with same calories. Any chips will work though!
- Baking staples: Salt to taste and baking soda for lift.
How to Make Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F for soft cookies or 375 degrees F for more crunchy outside. Line 2 cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Make dough: First beat the eggs with sugar, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Then add melted coconut oil and beat more. Then incorporate almond flour and chocolate chips.
If your oil was hot it means it has been overly melted and your dough might be too greasy. Stick it in the fridge for a few minutes, so it is easier to handle.
- Shape cookies: Use small cookie scoop, shape balls and flatten lightly with your fingers.
- Bake: For soft baked cookies, bake at 350 degrees F for 20-23 minutes. For more crunchy on the outside but soft inside cookies, bake at 375 degrees F for 15 ish minutes. Last is my favourite!
- Cool: After removing from oven, let cool on baking pan for 10 minutes then remove to bakers rack.
Oven Tip: Recipe tested and recommended cooking time is for regular oven. I have 2 ovens and they bake differently! Also convection oven bakes twice faster which is a common default mode for new ovens. Check which one you have before baking. Keep an eye on cookies after 12 minutes because almond flour browns fast.
Coconut Oil vs. Butter
These cookies were made with coconut oil vs. butter. As you can see from the texture in the pictures they are more cake like when using coconut oil. And bonus, using coconut oil also makes these cookies dairy free! Use refined coconut oil as it has a neutral taste. 
Optional Tips and Variations
- Optional mix-ins: Pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, or cacao nibs.
- Zest: A small amount of orange zest with the dried cranberries would be a gluten free almond flour only version of my popular healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies! Lemon zest is great in these almond flour lemon cookies.
- Brown sugar: Could be used in place of cane or coconut sugar.
- Extract: Try pure almond extract for a nutty taste to your almond flour cookie recipe!
- Crushed candy canes: Would be perfect during the holidays during healthy christmas cookies baking sprees!
- Rainbow sprinkles: So fun for kids!
- Mocha cookies: Add a small amount of ground coffee or instant espresso into your dry ingredients.
- Chocolate chunks: Chop up your favorite chocolate bar and fold them in. I do this in banana zucchini muffins.
- Sprinkle of sea salt: Flaky sea salt and chocolate, yum!
Tips for Best Results
- Flatten cookies: The more you flatten your almond flour cookie recipe, the more smooth and less prickly they will be on top. Just looks wise and kids like the look.
- Melted butter/coconut oil: You want just the right temp for the ‘fat’ in your cookie. Melted, but not hot.
- Cookie scoop: I like a 1 Tblsp cookie dough scoop to easily portion out the dough.
- Don’t over bake your cookies: The cookies will continue to firm as they cool. I take mine out at 15 minutes, although you can bake them up to 23 minutes. Size of cookie and oven could make your cookie vary when it’s done!
- Oven temps vary: My almond flour cookies with chocolate chips are perfect when baked at 375F degrees. Some readers have best results at 350F degrees.
FAQs
Unfortunately not. Almond flour is essentially finely ground blanched almonds. Any wheat flour contains gluten which makes it rise and absorb liquid differently than any other flour. These 2 flours are not interchangeable. Check out my healthy chocolate chip cookies made with regular flour.
No. Because coconut flour is extremely “thirsty”. Dough will be crumbly and cookies will not even form or be super dry. Make chocolate coconut flour muffins to curb that need for a chocolate treat.
I have tried to make many-many cookies with maple syrup or honey and they just don’t come out the same. Sugar is dry and when baked it produces chewy almond flour chocolate chip cookies outside and soft baked inside.
No. Because ratio of wet and dry ingredients will be offset. Dry sweetener and liquid fat are what makes cookies “cookies”. I have not tested these cookies, but granulated sugar free erythritol / monkfruit works well in my almond flour shortbread cookies and sugar cookies and could be used here.
Almond flour cookies do not spread much in general. I would say 20%. Leave about 2″ between each cookie. Therefore it is important to flatten the balls of dough on a baking sheet a bit, just like with sugar free cookies.
By all means, yes! I never have time for that, but if you want to chill them, you can for at least 30 minutes.
Avocado oil or olive oil might work, although I have not tested the recipe with them.
How to Serve Cookies with Almond Flour?
- Hot chocolate: Is anything better than cookies and cocoa on a wintry day?
- Cookie platter: During the holidays, I make a cookie platter (or even charcuterie) with healthy gingersnap cookies, oatmeal cookies, healthy pecan pie bars and coconut oil fudge.
- Game day: I rotate between making these and almond flour brownies for the big games!
- Lunchbox: As a treat, I often include these or healthy chocolate bread in the kids lunchbox for a surprise.
Shipping: Bake and cool. Place 2 cookies back to back and wrap with plastic wrap. Then place in a plastic container with a lid, stuffed with tissue so no empty space, inside shipping box and voila. You may want to include some almond flour snowball cookies and shortbread cookies! Read more about best shipping tips on Sally’s Baking Addiction.
How to Store Gluten Free Almond Cookies?
Storing: Keep cookies in a cool dry place uncovered or in a container with some ventilation. If you put them into covered container they soften.
Freezing: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter for a few hours before enjoying again. huge chance your kids will love these cookies! I usually double the recipe. We eat half over a course of few days, and I freeze the rest for next time “Cookies!”.
More Favorite Almond Flour Recipes
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 eggs large
- 1/3 cup cane or coconut sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil or butter melted and cooled a bit
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips I like to use mini
- Pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, cacao nibs Optional mix ins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, baking soda and salt. Beat with an electric mixer until well combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add coconut oil and beat a bit more to incorporate. Add almond flour and using a spatula (mixer in the beginning and then spatula at the end), mix until the dough forms. Add chocolate chips and give a few more stirs to incorporate.
- Using small cookie dough scoop, place small balls of dough on a baking sheet pressing with your hands to flatten them a bit. Leave about 2″ between the cookies – cookies spread a bit but not much.
- For more soft baked with a bit of chew outside almond flour chocolate chip cookies, bake at 350 degrees F for 20-23 minutes. For more crunchy on the outside but still chewy inside almond flour chocolate chip cookies, bake at 375 degrees F for 15 ish minutes. Time is for regular oven. Convection oven bakes twice faster. Check which one you have before baking.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing onto cooling rack to cool a bit more.
Video
Notes
- Store: Keep in a cool dry place uncovered or in a container with some ventilation. If you put them into covered container they soften.
- Freeze: In an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Almond flour or almond meal: I use almond flour, almond meal may work, but the look will be a bit different.
- Coconut oil or butter: General rule is that cookies with coconut oil come out more crispy and softer with butter. You could also use avocado oil or olive oil.
- Chocolate chips: I use mini dark chocolate chips Enjoy Life as they have less sugar than semi-sweet and you get more of them in each bite as cookies are smaller.
- Other flours: No other flour can be used, this includes gluten free, coconut flour, or any other wheat type of flour.
- Other sweeteners: Liquid sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey, or liquid stevia can be used. Granulated erythritol can be replace sugar 1:1.
- Do cookies spread? Not much. I would say 20%. Leave about 2″ between each cookie. Therefore it is important to flatten the balls of dough on a baking sheet a bit.
I made my recipe I used eggs, zest,sugar, almond flour
, tapioca flour, and pecans. They were fabulous.Next time I will used chocolate chips.
Sounds delicious! Would be delicious with pecans and the chocolate chips, too!
Great recipe but the temperature and time where too high for me
Made two batches and both overcooked. Will have to adjust temp next time
Ovens can cook differently, definitely make note of that for yours, sounds like it may cook at a higher temp than indicated.
I love these cookies. I have been baking these for my friends and family to celebrate birthdays and holidays. They don’t last long. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
So happy to hear everyone enjoys them!
Made these today and they are so good! I love the thickness of this cookie. I am a dough-lover, and I have to say I didn’t love the raw dough, but the cookies are really good cooked, and gluten-free! My husband and grandson loved them as well. Thank you for such good recipes, I’m so glad I found your website!
Happy to have you here and glad you enjoyed the recipe!
OMG !,,,!! I can’t believe how delicious are this cookies ! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am begginer in the area of baking , thankS to your details and instructions . I am a big fun of your blog
Hi Catalina! I am so happy you liked the cookie recipe!
Just made these with almond meal ( from Costco!) soo delicious!! The batch is almost gone in one try:) will make them again. I didn’t want them to crumble too much so I baked 350 (my oven automatically put it at 325 because it’s convection) for 17 minutes, perfectly soft!! Love them, thanks for the easy healthy recipe:)
You are very welcome Lana!
I love this almond cookie. I’ve made this 4 times and intend to make this regularly because everyone in the family loves it! It taste good and it is not loaded with sugar. I in fact reduce the sugar amount further, between 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup. We dont like very sweet taste and this is perfect.
Thrilled to hear this wonderful feedback Sharon!
Really good! I added 1/2 cup of cacao powder to turn these two double chocolate chip cookies. Sooo good!!
My kids absolutely loved these cookies, and couldn’t get enough!! I feel so much better baking these (than the not-so-healthy regular chocolate chip cookies), and they fill you up like an actual high protein snack (versus just a cookie). Thank you so much for a great recipe!
You are welcome Cathi!