Chewy & gooey center, sweet chocolate chips, *slightly* crispy edges, classic cookie texture, all without a touch of gluten! These almond flour chocolate chip cookies taste just like the real deal and can be yours in just 30 minutes!
Anyone else feel like they’ve eaten hundreds of cookies the past month or two? Especially chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t think there were so many ways to make one kind of cookie, yet here we are.
These almond flour chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorite and easiest recipes yet. They can easily be made paleo with just a few substitutions (you won’t even taste the difference).
They have a chewy gooey center with perfectly (but very slightly) crispy edges with a rich butter flavor.
Different flours will not work in place of almond flour, but if you’re viewing this recipe, I’m sure you wanted almond flour cookies anyway, so let’s bake!
If you love this recipe, try my almond flour double chocolate cookies next!
How to make this recipe
First, add the butter to a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. If it was previously in the fridge, just stick it in the microwave to soften for about 20 seconds.
Add in the sugar and beat with the butter until well combined, about 30 seconds.
Beat in the egg and the vanilla until the egg is completely broken up.
Next, beat in all remaining ingredients aside from the chocolate chips, making sure to spoon and level the flour into the measuring cup, don’t scoop right from the bag. Beat just until combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon until evenly incorporated.
Add the dough to the fridge for 20 minutes. This ensures the cookies don’t spread flat while baking. The temperature of the butter is really important with cookies!
After 20 minutes, use a cookie scoop and scoop the dough into roughly 1 1/2 tablespoon balls.
Bake for 13-18 minutes, 15 is perfect in my oven if you want soft centers but a very slight crisp on the edge. If you want the cookies to be chewy and stay chewy, remove them from the oven when they still look slightly raw in the center.
They’ll be extremely soft to the touch when they first come out of the oven, but will firm up after about 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool as is for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Why are my cookies flat?
A few things could be going on that could result in flat cookies. I’ve specifically written this recipe to make cookies that are not flat, so just follow these tips for pillowy cookies!
Too much butter: Too much butter is usually the biggest culprit if you have cookies that are flat. I initially tested this recipe with 1/2 cup (1 stick or 8 tbsp) of butter, but the cookies were completely flat.
So, I cut out just 1 tbsp of butter and it made a huge difference. To ensure proper measurements, I suggest using sticks of butter and just slice off 1 tbsp worth.
Not enough chilling: Not only can too much butter cause cookies to be flat, but butter that is too warm will do the same, which is why chilling the dough is important!
You need the butter to be soft and at room temperature to cream it well with the sugar, but you need butter cold before baking cookies if you want them chewy, so chilling the dough is an important step! It’s annoying, I know you just want to eat the damn cookies, but I promise it will be worth the wait!
Too little flour: If the butter to flour ratio is off, that can throw off how the cookies do or do not spread. This recipe requires 2 cups of almond flour
To make cookies that are nice and chewy and pillowy, I highly recommend following the recipe to a T. All of the tested substitutions have been listed, but aside from that, try not to deviate from the instructions!
Frequently asked questions
What’s the best chocolate? I love semi-sweet chips! Grocery stores were running low on chocolate when I first made these, so I was stuck with bittersweet chocolate, which was just not good. Semi-sweet chocolate chips work much better here!
Do they keep? Once prepared, these cookies will keep at room temperature for about 5 days. Let them cool completely and then store in an air tight container.
Can I make them paleo? To make these cookies paleo, just use coconut oil and coconut sugar in place of butter and brown sugar.
You really won’t be able to taste the difference, just be sure to measure the oil as accurately as possible and use refined coconut oil to avoid a coconut flavor.
Why do they fall apart? Almond flour cookies can more easily fall apart than other types of cookies because you’re removing the gluten which binds them together. Instead, we’ll be using an egg and a touch of cornstarch to bind the cookies together so they don’t fall apart.
Still hungry? Try these!
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 13+ Almond Flour Recipes
- Paleo Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Be sure to follow along on on instagram and subscribe to my email list for more recipes and updates. Leave a comment and rating below if you try this recipe and let us know how it turns out!
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 7 tbsp softened butter, dairy free or regular (just shy of 1/2 cup)
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar or coconut sugar I prefer light brown
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups fine blanched almond flour not meal
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the butter to a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. If it was previously in the fridge, just stick it in the microwave to soften for about 15 seconds.
- Add in the sugar and beat with the butter until well combined, about 30 seconds.
- Beat in the egg and the vanilla until the egg is completely broken up.
- Beat in all remaining ingredients aside from the chocolate chips, making sure to spoon and level the flour into the measuring cup, don’t scoop right from the bag.
- Beat until combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon until evenly incorporated.
- Add the dough to the fridge for 20 minutes. This ensures the cookies don’t spread flat while baking. The temperature of the butter is really important with cookies!
- While you wait, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- After 20 minutes, use a medium cookie scoop and scoop the dough into roughly 1 1/2 tbsp balls, but do not flatten.
- Bake for 13-18 minutes, 15 is perfect in my oven if you want soft centers but a very slight crisp on the edge.
- Remove from the oven and let cool as is for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Jessica says
I am wondering if cocoa butter would work well in place of regular butter. Any thoughts?
Claire Cary says
I do not recommend that here! I only suggest butter or refined coconut oil.
Alyssa says
Absolutely delicious! I cut the recipe in half and baked in a small round glass dish. First time was all almond flour and second time I did half almond flour and half AP flour. The second time I forgot to chill the dough. It’s in the oven and even though it might not rise as much, I know it will still taste delicious!
Claire Cary says
Love that idea! Thanks Alyssa!
Kevin Zhen says
Just made these today and it was a life-changing recipe – my girlfriend loves almond flour and I could not believe how amazing these cookies were. Sensational is an understatement. I love how they were crispy on the outside but still warm and chewy in the middle (very impressive considering the flatness of the cookie). I added an extra tablespoon of butter and baked for 15 min in my oven. God bless you for sharing this recipe!!
Claire Cary says
The extra tablespoon of butter is probably why the flattened more, but so glad you enjoyed these!
Marsha says
Easy to follow recipe. Delicious cookies that were so soft on the inside, yum! I didn’t realize that my oven was on convection while I baked these and I was worried they’d be dry. Not at all!! Will definitely make again!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Marsha!
Alex says
The taste was amazing… but my cookies didn’t flat like yours it’s like thick biscuit..
Claire Cary says
How did you measure the flour/cornstarch? super important to spoon and level!
Faye says
oh my gosh….these are the best cookies going
will never make a regular gluten free again
Mary allie says
I am not a great baker and my gluten free desserts never come out good but WOW these were so good!!! Even kid-approved. Definitely my new go-to GF cookie recipe!!!
Amanda says
This cookie recipe pressed into an 8×8 pan and cut into bars is absolutely amazing!!!! Try it!!! Yum!!!
Claire Cary says
Love that idea!!
Jennifer says
I just made these cookies and they are so good. I have a wheat intolerance and have been craving a homemade chocolate chip cookie. I’ve tried many different gluten free recipes and a couple almond flour based recipes and none turned out as good as these. The cookies are light and have a great flavour
Claire Cary says
SO happy to hear that, thanks Jennifer!
Cindy says
I have made these twice. I’m hooked! Mine turned out flat both times but they were so delicious! This will be my go to chocolate chip recipe from now on. My daughter made them & they were not flat but just as delicious. Love, love, love these.
Claire Cary says
Amazing! You can try chilling the dough to prevent spreading.
Monica says
WOW! I take my hat off for this recipie.
My husband just said these are the best cookies I’ve ever made, and he doesn’t throw compliments around like that. Fantastic.
Claire Cary says
Amazing! Thank you for the kind review Monica!
April Ann says
Best cookie recipe I found!! I used Oat flour instead.. cooled dough 30min in fridge.. once cooked! It was soooo DELICIOUS!! I also added some chopped pecans.
Jennifer says
I’ve been looking forever for a great chocolate chip cookie recipe that was healthier than the others, and this recipe knocks it out of the park. Absolutely amazing!
Claire Cary says
Thanks Jennifer! These are a favorite of mine too!
Tarilyn says
Tried a double batch of these cookies on a whim. I used unsalted butter and I cut back on the brown sugar just a bit, and wow…they’re addictively-good. Definitely keeping this recipe.
My only suggestion would be to fix the measurements of the butter and sugar for if you do a double or triple batch as a double batch calls for 1.33 cup of brown sugar when you could just say 1 1/3 cup (instead of making people look it up). This would make the recipe easier to understand I think. Just my opinion though.
Claire Cary says
So glad you liked these! I am unable to change the way the recipe card scales recipes unfortunately!
Amanda says
I made these cookies and they were delicious but they were very crumbly and just fell apart. I used coconut oil and instead of brown sugar I used granulated monk fruit. Is there something I can do to prevent them from being crumbly?
Claire Cary says
i wouldn’t recommend subbing for monk fruit, the brown sugar has more moisture in it so without it they will be dry/crumbly!
Denise says
Could I use 1/4 cup Pea Flour (for a little extra protein), then reduce Almond flour to 1 3/4 cups. Thank You
Claire Cary says
I have never worked with pea flour, so I’m not sure how that would work. I do have a protein cookie recipe you can try instead!
Liz says
The flavor is delicious. I must have done something wrong as my cookies did not spread at all. The almond flour I used was labeled a nut flour. The nut flour has blanched almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot powder and tapioca flour plus xanthan gum. It’s the Ultimate Nut Flour brand. I’m new to using almond flour and obviously didn’t pay close enough attention to the package. I read almond flour and thought it was almond flour. 🙂 Is this the reason why the cookies didn’t spread? Appearance aside the flavor is still yummy.
Claire Cary says
Yes, that would definitely be it! The addition of the coconut, arrowroot and tapioca would absorb way too much of the moisture in the dough and prevent the cookies from spreading. You want to make sure you’re using just plain blanched almond flour.
Liz says
UPDATE: I tried the recipe again using only almond flour and the results were perfect. My family loves them too. So delicious.
Alexandra says
Love these! Not sure why mine aren’t as thick but they are delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Claire Cary says
You can try chilling the dough if you prefer them thicker!
Vimla singh says
Hello, can I freeze this cookie dough to make at a later time?
Thanks
Claire Cary says
That should work! You’ll want to freeze in balls, and decrease the oven to 325 when you bake.
Stephanie says
We make these often. One of my daughters has celiac so this is a perfect treat for all of us to enjoy.
Santa Simo says
I couldn’t resist, ate 3 in a row. I really like the rich nutty taste of almond flour. I couldn’t resist the smell after it was done. The best recipe I could have ever found. Crispy edges and very soft in the inside. Next time, I’ll add extra minutes for crispier cookies.
Angie says
I’ve made these twice in one week! Dangerously good!
Kelly says
Forgot to leave my rating of 10 stars! 🙂
Kelly says
Trying to eat better this year and just made the cookies to satisfy my sweet tooth. I am not gluten free but simply trying to eat less gluten. The almond flour gives the cookie a wonderful, nutty taste. The cookies are very soft in the middle and tasted amazing! I didn’t even mind that they didn’t rise as much than regular-all purpose flour cookies. (Possibly because I was trying to be silent since my toddler was sleeping and mixed the batter with a spoon—which worked great btw!) This recipe made 12 cookies for me 🙂
Nikki says
I made these cookies because I don’t eat gluten. I woke up this morning and there were 2 left! They were a hit! I guess I’ll have to buy more almond butter!!
Thank you so much for a great recipe – it’s a keeper!
Marissa says
I’m not dairy free, can I sub dairy free butter/ coconut oil with butter?
Claire Cary says
yes!
Tamara says
If I could rate these 10 stars I would!! I can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe. My husband and I are watching our carbs, and these are the best cookies ever!! If I were blind-folded..I would be hard pressed to be able to tell the difference. I was especially surprised at how they held their form and the texture was just like their less healthier cousin lol. You, my dear, just worked cookie keto magic in my kitchen!! Bless you!!
Forgot to add, I made the recipe exactly as you shared it. Only thing I did different was I chilled the cookies after they were already on the cookie sheet. That way I could take them from fridge to oven with no worry on the dough getting too soft while I scooped it out and formed the cookies onto the cookie sheet. Other than using that method, I didn’t and wouldn’t dare change a thing!
Claire Cary says
Amazing! Love using that method too, glad they worked out well!
Deanna says
These cookies were really great!!! I did 8 T of butter and upped the flour to 2 1/4 cups. Turned out wonderful. Going to try making a batch but use pecans instead of chips
Brittany says
These came out fantastic!!! Next time we will make them with softened brown butter to give it an even more rich flavor. Also, I used coconut sugar and arrowroot flour instead of cornstarch. Came out wonderfully delicious! Thank you, for sharing the recipe.
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So glad those subs worked well.
Elizabeth Hoffmann says
Mine didn’t flatten at all and feel suuuper soft right out of the oven. Is that normal? The browned edges also feel soft right out of the oven.
Claire Cary says
Did you make any substitutions? They harden up quite a bit as they cool, so you may just need to give them more time!
Tawana Spence says
Delicious 😋 My whole family loved them! Baked as directed and came out perfectly! Thank you for the recipe!
Donna Nordman says
I am a novice at this keto baking thing, but these cookies turned out fabulous. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste and texture. I did add 1/4 tsp of xanthum gum and 1 tsp of baking powder. This is a very easy to follow recipe that yields a great tasting treat. Thank you for sharing this recipe 😋.
Danita says
Simply Amazing! I used monk fruit sweetener in place of sugar and they are perfect.
Claire Cary says
Perfect! Good to know that worked well.
Molly Mcmahan says
These cookies are great. I just started refrigerating the dough of all cookies for the last two years because they spread so much. Cornstarch is a good idea and I use it in every cookie recipe now. thank you.
Claire Cary says
Perfect! Using a bit of cornstarch is one of my favorite tricks 🙂
Wendy C. says
Delicious recipe and I’ve tried quite a few! Added 1/2 baking powder so it was a little more firm. I will be using this as my go-to recipe — thanks so much!
Kathryn Robinson says
Hello! My handheld mixer broke, will these then out okay if I whisk everything by hand? Thank you:)
Claire Cary says
yes should be ok!
Kira says
Made these cookies with the coconut oil and coconut sugar they were amazing !!! Love this recipe will definitely be making more 🙂
Yvonne says
I didn’t see the oven temperature anywhere on this recipe
Claire Cary says
it’s in step 8! 350.
Caroline says
What temperature do you bake the cookies? I don’t see it :/
Claire Cary says
350!
Donna Nordman says
It’s noted in step 8…350
Rachel says
My mother has diabetes and this is her absolute favourite recipe. I substituted Splenda brown sugar for real brown sugar and they turned out exactly like your pictures. And so tasty! Half of them were eaten before I could take them off the cookie sheet 🙂
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So glad they worked with that sub!
Jennifer M. says
These cookies are perfection! They came out exactly the way they should have. They taste just like “real” chocolate chip cookies! Will be making these many more times for sure!
Geetika says
They taste so good but they were soft on the bottom crisp on top and slightly gooey in middle
Just don’t know why ??
Claire Cary says
Did you only bake one cookie sheet at a time? They should be slightly gooey in the middle, but you can try baking them for longer if you prefer them more well done in the center!
Crystal R. says
Finally after testing many gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipes have I found the perfect one!!! Thank you sooo much for this! I followed the recipe as written and they came out perfect! I used brown sugar and they weren’t too sweet. I may try with raw turbinado next time, but I wouldn’t change a thing!!!
Claire Cary says
Yay!! I know the struggle, that’s why I started making my own recipes 🙂 So happy you liked them! Raw turbinado sugar is usually much coarser and doesn’t mix as well, so I’m not sure how the texture will be with that, but let me know if you try it!
Karen says
These are the best chocolate chip cookies, ever! Whenever I make them, which is almost weekly, they get devoured by my family! YUM!
Claire Cary says
Love to hear that! Thanks Karen!
Lorraine says
Soooo gooood , i also included orange rind for extra flavour, decadent! Yum!!!
Claire Cary says
what a great idea!! I’ll have to try that!
Mei Lin says
The best cookies
Sue says
Love this recipe! Easy and taste great. Hubby requested them again today!
Tanya brooks says
I madeThese cookies today and they were awesome my husband and I like them a lot thank you
Claire Cary says
Thanks Tanya! So glad you enjoyed them!
Alana Fernandez says
I have been looking for the perfect guten free, dairy free, refined sugar free cookie that actually mimics a REAL GOOD chocolate chip cookie..I just made these, theybare AMAZING!! will be saving this recipe in my favourites!
I opted for the softened Coconut oil, and also only used 1/3cup coconut sugar and are plenty sweet and PERFECT.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Claire Cary says
Thank you Alana! These are seriously one of my favorite cookies and I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Emily says
These turned out so good! I used a flax egg and refrigerated for 20-25 min before baking and they didn’t just melt into a puddle on the tray – they looked like real cookies! 13 min was a tad too long in my oven so I’m going to try for 12min next time but they were still delicious 🙂
Claire Cary says
Perfect! Glad they work well with a flax egg. So crazy how all ovens are so different, definitely just play around and you’ll get it right!
Stephanie says
These look amazing! Could I replace the granulated sugar for maple syrup?
Claire Cary says
Generally speaking, I don’t recommend replacing any granulated sweetener for a liquid one because it will completely change the wet to dry ratios. I have another similar cookie that will be only maple syrup sweetened coming in abut 2 weeks so stay tuned 🙂
Phoenix Lambert says
I haven’t tried these yet but I am curious if I can use arythratal rather than sugar?
Claire Cary says
I haven’t tasted them that way, but I think it would probably be fine! let me know if you try it!
Jacqui says
Mine ended up so thin 🙁 I chilled them for 15 minutes after scooping them onto the pan.
Claire Cary says
Sorry that happened! Something may have been measured incorrectly. I’d recommend chilling the dough for longer or adding a bit more flour to the batter.
Susan says
Hi. These sound great! Would regular butter work in place of dairy-free? Thanks.
Claire Cary says
Yes, regular butter will definitely work!
Hannah B. says
These are way too good! But the recipe made about twice as many cookies as it says. So now I have to try not to eat them all haha.
Claire Cary says
So glad you liked them! You probably used a smaller scoop than I did which is why you ended up with more. Not the worst problem to have 🙂
Antonia says
Can I use spelt flour or all purpose flour for the cookies
Claire Cary says
No, these are almond flour cookies and almond flour generally cannot be subbed for anything else. If you want to use all purpose flour, I’d suggest my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe instead!
Mindy says
Can I use arrowroot or tapioca flour for the corn starch? Thanks!
Claire Cary says
Yes that should work!
Annette says
I have been gluten free for 18 years now and I try out a lot of recipes where I adapt from a regular recipe or that uses naturally gluten free ingredients. This was my first time using almond flour. I used real butter and milk chocolate chunks but OMG they are possibly the best cookie I ever tasted! They did flatten a bit, but I really don’t care 😉 so thank you!
Claire Cary says
Perfect!! So happy you enjoyed them, they’re a favorite of mine!
Clare says
These cookies are so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and used coconut oil and Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips! I tried to make them a bit smaller and they were still perfectly chewy on the inside with the perfect amount of crisp on the outside. Highly recommend!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Clare! So glad you enjoyed them!
Colette says
Is there a sub for the egg? My son is allergic to so many things. This will work if I can sub for the egg. Thanks so much
Claire Cary says
I have not tried these with an egg substitute since almond flour generally needs eggs, but I would recommend either apple sauce (about 3 tbsp) or a store bought egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill. Let me know how they turn out!
Jade Smith says
I used a flax egg (1tbsp flax meal + 2.5 TBSP water, let sit for 5) and it turned out INCREDIBLE
Amanda says
Why have you added cornstarch to the recipe? I added it to another chocolate chip cookie recipe by accident and they were horrible. I’m just curious before trying. Thanks 🙂
Claire Cary says
It really enhances the texture and gives them a nice chew! It also acts as binder since we’re just using almond flour.
Candice says
These came out perfect. Soft on the inside and firm on the outside just like a cookie should be!
I used coconut oil instead of vegan butter and followed the recipe exactly as stated.
Best almond flour cookies! Delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I’ve been looking for a good almond flour chocolate chip cookie recipe and I’m glad I came across your pin!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Candice! These are one of my favorite cookie recipes too, grain free or not! So glad you enjoyed them!
candice says
YES! you’re absolutely right about that. Grain free or not they are honestly the best cookie I’ve had. I made them 3 times last week for my husband and his co-workers loved them!
Claire Cary says
Love that!! Glad they’re such a hit!
Jamie says
If I could give these cookies 10 stars… I would. Chewy on the inside but juuuust crispy enough on the outside. We used DF dark chocolate chips, definitely going to be my new go to choc chip recipe! Thanks for sharing with us!
Claire Cary says
Thanks Jamie! These are one of my favorites too, so glad you enjoyed!
nerdpress says
I know so good!!
Priscilla Rodríguez says
Wow that’s a lot of butter! Are you correct? I still made them and taste delicious but maybe with 2 – 3 tbsp of butter will be fine
Claire Cary says
7 tbsp is correct! That’s about 1/2 the amount you’ll find in traditional cookies. These would be far too dry with just 2 tbsp. You can also use coconut oil if you prefer!