Easy Gluten-Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Written by: Natalie Faella, MS, RDN, LDN | January 14, 2022

Baking is not one of my favorite things to do. Cooking? Yes. Eating? Yes. But baking, not so much. I just don't enjoy having to measure things and being super precise. It probably brings me back to my 3-hour science labs in undergrad or something. (Wow, I must have repressed those memories because just thinking about science lab now makes me want to cry or take a nap...).

Anyways, that's why I am drawn to any recipe that includes the words: simple, easy, or quick. And these gluten-free almond flour cookies are just that!

My mom first made these cookies for me years ago and I thought they were delicious. They are perfect to pair with a cup of coffee in the morning or to enjoy as dessert at night. (I do think of all cookies in this way, but the ease of this recipe has me enjoying these particular cookies as breakfast/dinner dessert more often!). I am not gluten-free, but family members of Pete and I are, so I continue to make these cookies fairly regularly — if not for myself, for our family.

Here is the recipe!

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Almond Flour (I use Bob's Red Mill if you use another kind, I recommend getting the superfine & blanched version)

• 6 Tbsp Coconut Oil (melted) or Avocado Oil*

• 6 Tbsp Maple Syrup*

• 2/3 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips (I tend to buy these Whole Foods ones most often)

A helpful tip for measuring: 6 Tbsp = 1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Mix almond flour, oil, and maple syrup until well-combined (see picture below).

3. Stir in chocolate chips until combined (see picture below — you will have some stragglers but that's OK).

4. Use a spoon to scoop and form small balls and place on baking sheet. Should make about 20 cookies (see picture and video below). Note: cookies will not spread while baking so you do not need to space them out too much.

5. Gently press dough balls to flatten the bottom of the cookie on the baking sheet (see video below).

6. Bake for 15-20min or until edges start to look a little golden brown. Note: there are no raw ingredients so you are welcome to have them bake until they are more or less "well done."

7. Let cool for about 5 min before transferring to wire cooling wrack.

8. Enjoy! (Note: Pete usually skips step 7 and goes straight to enjoy/burn inside of mouth. I don't recommend!)

Stay tuned for more recipes and more on my anti-diet approach to nutrition, health, & wellness by subscribing here!

Here are some step-by-step pictures:

Well-combined dough:

Mixed in mini chocolate chips:

Scoop-size per cookie:

How to form cookie ball:

Gentle press to go from cookie dough ball to shaped cookie:

Pressed cookies pre-baking:

Finished product cooling:

Stay tuned for more recipes and more on an anti-diet approach to health, wellness & nutrition by subscribing here!