This recipe for gluten-free, vegan, almond flour chocolate chip cookies is one of my favorites when I'm in the mood to make something "healthy-ish". The cookies are thick, dense, crumbly and slightly sweet. They're energy packed so not exactly low calorie, but they are filling and have fiber from the almonds and oats. You can snack on one for a long time!
Agave Syrup vs. Maple vs. Golden Syrup
The cookies are not super sweet. The sweetness they do have comes from the chocolate bits and syrup. Agave syrup works the best, but if you don't want to use it you can use maple or even golden syrup. None of these sweeteners are truly healthy, but combined with almond flour, oats and nuts, the potential to spike blood sugar is probably a little lower than it would be in an average cookie. I did try making these with Birch Benders monk fruit sweetened keto maple syrup. It worked, but it gave the cookies a strong artificial maple flavor and aftertaste. That, plus the cookies weren't as crunchy. So overall, agave works best, maple has less questionable health attributes and golden syrup is just cane sugar in syrup form. I've yet to try these with date syrup. My guess is it would add flavor but the cookies would be a little softer.
Almond Flour and Dough Consistency
Almond flour can have different weights per cup. I have been testing with the Aldi blanched extra fine Baker's Corner brand, and 1 cup weighs 200 grams. If for whatever reason your dough comes out too wet or too dry, the beauty of this recipe is you can just throw in more almond flour or add a little water. But I've tested multiple times and if you use the weights the dough should be just right. It's very dry (even dryer when made with agave vs. maple syrup) but it should hold a ball shape and a circle shape when pressed.
Bake Temperature and Time
Almond flour browns quickly so these are baked at a lower temperature. The dark brown cookies in the first photo were made with agave and the lighter colored cookies were made with maple syrup. To get the dark brown color with slightly crunchy edges, I baked the agave cookies at 325 F for almost 20 minutes, which is a little longer than you are supposed to, but which I like. Also, be sure to let the cookies cool completely. They are good warm, but they're even better after they've set. I like to cool them and immediately throw them in the freezer.
Recipe
Gluten-Free, Vegan, Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour (Baker's Corner Finely Ground) (200 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups quick cooking oats (100 grams)
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅜ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (Morton, use more if using Diamond)
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or a scant ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum
- ⅓ cup chopped toasted pecans (30 grams)
- ⅔ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (85 grams)
- 7 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil ( go by weight) (80 grams)
- 5 ½ tablespoons maple syrup or use agave (go by weight) (100 grams maple or 90 agave)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the almond flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cornstarch (or xanthan gum). When well mixed, stir in the nuts and chocolate chips or chunks.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl. Add the oil, syrup and vanilla. Stir everything together to make a dough. It should be slightly dry, but wet enough to hold together when scooped.
- Scoop cookies firmly with a large cookie scoop onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Flatten each mound to about ½ inch thick and press edges to tidy them up.
- Bake cookies one sheet at a time for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes directly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Store in an airtight container or eat right away. The cookies also freeze well.
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