Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These completely flourless, gluten-free almond butter chocolate chip cookies are crisp on the edges, soft and chewy in the middle, and chock full of chocolate! Made in one bowl with no mixer needed. Add extra chopped chocolate to the tops of cookie dough balls before baking for the best aesthetics.

I have to admit, I love almond butter so much on its own that I rarely use it in baking. I put it on toast, smoothie bowls, yogurt bowls, waffles…and before I know it, another jar is gone. Until now, my only recipe featuring almond butter was this VERY delicious almond butter skillet brownie.

But recently I had an idea: rather than just having almond butter as an accompaniment to things, let’s put it center stage in an almond butter cookie! The more I thought about it, though, the more I knew this couldn’t just be a peanut butter cookie with almond butter subbed in its place. I wanted the flavor to shine and honestly? Peanut butter cookies can be dry.

We’ve all had the experience of biting into a sad, crumbly peanut butter cookie (note: my easiest peanut butter cookies are decidedly NOT dry, but that’s another story). Often, it’s a problem of too much flour. So I figured, why do we need the flour at all?

The result: super soft, chewy, FLOURLESS almond butter cookies. With lots of chocolate for good measure.

Guys, these cookies are on another level. They’re like the chocolate chip cookie’s glow up. They’re thin with crispy edges, ultra chewy in the middle, and the flavor is complex with cinnamon, a hint of nutmeg, and salt.

They’re stylish too! Chopped chocolate (rather than chocolate chips) is the way to go here for those beautiful chocolate puddles throughout. Obviously, a generous amount of chocolate is the right decision here. Use your favorite chocolate bar here – the good stuff.

This cookie is our new go-to for when we don’t feel like the standby chocolate chip or peanut butter option. There are enough traditional cookie hallmarks but it’s just a little bit different for interest – they’re rustic, and a deep bronze color from the almond butter. A modern, sleek, avant garde, straight-from-the-bakery cookie.

Recipe Ingredients

The ingredients for these flourless almond butter cookies are simple, but they come together to create something delicately flavored and complex:

• Almond butter. I recommend using a creamy natural almond butter here (i.e., only ingredient is almonds). I’ve used both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods almond butters and they both worked well. If you use a salted almond butter (recipe calls for unsalted) make sure to decrease the salt in the recipe by at least half.
• Brown sugar. For moisture and flavor from molasses – this keeps the cookies super soft and chewy.
• Egg. For binding. A flax egg will work too for vegans!
• Vanilla extract. Flavor, flavor, flavor.
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, salt. I love the complex flavor these spices add to the cookies! The combination with the almond butter is perfection. Flaky sea salt on top of the finished cookies is a highly delicious option for you.
• Chopped chocolate. Use your favorite high-quality chocolate bar (see below).

We all know I love the OG chocolate chip cookies, and I’m not knocking the classic – but the thing I love about this flourless almond butter chocolate chip cookie recipe is that the chocolate to cookie ratio is a lot greater than normal chocolate chippers because of the thinness of the cookies and the use of chopped chocolate chunks instead of chips.

In fact, I daresay that while a cookie is good on its own, it’s actually just a vessel for your favorite chocolate. So don’t use the cheap stuff in these because it makes a difference!

Steps to make flourless almond butter cookies

Bonus: because these one bowl almond butter cookies are flourless, they’re totally gluten-free! And so fun and simple to make:

1. Stir together room temperature almond butter (much easier than cold) and brown sugar until combined.
2. Add egg and whisk vigorously until the mixture becomes thick and viscous.
3. Add your vanilla and spices and mix again.
4. Stir in chopped chocolate.
5. Scoop by tablespoons (I like this #40 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop and use it for all my cookies), roll into balls in your hands and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Press extra chunks of chocolate into the tops of the cookie dough balls so they come out looking pretty.
7. Bake and let cool COMPLETELY on the cookie sheet before you try to move them. Otherwise they will not set up properly!

I highly recommend following step 6 and placing additional chocolate chunks on top of the cookie dough balls before baking. I love that not a single one of these cookies turns out alike because of the natural variability of the chocolate chunks. Biting into each one is like a new little adventure to see how much chocolate you’ll find 😉

In Brian’s words, “It’s like a Jackson Pollack cookie.” Speckled with chocolate.

Because these cookies don’t have any flour, they spread thin and crisp but remain soft and chewy in the center. Even after 3-4 days stored on the counter, when most cookies would start to become dry and stale, these remain soft and robustly flavored.

I totally baked some of these straight from the freezer last night and fell in love with them all over again. Brian told me I had to put them on the blog immediately. We’re addicted to them and I hope you will love them just as much!

Common Questions

If you like these flourless almond butter chocolate chip cookies, you may also like these related recipes:

• Almond Butter Skillet Brownie (gluten-free and flourless too!)
• Homemade Almond Butter
• The Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies (the classic)
• The Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies (not flourless but very delicious)

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Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These completely flourless almond butter chocolate chip cookies are crisp on the edges, soft in the middle, and chock full of chocolate! Made in one bowl with no mixer needed. Add extra chopped chocolate to the tops of cookie dough balls before baking for the best aesthetics.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time25 mins

Servings: 20 cookies

Author: Katiebird Bakes

Ingredients

• ¾ cup (202g) unsalted creamy almond butter* at room temperature
• ⅔ cup (133g) brown sugar , packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of nutmeg
• ½ cup (74g; 2.6 oz) chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (plus extra for tops of cookies if desired)
• Coarse sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients except the chocolate and coarse salt until a cohesive dough forms – it might take a minute or two, just be patient and persistent.
• Add chopped chocolate or chocolate chips and stir until evenly incorporated. The dough may seem a little crumbly at this point but it will come together when you roll it in the next step.
• Scoop dough, using a tablespoon-size cookie scoop or two spoons, and roll into balls between your palms. The dough will start out a little crumbly but the heat of your hands will gently form it into a smooth-ish ball.
• Arrange balls at least 2 inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheets (cookies will really spread so space them out!). Add extra chopped chocolate or chocolate chips to the tops of dough balls if desired to get the look in the photos.
• Bake for 10 minutes, until crackly and spread thin. Sprinkle each cookie with a bit of coarse sea salt if desired. Allow to cool COMPLETELY before removing from the baking sheet, as they will not set up properly when warm. Serve!

Notes

*Natural almond butter, i.e. just almonds as the ingredient, works best here. Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Costco sell great ones as well as most grocery stores. If there is oil on the top of the jar when you open it, make sure to stir until smooth before using. You can also sub an equal amount of any natural nut or seed butter (peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter) if you prefer!  If your almond butter is salted, I recommend eliminating the added salt in the dough.

To make these almond butter cookies vegan, use a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 2.5 tbsp water, mixed and let sit for 5 minutes) in place of the egg, and use vegan chocolate.

Storing: cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, in the fridge for over a week, or tightly wrapped and frozen up to 3 months.

Freezing the dough: after you’ve rolled into balls, place them on a flat surface like a plate or cookie sheet in the freezer until flash frozen, about 30 minutes. Store frozen cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe bag until ready to bake, then bake from frozen and add 1-2 minutes to the bake time.

Like this flourless almond butter cookie recipe?  Please rate it and leave a comment, tag me on Instagram @katiebirdbakes, and sign up for my email list to receive my recipes straight to your inbox every time I post!

Seriously, go make these and thank me later.