Meet the best almond flour chocolate chip cookies! And they’re made without refined sugar. The cookies have a great texture: soft-baked with crisp edges. No one will never know they’re healthy and gluten-free (your secret is safe with me). They’re easy to make (just one bowl in under 30 minutes) with simple ingredients.

Chocolate chip cookies stacked on top of one another on a countertop.

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What Readers Say

“These were so amazing they were all gone in less than a day!”

AVINA

Ingredients Needed

To make these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, you’ll only need a few pantry staple ingredients that are easily found in the baking aisle at the grocery store.

The main star of this recipe is almond flour, which is rich in healthy fats and protein. Almond flour is my favorite gluten free flour to bake with. It makes delicious gluten-free cookies, crisp almond flour waffles, moist almond flour banana bread and banana muffins, and the very best gluten-free pumpkin bread.

You’ll also notice that these healthy cookies aren’t made with refined sugars; just honey. The almond flour imparts a nutty flavor and natural sweetness, so lots of sugar isn’t needed.

  • 8 tablespoon butter, semi-melted
  • 1/3 cup honey (maple syrup may also work)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups blanched fine almond flour (or almond meal)
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour starch or organic cornstarch (some readers have used coconut flour instead with good results-this is used to help thicken the batter so the cookies aren’t too soft and mushy)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (dark chocolate chips also work, but the cookies won’t be as sweet)

What is Arrowroot Starch? Arrowroot is a white, flavorless powder. It’s similar to cornstarch (without the corn) in that it thickens food. Almond flour alone can result in a soggy, dense bread. Arrowroot starch (which is paleo-friendly, gluten-free, and vegan) improves the texture of almond flour treats. Arrowroot lasts a long time. Use it to make stir-fry sauce, almond flour chocolate chip cookies, this particular recipe, almond flour waffles, and homemade foundation powder or dry shampoo.

How to Make This Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

TOOLS NEEDED

Gather your kitchen tools, first. It only takes about 5-10 minutes to prepare the cookie dough, then 12 minutes to bake this almond flour cookie recipe.

  1. Hand-Mixer or Stand Mixer (with the paddle attachment)
  2. Measuring Cups or Digital Scale
  3. Large Mixing Bowl

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet (or sheet pan) with parchment paper to make clean up easier.

Step 1: Cream Butter, Honey, and Egg Yolk

In a medium-size bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the semi-melted butter (if you’re using a microwave to melt the butter, my butter is perfect after 20-30 seconds) and honey, until well combined and creamy. Add the egg yolk, and beat for a few seconds, until the butter mixture is well combined. Finally, beat in the vanilla extract.

Step 2: Add Dry Ingredients

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined: almond flour, starch, baking soda, and salt. Then stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Mounds of chocolate chip cookie dough on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
I love to make bakery-style chocolate chip cookies using an ice cream scooper (which makes large cookies).

Step 3: Spoon onto the Prepared Baking Sheet

Use an ice cream scooper or cookie scoop to scoop the batter on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a cookie scooper, makes larger, bakery-size cookies (about 3-4 tablespoons of dough). Using a cookie scoop, makes smaller cookies (which requires less baking time).

Chocolate chip cookies baked on a sheet pan with white parchment paper.
Soft-baked cookies with crisp edges = perfection!

Step 4: Bake Cookies

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes for large cookies (smaller cookies may require less time), until golden brown (a very light brown/golden yellow hue) and the edges appear a bit crisp. The cookies will feel and look very soft. This is typical of all baked goods when you use almond flour.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet (don’t transfer to a cooling rack). As the cookies cool, they will firm up, so wait until the cookies are cool (about 5-10 minutes) before enjoying one. The cookies will always be soft, but once they cool, you’ll be able to easily pick one up without it crumbling.

Holding half a cookie in one hand, bitten into, to show the inside of the cookie.
The perfect soft-baked cookie! With the best, naturally-sweetened flavor.

Pro Tips for Baking Success

What type of almond flour?

For best results, use blanched almond flour. This flour has a light texture since the almond skins are removed before grinding almonds. This flour will produce a texture and flavor more like classic chocolate chip cookies made with all purpose flour.

I’ve also used almond meal, which has a coarser texture, since the skins are left on the ground almonds. This flour will result in more of a rustic feel to the cookies, but still results in delicious cookies.

My favorite almond flour brands are Bob’s Red Mill, Anthony’s, and the almond flour sold at Costco.

Dairy-Free Version

The preferred options for making the best cookies without dairy are: vegan butter, palm shortening, or softened virgin coconut oil.

Egg-Free Version

I haven’t personally made this recipe without eggs, but some readers have experienced great results using a flax egg. A binder is needed to keep the cookies from falling apart, which is why the egg yolk is added, and a flax egg would work in a similar way.

Don’t Use Other Flours (Wheat, Einkorn, Etc.)

I’m oftentimes asked if my almond flour recipes can be made with oat flour, wheat flour, einkorn flour, or all-purpose flour. The answer: No. Almond flour requires specific wet to dry ingredient ratios. You can’t substitute another flour in place of almond flour. Instead, use my einkorn chocolate chip cookie recipe if you’d like a wheat-based, traditional cookie.

How to Store

I rarely need to store the cookies because no cookie is ever left behind for the next day (they’re seriously the very best almond flour cookies).

If you do have some leftovers, or want to make the cookies in advance and enjoy later, store the cookies in an airtight container (or cookie jar) on the counter, at room temperature, for up to 2 days. Or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or place the cookies in a freezer bag (a Ziplock bag) and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Almond flour cookies stacked in a pile on a cookie sheet lined with white parchment paper.
Chocolate chip cookies stacked on top of one another on a countertop.
5 from 26 votes

The Best Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

The best chocolate chip cookies that also happen to be healthy, made without refined sugar, gluten free, grain free, and super easy to make.
Kristin Marr
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time22 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 large cookies
Calories 423 kcal
Cost: $6

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (for easy clean up).
  • In a medium-size bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the semi-melted butter (if you're using a microwave to melt the butter, my butter is perfect after 30 seconds) and honey, until well combined and creamy.
  • Add the egg yolk and beat for a few seconds, until combined. Finally, beat in the vanilla extract.
    Egg yolk, vanilla extract, and creamed butter in large mixing bowl.
  • Add all the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients: almond flour, starch, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine.
  • Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
  • Scoop the batter from the bowl onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to form cookies (about 10 large cookies using an ice cream scoop or large cookie cookie scoop).
    Mounds of chocolate chip cookie dough on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
  • Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until golden on top with crisp, brown edges.
  • Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes. Because the cookies are made with almond flour, they will feel and look very soft at first. As the cookies cool, they will firm up, so wait until the cookies are cool before enjoying one. The cookies will always be soft, but once they cool, you'll be able to easily pick one up without it crumbling.
    Chocolate chip cookies baked on a sheet pan with white parchment paper.
  • Serving Ideas: Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies to make a gluten-free ice cream sandwich. It helps to refrigerate the cookies first so they're nice and firm. Or make a coffee-shop drink, like a homemade pumpkin spice latte or chai latte to enjoy with a cookie.

Video

Notes

Semi-soft butter means that half of the butter is melted and half is soft, but still in a solid state. I know this sounds crazy, but it’s worked really well in this recipe. I’ve used both salted and unsalted butter in this recipe without issue. 
Weigh the flour. There is one thing that you need for fail-proof baking: a scale. Well, actually, two things: a scale and quality ingredients. My cup of flour is not the same as your cup of flour. Not weighing flour may result in disappointment when making cookies, cakes, or quick breads. Plus, weighing ingredients is much easier; just keep adding ingredients to the bowl until the scale tells you to stop. I’ve been using this digital scale for a few years now.

Nutrition

Calories: 423kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 8gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 118mgPotassium: 145mgFiber: 5gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 318IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 3mg
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54 Comments

  1. Hi,
    Do you you flatten them a little before placing the tray in the oven? Or after scooping straight in the oven?

    Thank you

  2. this website is now unusable thanks to the ads. it’s unfortunate because I used several of the recipes, I’ll have to find another site.

    1. Hey Jason, Thank you for sharing. If an ad is blocking a recipe or content please send me a screenshot through the contact page. We never want to interrupt your experience! In order to keep everything free (running this website costs us thousands each month, so it’s free for users but costs us a lot to keep it up), we must have something to ensure we don’t go in the red every month. Ads are the best way we can do this–it keeps everything free for you, while paying the bills around here. I know that ads aren’t enjoyable, but if you want free recipes and content, there has to be some sort of willingness to have ads on sites. The vast majority of recipe sites out there, that put time, money, and attention into developing and sharing free content, will have ads to pay the bills of maintaining such a site (buying ingredients to test recipes, paying for hosting, photography, the hours and hours spent writing and testing and photographing recipes, etc.) But those ads should never make the site unusable–if an ad blocks any content please notify us so we can have it removed ASAP. Also, we provide a print button on the recipe itself. If you click on the print button, you can go to a page that’s 100% ad free.

  3. This is my second comment,
    In case anyone wonders – I make these by the triple or quadrulple batch and freeze cookie dough balls to have on hand for future cravings. The cooking time increases a little bit, but we love them just as good.

  4. I have made this several times. In terms of taste, texture and preparation this is mine and my son’s favorite. I feel any guilt making this for my kids which is the cherry on the top. Thank you for the recipe Kristin!

  5. What is the best way to make this vegan? I was thinking coconut oil for the butter and extra baking soda in place of the egg? Thank you!

    1. Hey Yesi, Coconut oil may work and is probably the best option in that case. For the egg, you need a binding agent so baking soda won’t work in this case. I would try a flax “egg.”