Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies

I’d like to introduce you to, quite possibly, my favorite cookie in the entire world. And if you’ve ever had my Mama’s crazy awesome chocolate chip cookies, you’d know it’s really saying something to elevate these babies above those.

The reason I love these almond butter cookies so much isn’t just because they taste amazing (they so do), but it’s also because, at just six ingredients total, they are beautifully simple, and actually kinda healthy. But not in a “I’m chewing on a piece of cardboard that’s supposed to taste like a cookie” kind of healthy. An actual, honest-to-god, decadent, richy, chocolatey, chewy, just-happens-to-be-healthier kind of healthy.

I first tasted these cookies in 2010, when my über-health-conscious sister-in-law brought me one she’d made (she hand-delivered it to me in a little baggie at my mother-in-law’s kitchen table, in fact). I was totally bowled over—especially when she told me they had no flour in them at all!

These almond butter cookies are buttery and tender and sweet and rich and chocolatey. They are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free (if you choose vegan chocolate chips). I’ve been making and loving them ever since!

These cookies are totally flourless—and I’m not just talking using a flour substitute here—no weird flours or meals or gums or crazy additives that you have to find from a specialty health food store. Even without the flour, they bake into gloriously soft pillows of deliciousness.

In fact, they are so soft and tender, that when you pull them out of the oven, you’ll think there is no way they are ever going to solidify, but I promise they will. Unlike a lot of cookies, you’ll want to let these babies cool completely on the cookie sheet before moving them. And don’t even think about baking them until they are solid—if you do, when they cool, they’ll be hard as bricks (trust me, been there). Nothing a dip in a cold glass of almond milk can’t fix, but it’s better to err on the side of too soft. For me, they are ready at right around 10 minutes in my oven.

If you’re tempted to try to sub in a more natural sweetener (say, honey or maple syrup) for the sugar in this recipe, fight the urge. I’ve tried it, and it just doesn’t work. You need a dry sweetener to make the texture of this batter stick together. If you’re looking for a more natural option, try coconut sugar, turbinado sugar, or sucanat—which are all less processed than straight up granulated white sugar. 

And before you ask, yes, you sure can use peanut butter (or sunflower butter) in place of the almond butter! Just make sure to use unsweetened, natural nut butter without additives.

But, before you go swapping out the almond butter, let me tell you that I’m not a big fan of almond butter—I have texture issues with it—but I love it in these cookies. These cookies are pretty much the only thing I use almond butter in. Enjoy!