Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

These vegan and gluten-free almond chocolate chip cookies are made with almond flour or sunflower seed flour (which makes a nut-free and more sustainable choice). 

We seem to entertain quite a lot—with board game nights, movie nights, and potlucks—and by the end of each of the nights, there is always one person craving a sweet treat (probably me, let's be honest). So I'll run into the kitchen and whip up a batch of cookies as fast as I can then surprise the troops with a warm plate of something delicious.

My two goto cookies as of late have been Jessica's Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream Sandwiches and Sher's Rasberry Jam Thumbprints. I end up making them both so much that they kind of melded into this one almond chocolate chip cookie here. The ratios between both the cookies are really similar. So I used that as a base,  removed the flax egg, added so oat flour, and made my own little hybrid baby cookie. 

The beauty of these almond chocolate chips cookies is the fact they come together so fast. You just need a ½ teaspoon, a bowl, a spoon, and a ⅓ cup measuring cup. Plus you can keep the dough in the fridge for a few days then bake them off as needed. Honestly though, I kind of think they get better as they sit, like day 3 is ideal. 

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Method
• Tips + Notes
• Recipe

Ingredients

• almond flour
• sea salt
• oat flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• olive or avocado oil
• maple syrup
• vanilla extract
• almond extract
• chocolate chips or chunks

Method

Start by heating the oven to 350° F (175°C) and lining a baking tray with parchment. Next, combine the flours, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together in a bowl. Mix well. Add the oil, maple syrup, and extracts. Again mix well to combine.

Because there is no gluten, you don't have to worry about overmixing.Lastly, stir in the chocolate. Divide the dough into 10 balls (about 1 ½ tablespoon each).

Flatten the cookies slightly and bake for about 10-13 minutes.

Once cooked, let the cookies cool on the baking tray for a few minutes then move them to a cooling rack. You can store uneaten cookies for a few days in an airtight container and uncooked dough for a few days in the fridge.

Tips + Notes

Almond Flour and Sustainability

Last week I shared this story about almond production and its toll on bees, which was upsetting—although not entirely new. Like many mono-crops, almonds have a huge impact on land and water consumption. While there are more sustainable almonds out there (when I worked in the food industry we would get ours from Italy) many of the ones used in milk and flour production are not. I could go on, by my friend Laura said this so eloquently on her last post, I recommend checking out. 

Like Laura, and probably many of you, I have a big bag of almond flour that I'm still going to put to use. When it is done, I'll probably turn to an alternative flour such as the nut-free option of sunflower seed flour (the Kitchn has a great tutorial) or even hazelnut flour (although it is more expensive than sunflower seeds). 

Over the last two months, I've been slowly replacing the almond products I have with more sustainable options. Almond butter for pumpkin seed, sunflower, and good quality peanut butter. Almond milk for oat, hemp, and coconut. And now almond flour with sunflower seed and hazelnut. I think when it comes to sustainability, diversity and variation is key. 

Other Chocolate Cookies + Treats

• Raw Double Chocolate Macaroons
• Miso Chocolate Chunk Bars 
• Raw Adaptogenic Fudge with Ashwagandha 
• Black Bean Fudge Brownie