Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free)

The best Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe! Buttery crisp edges with a soft, chewy center packed with loads of chocolate chips! 

Why You'll Love These Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

These almond flour chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorite cookies to make. They have a soft, chewy center, crispy edges, and a rich butter flavor with plenty of melty chocolate. These grain-free chocolate chip cookies can easily be made paleo or dairy-free with a few easy substitutions. Here are more reasons why you will love this almond flour chocolate chip cookie recipe:

• Incredible flavor and texture. These are the best almond flour cookies! Gluten-free or not, you will love the taste and texture of these tender chocolate chip cookies.
• Quick and easy to make. Once the butter has softened, it only takes 30 minutes to make these gluten-free cookies.
• Simple ingredients. These almond flour chocolate chewy cookies are made with just a handful of ingredients and are sure to become a family favorite recipe.

For more almond flour recipes, check out my gluten-free Amaretti cookies and limoncello cookies.

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients to make these gluten-free almond flour chocolate chip cookies:

• Butter: You'll need a stick of unsalted butter at room temperature. I like to pull the butter out of the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before baking. To make this recipe dairy-free, you can use ghee (if tolerated) or softened coconut oil. 
• Dark Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and sweetness. Light brown or coconut sugar can be used, but I do not recommend using white sugar.
• Egg: One large egg at room temperature gives these cookies a rise.
• Vanilla Extract: Use a high-quality vanilla extract for best results.
• Almond Flour: Fine almond flour (not almond meal) gives these cookies their chewy texture, nutty flavor, and golden brown color. 
• Arrowroot Powder: Tenderizes the dough and helps keep these almond flour cookies soft after storing. You can also use cornstarch
• Baking Soda: Gives the cookies a lift.
• Salt: Enhances the flavor of the cookie.
• Chocolate Chips: I love using dark chocolate chips or a chopped-up dark chocolate bar. You can also use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips.
• Flaky Sea Salt: Although optional, a few pinches of flaky sea salt on top of the finished cookies creates the perfect balance of salty-sweet.

Find the printable recipe card with full instructions and measurements below.

How To Make Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Step 1: Bring the cold butter to room temperature. Remove the butter from the refrigerator at least an hour before baking.
• Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the softened butter and dark brown sugar until combined.
• Step 3: Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Step 4: Add the dry ingredients. Add the almond flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients. Continue to beat until fully incorporated.
• Step 5: Add the chocolate and chill the dough. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (no longer). The dough will be slightly sticky; do not add more almond flour. While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Step 6: Scoop, roll, and bake. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Scoop and roll about a tablespoon of dough (30-35 grams) between clean hands. Place six cookie dough balls onto a prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Add extra chocolate to the top of each cookie dough ball if desired. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until golden brown edges. For softer cookies remove the pan from the oven at 11 minutes (my preference). For crispier cookies remove at 13 minutes. If the cookies have risen too high for your liking, bang the baking sheet on the counter a few times to help flatten the cookies. Sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Expert Tips

• Use softened butter. Room temperature or "softened butter" is key to the success of this recipe. Using melted butter will cause the cookies to overly spread and harden once they cool. Therefore, I recommend leaving the butter on the counter for 1 hour, before baking. The temperature of the butter should be around 65°F, measured with a food thermometer, and leave a slight indent when gently nudged with the knuckle of your finger. For faster results, you can microwave the cold butter straight from the refrigerator for 10 seconds. Just enough to soften but not melt the butter.
• Use a food scale to measure. One of my biggest tips is to make sure to measure the almond flour correctly. I provide the recipe measurements in grams because I prefer to weigh the almond flour using a food scale. If you do not have a food scale to measure, then gently scoop the almond flour into a measuring cup (do not pack) and level off the top with a knife.
• Avoid flat cookies: If your cookies are overly spreading in the oven, most likely the butter was too warm or overly melted. You can try refrigerating the dough longer to help firm up the cookies.
• Avoid cakey cookies: If your cookies are coming out cakey, you may have added too much almond flour. Make sure to carefully measure the ingredients.
• Create perfectly round cookies. My pro tip for getting those perfectly round bakery-style-looking cookies is to use a large circular cookie cutter or glass (It needs to be larger than the fully baked cookies ) to round out the edges right out of the oven. Place the cookie cutter or glass over the freshly baked cookies, cupping the cookie on all sides, and rotate the device in a circular motion 3-4 times, swirling the cookie and rounding out the sides.

Storage

• Storage: Store any leftover almond flour chocolate chip cookie in a glass airtight container for up to 3 days, at room temperature. 
• Freezing:  Once the cookies have completely cooled, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, remove the freezer bag from the freezer and bring the cookies to room temperature. 

More Cookie Recipes You'll Love

• Gluten-Free Soft and Chewy Amaretti Cookies: Almond flour cookies with a delicious almond extract flavor.
• Limoncello Cookies: Italian almond flour cookies bursting with lemon and almond flavor.
• Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: Soft and chewy with crisp edges, a rich depth of flavor, and lots of chocolate.
• Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free): These gluten-free cookies have crisp edges with a soft and chewy center, loaded with pistachios, chocolate chunks, and flaky sea salt.

I hope you love this almond flour chocolate chip cookie recipe as much as I do! If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.

Recipe