I know I just posted a recipe for my chewy peanut butter cookies, but honestly I think these flourless chocolate almond butter cookies are even better! With creamy almond butter, almond flour, and almond extract they've got all the almond flavor you could ever want! Best of all, they're completely gluten-free!
You might also like these brown butter sugar cookies or these almond cupcakes!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make these gluten-free almond butter cookies!
Brown butter - My favorite ingredient of all time is brown butter!! Brown butter is just unsalted butter that has been melted and gently cooked to bring out a toasty, nutty flavor. If you've never made brown butter before, you can check out this post with all my tips for how to make brown butter!
Almond butter - I use Trader Joe's creamy almond butter in this recipe but I also love both Justin's almond butter and Whole Food's brand almond butter! Note: if you're almond butter is super oily, make sure you stir it as well as you can, otherwise your cookies will be greasy.
Almond flour - To make these cookies gluten-free, we replace the regular flour with almond flour for an extra nutty flavor and tender texture!
Almond extract - I love using almond extract for a little extra almond flavor and because it compliments the toasty brown butter, but you can leave it out if you prefer!
How to Make Almond Butter Cookies
Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together the brown butter and almond butter until completely combined.
Then add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.
Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat for 1-2 minutes until the texture is light and fluffy.
Add in the almond flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until thoroughly combined. The dough should be wet and sticky.
Gently mix in the dark chocolate chips if desired.
Spoon a generous 3 tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. If desired, roll the tops in more chocolate chunks.
Cover the dough and chill in the fridge overnight (minimum of 2 hours if you just can’t wait).
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a light colored baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place dough balls at least 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheet (they will spread, I usually only do 6 cookies on a half sheet pan).
Bake cookies for on the center rack of the oven for 8 minutes. Place a kitchen towel on the counter. Remove from the oven and lightly drop the baking sheet onto the covered counter (only about 2 inches, it’s a light drop). This gives the cookies the perfect crackled top.
Return to the oven and bake for another 2-4 minutes are until the edges are fully set and the chocolate almond butter cookies are light golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Top with flaky sea salt if desired.
Why Do I Have to Chill the Dough?
Chilling the dough is super important for a few reasons!
Since we're using almond flour instead of regular flour, chilling the dough helps ensure that the cookies will hold their shape and not spread too much! This helps get a nice set edge and soft, chewy center.
Similarly, the brown butter needs to be as cold as possible before baking so that the cookies don't spread too much.
But don't we want the cookies to spread? Yes, we do and they will. We just don't want them to spread too much because then you get a flat, dry cookie instead of one with a soft, chewy center.
Tips for Perfect Cookies
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, crumbly cookies that don't spread.
Make sure your oven is the proper temperature! Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is exactly 350°F. If the oven is too cold, the cookies will spread too much and if it's too hot they centers won't bake all the way through. For example, my oven is about 20 degrees off. So I have to set the oven to 370°F in order to get it to bake at 350°F.
Use a lightweight, light colored baking sheet for best results! Believe it or not, a lighter pan makes the cookies bake more slowly than a dark pan, which helps keep them from spreading too much. My favorite pans for baking cookies are:
You also want to use either parchment paper or silicone mats on your cookie sheet to help keep the cookies from spreading.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, on the center rack. This will ensure all your cookies cook evenly and the bottoms don't burn. Then let the cookie sheet cool completely between batches. This ensures the cookies cook evenly and don't spread too much by being put on a hot pan.
Always under-bake the cookies! If you slightly under-bake the cookies (so the centers are still soft when you remove them from the oven), they'll stay soft and chewy for days!
Do the cookie scoot! In order to get perfectly round cookies, use a large cookie cutter to gently scoot them around as soon as they come out of the oven!
Recipe FAQ's
Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also store the dough in the fridge for up to a week and bake a few cookies at a time, as desired.
Nope! You can regular unsalted butter if you prefer! I just love the way the brown butter pairs with the almond butter!
Yes! Freeze the pre-rolled cookie dough balls on a baking sheet, once frozen transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 weeks. The frozen dough can go straight from the freezer to the oven, just add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Gluten-Free Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown butter, room temperature
- ½ cup creamy almond butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ⅔ cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together the brown butter and almond butter until completely combined.
- Then add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat for 1-2 minutes until the texture is light and fluffy.
- Add in the almond flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until thoroughly combined. The dough should be wet and sticky.
- Gently mix in the dark chocolate chips if desired.
- Spoon a generous 3 tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. If desired, roll the tops in more chocolate chunks.
- Cover the dough and chill in the fridge overnight (minimum of 2 hours if you just can’t wait).
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a light colored baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place dough balls at least 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheet (they will spread, I usually only do 6 cookies on a half sheet pan).
- Bake cookies for on the center rack of the oven for 8 minutes. Place a kitchen towel on the counter. Remove from the oven and lightly drop the baking sheet onto the covered counter (only about 2 inches, it’s a light drop). This gives the cookies the perfect crackled top.
- Return to the oven and bake for another 2-4 minutes are until the edges are fully set and the cookies are light golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Top with flaky sea salt if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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