Almond Flour Cocoa Cookies

Almond Flour Cocoa Cookies are deeply chocolaty, subtly salty and irresistibly decadent! Super easy to make, they come out of the oven soft and chewy and they're naturally vegan and gluten-free. If you celebrate the holiday, these cookies are the perfect Passover dessert!

This is a magical recipe that was inspired from one my friend brought back from Isreal.

Almond Flour Cocoa Cookie batter takes just a few minutes to make, shape and bake! And while it has no bearing on their ultimate deliciousness, this recipe happens to be gluten and dairy-free, and only uses a little maple syrup to sweeten them. (That's not much sugar for almost two dozen cookies.)

The original recipe is made without cocoa and only has only a small handful of chocolate chips. When I first tried them I could not believe how delicious they were -- just a few ingredients, no eggs, no regular flour, no butter, and they were fantastic! I couldn't help but wonder however, how amazing they'd be with chocolate in every bite.

So I made them super chocolaty with cocoa powder and a lot more chocolate chips. Now they're even more delicious!

About the Ingredients

• almond flour - Almond flour is very finely ground almonds, and I love it in this recipe. For a bit more texture, you can use almond meal.
• cocoa powder - You can use dark or light cocoa powder, depending on how deep you want the chocolate flavor to be. (Dark cocoa powder tends to have a slightly more intense chocolate flavor.) And it should definitely be unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Kosher salt - If you use table salt, use half of the amount.
• maple syrup - There is only ¼ cup of maple syrup in this recipe, which might not seem like enough. It is! Don't second guess it.
• neutral oil - I use avocado oil because it's a healthier choice, but you can also use vegetable or canola oil. (I also love baking with olive oil, but in this recipe the flavor would be too strong.)
• vanilla - I've tested this recipe with both pure vanilla extract and vanilla paste and both work very well. Vanilla paste includes the beans so the flavor is a touch stronger.
• chocolate chips - Semisweet are lovely in this recipe. For a less sweet option, use bittersweet, and for a sweeter option, use milk chocolate.

Almond Meal vs. Almond Flour

Almond meal is different from almond flour in that the skins are left on and it's more coarsely ground. In recipes, they are more or less interchangeable in terms of flavor, though the texture will change slightly.

How to Make Almond Flour Cocoa Cookies

- Adjust a rack to the center of the oven, preheat it to 350℉, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

- Add the almond flour, cocoa powder and salt to a bowl and whisk to blend. You just made chocolate almond flour!

- Add the oil, syrup, vanilla and chocolate chips, and mix until everything is well combined.

- Use a 1½-inch cookie scoop to shape the dough into balls, placing each one on the parchment-lined baking sheet as you go, with about an inch between them. Gently press each one down a bit with the palm of your hand. (They do not spread!)

- Bake just until the cookies look dry, about 10 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Variations

• Add almonds. Swap ½ cup of the chocolate chips for ½ cup roughly chopped, toasted almonds. OR, omit the chocolate chips and use 1¼ cup roughly chopped, toasted almonds.
• Use carob. If you like the flavor of carob, switch out the cocoa for carob powder and use carob chips.
• Mocha! Add 1 tablespoon instant espresso or coffee powder. I love this variation!
• Sans cocoa. Vegan and gluten-free almond flour cookies of almost any sort are great. For Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies without cocoa, omit the cocoa powder and use 2 additional tablespoons of the almond flour.

More Desserts Made with Almond Flour

Making Them Ahead and Storage

Room temperature. In a tightly sealed container, the cookies can be kept at room temperature for 2 days. I think they're best a few hours after they're made.
Freezer. Sealed tightly, you can store the chocolate cookies for about a month in the freezer. (Of course they'll last longer than that frozen, but will taste the best for up to a month.)

I really want you to try this -- I think it might just become your new go-to chocolate cookie recipe. Enjoy!