Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These almond butter chocolate chip cookies are almost too good to be true! They’re thick and chewy, just like the “real” deal, but they’re also flourless, gluten free, and paleo friendly! My all-time favorite healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe — I know you’ll love them too!

ripping apart a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie

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The BEST Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This has been our go-to healthy chocolate chip cookies recipe for years now!

Why?

  1. They’re easy!
  2. Made with simple ingredients — nothing that requires a special trip to the health food store.
  3. Can fit into almost any diet or lifestyle, from gluten free to paleo.

I originally published this post in March 2015, but I decided to update the post with new photos this year because I don’t think my original cell phone pics did the cookies justice!

They are SO SO good!

These chewy-style paleo chocolate chip cookies are flourless and contain no added sugar (aside from the type of chocolate chips you use),ย so you can feel good about eating them!

…even the entire batch!

Wait…not that I’ve done that or anything…

Related: Be sure to try our NEWย cashew butter cookies too!

Stack of thick chocolate chip cookies

Is Almond Butter Paleo?

When my husband (the chef in our family) first created this recipe, the main goal was to make gluten free chocolate chip cookies, since I started eating gluten free after my last pregnancy.

However, I have a lot of readers that live paleo lifestyles, follow keto diets, etc., so I wanted to be able recommend these cookies whenever possible (because they are SO good!)

Peanut butter is generally avoided on the paleo diet because peanuts are technically a legume and not a nut at all.

However, true nut butters, like almond butter, cashew butter, etc. are fine to eat in moderation. They’re fairly low in carbs and provide some protein and plenty of healthy fats.

Can You Eat Chocolate Chips on Paleo?

The paleo diet does allow for a small amount of dark chocolate, but be sure to look for chips that don’t contain additives or artificial ingredients.

Brands like Enjoy Life make chocolate chips you can enjoy on the Paleo diet — we love them!

freshly baked flourless chocolate chip cookies on parchment paper

Are These Cookies Keto Friendly?

Maybe โ€” it depends on your daily carb intake.

These chocolate chip cookies contain dates, which are a fruit, and sometimes avoided on a strict keto diet as they contain fruit sugar.

The total carb count per cookie is 8 grams, which would eat up a good bit of your daily allowance if you are on a strict 20 carb a day plan.

However, they are aย much better alternative to regular cookies and sweets, and if this keeps you on your diet in the long run, that’s not such a bad thing after all!

If you’re on a strict keto diet, try one of our keto cookie recipes:

picking up a chocolate chip cookie from baking sheet

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

  • Dried dates
  • Almond butter (natural is best)
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • Chocolate chips (look for dark chocolate or paleo-friendly)
  • Sea salt
  • Baking powder

dipping chocolate chip cookie in glass of milk

Want More Yumminess? โ€” Click here to see our 50 favorite gluten free dessert recipes!

How to Make Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

We’ve included photo step-by-step instructions to better illustrate how these paleo chocolate chip cookies are made, but a free printable copy of the recipe is available below.

Start by boiling the dates for a couple minutes, just to soften them.

softening dates in waterchopping dates in food processor

Once soft, remove from heat, drain, and add to food processor. ย (Our trustyย Hamilton Beach Food Processorย hasย lasted us years!) Add sea salt andย a couple tablespoons of water, then chop until coarsely ground.

Add the dates to a large mixing bowl, along with the remaining cookie ingredients (except chocolate chips) and blend.

almond butter cookie ingredients in glass mixing bowl

electric mixer making cookie batter

Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips. It may take some muscle! The batter will be pretty thick.

adding chocolate chips to cookie batter

Form batter into balls less than 1/4 cup each in size. Place on greased baking sheetย orย reusable non-stick silicon baking matsย (we use these mats forย everything!)ย Do not flatten cookies.

scooping chocolate chip cookies onto white baking sheet

Bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on white baking sheet

TIP: Oven cooking times may vary, soย keep an eye on your cookiesย to ensure desired doneness.)ย Remove from oven and place cookies on coolingย rack. Try not to eat the entire batch. ๐Ÿ™‚

flourless chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk

How to Store Your Cookies

If kept in a cookie jar at room temperature, these are best enjoyed within 2-3 days.

You can also freeze them — simply keep in a freezer bag or container. When I get a cookie craving, I take one out of the bag, put it on a paper towel, and microwave for a few seconds until the chocolate starts to melt. So yummy!

More of our Most Popular Gluten Free Desserts

 

Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (Printable Copy)

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thick chocolate chip cookie ripped in half
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4.67 from 3 votes

Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Theseย almond butter chocolate chip cookiesย are almost too good to be true! They're thick and chewy, just like the "real" deal, but they're also flourless, gluten free, and paleo friendly!ย 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: almond butter, chocolate, chocolate chip, cookies, gluten free, paleo
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 161kcal
Author: Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
Cost: $5

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Boil dates for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to soften.
    dates in pan of water
  • Once dates are soft, remove pan from heat, drain water, and add dates to food processor. Add sea salt and water. Chop until coarsely ground.
    chopped dates in food processor
  • Add dates to mixing bowl with almond butter, vanilla extract, eggs, and baking powder. Blend until batter becomes mostly smooth.
  • Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
  • Form batter into balls less than 1/4 cup each in size. Place on greased baking sheet or reusable non-stick silicon baking mats. Do not flatten cookies.
  • Bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and place cookies on cooling rack.

Video

Notes

Notes: Nutrition information is a rough estimate only; actual values will vary based on the exact ingredients used and amount of recipe prepared.
*A small amount of dark chocolate is generally allowed on the Paleo diet. You can also look for paleo-friendly chocolate chips like those made by the Enjoy Life brand.

Nutrition

Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 0.9mg

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collage image of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies

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stack of chocolate cookies made with avocado

Healthy Avocado Chocolate Cookies

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32 Comments

  1. OMGness…these look and sound amazing! We have been wanting to try the Avocado Chocolate cookies and now we have two to try! LOVE that these are so much healthier than buying…and regular recipes. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Well, hubby is the genius in the kitchen — I just eat, photograph, and write about it! ๐Ÿ™‚ These are pretty easy — you should definitely try them!

  2. I made these tonight and they didn’t turn out right! They were extremely sticky and didn’t bake through. The flavor was good, very very rich, but the texture was awful. So sad ๐Ÿ™

    1. Hi Jessica– thank you for trying the recipe and for your feedback! Individual ovens vary, so it’s possible that yours might require a slightly longer cooking time and/or raising the temperature. Oven thermometers are helpful for seeing the actual temperature so you can make adjustments. Since these cookies are flour-less, the texture will be on the softer side, but they should cook through. Let me know if you give them another shot! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Truly amazing! I made homemade chocolate almond butter and added some dried cherries. I brought them to a party and I think the guys even raves about them more than the women. Thanks-this is a keeper.

    1. Wow — you went one step beyond making your own chocolate almond butter! Those sound amazing ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Just made these with ground pecans. I needed to cook them for 13 minutes and they turned out perfect and so delicious. Awesome easy recipe.

    1. I’m so glad that you enjoyed them Genoa! Thanks for the tip on the pecans and thanks for letting me know you loved the recipe ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. I believe in this particular batch pictured we used Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips. I also love the Enjoy Life brand dairy free chips, though they are actually mini-chips. You can use whichever brand/type you prefer ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. These are soo delicious!!! We cooked them for 12 minutes and they were perfection!! We are trying to stop ourselves from eating them all! We used a little less than 12 oz of almond butter and yum yummm yummmmmmm. Thanks for the AMAZING recipe! Will keep making over and over again!

  6. Can I use almond oil instead of almond butter? I have the former but not the latter. If yes how much should I use? Many thanks!

  7. Hi! I’d really like to make them, they’re the healthiest I’ve found so far, but I don’t eat eggs.. Is there some way I can replace them with something else? I’m new to all the replacing stuff… 2 tablespoons of Tahini, or maybe 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with water would be good?

      1. Wow, it turned out DELICIOUS!!! I used 2 TB ground flaxseed mixed with 5-6 TB water as a sub for the eggs and I ran out of almond butter (oopsie doopsie) so I used 1 cup of almond butter and 1 cup tahini.
        I just gotta say, though, that my batter looked crumbly, but when I formed it to balls, it was so oily, that the oil was dripping. But even though I didn’t understand the batter, it’s still chocolate chip cookies, and the best healthy ones I’ve ever tasted!
        Thank you so much :))))

  8. Hi I made the recipe but unfortunately they didnโ€™t look like yours ๐Ÿ™ … I followed the exact recipe but Iโ€™m so disappointed they didnโ€™t turn out that great ! They didnโ€™t flatten in the oven and they came out looking weird the taste was nothing great !

    1. Hi Orly, I love this recipe, so I hate to hear that it didn’t turn out the way you expected! I do want to make sure that you know that these cookies do not flatten in the oven – they are still pretty thick! The taste will be slightly different than a “real” chocolate chip cookie because they are flourless and you will taste the almond butter a bit. Hope this helps!

4.67 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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