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!
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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?
- They’re easy!
- Made with simple ingredients — nothing that requires a special trip to the health food store.
- 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), 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 NEW cashew butter cookies too!
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!
Are These Cookies Keto Friendly?
Maybe — 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 a 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:
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
Want More Yumminess? — 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.
Once soft, remove from heat, drain, and add to food processor. (Our trusty Hamilton Beach Food Processor
has lasted us years!) Add sea salt and 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.
Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips. It may take some muscle! The batter will be pretty thick.
Form batter into balls less than 1/4 cup each in size. Place on greased baking sheet or reusable non-stick silicon baking mats (we use these mats for everything!) Do not flatten cookies.
Bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees.
TIP: Oven cooking times may vary, so keep an eye on your cookies to ensure desired doneness.) Remove from oven and place cookies on cooling rack. Try not to eat the entire batch. 🙂
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
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Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (Printable Copy)
If you love this recipe, rate it! You can also share your thoughts in the comments below.
Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 dried dates
- 2 cups almond butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoon water
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips* dark chocolate or paleo-friendly brands
- 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- Boil dates for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- 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.
- 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
Nutrition
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leighleighspeaks says
Mmmmm I’m for sure going to try these!!! Thanks
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
They’re soooo addicting!
bcbonusmom says
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!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
You definitely have to try both recipes– so delicious and not difficult to make, even for me!
bcbonusmom says
Totally going to! Thanks! My SS’s are totally into helping out in the kitchen so this will be fun! Cheers!
bcbonusmom says
Reblogged this on A Day In The Life of A BCBonusMom ……….. and commented:
We are TOTALLY trying these this month! As well as the Avocado Chocolate Cookies! 🙂 Mmmmmmm
leighleighspeaks says
Seriously!!!!! I don’t know how hall domit but these look so wonderful! Having to save to try and attempt to make one day!!! Mmmmmm
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Well, hubby is the genius in the kitchen — I just eat, photograph, and write about it! 🙂 These are pretty easy — you should definitely try them!
Jessica says
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 🙁
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
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! 🙂
Laura says
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.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Wow — you went one step beyond making your own chocolate almond butter! Those sound amazing 🙂
Genoa says
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.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
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 🙂
tiffany says
Made this…Cannot wait to make again as a base for different flavor combos!!!!! THANK YOU! DELISH!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Awesome Tiffany! Let me know what you come up with! 🙂
JNoble says
what brand of choc chips are those?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
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 🙂
Cerena says
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!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
So glad you loved them!! It IS hard not to eat them all 🙂
Amina Begum says
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!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Amina — you could substitute cashew butter, peanut butter, sunflower butter, etc. but almond oil won’t work in this recipe.
marierose13 says
Do you think i could sub honey or some other sweetener for the dates??
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
You could substitute prunes or another sweet dried fruit, but using honey or a powdered sweetener would change the consistency. It would take some experimentation. 🙂
Linoya says
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?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Linoya, we haven’t tried the substitutions, but my husband thinks that flaxseed should work like you suggested. Applesauce, chia seeds, and even tofu might also work. Let me know how it turns out if you do!
Linoya says
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 :))))
stacey says
Wow these look and sound amazing!! Yum Yum Yum
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Thanks! They are one of our favorites!
Orly says
Hi I made the recipe but unfortunately they didn’t look like yours 🙁 … I followed the exact recipe but I’m so disappointed they didn’t turn out that great ! They didn’t flatten in the oven and they came out looking weird the taste was nothing great !
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
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!