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You can feel good about indulging in these 5-ingredient Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies. With crisp edges, chewy centers, and gooey melted chocolate in every bite, it’s hard to believe they’re a healthy and naturally gluten-free treat!
Going gluten-free no longer means you have to give up your favorite treats. Just look at this Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe! Made with just 5 ingredients, these cookies are a breeze to whip up and defy the gluten-free stereotype. Oh, and did I mention they’re paleo-friendly, too?
Just like classic chocolate chip cookies, these flourless treats are crisp and golden on the outside, delightfully soft and chewy on the inside, and have chocolate throughout.
As a bonus, I ditched the flour and used honey as a natural sweetener. They’re not super sweet but that's kind of the point of sugarless, flourless cookies. All the better for indulging!
Recipe features
- They're made with just 5 naturally gluten-free and paleo-friendly ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.
- The main ingredient is almond butter instead of flour, so the cookies are not only gluten-free but also a good source of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.
- From start to finish, these no-flour cookies come together in under 20 minutes!
- A perfect healthy-ish sweet treat to curb your cravings, just like my almond flour chocolate cookies and peanut butter blossoms.
Ingredients
Almond butter - If you’re an almond butter connoisseur, then you know the texture can vary from brand to brand. I prefer Whole Foods 365 creamy almond butter and Trader Joe's creamy almond butter (NOT the raw kind). Both aren’t too thick and, therefore, easy to stir.
Egg - When you make chocolate chip cookies without flour, they’re going to be very delicate. That’s where the egg comes in! It gives the cookies moisture and, most importantly, helps them hold together so you don’t end up with a crumbly mess. Remember to set the egg on the counter 30 minutes before baking so it can come down to room temperature.
Honey - The honey makes the cookies sweet, soft, and chewy. Feel free to use maple syrup as a substitute.
Baking soda - As the one and only leavening agent in this recipe, baking soda helps the cookies rise and develop a light and airy texture.
Chocolate - I like to use chocolate chunks from a chopped chocolate bar because they melt better, ensuring pools of chocolatey goodness in every bite. Chocolate chips work well, too.
Instructions
Step 1: Make the cookie dough. Stir the almond butter, egg, and honey together in a large bowl. Add the sugar (optional) and baking soda and stir to combine. Last, stir in the chocolate. The batter will be sticky at this point, but that’s okay!
Step 2: Shape the dough. With wet hands, roll the dough into 12 cookie dough balls and place them on the baking sheet. Use your palm to flatten each ball slightly.
Step 3: Bake. Bake the cookies until the edges have set.
Step 4: Cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
- Do not overmix the cookie dough. As soon as everything is incorporated, stop mixing! Overworking the dough will lead to dense cookies.
- If the dough is really sticky or too soft to work with, chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking. This will make it easier to form into balls and help prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- Flourless cookies can go from soft and chewy to brown and crispy quickly, so don’t walk too far away from the oven. You’ll know they’re ready when the edges are set, but the centers are still soft.
- Always let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cookies made with no flour are delicate and should be handled with care when they’re freshly baked.
Tip
You must use all-natural almond butter, AKA one that only lists “almonds” or “almonds and sea salt” as ingredients. Otherwise, the texture will be off.
Variations
I don’t recommend straying too far from the recipe for these almond butter flourless chocolate cookies. You can, however:
- Add coconut sugar - Miguel and I love these cookies as they are but if you want yours to be a bit sweeter, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar. Otherwise, the only sweetener in this recipe is honey. Oh, and the chocolate, of course!
- Customize your cookies with mix-ins like chopped nuts, dried fruits, or even a sprinkle of sea salt.
- Make double chocolate chip cookies by adding ¼ cup of cocoa powder. Keep in mind that this may slightly alter the texture.
- Swap the almond butter for peanut butter for gluten-free peanut butter chocolate cookies. Remember that peanut butter has a different consistency and moisture content than almond butter, which may alter the texture slightly.
How do you keep flourless cookies from crumbling?
First and foremost, it’s important to NOT overmix the cookie dough. Only stir the ingredients together until everything is combined and you have a sticky dough. Also, chilling the batter before baking helps it firm up slightly, yielding sturdier cookies.
Are flourless cookies low-carb?
They can be; however, the exact carb content depends on the specific ingredients used. If you make these almond butter cookies with honey and milk chocolate, each cookie contains about 22 grams of carbs.
How do I make them low-carb?
Replace the honey with a low-carb sweetener like erythritol, stevia, or monk fruit sweetener. Also, opt for a chopped dark chocolate bar (between 70% and 85% cocoa) or sugar-free chocolate chips.
Storage
Room temperature: Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Adding a slice of bread to the container can help soften them if they become too crisp.
Refrigerator: They’ll stay fresh for about a week when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Freezer: Wait until the cookies have completely cooled, then place them in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
More healthy cookie recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond butter (see notes)
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon coconut sugar optional
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray.
- Stir the almond butter, egg and honey together in a large bowl. Then, add the sugar and baking soda and stir until dough has formed. Last, stir in the chocolate. NOTE: the batter will be sticky and that’s ok!
- Wet your hands, then roll the dough into 12 balls and place them onto the baking sheet. Use your palm to slightly flatten the balls into cookies, then bake for 11-12 minutes, or until the edges have set.
- Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before eating. Enjoy!
Libi Keren says
Hey! I found you on YouTube and I absolutely love your recipes! I have many food sensitivities, and your page feels like something I've been searching for 🙂 Keep up the beautiful work!
Erin says
Thank you for this comment -- I'm so glad you're liking the recipes! 🙂
Chloe says
These look soooo good, I'm so excited to try them! Am I able to substitute peanut butter for almond butter? Just ran out and don't want to go to the store (COVID) but NEED these NOW!
Erin says
Yes that should work!
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
OBsessed with flourless cookies (maybe also because I make a mess with actual flour)- These look epic Druga! Pinned!
I didn't watch the grammy's live because Australia is in the third world but Rihanna stole my luffah. Bi!ch.
Laura Viola says
Hello! I love searching for healthy and easy recipes and somehow I always end up on your blog... 😅 Do you think I could substitute honey for maple syrup? THANK YOU!! 💖
Erin says
I think that should work!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
I <3 flourless chocolate chip cookies And these are no exception!
Diana @sosmallsostrong says
I love cookies like this because you don't need a million ingredients!! YUMMMMM!
Oh and I'm kind of guilty of liking when the gym finally starts to slow down after January....is that bad?? I see the squat rack and Ruuuuuuuun for it... lol
Erin says
HAHA I'm the same way. I get really excited when the free weights start becoming available again.
Amanda @ .running with spoons. says
I love you for going almond instead of peanut 😀 And I was planning on watching the Grammy's, but I ended up having to bail at the last minute because of unforeseen circumstances. Womp, womp. Can I have a cookie to make me feel better? 😀
Erin says
You didn't miss much. Plus, you can always just read the recaps the next day 🙂 ....which is what I end up doing because I never stay awake for the whole thing. YES I'll send you a cookie!
Lauren @ ihadabiglunch says
Oh my gosh i have all these ingredients! Wooo that never happens when I read a recipe I like haha.
I love your honesty about your lunch haha. You can't post recipes and say you didn't eat tons of them! It's just not true! And if it is it's probably not a great recipe haha. Which is probably why yours always look so good!
Erin says
Thanks lady! Multiple cookies for lunch has happened more than once.... and I'm never mad about it 🙂
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
Whoa. These look INSANE! I can't wait to try them. Pinnneddduuh!
Oh, and the packed January fitness classes are so funny to me. Mine have started to thin out already too. On one side, I wish people would stick with their goals but on the other, I'm much happier to have more space to move. 🙂
Erin says
SAME. I love the enthusiasm but....no. Thanks for pinning 🙂
Bre @bumpandrunchat says
These look great, thanks for sharing! I love that there are so few ingredients, which means they'll be super easy to make. What did you sprinkle on top?
Erin says
Salt! And the fewer the ingredients the better, right? 🙂
Nicole @ Squash on Squash says
Delicious and healthy - I would totally eat these for breakfast. Or as a midnight snack. I want.
Cailee says
Don't these look amazing?!! Wow! ...and only a few ingredients?! Such a win!!
Lauren says
Yum these sound amazing-totally making this week!
Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon says
This sounds like a tasty lunch to me! Definitely going to be making these sometime soon. What kind of AB did you use - salted or unsalted? Can't wait to sink my teeth into them!
Erin says
Unsalted and then sprinkled a little salt on top 😉
Georgie says
Simple and delicious! I love making flourless almond butter cookies. Those melty chocolate chunks are just... so perfect.
What kind of chips do you normally use?
Erin says
I buy Enjoy Life in bulk when they're on sale, but otherwise I just use regular semi-sweet chips.
GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth says
This weekend was pretty low key for me. Lots of grocery shopping and recipe testing. And I totally know what you mean about interesting meals when recipe testing. This morning I had oatmeal scraps for breakfast i.e. all the oatmeal/chocolate chips/almonds/shredded coconut I sprinkled around while taking pictures last weekend. I hate to waste it so I throw it in a ziplock and eat it for breakfast. #bloggerproblems
Erin says
YES--talk about good use of your resources! #bloggerproblems are real for sure.
Christine@ Apple of My Eye says
Ohhh these look amazing! I didn't watch the Grammy's, but I can certainly relate to having strange lunches when I'm testing out a new recipe haha. But you know what? No complaining here about cookies for lunch 😉 . These look amazing! Pinned!
Kelly @ Kelly Runs For Food says
Ahh yum! After my cookie binge last week I'm trying to lay off the sweets for a little bit. The weather this weekend was so perfect, so I spent every minute I could outside or with the windows open.
Jen @ Bagels to Broccoli says
Boom! I'm so making these - do you think they'd work with peanut butter?
Erin says
Hmmm possibly... I believe peanut butter is a bit creamier than almond butter, so the dough may be too soft. Worth a shot though!
Heather @Fit n Cookies says
Mmm Chocolate Chip cookies. Delicious. Wasn't the weather just beautiful this weekend?! I was loving it! Such a tease for spring. If only it was staying this week...
Erin says
UGH it was too beautiful! You took the words out of my mouth, but yes--such a tease!
Tina muir says
And Steve and Miguel strike again! Steves weakness is chocolate chip cookies (by the way i literally told him you said he was crazy hahaha, he said thanks). These sound wonderful, and look great too! Thanks for sharing, pinning 🙂
Erin says
HAHA I'm sure he loved that....:D Thanks for pinning Tina!