Easy Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies [Vegan, GF, Sugar-Free]

These delicious almond butter chocolate chip cookies are so simple to make, and oh-so delicious. The best part though? They are completely free of refined sugar and refined flour. Only whole-food ingredients for these cookies, making these cookies a healthy and nutritious dessert!

This week I participated in a festive cookie swap. Each lady brings her own cookie dough to the party, and at the party, you are able to sample a variety of cookies. At the end, you trade your cookies, package them in a beautiful assortment, and leave with finished gifts (and new recipes!). You never know what dietary requirements come up at group events so I thought I would create out a dairy-free, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, vegan cookie recipe. These Easy Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of my new favourites, and will be a life-saver recipe when catering for multiple dietary restrictions.

Why I Made These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Almond Butter Is A Source Of Healthy Fats

Almond butter, like all nut butters, is high in monounsaturated fat. The research is very clear to state that those who regularly consume nuts or nut butters in their diets are less likely to develop heart disease or type 2 diabetes compared to those who don’t consume nuts regularly. We also know that regular nut consumption does not contribute to obesity despite their caloric content.

Almond Butter vs Peanut Butter

Although almond butter contains nearly three times as much vitamin E, twice as much iron, and seven times more calcium than peanut butter, the studies that showed cardioprotection and prevention of diabetes demonstrated benefits with all nuts at 5 servings per week (1oz serving of nuts or 1 tablespoon of nut butter).

These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Are Free of Refined Sugar

These cookies use maple syrup instead of sugar for a natural sweetness, that won’t spike our blood sugar levels quite as quickly as regular sugar. Honey can be used as well, but the cookies will need to be cooked at a lower temperature, and for a longer amount of time (see more on substituting with honey below).

These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Are Free of Refined Flour

I am always looking for flour-free recipes as regular white flour can spike blood sugar levels and doesn’t offer a whole-lot of nutrition. This recipe uses whole oats, which are packed full of soluble fibre which can actually help lower blood sugar levels, as well as cholesterol levels.

These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Are Egg-Free

Don’t get me wrong, I do love eggs (see my post The Health Benefits of Eggs & Why I Eat Eggs) but am conscious that egg-free cookie recipes can be hard to come by. Whether eggs are being avoided for ethical reasons, environmental or due to food allergies, flax-eggs make a great alternative. Not only are they always on hand, they also offer some beneficial fibre and omega-3 fatty acids (see my post How To Get Your Omega-3s For The Vegetarian and Vegan) and are perfect for making no-egg almond butter cookies.

These Are Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies

The base of these cookies is almond butter and oatmeal, making them a super healthy, flour-free cookie. Use regular traditional oats which take longer for your body to breakdown, keeping your fuller for longer and helping to keep blood sugar levels nice and stable.

Tips On Making These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Making Almond Peanut Butter Cookies

I love the combination of almond butter and peanut butter. To make almond peanut butter cookies, use 1/2 cup of almond butter and 1/2 up of natural peanut butter for this recipe.

Making Thin Almond Butter Cookies

As much as I love nice fluffy cookies (check out these Soft Pumpkin Cookies), I also appreciate a nice large thin cookie. I was able to achieve this by oiling a baking sheet with coconut oil, and baking the almond butter cookies right onto the baking sheet, no parchment paper needed. The cookies will naturally spread with the oil creating these delicious thin almond butter cookies.

Making Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies

Instead of purchasing chocolate chips, which often have unnecessary additives and fillers in them, I suggest purchasing a quality chocolate bar and chopping it into chocolate chip sized chunks. Find a dark 80-90% dark chocolate bar and roughly chop it before adding it to the cookie batter. Make sure the chunks are relatively small, as larger chunks will prevent the cookies from forming properly.

Notes On Making These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Making No-Egg Almond Butter Cookies

These cookies are made egg-free by using a flax egg. I have found that the perfect combination for making a flax egg is 1 tablespoon of ground flax to 2 1/2 tablespoons of water. Mix the flax and water and let stand for about 5 minutes before adding to the rest of the cookie ingredients.

Making Vegan Almond Butter Cookies

These cookies are naturally vegan with the use of the flax-egg (see above). Make sure to use dark chocolate to avoid dairy in the chocolate.

Making Gluten-Free Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are gluten-free with the use of certified gluten-free oats. Oats are naturally gluten-free but can become contaminated during processing. When purchasing oats, organic is best – see my post What’s In Your Bread Thats Making You Sick .

Using Honey In These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Honey needs to be baked at a lower temperature, and for longer. If using honey, use at a 1:1 ratio with the maple syrup and bake the cookies at 325° Fahrenheit for 15 -18 minutes.

Want Some More Healthy Cookie Recipes

I love cookies just as much as the next person, but I love healthy cookies even more! Here are a few of my favourite healthy cookie recipes:

• Healthy Soft Pumpkin Cookies
• Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie

Did you make this Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Share it on Pinterest and leave a comment below. Take a photo of your recreation on Instagram and tag me @theconsciousdietitian so I can see it!

Print Recipe

4.84 from 6 votes

Easy Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies - Vegan, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free

You wouldn't believe that these Easy Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and refined sugar-free. They use dark chocolate, maple syrup and oats to make these chewy and gooey treats that everyone can enjoy.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time11 mins

Total Time21 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Canadian

Keyword: Almond Butter Chocolate Cookie, Almond Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie, Almond Peanut Butter Cookies

Servings: 12

Calories: 288kcal

Author: Rachel @ The Conscious Dietitian

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp flaxseed ground*
• 5 tbsp water
• 1 cup almond butter natural
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup traditional oats organic
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 100 g block chocolate dark

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• To make the flax-eggs start by mixing the ground flaxseed with the water in a bowl. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl combine the almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla and mix until smooth and well combined. Add the flax-eggs and combine.
• In another bowl combine the dry ingredients except for the dark chocolate. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet and stir until well combined. The mixture will be very thick.
• Chop the block of chocolate to make chocolate chip sized pieces and stir into the batter.
• Oil a cookie sheet with coconut oil. Drop 2 tbsp of batter onto the greased cookie sheet. It is best if you do two trays of 6 cookies each because they will spread.
• Cook for 11 minutes. Once done let cool on a cookie rack before storing.

Notes

*Flax-eggs work great for binding. Generally, it is about 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed (measured after the flax is ground) mixed with 2 1/2 tbsp of water to make 1 egg.

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.7g | Protein: 4.6g | Fat: 15.4g | Saturated Fat: 3.4g | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10.5g | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2.2mg

References

Regular Consumption of Nuts Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Women with Type 2 Diabetes

Rachel Dickens, The Conscious Dietitian, is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She graduated with her Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2010 from Griffith University. She strives to provide evidence-based nutrition information with a focus on plant-based nutrition and share some of her favourite seasonal recipes and sustainable eating tips.

theconsciousdietitian.com/about