Description
These Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Flour Cookies offer a rich, fudgy chocolate flavor with a tender and chewy texture, perfectly balanced by crispy edges. Made with almond flour and high-quality dark chocolate, these cookies are a delightful treat for anyone seeking a gluten-free dessert option that doesn’t compromise on taste or texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) fine blanched almond flour, sifted
- 1/2 cup (40g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, enhances chocolate flavor)
Wet Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (70g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ounces (60g) dark chocolate (70% cocoa), melted and slightly cooled
Add-ins
- 3/4 cup (130g) high-quality chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and position an oven rack in the middle to ensure even baking. Preheating for at least 20 minutes will help achieve optimal cookie texture.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and optional espresso powder until fully combined with no lumps. This ensures a smooth cookie batter.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat the softened butter, melted coconut oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. This step is essential for creating crispy edges and chewy centers.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the large egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until the mixture is combined and slightly lighter in color, about 1 minute.
- Incorporate Melted Chocolate: Carefully fold in the melted dark chocolate, making sure it is only warm to the touch to prevent cooking the eggs in the dough.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gently fold the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Avoid overmixing to maintain tender cookies.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips: Add 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips to the dough and fold gently to distribute evenly.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. For deeper flavor and better texture, chill for 2 hours or more to allow almond flour hydration and flavor development.
- Scoop and Prep for Baking: Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), portion the chilled dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Press the remaining chocolate chips on top of each cookie ball.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set but centers look slightly underdone. For bakery-style cookies, at the 8-minute mark, lift the baking sheet 2 inches and drop it onto the oven rack to encourage flattening.
- Cool the Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will be very soft initially and need this resting period for the perfect texture.
Notes
- Sifting almond flour and cocoa powder is crucial for a smooth cookie texture.
- Using room temperature eggs ensures better mixing and cookie structure.
- Do not overmix the batter as it leads to tough cookies.
- Chilling dough improves flavor and texture by hydrating the almond flour.
- The espresso powder is optional but enhances the chocolate flavor subtly.
- Pressing chocolate chips on top before baking gives a visually appealing finish and extra chocolate pockets.
- Dropping the baking sheet onto the oven rack helps cookies spread evenly for a bakery-style look.
