The BEST Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts are so addicting! Perfectly crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, you’d never guess these paleo chocolate chip cookies are grain-free and sweetened with just a touch of pure maple syrup for a healthier cookie recipe.
You may have read in my post for The BEST Giant Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies that I take my cookies pretty seriously, and their size even more so.
The crispy edge? The molten inside? There’s nothing that compares to that buttery chocolate-studded melt-in-your-mouth perfect bite!
These almond flour chocolate chip cookies with walnuts are exactly that – texturally pleasing with that incredibly soft inside, perfectly sweet with just the right amount of chocolate, the delectable crispy edge, and livened up with crunchy walnuts.
I totally understand why some folks prefer their treats nut-free (my brother and a good friend of mine won’t touch walnuts with a 10-foot pole), but after making these cookies, I’d be hard pressed to choose cookies without walnuts.
That poppy little crunch with the rich nearly indescribable flavor adds a unique essence and makes the cookies that much more enticing!
I found this to also be the case with pecans in my Keto Cowboy Cookies.
One of the many reasons I love this recipe is you can whip it up at a moment’s notice without needing to refrigerate the dough. It’s already ready to pop in the oven!
And let me just tell you…these cookies are absolute heaven when they’re fresh out of the oven!
Let’s give into the details on these paleo almond flour chocolate chip cookies!
Ingredients for Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Butter or Coconut Oil: The fat portion of the recipe that makes all our dreams come true. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times using butter OR coconut oil, and both are amazing! I have a slight preference toward butter, but coconut oil makes an incredible dairy-free option.
Egg: The egg ensures the cookies fluff up and stay together.
Pure Maple Syrup: In keeping the cookies refined sugar-free and paleo friendly, I use pure maple syrup to sweeten them.
Vanilla Extract: Adding warmth and depth of flavor, vanilla extract is one of those iconic ingredients that enhances a cookie. If you don’t have any on hand, you can skip it and the cookies will still be amazing.
Almond Flour: The star of the show here! Can you make chocolate chip cookies with almond flour? Yes, absolutely! In fact, the texture turns out exquisite with the perfectly crispy outside and amazingly soft and gooey inside.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Our leavening agents! Baking soda and baking powder ensure the cookies don’t spread while baking. They help keep the cookies held together nicely so that they can rise and form delicious domes of bliss.
Sea Salt: A touch of sea salt goes a long way in making a cookie taste incredibly rich!
Ground Cinnamon: A touch of ground cinnamon brings a unique warmth that levels up the whole experience.
Chocolate Chips: The YUM factor of the cookies which brings that molten goodness! Select your favorite chocolate chips to make these radical cookies.
Walnuts: A supporting actor that you support to win the big award! Walnuts not only bring a nice little soft crunch to cookies, they also contribute a nutty richness that is difficult to describe. They’re like a solid version of nature’s tree butter. You can quote me on that.
How to Make Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts:
This recipe is a little different than your standard chocolate chip cookie recipe, because we melt the butter (or coconut oil) before mixing it with the other ingredients. Trust me, it’ll all work out and you’ll be left with the BEST almond flour cookies!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Melt the butter (or coconut oil) in a microwave-safe mixing bowl (avoid bringing it to a boil). Whisk in the egg, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract until creamy.
In a separate bowl (or measuring cup), stir together the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon until combined.
Pour the flour mixture into the mixing bowl with the wet mixture and stir until a thick dough forms.
Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts until they’re well-incorporated into the cookie dough.
Scoop mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Note that the cookies won’t spread or shift form while baking very much, so form the dough into the final shape you’re going for.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 8 to 12 minutes (I do 10).
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 15 minutes before diving in!
If you love these almond flour chocolate chip cookies, also try my Paleo Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, Paleo Morning Glory Cookies, or my Paleo Espresso Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1½ cups almond flour/meal
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- ¼ cup unsalted butter or coconut oil melted
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup raw walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Stir together the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon in a bowl (dry ingredients).
- Whisk together the egg, coconut oil, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl (wet ingredients).
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until combined. The dough will be very sticky. This is normal!
- Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts until they are well-incorporated throughout the dough.
- Scoop heaping mounds of cookie dough onto a non-stick baking sheet. Note: The dough will not spread much during the baking process and will maintain the same shape throughout. For this reason, form the dough into the shape you would like to end up with.
- Bake 8 to 12 minutes (I do 10 on the dot), or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Nutrition
Nancy
Saturday 19th of February 2022
Very tasty! Not too sweet and almost guilt free.
Julia
Sunday 20th of February 2022
So happy you like them, Nancy! xoxox
Stella
Saturday 19th of February 2022
Hi Julia. If I want to use monk fruit instead of the maple syrup, is it the same amount? Although I may try my monk fruit syrup.
Stella
Monday 28th of February 2022
@Julia, thank you. These are so good! The first time I used just the monkfruit maple syrup and I felt they needed a little more sweetness. Today I added a 1/2 tablespoon of granulated monkfruit sweetener and they were perfection.
Julia
Sunday 20th of February 2022
Hi Stella,
If you have monk fruit syrup on hand, that would be the easiest replacement so that the texture doesn't change. If you wanted to try a granulated sweetener, I would stick with 1/3 cup but add another tablespoon or two of butter (or coconut oil) to be sure the liquid to dry ratio works out.
Rebekah
Sunday 27th of September 2015
Hello! These look divine. I made the morning glory Paleo muffins with wondrous success. I want to give these a shot since I have left-over almond flour. I am allergic to coconut, is there something else I can use instead that is Paleo? Or if not, can i use butter? >_> I know, defeats the purpose...
Julia
Monday 28th of September 2015
Hi Rebekah, you can definitely use softened butter in place of the coconut oil. I haven't tested the recipe with butter, but I'm confident it would turn out great! Also, grass-fed butter is considered paleo, so you'd be in the clear ;) Hope you enjoy!
Shalini
Saturday 26th of September 2015
How mmany cookies does this recipe make?
Julia
Saturday 26th of September 2015
Hi Shalini, The recipe makes 12 medium-sized cookies - I went ahead and made that note in the recipe :) Hope you enjoy! xo
Leah
Tuesday 21st of July 2015
Hi. I cannot use almonds in any form. What flour would I be able to substitute and still have success with these cookies? Thanks for your help. Leah
Julia
Tuesday 21st of July 2015
Hi Leah, can you eat hazelnut flour? If so, hazelnut flour would be the best substitute for almond flour. Cashew flour may work too but I've never tested the recipe with it. Let me know if you try the cookies out!