The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam has been feeding my latest curiosity, grain-free cooking and baking. The day I received this book I was so excited by the potential of all of the recipes … no special binders required, short ingredient lists, seriously whole foods oriented. And this cookbook did not disappoint. After sampling one of the crumble recipes and enjoying these Chewy Chocolate Cookies, I didn’t hesitate to place an order for a nice hefty bag of almond flour!
Truth be told, I am not a lover of all things chocolate, but I do love a soft and chewy chocolate cookie now and then. These cookies did not let me down! I still used homemade, unblanched almond flour, but this time I carefully sifted to ensure no clumps or even slightly large chunks made it into the mix (I saved any “reject” bits for making almond butter). I packed the almond flour, and the result was a batch of beautifully chewy cookies that were slightly sweet and gently chocolate. For a deeper chocolate flavor, I would up the cocoa a bit, or make the Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies in this Almond Flour Cookbook (they use a lower ratio of almond flour and also have loads of dark chocolate chunks in them).
Using a suggestion from the recipe, I decided to make the cookies smaller, and turn them into sandwich cookies with a layer of vanilla frosting between them. Absolute perfection! Once again, the instructions (aside from not mentioning about packing the flour) and the cooking times/temps were spot on.
Since these cookies aren’t as sweet as sugar-laden Tollhouse varieties (only agave nectar is used, and not in copious amounts), I do recommend the sandwich cookie route, as they are an ideal medium (in terms of both texture and flavor) for a nice layer of sweet filling, whether it be a fruit spread, cashew cream, or a sweet frosting. If eating the cookies as is, they are excellent with afternoon tea. Seriously, I can’t wait to make more of Elana’s cookie recipes!
So, to sum up my experiments, for the perfect results, you will want to buy unblanched almond flour (not Bob’s Red Mill), but I thought the recipes worked beautifully with homemade sifted almond flour also.
These chewy chocolate cookies are rich and decadent in chocolate flavor and have a lovely tender, chewy texture. Although, delicious on their own, we took them up a notch by sandwiching them together with frosting!
Elana recommends blanched almond flour, which I am sure is superior. If you are like me and just have some raw almonds on hand and want to trial this recipe out, pulse them in your spice grinder until a mealy/floury consistency is reached. This happens very fast, do not overgrind lest you end up with almond butter. Using a mesh sieve, sift the almond flour to extract the finest bits to use for your flour. Repeat until you have the amount you need. Don’t fear waste either; you can turn any rejects into almond butter!
Special Diet Notes: Chewy Chocolate Cookies
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, peanut-free, soy-free, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
- ¾ cup almond flour, packed*
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 3 Tablespoons agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup – or combination (I used 2 tablespoons honey + 1 tablespoon maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Frosting (optional) (there is a Marshmallow Frosting Recipe in the Almond Flour Cookbook, Elana’s Coconut Cream Frosting, the Vanilla Frosting in Go Dairy Free, Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting, or whatever creamy filling you choose)
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetener(s), oil, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in your medium bowl, until well combined.
- Scoop the dough by the tablespoon onto your prepared baking sheet. I found the dough to be just a touch sticky but fairly pliable, allowing me to loosely roll them into balls.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Do not overcook them. The tops of the cookies will start to look a little dry and crack a bit when done, but not as much as chocolate cookies that contain eggs. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet or a wire rack for 30 minutes.
- If making sandwich cookies, spread frosting (however much you want!) on the bottom of one cookie and top it with the bottom of another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Take a bite, smoosh and enjoy.
