Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

These almond flour peanut butter cookies are packed with peanut butter flavor, melty pools of chocolate, and vanilla flavor. They’re also gluten, grain, and dairy free!

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The Best Grain Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut butter cookies! They are a classic favorite loved by just about everyone and when you add in a few chocolate chips they get even better.

PB cookies are my dad’s very favorite and I’ve been working on creating a healthier version of these classic cookies for a while. I wanted a cookie that would be full of peanut butter flavor, soft, and perfectly chewy not crumbly.

Not only are these PB cookies delicious, they are also gluten free, grain free, and dairy free which makes them perfect for everyone, no matter their dietary needs, to enjoy!

What’s the Difference Between Almond Flour and Almond Meal?

If you have never worked with almond flour before you may be a bit confused by the difference between almond flour and almond meal which is also popular.

While they can often be used interchangeably, almond flour is finely ground and made from blanched almonds, which means the skin of the almond has been removed. Almond meal on the other hand is made from ground unblanched almonds where the skin has not been removed.

Almond meal often has a coarser texture and dark brown specks throughout. For this recipe, we’re using finely ground blanched almond flour that has a texture more similar to all purpose flour. There are a lot of great almond flours available but this is the one I find myself reaching for again and again.

More Ways to Use Almond Flour

• the best gluten free lemon bars
• oatmeal pumpkin crisp
• healthy pecan pie bars
• gluten free blueberry crisp
• strawberry oatmeal bars
• healthy pumpkin pie bars

Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookie Ingredients

Peanut Butter: we’re using creamy, unsweetened, and unsalted all-natural peanut butter for these cookies. I like to grab a peanut butter that has the only ingredients listed as peanuts.

Coconut Oil: to keep the cookies dairy free, this recipe uses melted coconut oil.

Coconut Sugar: for these cookies we are using coconut sugar to add sweetness, flavor, and texture.

Eggs: this recipe uses one egg and one egg yolk for the ultimate fudgy, chewy texture.

Vanilla Extract: a baking essential! I always have plenty of good quality vanilla extract on hand.

Almond Flour: for this recipe we’re using finely ground almond flour to give the cookies the best texture.

Salt: salt is so important, but often overlooked, in baking. Be sure to add a hefty pinch to ensure the cookies have some good flavor.

Chocolate: I love using a combination of both dark chocolate chips and a chopped chocolate bar so there’s a little chocolate in every single bite. The chopped chocolate bar will give you those melty pools of chocolate that every cookie needs, in my personal opinion.

Flaky Sea Salt: all cookies just taste better when they are finished with a touch of flaky Maldon sea salt as a finish.

Ingredient Swaps and Frequently Asked Questions

• Peanut Butter – I have not tested this recipe with other nut butters but I’m almost positive that almond butter or cashew butter would both work well. 
• Coconut Oil – if you have an allergy to coconut and do not need to keep these cookies dairy free, you can try using melted butter instead.
• Coconut Sugar – swap the coconut sugar for dark brown sugar if you prefer.
• Chocolate – dark chocolate is always my preference in cookies but feel free to use milk chocolate chips if you like. You can also swap the chocolate chips for chocolate candies if you prefer.

Helpful Cookie Baking Tools

• mixing bowl
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• hand mixer
• silicone spatula
• baking sheet
• cookie scoop
• parchment paper
• silicone baking mat
• spatula

How to Make Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

Step One: Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and lining a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Step Two: Next, add the peanut butter, melted coconut oil, and coconut sugar to a mixing bowl. Stir until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and stir again until everything is well combined.

Step Three: Fold in the almond flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Lastly, fold the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate bar into the dough until well combined.

Step Four: Use a tablespoon size cookie dough scoop to scoop the dough and drop it onto the parchment lined sheet pan. Press the cookies down a bit to flatten and form them. You can press a few extra chocolate chips or pieces of chocolate into the top of the cookies if you like. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the cookies golden and the edge are set, yet still fudgy in the middle.

Step Five: Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the sheet pan for 1-2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Top with flaky sea salt, while warm.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Use parchment paper – to prevent the cookies from sticking, line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick silicone baking mat. It will make the cookies even easier to remove and clean up will be a breeze.
• Form the cookies before baking – you will find that these cookies do not spread a lot in the oven, so use your fingers to press them down and form them in the shape you like before baking.
• Don’t over bake – speaking of baking, don’t over bake your cookies! the bottoms should be golden, the edges set, and the tops should still look fudgy or slightly underdone. The cookies will continue to firm up as the cool. Check the cookies after 6-7 minutes and keep a close watch on them.
• Let the cookie sheet cool – depending on the size of your cookie sheet you will likely have to bake the cookies in multiple batches. For the best results let the sheet pan come to a complete cool before adding more cookie dough.

How to Freeze

Freezing Cookie Dough: scoop the cookie dough into balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze the cookie dough balls for an hour or until solid. Once the cookie dough balls are frozen solid transfer them to a freezer safe storage bag and store for up to 3 months. You can bake the cookies from frozen, just add a few extra minutes to the cook time.

Freezing Baked Cookies: once the cookies have baked, let them come to a complete cool. Transfer the cookies to a freezer safe storage bag and freeze for up to 3 to 4 weeks.

More Reader Favorite Cookies to Love

• Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
• Grain Free Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
• Gluten Free Monster Skillet Cookie
• Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I hope you give these Almond Flour Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies a try! They are soft, chewy, and filled with peanut butter flavor and so delicious!

If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.

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Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: THE MINDFUL HAPA