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    Salted Plains » Recipes » Cookies & Bars

    Gluten-Free Almond Cookies

    Published: Nov 30, 2022 by Tessa · This post may contain affiliate links · 24 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These Gluten-Free Almond Cookies are soft and chewy! Sweetened with maple syrup and organic cane sugar, these easy almond cookies are also dairy-free and egg-free. 

    Soft and crackly almond cookies on white parchment paper.

    Ever have a cookie that makes you want to savor every single bite?

    Like really savor it? This easy almond cookie is it, my friends. 

    In addition to these almond flour chocolate chip cookies, this is one of my favorite cookies. A sweet treat with simple ingredients and you can't beat that.

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • These are soft and chewy cookies with just the right crunch from the outer coating of sugar.
    • Gluten-free baked goods at the store can be expensive and filled with ingredients you may not like.
    • Simple almond flour cookie recipe with a great nutty flavor.
    • One of the easiest recipes that meet several dietary restrictions.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    Here are a few quick notes about the ingredients in this recipe. You can see a complete ingredient list and instructions in the recipe card below.

    Many almond cookie recipes use almond paste for that chewy, sweet factor. This recipe uses a combination of maple syrup, almond extract, and tapioca starch to replicate the paste.

    Tapioca starch - When baking gluten-free you often need starches mixed in with your flour of choice to achieve the perfect texture. This egg-free recipe also acts as a binder instead of egg yolks or egg whites.

    Almond flour - Perfect for giving that buttery cookie flavor without the butter.

    Organic cane sugar - This sugar creates the best texture coating and is vegan-friendly. Sugar cookies meet almond cookies!

    Maple syrup - A sweet, warm flavor that pairs nicely with the other flavors.

    Coconut oil - This vegan fat is perfect for holding these sparkly treats together since it's solid at room temperature. Vegan butter can be substituted.

    Vanilla and almond extracts - For a more robust flavor, a ¼ teaspoon almond extract does the trick.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    Before you start: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make the tapioca starch slurry in a small bowl and let it rest for a couple minutes.

    Except for using a small cup or bowl to make a tapioca starch slurry, this is a one-bowl recipe. It whips up quite quickly, putting you closer to pure treat heaven.

    Almond flour and maple syrup mixed in a glass bowl.

    Step 1: Whisk to combine ½ cup organic cane sugar, tapioca starch slurry, and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining wet ingredients.

    Step 2: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir the flour mixture until dough forms.

    Cookie dough ball rolled in sugar on a plate.
    Almond cookies on a wire cooling rack.

    Step 3: Place the remaining ¼ cup of organic cane sugar on a plate. Roll cookie dough balls in the sugar before placing them on the baking tray. Using your palm, press each dough ball down about halfway.

    Step 4: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until set on the outside. Let rest for about 4 minutes on the sheet before cooling on a rack.

    Tips

    • The dough may be a bit sticky, so slightly dampen your hands or use cooking spray when rolling the dough into a ball.
    • They will spread but to get that great crackle, use your palm to press down slightly before baking. 
    • Allow to rest and cool for 4 to 5 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack.
    Soft almond cookies on a wire cooling rack.

    FAQs

    Is almond flour easy to work with?

    Almond flour is a versatile gluten-free flour. Almond flour cookies can be fragile while warm, which is why they need to rest on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack.

    How do I store these cookies?

    Keep the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container on the counter and they will remain chewy for several days.

    More Gluten-Free Cookies with Almond Flour

    • Healthier Gluten-Free Monster Cookies
    • Olive Oil Cookies (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
    • Chocolate Tahini Cookies (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
    • Gluten-Free S'mores Thumbprint Cookies

    ​​Love this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating on the recipe card below and let me know what you think in the comments!

    Crackly almond cookies on a piece of parchment paper.

    Gluten-Free Almond Cookies

    These Gluten-Free Almond Cookies are soft and chewy! Made with almond flour and sweetened with maple syrup and organic cane sugar, these easy almond cookies are also vegan. 
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 12 minutes
    Total Time: 27 minutes
    Servings: 18
    Calories: 233kcal
    Author: Tessa

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon tapioca starch + 3 tablespoons water
    • ½ cup (116g) organic cane sugar
    • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
    • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
    • 2 ¼ cups (240g) almond flour not almond meal
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup organic cane sugar, for rolling

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tapioca starch and water in a small bowl, stir to combine and allow to sit for a couple minutes.
    • In a large bowl, combine ½ cup organic cane sugar, tapioca starch slurry, and maple syrup. Whisk to combine. Whisk in coconut oil, followed by vanilla and almond extract.
    • Add the almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until ingredients are completely incorporated. If needed, use your hands to thoroughly combine ingredients into a cohesive cookie dough.
      Allow dough to rest for 5 minutes to absorb the liquid ingredients.
    • Place remaining ¼ cup organic cane sugar on a plate. The dough may be sticky, so dampen your hand with water or spray hands with cooking spray. Use a tablespoon to scoop out dough, then roll into a ball.
      Place ball on plate with sugar, roll to coat, then place on prepared baking sheet. Space cookie dough balls about 1 ½ inches apart. Repeat until cookie sheet is filled with even rows.
    • Using your palm, press each dough ball down about halfway.
    • Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are set on the outside. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 4-5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
    • Store in an airtight container.

    Notes

    • The dough may be a bit sticky, so slightly dampen your hands or use cooking spray when rolling the dough into a ball.
    • These cookies will spread but to get that great crackle, use your palm to press down slightly before baking. 
    • Allow the cookies to rest and cool for 4 to 5 minutes before transferring them to the cooling rack.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 9mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SaltedPlains or tag #saltedplains!
    « Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones (Vegan)
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michelle

      April 10, 2022 at 4:55 pm

      5 stars
      Great cookie even my husband that isn’t gluten free love this recipe!

      Reply
      • Tessa

        April 10, 2022 at 4:58 pm

        Thank you, Michelle! I love hearing that! :)

        Reply
    2. Liz

      October 19, 2021 at 7:00 pm

      5 stars
      These look soooo yummy!

      Reply
      • Tessa

        October 20, 2021 at 12:56 pm

        Thanks, Liz!

        Reply
    3. penelope andrade

      June 21, 2021 at 7:35 pm

      Hi tessa,
      I haven't tried baking these cookies yet, but I am wondering if you know
      the carb content?
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Tessa

        June 24, 2021 at 11:11 am

        Hi Penelope! I've updated the recipe with nutrition information including carbs. :) Thanks!

        Reply
    4. Francine

      December 30, 2020 at 5:31 am

      Here's an update to my messages on 12/11 and 12/25: I made the cookies again but this time I did NOT press the balls down on the cookie sheet. Although they still spread a bit, I FINALLY got round cookies with crackles. Yay!

      Reply
      • Tessa

        January 07, 2021 at 11:34 am

        Great!! Thanks, Francine!

        Reply
    5. Francine

      December 25, 2020 at 7:54 am

      Thanks, Tessa, for your reply. So…I made the cookies again. Referring to my message on 12/11/20, this time the almond flour was at room temperature and I melted the coconut oil (as there were some slightly hardened pieces), let the oil slightly cool…and the cookies STILL spread out on the pan! Not as bad as the first time on 12/11 but they were all spread out flat, touching each other, and hardly a crackle to be seen. Can’t figure out what went wrong. Maybe next time I’ll bake them as balls without pressing them down with my palm halfway to see if that helps.

      Despite my results not being pretty…they’re sooo delish (can’t stop eating them!). Also…they freeze beautifully. They’re just as good eating them directly from the freezer as thawed out – crunchy, soft, and chewy all at the same time. Yum.

      Reply
    6. Francine

      November 22, 2020 at 5:48 am

      Hi Tessa. How many cookies are in each batch? Thank you! Francine

      Reply
      • Tessa

        November 23, 2020 at 4:51 pm

        Hi Francine! This recipe makes about 22-24 cookies. :)

        Reply
        • Francine

          December 11, 2020 at 4:03 am

          Well...my cookie dough balls spread into each other resulting in ONE thin cookie the size of the cookie sheet! I realize what I did wrong: I added COLD almond flour (it had been stored in the freezer) to the liquid coconut oil resulting in the oil hardening into solid chunks throughout the batter. I attempted to soften the hardened oil but nothing worked. So I had no choice but to roll the dough into balls, hardened oil and all, and bake them that way. I would assume that is why the cookies spread as they did.

          The only deviation I made was using corn starch instead of tapioca starch. Also, I did not “melt” the oil as it was already in liquid form (having stored it outside of the fridge). It’s not necessary to heat the oil if it’s already liquefied, right?

          Despite the cookies "looking" terrible, they were DELICIOUS! I will certainly make them again and will update you with the results :-)

        • Tessa

          December 23, 2020 at 12:06 pm

          Hi Francine! Yes, I do think the cold almond flour caused the coconut oil to harden. That would also make sense why they ended up spreading. I think the corn starch should be just fine as a sub. If your coconut oil is already completely liquid that should be okay too. But, of there are still a bit of solid pieces, I would go ahead and melt completely. Hope that helps! :)

    7. Francine

      November 22, 2020 at 4:39 am

      Hi Tessa. How many cookies are in a batch? Thank you! Francine

      Reply
    8. Nathalie Siegel

      June 08, 2020 at 10:57 pm

      Hi! Any alternatives for cane sugar?

      Reply
      • Tessa

        July 01, 2020 at 10:58 am

        Hi Nathalie! You could use coconut sugar here, but it would change the color and sweetness of the cookies. I think it would still be yummy, just a bit different than the original recipe.

        Reply
    9. Nydia

      June 08, 2020 at 8:29 am

      Hello Tessa,
      I notices that I do not have tapioca starch for now, do you know if I can replace it with corn starch?

      Reply
      • Tessa

        June 08, 2020 at 8:36 am

        Hi Nydia - I think cornstarch should work fine here in place of the tapioca starch. It may slightly change texture, but very minimally! :)

        Reply
    10. Pat Marino

      March 07, 2020 at 12:59 pm

      can you replace the coconut oil
      in this recipe. if yes what is a good
      substitute. thank you. pat

      Reply
      • Tessa

        March 07, 2020 at 1:03 pm

        Hi Pat - You should be able to sub the coconut oil with vegan butter just fine. If you are trying to avoid the hint of coconut, you can use refined coconut oil.

        Reply
    11. Lesley

      February 29, 2020 at 10:27 pm

      I’m not one to comment on baking recipes. BUT THESE COOKIES. I didn’t know I needed these in my life. I just happened to have all the ingredients.
      They are perfect. I can’t stop eating them. I’m eating one right now.

      Reply
      • Tessa

        March 01, 2020 at 8:55 am

        That is so great. Yay! Thank you, Lesley!!

        Reply
    12. Ray

      February 29, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      I’m not adverse to gluten. Can I follow your recipe exactly except use regular flour and granulated sugar instead?

      Reply
      • Tessa

        March 01, 2020 at 8:54 am

        Hi Ray - I'm afraid the taste and texture would not be the same for this particular recipe.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Tessa! I create gluten-free, real food recipes that are approachable and delicious.

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