Vegan Almond Flour Cookies
These gluten-free vegan almond flour cookies have a light sweet flavor that’ll make this one of your new favorite desserts!
While vegan almond flour cookies aren’t the first kind of cookie that comes to mind, you’ll definitely find they’re one of the most delicious. They have a rich caramel-like flavor from the coconut sugar which makes them also refined sugar-free.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free since it’s made with almond meal. This makes it a tasty treat for more people to enjoy.
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Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour – Usually available in 2 types, blanched or unblanched/natural. I’ve used both in this recipe and they work fine.
Blanched almond flour is made from whole almonds that have had their skins removed. The almonds are then ground to a fine powder.
Unblanched almond flour is made from ground whole almonds with the skins still intact. It’s also referred to as natural almond flour or almond meal.
You can easily make it at home using a food processor. Flavor-wise there’s not a major difference between the two.
Blanched almond flour does result in a softer, more homogenous cookie with a lighter texture and color. Almond meal results in a darker cookie with a more open crumb/texture depending on how finely ground it is.
- Gluten-free Oat flour – use store-bought or easily make it at home with a food processor.
- Ground flaxseeds – mixed with warm water to make a great substitute for eggs.
- Coconut sugar – adds a rich caramel-like flavor and color to the cookies
- Oil – any neutral-flavored oil is good. I often use canola or sunflower.
- Whole almonds – for the topping
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the cookie dough:
- In a stand mixer bowl (or a regular bowl if mixing by hand), add the flaxseeds and water. Stir to combine, then set aside for 5 minutes or until it thickens.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low speed to start combining, then gradually increase the speed to high.
- Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl if needed. The mixture should look soft but thick.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge to get firmer for about 2 hours. For the best flavor and texture, rest overnight or up to 3 days before baking.
Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Using a cookie scoop, make about 9 equal portions of cookie dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Space them at least 2 inches apart to give them room to spread.
- Press them down slightly with your palm. Moisten your hand with water if they begin to stick.
- Gently press a whole almond into the center of each cookie.
- Place the tray in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove and cool completely on the baking sheet. They will look soft at first but should get a bit firmer as they cool.
Key Tips to Follow
- Not all oatmeal brands are gluten-free due to cross-contamination from other grains. Check the label carefully.
- Make sure the dough is chilled before scooping so it doesn’t spread too much.
- For the best flavor development, I recommend resting the dough in the refrigerator overnight or up to 3 days.
The longer the better. This allows the baking spices and coconut sugar to fully incorporate into the dough.
Variations or Substitutions
- Try this recipe using other nut flours such as hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans.
- For a chocolate chip version, mix 50g (about ¼ cup) chocolate chips into the dough before refrigerating.
- Try other types of sugars instead of coconut. These include maple sugar, Sucanat, demerara or turbinado.
All except maple sugar may not dissolve as easily as coconut sugar so I suggest grinding them before using.
Storage Suggestions
Refrigerator:
The baked cookies may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Separate each cookie with pieces of parchment paper to limit them from sticking together.
Freezer:
You can also freeze the baked cookies or even the dough and bake later. To freeze these baked cookies, place the tray in the freezer for 2 hours or until they are solid. Remove them from the tray then place in an airtight container or freezer bag for longer storage. You can also do the same steps for unbaked cookie dough.
Freeze on the tray after portioning the raw dough, then store for up to 2 months in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Alternatively, you can freeze the entire dough in a container then scoop and bake later. Thaw the cookies or dough in the fridge overnight. Portioned frozen cookie dough should be placed on the baking tray before thawing.
Room temperature:
If left at room temperature, nut-based cookies will soften over time and will go bad quicker. But they are fine in a covered container for about a day or 2.
Why do my almond cookies fall apart?
Almond flour doesn’t have gluten, and as a result, doesn’t bind together as easily as cookies made with wheat flour. Resting the dough overnight before baking will limit the cookies from cracking and falling apart.
Can you eat raw almond cookie dough?
This almond cookie dough recipe is completely vegan and safe to eat raw. Since it’s mainly made of nuts and coconut sugar and is free of any eggs or wheat flour, feel free to enjoy it as is!
More Cookie Recipes with Nuts
- Vegan White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies
- Vegan Pecan Sandies
- Vegan Almond Biscotti
- Vegan Fruitcake Cookies
Vegan Almond Flour Cookies (GF)
Equipment
- Stand mixer or mixing bowls
- 18-by-13 inch half sheet pan
- non-stick baking mat or parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds, or ground chia seeds
- 5 tablespoons (75 ml) warm water
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 cup (115 g) almond flour, (See notes)
- 1 cup (100 g) gluten-free oat flour, (See notes)
- ⅔ cup (125 g) coconut sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
Topping:
- 9 whole almonds
Instructions
Make the cookie dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a regular bowl if mixing by hand) add the flaxseeds and water. Mix with a fork to combine then set aside for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens.1 tbsp ground flaxseeds ,5 tablespoons (75 ml) warm water
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and place on the stand mixer.1 tbsp oil ,1 tbsp vanilla ,1 cup (115 g) almond flour ,1 cup (100 g) gluten-free oat flour ,⅔ cup (125 g) coconut sugar ,½ tsp baking soda ,½ tsp ground cinnamon ,¼ tsp salt
- Mix on low then gradually increase to high until all the ingredients are fully combined. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl if needed. The mixture should look soft but thick.
- Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to firm up for about 2 hours. For the best flavour and texture, rest overnight or up to 3 days before baking.
Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Using a #24 cookie scoop (50g or 3 tbsp dough), make about 9 equal portions of cookie dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Space them at least 2 inches apart to give them room to spread.
- Press them down slightly with your palm. Moisten your hand with water if they begin to stick.
- Gently press a whole almond into the centre of each cookie.9 whole almonds
- Place the tray in the oven and bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until the edges are darker. Try not to overbake.
- Remove and cool completely on the baking sheet. They will look soft at first but should get a bit firmer as they cool.
Notes
- You can make almond and oat flour at home with a food processor. For metric, use the same weight listed for whole raw almonds and gluten-free oats.
For US Imperial, use 4oz (or a little under a cup) of whole raw almonds and 1 1/4 cups of dry oats. - Try this recipe using other nuts.
- Mix 50g (about ¼ cup) of chocolate chips into the dough before refrigerating for a chocolate chip version.
This is my new favorite cookie recipe! Definitely will be making these again.
Thank you so much Taylor!