Who doesn’t love a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie with just the right crunch on the outside and a chewy, gooey center? We think this healthier version of an old favorite fits the bill perfectly! Almond flour is the secret ingredient – it gives the cookie a light, chewy texture without compromising the crunch! Gotta go now … must bake more cookies!
Time-Saving Tip: Did you know that nearly all cookie dough is perfect for freezing! So why not make a double or triple batch and freeze the extra dough for future baking. Simply, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about one-inch apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and place in freezer. Once unbaked cookies are completely frozen solid, remove them from the parchment and place them into a freezer safe container and return to the freezer. When ready to bake, simply place frozen cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and allow them to thaw. Then, bake as directed below.
(P.S. If you don’t have blanched almond flour, you can still make these using 1 3/4 cups of whole spelt flour instead of 1 1/2 cups. They’re still delicious, just a bit thinner and not quite as yummy in flavor as the almond flour version – but again, still very delicious!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rapadura (or sucanat)
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole spelt flour (or sprouted spelt flour, see note below)
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 cup *fair trade dark chocolate chips (65% cacao or higher)
- 1/2 cup crispy walnut pieces (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using an electric mixer, mix together the rapadura, butter and coconut oil in a large bowl until very creamy (like frosting). Add the vanilla and egg, mixing until well incorporated. Mix in the baking soda and salt. Then slowly mix in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until well blended. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts, if desired.
- Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about three-inches apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool for a minute on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. (If you can wait that long!)
Notes
To make these cookies even healthier, I recommend using organic sprouted spelt flour. Sprouted flour contains a tremendous amount of beneficial nutrients and is great for recipes in which soaking just doesn't yield a good end product.
*For information about why I only purchase fair trade chocolate and other products, click here.
Can I substitute coconut flour for almond flour?
Hi, Trinity. When it comes to GF flours, it’s not possible to substitute cup-for-cup. That’s because each behaves very differently and requires differing levels of binders and liquids. When it comes to coconut flour, it’s like a sponge and requires a great deal more of eggs and liquid per cup, than does blanched almond flour. So it can take a great deal of trial and effort to convert recipes. That’s why I recommend looking for an established recipe, if you’re not up for experimenting with converting. A quick google search for coconut flour chocolate chip cookies will give you some recipes to consider. I haven’t personally been happy with my attempts at creating a coconut flour cookie that actually has some crunch to it, which is why I don’t have one yet on my site. Many blessings, Kelly
Hello! These cookies look delicious! However, do you have a substitue chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses only coconut flour? I have one daughter that is allergic to tree nuts, and one that is on a grain free diet (no spelt flour). The information and recipes on your site is wonderful. Thank you so much!
Hi, Kelly. I don’t have a coconut flour cookie recipe at present. But if you go to Tropcial Traditions free coconut recipes site, I am sure they’ll have one. You may need to rework it though, as I’ve found that many of the recipes on that site call for refined sugars, rather than honey or maple syrup. I hope to develop a coconut flour cookie soon – it is on my “to do” list. Lots of blessings, Kelly
Kelly,
In this recipe, you have down to use whole spelt flour, or sprouted whole spelt flour. Is there any reason, if one isn’t trying to achieve a gluten-free cookie, that one couldn’t use sprouted whole wheat flour? That’s what I buy for all my non-soaking needs (like pie crusts and biscuits), and it can be purchased at Whole Foods. Just wondering if it would be a 1:1 substitution.
Thanks,
Gigi
Hi, Gigi. Good question. Spelt is not gluten-free and is actually a “cousin” of wheat. It has not changed through the years as wheat has, which is why it’s called an ancient grain.
So, yes, you can definitely substitute whole wheat for the whole spelt in this recipe. You are correct that blanched almond flour is GF. However, I didn’t use it in this recipe to make it GF, but instead it’s used to lighten-up the cookie so the taste is not so heavy (whole grains, especially whole wheat can cast a very heavy taste). But if you don’t have blanched almond flour you can follow the recipe instructions for how to make this recipe without it.
Hope this helps better clarify. Lots of blessings, Kelly
Thanks, Kelly, for getting back to me. Actually, I did just buy blanched almond flour (after you explained the difference between blanched and non-blanched almond flour, I went right out and bought some, even though it’s about 3-4 times as expensive – sigh!). So I have the blanched almond flour, and I hope it’s OK to use the sprouted whole wheat flour with the almond flour, and not have to go to the store to try to find sprouted spelt flour, too.
Thanks,
Gigi
Yes, you can interchange sprouted spelt and sprouted whole wheat, as well as unsprouted spelt and unsprouted whole wheat. They are similar except that spelt tends to be lighter in flavor and texture than whole wheat. But since you’ll be using the blanched almond flour, this will help. And BTW, if you end up enjoying blanched almond flour (I know I have a ton of recipes using it) then you can get it for much less by purchasing it in a larger size online. If you sign up for Honeyville’s email newsletter, you’ll get an email each time they have a sale – that’s when I stock up. Blessings, Kelly