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GET IT NOWIt’s cookie season, and I want you to meet my favorite almond flour cookies! After you try them, I think they might be yours, too. They’re buttery and sweet, a little soft, a little crunchy, and taste just like shortbread. They are wonderful around the holidays in particular, but honestly, I make them year-round. Whether you’re looking for a low carb dessert or heathy dessert, or just want that buttery texture with a nutty flavor, my almond flour cookie recipe is for you. Bake them with me and see why I love them so much!
Why You Need My Almond Flour Cookies
- Sweet and buttery, with a melt-in-your mouth texture – These turn out soft and slightly chewy, with a slightly crisp outside. The classic buttery taste and sweetness reminds me of the perfect shortbread cookie!
- Versatile base recipe – I’ve made many types of cookies with almond flour over the years, but this one is by far my favorite. I’ve been baking it for almost a decade, and still come back to it multiple times a year. In fact, it’s the base for most of my other almond flour cookie recipes — I’ve got variations for you below.
- Super easy to make – You need just 4 simple ingredients and one bowl, and you’ll be enjoying these almond flour cookies in around 20 minutes.
- Gluten-free, with no refined sugar – My recipe is grain-free, egg-free, and if you use my Besti sweetener, low carb and keto friendly. Much healthier than regular white flour cookies!
- Perfect for holidays – They are great for any occasion, but I especially love making these for holiday cookie trays. They always disappear fast!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my almond flour cookies recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Basic Almond Flour Cookies:
- Wholesome Yum Almond Flour – I use this one because it’s super finely ground and blanched, which gives the cookies the best texture. Many brands of almond flour, and especially almond meal, can make them grainy or gritty. If you need a nut-free version, make coconut flour shortbread cookies instead.
- Butter – I love this brand. I usually use salted for balance, or you can use unsalted and add a pinch of salt. Just make sure it’s softened before starting! If you need a dairy-free option, you can substitute coconut oil — I recommend butter flavored coconut oil to get a similar taste.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – Along with sweetness, it prevents the cookies from turning out too dry. It also has 0 net carbs and no aftertaste. Notes on other options:
- Other granulated sweeteners – You can use another granulated sugar substitute by converting it using my sweetener conversion chart, but keep in mind the texture may vary and you might detect a bitter aftertaste.
- Sugar – White sugar or coconut sugar does work if it fits your lifestyle — just not mine.
- Liquid sweeteners – Avoid using liquid options like honey or maple syrup, as they’ll mess up the wet/dry ratio.
- Vanilla Extract – With just a few ingredients in these almond flour cookies, quality really matters. I like this brand.
Optional Chocolate Dip:
- Sugar-Free Chocolate – Any kind works, but I’m a big fan of this brand of sugar-free chocolate chips!
- Coconut Oil – It helps the chocolate harden nicely as it cools and gives it a beautiful, glossy finish.
- Chopped Nuts – I used pecans, but any other nuts will work.
How To Make Cookies With Almond Flour
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
Basic Almond Flour Cookies:
- Cream the butter and sweetener. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat together the butter and Besti, until it’s fluffy and light in color.
- Beat in the other ingredients. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually add the almond flour, about half a cup at a time. The dough will be a bit crumbly — this is normal!
- Form the cookies. Use a cookie scoop to place rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto a lined cookie sheet. Flatten to about 1/3 inch thick—they won’t spread much, so make them as thin or thick as you like! Prick with a fork.
- Pop in the oven. Bake the almond flour cookies until golden. Cool completely before removing from pan, as they will be fragile at first.
Optional Chocolate Dipped Edges:
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil. You can do this in short spurts in the microwave at low power, or use a double boiler on the stove. Stir occasionally.
- Dip your almond cookies. Cover them halfway in chocolate, then place them on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Quickly sprinkle with chopped nuts while the chocolate is still wet, then chill in the fridge until the chocolate is set.
My Recipe Tips
- Start with butter that’s soft, but not too soft. If your softened butter is too warm, it won’t form air pockets when you beat it, but if it’s too cold, it won’t get fluffy at all. I cut the butter into small pieces to help it soften faster at room temperature. You can also take a shortcut by filling a stainless steel boil with boiling water, dry well, then invert over the butter on a plate — it’ll soften from the residual heat.
- Cream the butter correctly. I always start with my hand mixer at a lower speed, so that butter and sweetener don’t fly everywhere, then increase as it starts to incorporate. This method creates little pockets of air, which will give your almond flour cookies a more delicate tender crumb.
- Don’t over-beat the butter. If you go too long, the air breaks down. I’ve found that 5 minutes is just right. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s light and fluffy!
- Use blanched almond flour. I can’t emphasize this enough! It needs to be blanched almond flour to be the right texture for almond flour cookies.
- Don’t have quite enough almond flour? You can replace up to half of it with other ground nuts, like I did with my pistachio cookies! I wouldn’t replace all of it, though, because it’s finer than other types.
- Add the almond flour gradually. If you dump it in in at once, it won’t mix as well and you’ll end up mixing it too long, affecting the final texture.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl. Do it while you’re creaming the butter and again after adding the almond flour. Skipping this step can leave some spots denser than others.
- Gently pack the dough into the cookie scoop. If it’s too loose, it won’t hold together when released. But worst case, if your cookies crumble when you flatten them, you can press them back together.
- Keep an eye on your baking time. Lots of factors can affect it, so check after 10 minutes and every couple of minutes after. Use your oven light or just crack the door slightly to avoid losing heat.
- Be patient after baking. These almond flour cookies will be super soft and crumbly right out of the oven. Let them cool completely to firm up.
More Almond Flour Cookie Recipes
Like I mentioned above, I’ve used these almond flour cookies as a base for so many of my other cookie recipes using almond flour! Here are some variations you can try:
- Chocolate chip – Just fold the chocolate chips into the dough before baking, instead of dipping. If you’re craving a more classic chocolate chip cookie, I’ve got keto chocolate chip cookies already, and a new version of almond flour chocolate chip cookies coming soon!
- Thumbprint – Press a thumbprint into the dough before baking and fill it with your favorite jam. I love this brand, or sometimes I make my own sugar-free chia jam! I’ve also filled the prints with dried fruit and nuts, like my rugelach recipe.
- Extracts – Instead of vanilla, you can try almond extract (the almond flavor in these cookies is pretty mild without it), or go with other favorites like lemon, orange, or hazelnut. 1/2 teaspoon is a good amount.
- Cream cheese – My keto cream cheese cookies are a variation of these almond flour cookies, except with cream cheese added.
- Spices – Try my keto gingerbread cookies with warming spices, keto pumpkin cookies with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, or simple sugar-free snickerdoodles.
- Oats – My healthy oatmeal cookies use almond flour as a binder instead of white flour.
- Cookie dough – Since it doesn’t contain any eggs, feel free to sneak some dough while you’re making these! I also have a keto cookie dough recipe that’s very similar.
Tools I Use For This Recipe
- Cookie Sheet – I used this size for baking the cookies and this smaller one for cooling them in the fridge after dipping them in chocolate. As you can tell, I love these pans—I have them in every size!
- Mixer – I love my hand mixer with built-in storage. A stand mixer works, too.
- Cookie Scoop – I’ve had this one for as long as I’ve been making these almond flour cookies, and it’s still like new! It releases cleanly and makes your cookies all the same size.
- Double Broiler – Convenient for melting the chocolate without the risk of burning.
Almond Flour Cookies (4-Ingredient Recipe)
By
My almond flour cookies recipe makes buttery shortbread cookies, with 4 ingredients and no refined sugar. A gluten-free, healthy dessert!
Ingredients
[ See substitutions ]Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Basic Almond Flour Cookies
Optional Chocolate Dip
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
Basic Almond Flour Cookies
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
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Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat together the butter and Besti, until it's fluffy and light in color.
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Beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the almond flour, 1/2 cup (64 g) at a time. (The dough will be dense and a little crumbly, but should stick when pressed together.)
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Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet (I use this cookie scoop). Flatten each cookie to about 1/3 in (.8 cm) thick. (You can make them thicker or thinner to your liking. Keep in mind they will not spread or thin out during baking, so make them as thin as you want them when done.)
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Bake for about 12 minutes, until the edges are golden. Allow to cool completely in the pan before handling (cookies will harden as they cool).
Optional Chocolate Dip
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Allow almond flour cookies to cool and harden completely before dipping in chocolate. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper (one that will fit in your fridge).
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Melt sugar-free chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler. Once melted, dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate and place onto the lined pan. Immediately sprinkle with chopped nuts before the chocolate sets.
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Chill in the refrigerator before handling, until the chocolate is firm.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cookie
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the perfect texture in your almond flour cookies!
- Variations: Want to make these chocolate chip, fall flavored, as thumbprints, or in other ways? I’ve got lots of variations here!
- Store: These almond flour cookies will last a few days on the counter in an airtight container, or you can keep them in the fridge for over a week. I find that the chocolate-dipped ones keep better refrigerated.
- Freeze the dough: You can freeze the dough for up to 6 months, either in a ball wrapped in plastic wrap, or after forming the cookies. For formed ones, just place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze. Once solid, transfer to a freezer bag. Thaw on the counter before baking.
- Freeze the cookies: Pop them in a zip lock bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months. I line parchment paper between them to prevent sticking, or flash freeze on a baking sheet before placing in the bag.
- Note on nutrition info: The optional chocolate dip and pecans are not included in the nutrition facts below.
- Want to make these with coconut flour? Make my coconut flour cookies instead.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Low Carb Holiday Cookbook and Keto Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Almond Flour Cookies
Gratitude Moment
I’ve been baking these almond flour cookies for so many years, but in 2020 when I created my Besti sweeteners and Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour, they were a total gamechanger for me. They made this recipe and so many other sweet baked goods so much better, because they improve the flavor and texture, without the aftertaste that so many sweeteners have.
Here I am with these cookies and my 3 Bestis, as well as my almond flour biscuits I make with the same flour. I’m so grateful to have these products to make recipes with! I hope you’ll give them a try and let me know what you think.
563 Comments
Tiffany
0I made these cookies and they came out amazing. I followed your recipe completely. The only thing I did was add a piece of sugar-free chocolate on top of the cookie while they were still warm. This added a little extra, flavor without having to wait for the cookies to cool.
Kassandra
0I am just in the process of making these short breads (one batch in the oven) and was wondering why no egg was included in this recipe. Yesterday I made your Raspberry cream cheese short bread cookies and a 1/2 egg was added to the short bread portion (the other half egg was used in the cream cheese filling). I really noticed a difference in the texture of the cookie dough without the egg. It was very crumbly and hard to shape even with the cookie scoop.
Just took my first batch out of the oven and at only 12 min. they were way over cooked for my liking. Took out the second batch at 8 min. as any longer would have been too long . Not really happy at this version of the short bread recipe. liked the cream cheese version better.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kassandra, The reasons for omitting the egg included wanting extra crispy shortbread cookies and frequent reader requests for egg-free options. You’re welcome to make the recipe with 1/2 an egg if that’s your preference. The baking time will definitely vary depending on how thick the cookies are, the pan you use, and slight oven variations.
Dianna
0These are delicious & dipping them in chocolate & topping then with pecan pieces is a wonderful idea. Its hard to not eat them all.
Dubravka
0These turned out great. I reduced the amount of substitute sugar, just for my preference. I highly recommend dipping the cookies in chocolate and sprinkling with nuts.
Janine Moss
0Add 1/4 tsp almond extract!
Don’t ask — just do it!
Angela
0These were easy to make and taste delicious. I dipped mine in dark chocolate, a little more carbs/sugar, but not that bad. Made them for christmas for a diabetic family memeber. I sprinkled the chocolate with dessicated coconut. You really do have to be patient when it comes to waiting for them to cool. I was really worried that they would just fall apart, but once they were totally cool they were didnt break apart. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Janet
0Please give the amounts required to make the keto biscuits. Can see four ingredients. Almond flour, vanilla butter and sweetener.
Please excuse me if these have been provided. Cannot see in my recipe.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Janet, Measurements are in the recipe card. You may need to turn off your browser’s ‘Reader Mode’ to be able to view it.
Terri
0Can these be made into thumbprint, jelly-filled cookies?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Terri! Sure, I think that would be lovely. Please let us know how they turn out!
Candace Staar
0Hi. Loved the taste of your cookies when a friend made them but they were on the dry side. Any suggestions on how to make them a little less dry?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Candace! Allulose will make more soft, moist cookies if that is your preference. You can get allulose here.
Teresa Sewell
0Can’t wait to try this recipe later today!
Shirley
0I used my cookie press for this recipe and the cookies are so cute. Perfect for my Christmas cookies. Too bad I can’t add a photo
Sally
0Um… there no amounts listed for each ingredient.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sally, Please turn ‘Reader Mode’ off so you can view the recipe card and measurements.
Susan Dashwood
0I recently discovered this recipe and I’ve made it numerous times now. I love it! I’ve been forming mine into 2 logs and freezing it, and then pulling out to slice and bake. I can slice it right out of the freezer, it’s awesome! Plus it has no eggs so you can eat some cookie dough if you wanted to
Stefi
0Nowhere in this long and rambling article could I find any mention of what TEMPERATURE to bake these cookies at.
Mags
0So rude!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Stefi, These cookies are baked at 350 degrees. See the recipe card (step 1) for more detail.
Kimberley
0We baked the first batch and they were great but we would prefer not to use any sweetener, really do not like the cooling taste of the sweetener , we just don’t need th sweetness anymore so second batch I left the sweetener out, result lovely taste but way tooooo crumbly ! Any suggestions please?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kimberly, Without the bulk from the sweetener, it’s probably got a little too much butter in it and creating crumbly cookies. Try omitting a tablespoon of butter and see if you get a better result.
Laura
0Tasty cookies. Think they are maybe a little too crumbly and could have used a bit more butter or a dash of water. Sweetness is just right and not too sweet. Pressed them into a pyrex and cut squares. Definitely needed to cook longer than 12 min. Cooked for 21 min and might even do 25 min next time. Also added in dried rosemary which gives a different complementary flavour. Would try again with these few adjustments.
Kim Rose
0Could you make these in an 8×8 pan and cut into bars? How long would you bake for?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kim, The recipe would turn out fine baked in a 8×8″ pan. I would still check them for doneness at the 12 minute mark. They will be less crumbly to cut if they are more of a blonde color and less golden brown.
Sara Fleming
0What can I use other than butter? My son is allergic to all dairy products, most margarines (due to sunflower and palm allergy), and coconut oil. He’s doing keto for Type 1 Diabetes. Could I just use an egg to get them to bake? And add more vanilla for flavor? Thank you in advance for your response! 🙂
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sara, The recipe has not been tested without a fat (like butter or coconut oil) added to it. Could he tolerate avocado oil? I cannot guarantee the results, but I would try using avocado oil and an egg. Please let us know how it turns out.
Donna
0Hi. Thank you for this recipe. Of all things keto/low carb, this is my favorite and comes closest to the “real thing.” I’ve made this recipe several times and have had to make adjustments. They come out great, but if anyone has any suggestions, I’d love it hear it.
1) I use 1/2 c of butter total. I’ve tried to use the prescribed amount, but the almond flour stays powdery and I can’t form them into circles.
2) I use a combo of almond and coconut flour purely out of personal preference. It doesn’t make any difference.
3) I have to form them into circles in my hands because even with the increased amount of butter, the edges crumble off. This gives it a slightly domed shape. It bakes fine, but they’re not as pretty as yours.
4) I bake them for 14 minutes b/c I like a slightly brown bottom and edge.
5) I add a couple of spoonfuls of matcha powder and don’t to change anything thing else. They are awesome.
Cynthia Holeman
0Donna, the recipe calls for 6 Tablespoons of butter which is actually less than 1/2 Cup because there are 8 Tablespoons in 1/2 Cup. When you used 1/2 Cup, you were increasing what the recipe calls for. I hope you do not find this offensive but, instead, informative.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Donna! I’m so glad you like them. If you are adding coconut flour, that is likely the reason you have issues with crumbling and needing more butter. Coconut flour doesn’t replace almond 1:1 and usually needs a lot more moisture.
Samantha
0Oops, used powdered sweetener. Erythritol and monk fruit blend. After letting cool (to the touch), they are firm but I think the mouth-feel texture would have been truer to shortbread with the granulated. I missed that detail until after the fact. Also they were not very sweet to me, yet I still had that cooling from erythritol. Maybe tomorrow they will be crunchier? They remind me of biscotti a little. Might try the chocolate dip and add some nuts to zazz them up! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I do appreciate you!