Almond Cookies
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These almond cookies are made with almond flour, almond extract and topped with sliced almonds. They’re buttery, soft and melt in your mouth delicious. Gluten-free + grain-free.
Say hello to your new favorite holiday cookie: almond cookies! I got the inspiration for these cookies from the traditional Chinese almond cookies that are typically prepared for the Chinese New Year. They are made to resemble a coin to symbolize good luck and fortune in the year to come.
These easy almond cookies are a must-make during your holiday baking and would make for a great addition to your Christmas cookie platter. They’re buttery, soft and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Plus, they’re not overly sweet and only require 8 simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen!
If you’re a fan of almond cookies but love a chocolatey twist, my almond flour chocolate chip cookies are another delicious option to try!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
- Super tasty – They’re buttery, melt-in-your-mouth delicious and jam-packed with almond flavor!
- Gluten free – Made with almond flour so are gluten-free + grain-free.
- Simple ingredients – You only need 8 pantry staples to whip up this easy cookie recipe.
- Perfectly balanced – Not overly sweet, they pair beautifully with a cup of tea or coffee.
Ingredients Needed
- cane sugar – we’re creaming the sugar and butter together which results in a light and soft cookie.
- unsalted butter – adds a creamy richness to these cookies. Make sure you’re using softened butter for the best results!
- egg – for binding all the ingredients together.
- almond extract – enhances the flavor and gives these cookies a rich, nutty flavor.
- almond flour – gives the cookies a moist and dense texture that’s extra chewy. I used Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour, which is blanched almond flour meaning the skin has been removed from the nut prior to grinding into a powder. The end result is lighter flour which is great for baked goods.
- salt – brings all the flavors together.
- baking powder – helps the cookies rise and become fluffy.
- almonds – whole or sliced almonds will work as a topping.
Substitutions
- Cane sugar: You can swap this with coconut sugar or maple sugar for a more natural sweetener. Keep in mind the color of the cookies may darken slightly.
- Butter: For a dairy-free option, use vegan butter or softened coconut oil. Make sure the coconut oil is softened (not fully liquid) to maintain the proper texture of the cookies.
- Egg: I haven’t tried it, but I bet a flax egg would work as a substitute.
- Almond extract: If you don’t have almond extract, vanilla extract works as a substitute, though the almond flavor will be less pronounced.
How to Make
These chewy almond cookies are incredibly easy to whip up and come together in just a few simple steps. With only one bowl and no chilling required, you’ll have a delicious holiday treat ready in no time!
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer, then mix in the egg and almond extract.
Step 2: Add the almond flour, baking powder and salt to the wet ingredients and mix together using a spoon or spatula.
Step 3: Scoop the cookie dough using a cookie scoop or Tablespoon and roll into 12 evenly sized balls. Top with sliced or whole almonds and press down slightly.
Step 4: Bake for 15-18 minutes until edges are slightly browned. Once finished, let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Brittany’s Tips
- Don’t skip softening the butter: Softened butter is key for creating a smooth, creamy texture when creaming with sugar. Cold butter won’t mix as well!
- Mix gently: Stir just until everything comes together. Overmixing can overwork the almond flour, which might make your cookies dense and less tender. Keeping it simple is the key to soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies.
- Keep an eye on baking time: Almond flour browns faster than regular flour, so check your cookies at 15 minutes to avoid over-baking.
How to Store Almond Cookies
Let these almond flour cookies cool completely before storing them and store them in an airtight sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to a week. You could also freeze them for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, let them thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for an hour or so.
Frequently Asked Questions
When it comes to almond flour and almond meal they are not the same thing. Almond flour is made from blanched almonds that are finely ground. And it is typically the preferred ingredient in baked goods for the lighter texture. Almond meal is whole almonds that are less finely ground so the meal is coarser and has a darker color. Almond meal works well in heartier recipes or recipes where the texture of flour doesn’t matter as much, like my almond flour crackers.
Almond flour is perfect for these cookies—it’s nutrient-rich, naturally gluten-free, and gives the cookies their soft, buttery texture. One thing to note when baking with almond flour is that it can’t be swapped for all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio. Its unique consistency and higher fat content make it work best in recipes designed specifically for almond flour, like this one!
I wouldn’t recommend substituting almond flour in this almond cookie recipe, as it has a unique texture and fat content that other flours don’t. Using a different flour would likely change the consistency and structure of the cookies. If you’re looking for other gluten-free options, I have some great recipes like my coconut flour cookies or oatmeal breakfast cookies.
More Almond Flour Recipes to Try
- Almond Flour Waffles
- Almond Flour Cookies with Chocolate Chips
- Lemon Almond Flour Cookies
- Almond Flour Cupcakes
- Almond Flour Muffins
- Almond Cake
Be sure to check out all of the almond flour recipes as well as the full collection of cookie recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Sliced or whole almonds, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes) with a hand mixer or standing mixer. Add egg and almond extract and whisk again until combined.
- Add almond flour, baking powder and salt to wet ingredients and stir using a spoon until just combined.
- Scoop the dough into 12 even balls using a cookie scoop or Tablespoon. Top with almonds and press down slightly.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until edges are slightly browned.
- Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Storage: Let the cookies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for about an hour before enjoying.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
These are easy and delicious! They will be added into our cookie rotation. Thank you!
Yay! So glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Hi can I make the cookie mix in advance?
Thank you 🙏🏻
Hi, Elaine. Yes, you can make the cookie dough in advance. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. If it’s too firm when you’re ready to bake, let it sit at room temp for about 10-15 minutes before scooping. Hope that helps!
This recipe tastes amazing! I’m not a huge fan of almond extract so I replace it with vanilla extract instead.
The only issue I’m having is these cookies never! Spread out for me no matter how many times I make them. It’s not a huge deal because the taste is there but they never look like your photo. Any idea what I’m doing wrong ?
So glad you’re loving this recipe, Amanda! Are you pressing the cookies down slightly before baking?
Yummy cookies I don’t mine to make a lot of this cookies. Thanks
Yay! So glad you loved these almond cookies, Mila. Thanks so much for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it.
I loved making this recipe so much! I didn’t have almond flour, so I tried making it on my own…Yeah, let’s just say, BUY ALMOND FLOUR INSTEAD OF MAKING IT… Haha! The flavor of the cookies was really good, only issue is that the texture was quite wet instead of crunchy. Tried baking it longer, but it was a no-go. Still, my family finished the whole batch! (Probably cause the taste was still very good) The issue I had with texture is 100% my fault, so 5/5 stars anyway! I’ll be reattempting this when I get a chance 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Ah, dang! Sorry these didn’t turn out with the homemade almond flour. I wonder why! I’m glad the cookies were still delicious and a hit with your family!
very good even cooked in air fryer
Thanks for sharing. That’s awesome to hear that these cookies turned out in the air fryer! What temp + time did you cook them at?
this has become my go-to cookie. and make them for family donate them at concerts and all love them. my son-in-law tends to grimace when he’s told that something is gluten free but not these cookies! I am both gluten intolerant and a diabetic so the protein level in these allows me to have a sweet without the high glycemic hit of most recipes. Thank you so much.
Ahh! This seriously makes me so happy to hear, Laurel. I am so glad these cookies are a hit. Thank you for taking the time to share your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Loved all the simple, unprocessed ingredients. A bit on the sweet side for me. Might try for half the sugar next time. Was hoping for more of a crunch and these were more chewy texture.
Yay! I am glad you enjoyed these, Daisy. You could try my Almond Crescent Cookies for a more crunchy texture. Thank you for your review & star rating, I appreciate it!
Can you provide more details with regards to the measurement of a cup of flour. Do you have a weight for it when using a scale. If you do not use a scale, how do you measure the volume. Do you spoon it in and level the top or do you pack it in like brown sugar. Thank you!
Hi Adobe! This is a great question. Typically, I measure it by spooning the almond flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off. I haven’t weighed the almond flour for this recipe, but next time I make these cookies, I will. 1 cup of almond flour should be around 96 grams. Hope that helps and you enjoy these cookies!
These were real good.
Very soft while warm but a few minutes in the fridge and they firmed right up. I was told by several people that these are better than the ones from the Chinese restaurants.
I will make these again.
YUM! I am excited to hear that these are a hit for everyone, Nikki. Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
This recipe should have the amount of salt and baking powder cut to 1/2 the recommended. The salt and powder overwhelmed the almond flavor and the cookies inedible! Very disappointed!
So sorry these didn’t turn out for you, Patricia. I haven’t ever had that issue with these cookies. What type of salt did you use? Did you change anything about the recipe?
Can I replace cane sugar with powdered sugar ?
Hi Sally – I don’t think so because I am not sure how well cane sugar will sick to the cookie.
These cookies are really good! My husband doesn’t like chocolate OR peanutbutter (my usual go-tos) so I was looking for something different and he was a fan! Will definitely be making again.
YAY! I am so glad you gave these a try and you are both loving these, Rebecca. Thank you for sharing your reivew + star rating, I appreciate it!
These are fantastic! I made them for myself and also to take to several concerts for those who cannot enjoy the gluten-full cookies. Everyone ate and enjoyed them, even those who did not need gluten-free!
I do use almond meal rather than almond flour because I like the texture and I prefer vanilla extract. I also roast whole almonds for 20 minutes at 325 degrees to use for the garnish on the top.
Thank you so much for this. I look forward to trying many of your other recipes.
Sounds great! SO glad these turned out amazing for you, Laurel. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Perfect cookies, just adjust the salt amount to pinch of salt.
I appreciate your feedback. Glad you are enjoying this recipe and these cookies turned out great for you. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
These are SO easy and delicious! We didn’t have almonds so I used pine nuts and they were scrumptiously pignoli-like 🙂
Ah I love the idea of using pine nuts, so glad these cookies are a hit, Sara. Thanks so much for sharing your review & star rating I so appreciate it!
Easy to make and SO delicious!
Yay! So glad you loved these cookies, Lynda. Thanks for making this recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
These were great! Super easy recipe. I did sub the sugar for stevia for my Type 1 mother-in-law and she liked them, too.
Yay! So glad these cookies were a hit. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review, Leigh. I so appreciate it!
Did you use the same amount of stevia as sugar?
This is now my most favourite cookie recipe ever!!! An absolute go to. I did also add some vanilla extract, used rapadura sugar instead, and added some dessicated coconut on-top. They’re perfect! Thank you so much for sharing 🥳
YUM! I am excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Alyce. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it.
What a lovely recipe! I’m so going to do it for Christmas 🙂
Yay! I hope you enjoy this recipe, Maria!
The ingredients list baking powder, however the directions indicate baking soda. Just wondering which is correct. Thank you.
Ah thanks for catching that, Bonnie. I just updated the recipe, but it should be baking powder. I hope you enjoy these cookies.
I made these cookies yesterday and substituted Stevia for cane sugar. My husband has Type 2 diabetes and I have Celiac. They are incredible! Thanks again for another winner!
Julie
Ah yay! I am so glad that this recipe is a hit for you and your husband, Julie. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it.
Tony has diabeties and need some recipies
Hi – what type of recipes are you looking for?
I love anything with almonds or almond flour and look forward to making these! There’s an amaretti cookie recipe that i just love that is kind of similar, except it only calls for egg whites. But I will definitely try this one.
Yay! I can’t wait to hear what you think about htis recipe, Carla. Enjoy!