Almond Butter Blossom Cookies! These amazingly chewy, dense yet doughy cookies are easy, healthy and they’re paleo, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar free!
Christmas is only 10 days away! I’m so excited, and I can’t believe it…all at the same time! I have been baking like no one’s watching, and one of the treats that I’ve been excited to bring from my kitchen to yours are these Paleo Almond Butter Cookies! Yes, more chocolate and more cookies {because you can never have enough, am I right?!}
Peanut butter blossoms are my favorite Christmas cookies, but I didn’t want my friends with a peanut allergy {who I feel the deepest sympathy for in every regard} to miss out on the fun!
These vegan Almond Butter Cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free, paleo AND peanut free! Whew! Seriously, just about everyone in your life can enjoy these cookies, no matter what their dietary restrictions may be! They are doughy and chewy…basically everything a cookie should be {and more}!
Paleo Almond Butter Blossom Cookies: Method
1. Make the homemade paleo chocolate kisses
The first step in making these Almond Butter Blossom Cookies is to make the chocolate “kisses” in the center! Yes, we are making our own chocolate today people! In order to keep this recipe truly refined-sugar free, making your own chocolate is really the way to go! Plus, it is CRAZY easy and fun!
Besides being much healthier than store-bought varieties, another benefit of making your own chocolate is that you can form it into any shape you want! If I hadn’t tossed out my candy molds when we moved {whomp whomp}, I totally would’ve made little Christmas trees or something way cute.
Instead I just filled a piping bag with the warm(ish) chocolate and made little kiss shapes on wax paper. Then I tossed the chocolate candy into the freezer, where it’s kept until the very last step!
2. Make the dough
The dough for these Almond Butter Blossom Cookies is even easier to make than the chocolate! Since there aren’t any eggs…feel free to taste test to your heart’s content {well, be sure you can still make some cookies out of it LOL}.
3. Short baking time
Please be aware that the baking time on these paleo almond butter cookies is very short! They only need to bake for 5-7 minutes to bake until they’re done, so be sure to watch your cookies carefully!
Paleo Almond Butter Blossom Cookies: Ingredients/Substitutions
Here are a few notes on the ingredients and possible substitutions in this vegan almond butter cookie recipe!
- Almond flour. Please do not change this ingredient. Paleo baking is an art (seriously) and the flour chosen is very important!
- Almond butter. Cashew butter also works beautifully in this recipe to ensure that it remains paleo, vegan and delicious!
- Coconut oil. grass-fed butter or ghee can be used in place of coconut oil.
- Coconut Sugar. evaporated cane sugar can be used in place of coconut sugar, however it is not paleo!
- Maple Syrup. Honey is a great substitute for maple syrup, but it is not generally eaten by those who follow the vegan diet!
- Almond milk. Any non-dairy milk works great in this recipe!
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Almond Butter Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 cups almond flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 2 TBS coconut oil
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 2 TBS pure maple syrup
- 2 TBS almond milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Chocolate drops:
- 2 oz 4 TBS unsweetened baking chocolate
- 2 TBS pure raw cocoa butter grated
- 2 TBS pure maple syrup
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Make Chocolate Drops:
- Line a small baking sheet with wax paper, set aside.
- Melt together chocolate and cocoa butter and stir until smooth.
- Add maple syrup and sea salt (optional) and stir to combine.
- Transfer chocolate mixture to a piping bag fit with a circular tip and pipe onto your prepared baking sheet into the shapes you want.
- Transfer to the freezer to set. Keep frozen until they are added to the cookies.
Make the cookies:
- Preheat to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together almond flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and coconut sugar. Set aside.
- Add almond butter, coconut oil and maple syrup to a large microwave safe bowl or medium saucepan.
- Melt ingredients in the microwave or on the stovetop, then stir until completely combined.
- Add almond milk and vanilla and stir until combined.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until combine and there are no lumps in the batter.
- Scoop the dough into 1 TBS portions, roll into balls and place on your prepared baking sheets. These cookies do not change shape much in the oven, so be sure to form them into the shapes you want.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until the cookies look set and just began to crackle.
Putting it together:
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press one chocolate drop into the middle of each one.
- Let cookies with chocolate in the center sit on the baking pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool!
- Eat and enjoy!
Nutrition
These Almond Butter Blossom Cookies are the perfect treat to bring to a cookie exchange where you know there will be people with food allergies! You can make your paleo, vegan, gluten-free friend’s day by showing up with a plate full of these little guys!
Question: What’s your favorite Christmas cookie!?
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Jessica
February 15, 2019 at 3:08 pmLooking forward to making these! Do you mind letting me know where you got your pure raw cocoa butter that is food grade? Having a hard time finding some. Thanks!
Jen
November 10, 2018 at 2:24 pmHi I’m trying to make these Keto friendly so want to substitute the maple syrup for Swerve or Stevia, or something along those lines. Do you know how you’d recommended doing this?
Laura
November 10, 2018 at 2:27 pmHey Jen! Unfortunately I don’t use zero calorie sweeteners! So I couldn’t advise you in that way! I’d recommend using a liquid sweetener if you are replacing maple syrup!
Samm
October 5, 2018 at 10:28 pmHi! Do these freeze well? I’m thinking of making this ahead of time for my little guy’s birthday next weekend! They look delish!
Jill
December 20, 2018 at 6:43 pmHello! Did you happen to try freezing them? I was hoping to make and freeze the dough today and bake them in a few days! Would love to know if it worked for you!
Laura
December 21, 2018 at 7:32 amHey Jill! I haven’t tried freezing the dough! I’d recommend maybe making it the day before and refrigerating it if you wanted to prepare it ahead of time!
Sherri
July 20, 2018 at 3:11 pmI omit chocolate because I’m allergic to it but instead make little thumb prints bake for half the time then fill will a homemade paleo strawberry chia jam and finish baking…. pb&j cookies paleo style ❤️
Alex
July 14, 2018 at 9:37 amCane sugar isn’t paleo? Neither is coconut sugar or maple syrup!
Laura
July 14, 2018 at 9:42 amMaple syrup, honey and coconut sugar are all Paleo approved sweeteners. Cane sugar is not, but works well in this recipe for people looking for a grain free cookie but who don’t follow the Paleo diet.
Kathleen
July 11, 2018 at 3:11 amWhat can I substitute for cacao butter?
Anna
July 10, 2018 at 5:07 amMy daughter is allergic to coconut, so I’ll be using ghee & cane sugar. I’m curious if I could replace the maple syrup & toss in some ground ginger, for a molasses ginger cookie.
Alison
June 22, 2018 at 4:20 pmJust made these for a client of mine on a low grain diet! They came out perfectly! Thanks for the awesome recipe 🙂
Greta
December 19, 2017 at 4:02 pmDo you cool the chocolate for the centers before piping them? Mine seems awfully thin…..
Sally Koppy
December 23, 2017 at 10:29 amMy chocolate + cocoa butter for the kisses is also very thin…I’m hoping you’re right and it will thicken as it cools.
Laura
December 23, 2017 at 2:43 pmHey Ladies! Sorry for the delayed response! Yes! It does thicken as it cools! I will make a note of that in the recipe!
Corinne
December 16, 2017 at 5:45 pmI made these and they are so delicious! My sister is gluten free and wheat free and I am vegan, so finding good holiday cookies is hard for the both of us, and these hit the spot! I made it exactly the way it is laid out and it was good, I subbed pb for almond butter and coconut sugar for sucanat (cane juice) and it was good!
Kathleen
September 21, 2017 at 11:04 amIs cocoa butter and cacao butter the same thing?
Laura
December 17, 2017 at 7:01 amHello Kathleen! Yes they are they same thing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
December 17, 2016 at 2:01 pmO one of the classics! My brother’s favorite! I made a super healthy version for him and he STILL loved it 😉
Liz @ pumpkin & peanut butter
December 17, 2016 at 6:35 amLaura, these looks amazing! Such a good idea making an almond butter alternative, since these are, like, the best Christmas cookies. Definitely adding to my list to try!
lindsay Cotter
December 16, 2016 at 4:14 pmoh i bet these taste fab! almond butter in the batter? YES! sweet, salty, goodness. GENIUS!
Katie
December 16, 2016 at 9:52 amThese cookies are perfect! Omg, I’m dying to eat one of these right now!
Taylor Kiser
December 15, 2016 at 8:27 pmI LOVE that you made your own “kisses” for these Almond Butter Blossom Cookies! These cookies look so tasty! I’m with you in the fact that you can never have too many cookies for Christmas! And these are perfect for the Christmas cookie tray!
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious
December 15, 2016 at 6:01 pmLove your almond version of these cookies! Your chocolate center is just gorgeous!
Meg @ With Salt and Wit
December 15, 2016 at 4:06 pmWow! These sound amazing! I lave that they are a Paleo and Vegan option!
Laura
December 15, 2016 at 5:00 pmCan’t leave out our friends with allergies right?! 🙂
Alexa
December 15, 2016 at 2:01 pmYES, YES, YES! Thank you for healthy-ing this cookie up. I love these … there was a time I made them weekly. I will try them as I have never found a good GF vegan replacement.
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
December 15, 2016 at 7:30 amThese looks like perfect little bites. Love the almond switch! Gorgeous photos too.
Laura
December 15, 2016 at 9:17 amThank you Julie! 🙂
Elizabeth Shaw
December 15, 2016 at 7:29 amThese look delicious! I love the chocolate center! I think my all time favorite cookie is chocolate chip!
Laura
December 15, 2016 at 9:17 amYou really can’t go wrong with the classic chocolate chip cookie!