Almond Butter Blossom Cookies! These chewy, dense yet doughy cookies are easy, healthy and they're paleo, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut free and refined sugar free! They're a delicious Paleo Christmas cookie to make this season!
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).
Peanut butter blossoms are my favorite Christmas cookies (along with these Sugar Cookies and these Snickerdoodles), 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 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, peanut-free gluten-free friend's day by showing up with a plate full of these little guys!
How to make Paleo Almond Butter Blossom Cookies
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! 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.
To make normal chocolate kisses, fill a piping bag with the warm(ish) homemade chocolate and make little kiss shapes on wax paper. Then put the chocolate candy into the freezer, where it's kept until the very last step!
Store bought chocolate:
You can also melt your favorite healthy chocolate chips or bars if you don't feel like making your own chocolate. Some suggestions are:
Make the dough
The dough for these Almond Butter Blossom Cookies is even easier to make than the chocolate! start by mixing together the dry ingredients, then setting them aside.
Next, mix together the wet ingredients, then combine!
Portion out dough
Use a small cookie scoop or 1 TBS measuring spoon to measure out the dough for each cookie. Then roll them into balls and place them on a baking sheet.
Bake
The dough will not change shape much while baking, so you may want to press it down slightly (or more - as seen in the video), to achieve the shape you want. I prefer the almond butter cookies to be just barely bigger than the chocolate in the center, so I don't press them down as much!
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!
Press in chocolate kisses
Remove frozen chocolate kisses from the freezer and press one into the center of each almond butter cookie as soon as they are removed from the oven.
Cool & Enjoy
Let these almond butter cookies cool on the baking pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store
Store these almond butter blossom cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Serve them room temperature so the chocolate is soft enough to bite through easily !
Recipe FAQs
You can store baked cookies in the freezer, but I prefer to freeze the dough. To do this:
Form dough into balls.
Place cookie dough balls on a non-stick cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for 1-2 hours or until firm.
Transfer to an airtight, freezer-friendly container (I recommend either a glass storage container or a freezer-friendly ziplock bag).
Freeze for up to 1 month.
To bake: remove dough from the freezer and let it come to slightly cooler than room temperature. Then bake according the the recipe instructions.
Yes, double the ingredients and bake on two baking sheets.
Here are some options, but Hu Kitchen gems are my favorite!
Hu Kitchen Chocolate Gems. This is my favorite paleo chocolate. These gems are delicious and easy to toss into cookies (no bar chopping required).
Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Bars. You can also buy dark chocolate bars and chop them up to toss into these paleo chocolate chip cookies.
Lily's Dark Chocolate. They make chips and bars that are stevia sweetened, low carb, keto, etc.
Enjoy Life Foods Dark Chocolate Chips are a good option that are vegan, dairy-free but not fully paleo.
Almond Butter 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 and the flour chosen is very important.
- Almond butter. Cashew butter also works well 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 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!
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Almond flour. Please do not change this ingredient. Paleo baking is an art and the flour chosen is very important.
- Almond butter. Cashew butter also works well 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.
Store bought chocolate:
You can also melt your favorite healthy chocolate chips or bars if you don't feel like making your own chocolate. Some suggestions are:Nutrition
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Kathleen
What can I substitute for cacao butter?
Anna
My 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
Just made these for a client of mine on a low grain diet! They came out perfectly! Thanks for the awesome recipe 🙂
Greta
Do you cool the chocolate for the centers before piping them? Mine seems awfully thin.....
Sally Koppy
My chocolate + cocoa butter for the kisses is also very thin...I'm hoping you're right and it will thicken as it cools.
Laura
Hey Ladies! Sorry for the delayed response! Yes! It does thicken as it cools! I will make a note of that in the recipe!
Corinne
I 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
Is cocoa butter and cacao butter the same thing?
Laura
Hello Kathleen! Yes they are they same thing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
O 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
Laura, 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!