How Using Almond Flour Will Alter Your Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are one of America's favorite cookies, traditionally made with all-purpose or cake flour. The shift towards more inclusive baking practices has led to baking delicious gluten-free cookies using alternative flour, especially for those who live gluten-free.

One such flour is almond flour, an ingredient we often associate with baking macarons. And using almond flour in place of all-purpose or cake flour will alter your chocolate chip cookies in multiple ways. One of the immediate differences you will notice is the texture of the cookies. One might think almond flour makes dry and crumbly cookies, but think again and imagine macarons. Macarons are crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. Almond flour, when used properly in baking cookies, will give cookies a soft and chewy texture. The cookies can be surprisingly moist, too. 

Another way almond flour will alter your chocolate chip cookies is by introducing some almond flavor. All-purpose and cake flour are relatively tasteless, but almond flour is made from ground almonds. Thus, your chocolate chip cookies will taste like almonds. For some, this flavor may be intense; however, you can always balance it with some vanilla extract, the rich flavors of brown butter, or the bitterness from dark chocolate.  

Aside from altering the texture and taste of chocolate chip cookies, almond flour changes the nutritional value of these sweet treats. While almond flour doesn't necessarily make these cookies healthy, it's worth noting that almonds are naturally high in fiber and nutrients like vitamin E and biotin. So, if you want to increase the fiber content in your diet, having a chocolate chip cookie (or two) can be a helpful and delicious way to do so. 

To avoid making dry, brittle, and crumbly cookies, it's also important to note how you must consider hydration when baking with gluten-free flour like almond flour. The reason is that gluten-free flour tends to absorb liquid without retaining the liquid.  When we make macarons, two predominant ingredients are a hydrating egg white meringue and sugar, which is hygroscopic or moisture absorbing and retaining. To make moist, chewy, and soft chocolate chip cookies with almond flour, you must incorporate hydrating ingredients like sugar, butter, eggs, and even nut butter, like almond butter. Tasting Table's recipe developer, Miriam Hahn, adds maple syrup, a hydrating liquid sweetener, to make her easy gluten-free almond crinkle cookies.