I’ve followed Elana’s Pantry for quite some time; admiring her creative use of less-known gluten-free flours like coconut and blanched almond. Fast-forward to last October, when I *won* Elana’s Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook from the wonderful Shirley at Gluten-Free Easily!
I immediately placed an order with Honeyville, one of the many carriers of the unique almond flour Elana uses. Blanched almond flour is much different than conventional almond meal, or almonds ground in a food processor; it is surprisingly fine and light. A triumph, really.
Moments after the almond flour’s arrival, I promptly stirred together the ingredients for Elana’s renowned chocolate chip cookies. It took me about five minutes to mix up the dough. No butter? No eggs? Impossible. Just, impossible.
Elana’s recipes call for agave nectar, which I don’t often have on-hand, so I’ve tested the recipe using alternate sweeteners. These alternatives also offer options for those who aren’t fully satisfied with agave’s seemingly fragile reputation. I’ve provided the size recipe I usually make (half). I am sure I’ll mature, but at this point in my life, I’m unable to leave a plate of these cookies unattended, so only bake what you intend to eat. Trust.
Elana’s Pantry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Original source: Elana’s Pantry
Substitution notes by CinnamonQuill1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour (no substitutes)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup agave nectar, or honey or maple syrup or rice syrup or brown sugar*
1/4 cup grapeseed oil or canola or melted coconut oil**
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chipsHonestly? I combine all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, in a medium bowl. Mix well. Depending on which sweetener you’ve used, dough may be a bit wet. Add desired amount of chocolate chips, and incorporate. Next, refrigerate for 20ish minutes. Preheat oven to 350F. On parchment-lined baking sheet, drop round (generous) tablespoonfuls of dough, spacing 2 inches apart. If dough seems dry and rigid, flatten a bit. If you like ultra chewy cookies, flatten dough into discs before baking.
Bake for 7-9 minutes, until lightly golden (If you like crisper cookies, bake 9-10 minutes.). Let cool on baking sheet for 10-20 minutes, until set.
Yields about 12 2-3″ cookies. Recipe may be doubled. Dough may be stored in refrigerator for 2-3 days, until ready to bake. Store cookies in airtight container, up to a week.*Sweetener guide:
-Agave nectar makes dough that is very wet, and cookies spread a lot, resulting in soft and chewy cookies. The flavor is mild and slightly floral.
-Honey yields a very good taste and level of sweetness. It is what I use most often.
-Maple syrup adds a slight caramel quality to the taste, and crackles the tops of the cookies a bit.
-Rice syrup works well, though may be considered slightly under-sweet by some. I happen to like under-sweet cookies, but if you don’t, opt for another choice.
-Brown sugar (light or dark) can also be used, though dough will be drier; be sure to flatten cookies prior to baking.
-A combination of the above sweeteners also works well; use what you have!
**Oil:
-Elana calls for grapeseed oil, but again, I often don’t have it in my pantry, so I’ve tried other oils, including canola, and melted coconut, both with good results. I generally use about three tablespoons of canola oil + 1 tablespoon of mild-flavored olive oil.
Thank you, thank you for this post!
I was fortunate to have Elana’s chocolate chip cookies, made and served by the great one herself. And they are simply the best I have ever had. But like you, I don’t keep agave or grapeseed oil on hand.
Using other oils isn’t problematic. But how nice to have a review of different sweeteners. I am a fan of sorghum syrup for pancakes and waffles. But I haven’t cared for it in Elana’s recipes I have tried. Dark brown sugar and honey are the sweeteners I use in baking the most often. Your post is a gem.
oh yum. thanks for sharing!
How have I not found your blog before!? I love it! And I really like that you included a guide for the different sweeteners here!
Yeah, I agree with Iris, and I’m bookmarking this just for the sweetener guide! This post also really makes me want to try a recipe with almond flour, even though I’m fine with gluten.
I really haven’t done enough stuff using ground almonds. These cookies look fantastic!
Excellent note! Though I usually have plenty of agave on hand- I also prefer a different sugar/honey mixture so the cookies aren’t so darn flat, as I also change the sugars in some of Elana’s other recipes- your notes are so helpful and right on and your pictures are gorgeous (I’m feeling a little better and some food looks good again, yayyy!).
Wow, first time on your site and what a great kept secret it is. It is late tonight, but tomorrow I am going to be looking around here. One question though, what are the amounts when converting agave to brown sugar?
Thank you for your kind words, and, welcome!
As for your question, I can’t speak for other recipes, but in this one I replace the agave with the same amount of brown sugar (1/4 cup). I hope this helps!
Toasted coconut (unsweetened) is a great add in for a chocolate chip cookie.
Hi!!!! Thanx for passing by my blog!!!!
Im always looking for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe (who isnt!?) and so far, I really dig The Chewy from Alton Brown. It MUST be bread flour tho!, MUST!!!! >.<
Hi there, wanted to let you know that your post led me to pregnancy craving this and I’ve made 4 batches in the last week (shared some)! I wanted to mention that for me, it works best by lightly packing the almond flour – too tight and you need to add more oil and/or agave, too loose and they’re too wet and flat! So, lightly packing the almond flour and using 1/8 cup agave nectar and 1/8 cup brown sugar is my favorite method. Also, it works best for me when I pack the small cookie scoop tightly with the dough – and then press it down a little like you mentioned.
After 4 batches in a week, albiet small batches, I’m done for awhile!
I have a fresh bag of Honeyville in the cupboard and have to try this!!
These look wonderful! I am definitely going to try them, thanks for sharing!
Hi, I just found your blog while I was jonesing for some chocolate chip cookies and looking for a recipe! I recently got Elana Amsterdam’s cookbook, and I love her chocolate chip cookies, which I made last week. Today I followed your half-recipe, and I added mashed banana (one), cut back a little on the agave nectar (I thought they were a tad too sweet last time) and also added some unsweetened, shredded coconut. They are delicious!
I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. I don’t have celiac disease, but I am gluten-intolerant and love to experiment with gluten-free baking.