These are super fast to whip up, keep your blood sugar running steady, and magically delicious. They’re also super portable which makes them easy to eat in the car if you tend to rush out the door in the mornings. They travel well, so I've actually made them to bring on trips to make sure I had food that would help me feel good, and the TSA agent who had me pull them out of my carry-on bag on my last flight told me he wished his wife would make homemade cookies.
Almond Flour does have carbs, but it also contains a lot of happy healthy keto fat. So if you are going hard(core) keto, these might not be the best choice for you, but they are a great choice for me. I choose to eat keto for balancing my energy (and emotions) more than body weight (which happens to be a great side benefit), so if you are focused on a more body-centric goal, just be mindful of the fact that almond flour does have more carbs than say, an omelet of cheese and eggs, or a coconut milk smoothie.
If you’re feeling creative, brave, or otherwise inspired, you can also add variety of your own creation to this base recipe. I’ve added hazelnuts, cinnamon, shredded coconut and slivered almonds in the version in the photo, which are all great for variety if these become a staple in your vegetarian keto lifestyle. I recently made a batch of the base recipe and got some props from my husband who appreciates the magic simplicity of butter and chocolate chips.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups almond flour (affordable at Trader Joe’s but Costco’s bulk bag is great value)
1/2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted. You can also use coconut oil (melted) if you prefer.
½ cup Erythritol(confectioner’s style, not granules). I buy Swerve from Amazon, Whole Foods stocks another brand, Truvia is Erythritolbut also contains Stevia which I personally don’t enjoy)
1-2 teaspoons vanilla
1 bar Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Lover’s chocolate bar (or other 3-4 oz dark chocolate bar). You could also use dark (unsweetened) chocolate chips, but the Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Lover’s bar is so inexpensive (under $2!) that I buy a ton of them and use them for cooking. Just check to make sure your chocolate contains as little sugar as possible (no milk chocolate for keto cooking!)
TO MAKE
Set your oven to 350F. Line your baking pan with foil or parchment paper for faster cleanup.
Melt your butter in the microwave and allow it to cool a bit.
Meanwhile, mix your dry ingredients: Almond flour, baking soda, baking powder and a pinch of salt. If you want to experiment with cinnamon, for example, you’d add it here since it’s a dry ingredient.
Now that the butter has cooled, add your Swerve (or other erythritol sweetener) and vanilla, and mix. Then add your eggs and beat. Adding the eggs last means that the hot butter doesn’t cook them in the mixing bowl.
Mix your wet ingredients into the dry bowl and blend well.
Next, smash up your chocolate bar. The Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Lover’s bar is perfect for me because it actually comes with two thin bars in the box, which are thinner and wrapped in plastic rather than foil. I use both bars in the box for this recipe. If your chocolate bar is wrapped in plastic, you can smash it with a meat tenderizer – don’t do this if you have a bar wrapped in foil because you’ll end up with foil stuck to the chocolate.
Once smashed, mix your chocolate into the batter. If you’re adding nuts or coconut, mix them in at this stage.
Next, roll up the batter in little balls, place each ball on your baking sheet, and flatten slightly. Aside from a little chocolate melt, they tend to retain their shape thanks to the almond flour, so shape them according to how you like your cookies. This recipe tends to make me about nine to 12 cookies of about 1/3 cup batter each according to my highly accurate eyeball measurements. ;)
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or however long it takes for them to brown a little but not burn. Ovens vary so keep an eye on them! These cookies freeze well, so you can save them and thaw overnight when packing keto treats to go or planning ahead for the next day. Enjoy!