These cookies are my new preferred chocolate chip cookie, even though there isn’t anything traditional about them. The all brown sugar dough creates a very chewy cookie with deep caramelization notes. It also has a whole tablespoon of cinnamon, which paired with the almonds, creates a dynamic and unique flavor profile. The cinnamon hits you first, but then the depth of the brown sugar and the toasted almonds comes through, with the chocolate and almond chunks to finish everything off. The splash of vanilla brings everything together to make the cookies familiar and comforting, despite the atypical combination.
This is cookie was inspired by a punchy ginger and black pepper hazelnut cookie by Nik Sharma and the classic Zimtsterne (German cinnamon stars made from hazelnuts commonly found around Christmas time). I was hoping to make Nik Sharma’s cookies but ran into a lot of issues: 1) I didn’t have hazelnuts and wasn’t about to go source them in the middle of a pandemic 2) even without the pandemic, hazelnuts are expensive and definitely out of budget and 3) my parents who were the main eaters are not too fond of “crazy” flavors in their baked goods (they literally balked at the idea of black pepper in cookies). To meet the demands of my family members and spare my budget, I modified the recipe to include almond meal and based the flavor on cinnamon and vanilla instead. I initially made a half batch to test the recipe, and they were an instant hit. They even passed the muster to make over Christmas this year and basically before any road trip since they keep so well and taste even better the next day.
This recipe makes 1 dozen cookies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (355 g) almond flour
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup chopped almonds
Directions
- In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, dark brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon
- In a small, microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in 20 second increments until the butter is fully melted
- Add the butter to the almond flour mixture and add the egg and vanilla
- Stir the batter together. It may seem like the dough is not coming together, but give it a minute. It’s helpful to use a rubber spatula or sealed wooden spoon since the cookie dough is sticky. Add chocolate chips and almonds at the very end.
- Cover the bowl, transfer to a container, or wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 day. If planning to bake later, store well wrapped in the freezer for up to 3 months and thaw for approximately 4 hours in the refrigerator before baking.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 F. Line 2 cookie sheets (preferably heavy bottomed) with silicone mats or parchment paper. Scoop, slice, or tear 1 heaping tablespoon of cookie dough and roll into a ball and slightly flatten in your palm to form a disk. Repeat for the remaining cookie dough and place at least 1 inch apart on the cookie trays. If the cookie dough is no longer cool to touch when you’ve finished, place the cookie disks back into the fridge for approximately 10 minutes or into the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Bake for 15 minutes rotating and flipping the sheets halfway through the baking time. The bottoms of the cookies should be golden brown when done, though it may be hard to tell the dough itself off light brown. The cookies will not be fully set when they come out of the oven, but should you should be able to check the bottoms without the cookie falling apart. Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie tray to allow them to fully set before moving to a cooling rack.
Notes
I prefer to go by the weight of the flour rather than the volume, because the weight can vary +/- 20 grams very easily based on how packed the almond flour is. If you use the volume, measure using the same method as you would for AP flour (spoon into measuring cup rather than scoop directly with the cup). Keep this in mind If you swap the almond flour out for another nut flour, since it will likely have the same issue.
The texture and shape of these cookies can vary wildly based on the coarseness of the almond flour. This means that you make get a very beautiful crinkly and flat cookie or you may get a domed cookie. This may also effect the texture because the height of the cookie impacts the baking time, which means some batches may be chewier while others more crispy (though I do love dipping the crispy cookies into my cup of afternoon tea, and I hear coffee and milk work deliciously too). I’ve found that Kirkland almond flour creates the beautiful crinkly cookies while Blue Diamond almond flour creates domed cookies. In theory, the finer the flour, the more domed they will be. Regardless of the cookie shape and texture, they are still absolutely delicious, and I hope you enjoy them!
Feel free to experiment with the flavors in the cookies. Cardamom or more vanilla in place of cinnamon could be heavenly. My approach to figure out the right amount is to mix in the spice or herb with all of the flour called for in a given recipe and smell the flour (safely). If it smells sufficiently like the spice or herb, then I know the finished product will also taste like it.
These cookies will keep for at least a week if stored in an air-tight container. The chewiness will vary day by day, but like I said above, whether they are crispy or chewy, they still taste delicious.