almond butter cookies on a sheet of parchment paper

When the craving for a cookie strikes, let these three-ingredient Flourless Almond Butter Cookies come to your immediate rescue. In a half-hour with just a few minutes of prep time, you can have these deliciously chewy, flavorful, sweet and salty treats ready to enjoy right away. Plus, they’re freezer-friendly, so you can have fresh-baked cookies in your life at a moment’s notice!

Flourless Almond Butter Cookies Recipe

I remember first hearing of the term “emergency cookies” from Christina Lane’s first cookbook, Dessert for Two, regarding these peanut butter cookies, and that term has stuck with me ever since. Because, you guys, it is so REAL. There are times when emergency cookies are 100% necessary, and in those times, I want to have a cookie in hand and I want it now.

These flourless almond butter cookies are joining the ranks of emergency cookies. Let us celebrate by baking them, shall we?

Here is what you need to know about these cookies:

  • They’re soft and chewy.
  • They’re full of rich, caramelly, almond-y flavor.
  • They are equal parts sweet and salty.
  • They’re gluten-free and dairy-free.
  • They’re made with just THREE ingredients (four, if you desire the sprinkling of salt on top).
  • They are freezer-friendly (meaning you can bake them and eat them literally whenever you want).
  • They prep in 20 minutes (15 minutes of which is hands-off time) and are ready to eat in just over 30 minutes.

If any/all of the above doesn’t whet your whistle, then I don’t know what will. I know I’m already drooling.

flourless almond butter cookies stacked on parchment paper

Ingredients You’ll Need for Almond Butter Cookies

I hesitate to even make a section of this post about the ingredients needed for this recipe, because it’s really that simple. But let’s break it down and talk some details, because they’re important!

  • Almond butter: Make sure you use unsweetened, no-salt-added almond butter, aka, the kind where “almonds” are listed as the sole ingredient. If you only have sweetened or salt-added almond butter on hand, you can use it, but the cookies might be a little sweeter or saltier than intended. I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar in this case, because the sugar is needed to make soft and chewy cookies.
  • Brown sugar: You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar here (the difference between the two is how much molasses is included), or if you don’t have brown sugar, you can use granulated sugar instead. You won’t get as much of a caramelly flavor, but the cookies will still be extremely delicious.
  • Egg: Just one egg’ll do ya! And make sure it’s a large egg — not extra-large, jumbo, small, medium, or literally any other size besides large.
  • Salt: If you’re a sweet-salty food fiend like yours truly, the sprinkle of coarse salt on top of these cookies is EVERYTHING. I love to use a kiss of Maldon salt on my cookies, but Himalayan pink salt or coarse sea salt works well, too.

How to Make Flourless Almond Butter Cookies

Again, it’s almost silly to explain how to make these cookies because I’m pretty sure my four-year-old could make them herself (with Mommy’s help re: the oven, OBVIOUSLY, I am not a monster), but ANYWAY. It’s always good to review. So! Here is how we do:

  • Step One: Mix together the almond butter, brown sugar and egg until a cohesive dough forms.
  • Step Two: Shape the dough into dough mounds on a lined baking sheet. Press into rounds with a crisscross shape on top using fork tines.
  • Step Three: Sprinkle tops of cookies with salt, then freeze for 15 minutes.
  • Step Four: Bake cookies in oven until golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets.
  • Step Five: Eat the cookies.

How to Freeze Flourless Almond Butter Cookies

What I love about these cookies is that, once you’ve made the dough, you can freeze the cookie dough mounds and bake them any time emergency cookies are needed. To freeze: Once you’ve shaped the cookies into mounds and pressed them with a fork, place them in the freezer on a baking sheet to freeze almost completely (about 30 minutes). Then, transfer cookies to a resealable plastic bag and freeze, up to 3 months, until ready to bake. You can bake them right from frozen, allowing a few extra minutes of bake time since they’re fully frozen.

almond butter cookies on a surface with a bite taken out of one cookie

Can I Use Peanut Butter Instead?

Sure can! I 100% recommend using a natural peanut butter (again, with “peanuts” as the sole ingredient), as any additions of sugar, salt or oil may affect the outcome of these cookies.

Can I Use Crunchy Almond Butter?

Yes, yes! Feel free to use a natural crunchy almond butter in this recipe to give it some added texture; no other substitutions needed.

Can I Add Chocolate Chips?

Uh, YES. I recommend using mini chocolate chips in this recipe, since you’ll be pressing down the cookies, so they don’t bake into uneven shapes (but also if they do, who cares, because you’ll be devouring them ASAP anyway). I’d recommend adding no more than 1/2 cup chocolate chips to this recipe. Another option: Drizzling melted chocolate on top!

When you feel the inner cookie monster start to rage, never again be unprepared now that you know these emergency cookies exist.

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almond butter cookies on parchment paper

Flourless Almond Butter Cookies

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  • Author: Stephanie
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 32 minutes
  • Yield: 20 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Description

Three ingredients are all you need to make these chewy, flavorful, sweet and salty, flourless almond butter cookies!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (256g) unsweetened almond butter, well-stirred*
  • 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • coarse sea salt, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together almond butter and brown sugar until well mixed. Stir in egg until a dough forms. Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough into 1.5-tablespoon-size mounds (about 18 to 20 total); space evenly apart on prepared baking sheets. Use fork tines to press each mound down slightly, creating a crisscross shape on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt, if desired. 
  3. Freeze dough on baking sheet at least 15 minutes to firm up slightly. Bake one sheet at a time 12 to 14 minutes, or until cookies are set and golden brown on the edges. Cool completely on baking sheet before serving. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 7 days.

Notes

  • Recipe is adapted from Food52.
  • *For best results, make sure the almond butter is well-stirred with its natural oil before you measure it out for the recipe.
  • My favorite type of almond butter for this recipe is one that is made from just almonds — no added salt, sugar, etc. Target has a creamy almond butter like this!

More Gluten-Free Desserts!