Flourless Double Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies with Hazelnuts + Sea Salt

For Day 5 (the last day!!) of Cookie Week I present to you: thick, fudgy, flourless chocolate cookies with a brownie-like interior and an almost outrageous amount of chocolate and hazelnuts folded into every bite.

The batter is comprised mainly of almond butter, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and an egg, which doesn’t seem like it would turn into cookies, and yet, here we are. Eating fudgy chocolate cookies, and not questioning the cookie magic that takes place when this batter hits the oven.

The best part about these cookies? Unlike many of the cookie recipes I’ve shared this week, these require absolutely no chilling before baking. Simply mix everything by hand in a bowl, scoop out the batter, and bake immediately.

Then, once they come out of the oven, we’re going to nestle a few extra pieces of chocolate into the tops of each cookie- just to be sure we have enough melty chocolate in every bite- and sprinkle on a generous pinch of flaky sea salt that transforms these from humble homemade treats into ones reminiscent of fancy bakery cookies.

Trust me, just a little flaky sea salt is like fairy dust for cookies.

Whether you’re looking for cookies that are flourless, or grain-free, or gluten-free, or dairy-free, or refined sugar free, or not, these perfectly gooey, ultra chocolatey little cookies are absolutely worthy of your holiday spread.

If you make them, be sure to leave a comment below letting me know what you think, or take a picture of them and share it with me on Instagram so I can see! 

Happy baking, friends! I hope you enjoyed cookie week, and that you’ll bake up something special for your friends and family (+ yourself!!) this holiday season!!

XO,

Chelsea

Flourless Double Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies with Hazelnuts + Sea Salt

Time: 30 minutes 
Yields: 16-18 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup all-natural almond butter (the kind that’s just almonds and salt, no added oil or sugar)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped toasted hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate, divided
• Flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Whisk together almond butter, maple syrup, egg, olive oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and stir to combine. Batter will be thick.
3. Set aside half of the chocolate to press into the tops of the cookies after baking, then stir in the remaining half of the chocolate and all of the hazelnuts.
4. Scoop cookie dough by the heaping Tablespoonful (I like to use a small cookie scoop to keep them all even) onto the sheet pan. These only spread about an inch, so you should be able to squeeze all 16ish cookies onto one pan. If not, Reserve the extra dough and bake the last few cookies on a separate sheet pan after removing the first batch from the oven.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just set around the edges and still soft in the middle. Press a few pieces of the reserved chocolate on top of each cookie, then sprinkle with a few pinches of flaky sea salt as soon as they come out of the oven, if desired.
6. These cookies hold their shape best if left to cool for at least 15 minutes on the pan before eating. Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days. 

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