These Salted Dark Chocolate Chunk & Almond Cookies are thick, chewy, flavorful and possibly a little addicting… Using the best combination of ingredients for the most amazing texture and flavor, plus no chilling required!
So I’m just going to come right out and say it: I was a little apprehensive about sharing this recipe with you all… This clearly isn’t my first cookie recipe on the blog. After all, that is truly how I fell in love with baking. But the recipe (as written) does include an ingredient I’ve realized I have yet to introduce to you here: all-purpose flour. (cue gasps)
Now of course to some, this is not a huge deal. But for me, who often sees the world in black & white, it was a little bit of a struggle to be OK with sharing such a recipe with you all. Being a healthy food blog, all-purpose flour is definitely not my go-to. Whole wheat white flour has actually been a great alternative, but it doesn’t ALWAYS cut it.
Before I started sharing on this little space with you, I thought my blog would be solely “clean eating”, whatever that means, because I “needed a niche”. Well, “clean eating” and “healthy eating” and almost everything in between… they’re all very relative aren’t they? But to me once I labeled something (in this case, all-purpose flour) as “unhealthy”, it had no place in my blog recipes, even if I used the ingredient occasionally while making other recipes for personal use.
But I’m a very “what you see is what you get” kind of person. So it is just not in me to share something with you all that isn’t true to me. And sometimes all-purpose flour is a little bit ME. Sometimes I need that ingredient to make the best cookies, or brownies, especially when it comes to baking for others. This blog is a reflection of what I eat and love to make, and of course share with you all in hopes of inspiring you to find your healthy way of eating (and living).
YOUR healthy way of living is obviously going to differ from mine. For me, that means eating a variety of foods… mostly plants, a little bit of meat, some dairy, grains, etc. I do like to pay attention to where my foods are coming from if I can, but that’s a personal preference. I am fortunate enough that I don’t have any major food issues or sensitivities. And until I can pinpoint something wrong, or have the patience to fully uncover a possible underlying issue, I’m going to continue eating a variety of good, wholesome foods…
And then of course balance my diet with delicious treats, which includes these.
Salted Dark Chocolate & Almond Cookies
Here’s what you need
- whole wheat white flour
- unbleached all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- butter
- coconut oil
- dark brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- egg
- vanilla
- almonds
- dark chocolate
For the chocolate, I used “Sea Salt Soiree” from Ghirardelli-mostly likely found in the chocolate bar/candy aisle of the grocery store, but any high-quality dark chocolate may be used.
The thing about these cookies is that I’ve been testing them for quite some time now. I’ve made them before with:
- all butter
- half butter/half coconut oil
- all whole wheat white
- an extra egg yolk
- different sugar ratios
But the recipe as written yielded my favorite texture, without a doubt. I feel like I would be doing you a disservice by NOT sharing my favorite way. Plus I take my cookie baking VERY seriously.
These cookies are thick, chewy, with slightly crisp edges (thank you butter), and have a wonderful rich flavor also thanks to the dark brown sugar.
Some quick baking tips for this recipe
- In order to get thick cookies that don’t spread flat, softened butter is key. Melting your butter is a big no-no, UNLESS the recipe calls for it.
- Then you’re also going to want use softened coconut oil, with a room temperature egg. A room temperature egg will ensure your coconut oil does not solidify while combining the rest of your ingredients. To soften your coconut oil, try placing it in a bowl of warm water for about 3-5 minutes. Be sure to check out more notes in the recipe page below.
All in all this is a pretty standard cookie recipe, and is without a doubt my go-to when making cookies for friends and family 🙂
Salted Dark Chocolate & Almond Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 8 mins
- Total Time: 18 mins
- Yield: 24 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These Salted Dark Chocolate Chunk & Almond Cookies are thick, chewy, flavorful and possibly a little addicting… Using the best combination of ingredients for the most amazing texture and flavor, plus no chilling required!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat white flour
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour*
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
- 2/3 cup almonds, chopped
- 1 3.5oz bar dark chocolate, chopped (I used this)
- coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a medium bowl add both flours, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until combined, set aside.
- In a large bowl using hand mixer or paddle attachment of stand mixer, cream together butter, coconut oil, and sugars, until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until combined.
- Add in dry ingredients slowly, on low-medium speed until dough comes together. Using large wooden spoon, stir in chopped almonds and dark chocolate chunks.
- Using large cookie scoop (or rounded tablespoon) scoop dough balls and place on prepared cookie sheets, leaving about 3-4 inches of room between. –I like to space my cookie dough in alternating rows of 2 and 3, to make sure there is enough room for the cookies to spread a little.
- Sprinkle cookie dough with coarse sea salt and bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring to wire rack to cool completely, adding more salt if you wish.–To keep cookies chewy, don’t bake longer than 10 minutes. Even if they look a little underdone, they will set upon cooling. If you prefer a crispier cookie, bake an extra 1-2 minutes.
Notes
*You may use all whole wheat white flour, instead of mixing the two flours, however your cookies will be slightly more bread-like in texture.
*You may use all butter instead of coconut oil, the texture of the cookies will only change slightly. I do NOT recommend using all coconut oil however. The cookies will likely turn out greasy and not hold up.
Cookies will keep fresh about 5 days in airtight container. Baked cookies may also be stored in the freezer, tightly wrapped and stored in airtight container, about 1-3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition information approximate
- Category: Dessert
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 172
- Sugar: 11
- Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Protein: 2
Keywords: cookies with almonds, healthier cookie recipes
Tools I Used
Large Cookie Sheet
Kitchenaid Mixer
Q: Do you allow room in your diet for “not-so-healthy” ingredients while baking or cooking at home?
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Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says
Salty-sweet anything makes me happy! I eat what makes me feel good and happy, so yeah I would say the “not-so-healthy” ingredients make their way into baked goods every now and then because I’m HUMAN! 🙂 Pinning this recipe!
★★★★★
Rachel says
These look TO DIE FOR.
Ashley says
Haha thanks Rachel!
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
I love this. I love this recipe and I love your reasoning behind using all purpose flour. I used to be the same way too… i.e. I was using coconut flour because I felt like I “had” to because it was “healthy”. ….except I’m not gluten free and it’s actually way easier to use whole wheat or all purpose. So, now I stay true to me, and I’m glad you’re doing the same! I think variety is good anyway. These cookies look SO SOFT AND CHEWY I need.
Erin @ Erin's Inside Job says
omg these look amazing. I want them all in every variation you tested 🙂
Pal says
Making these for Andy’s return, I believe. You need to make these for Harold. 🙂
Ashley says
He had some! He loved em 🙂 I made these at Josh’s, so him and Amber also enjoyed them 😉 Even Justin and Tori who claim to “not like dark chocolate” liked them. Little do they know I almost ALWAYS use either 60% ghirardelli chips or semi-sweet sooooo :-p They are just silly.
Pal says
SUCKAS. 😀
Pal says
UPDATE: Took me months to make these, obviously. But holy hell they were good. Nothing beats a regular freaking chocolate chip cookie. Tip about taking them out when they might not look done was key!
★★★★★
Ashley says
<3 yoouuuu :-D
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
We are twinning on the salted chocolate almond today!! SUCH a good flavor combination right? This salty-sweet perfection in cookie form is TOTS calling to me!
Beverley @ Born to Sweat says
personally, i’m pumped you used all purpose flour. SECRET – I use all purpose flour ALL THE TIME. And God damn it tastes good 😉 I bet this cookies are amazing. I’m so glad you stuck with you, and didn’t get caught up too heavily in the ‘healthy eating’ side of things.
Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday says
These are gorgeous, Ashley! I’m totally with ya in that I want my recipes to be healthy, but I also want them to be as good as they can be. Sometimes, I would be okay with a whole wheat/white whole wheat version, but it’s just BETTER with white flour. Sometimes, the flavor of butter totally beats the flavor of coconut/olive oil. “Healthy” is subjective and the stress we can create worrying about it is totally unhealthy. 🙂 Also, major props for using Sea Salt Soiree here – totally one of my favorite chocolate bars and I’m sure it’s to die for in these!
Emily says
Girl, I love that you did all purpose flour, because it is NOT a bad thing to use all purpose flour. Sometimes, you need it to make the perfect cookie, and it looks like you nailed a BEAUTIFUL cookie right here!
Ashley says
Thanks so much Emily 🙂
rachel @ athletic avocado says
the best cookies I’ve had are the ones made with real butter and all-purpose flour so I don’t blame ya for using those ingredients! One thing I know is that these cookies are 100x better than any “healthy” cookie out there and I’d rather eat one of these than 10 “healthy” versions!
Ashley says
Thank you Rachel! That means a ton, I appreciate the support 😀
Dani @ Dani California Cooks says
These honestly look…perfect. Thank you for all of your hard work and recipe testing!
Ashley says
Aw thank YOU Dani! 😀
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
oh my god these cookies are incredible! love the photos.
Ashley says
Thank you so much Thalia 😀
Kristy @ Southern In Law says
I definitely always leave room for “not so healthy” treats as I think a healthy diet is ALL about moderation and balance!
These cookies look perfect! xo
Ashley says
I agree Kristy! Thank you 😀
Les @ The Balanced Berry says
Your realness here is everything. I love that you’re keeping it 100 – all-purpose flour and all. Niche’s are boring (at least this is what I tell myself during my ADD blogging times) and we love seeing the real real of what you’re doing. And these cookies look amazing. That texture tho….<33333
Ashley says
Ahh thanks so much Les! I knew you’d understand. <3 XX
Christina @ The Blissful Balance says
I totally feel you on this. I started my blog off obviously as a ‘balance’, sharing a combination of healthy and indulgent, and whatever that means to me can be different to someone else. But I know that over the years I’ve gained some super clean-eating followers, so when I share my ‘indulgent’ eats, I always wonder how it will come across to them. It’s weird haha but I understand. These look so good I want them in and around my mouth.
Ashley says
Yes exactly! I am trying not to get caught up in all of those outside thoughts, because in the end we are just being true to ourselves, and sometimes that is all that counts. Thanks Christina 🙂 <3
Karly says
The perfect treat! Love every little bit (chunk) of these!!!
Ashley says
Thank you so much Karly 🙂
Cassie says
I definitely agree with you! Everyone’s definition of healthy is different and everybody has to accept each other’s choices! Anyhow, I think that you ultimately need to find balance in YOUR own lifestyle. You have to love what you do but you also have to be able to sustain it for a long time.
Anyways, these cookies look SO dangerous! The dark chocolate chunks and almonds are just calling my name in each little cookie!
Dana @ withbutterandlove says
YES! I cannot tell you how much I felt like that blogging and feeling like I couldn’t use certain ingredients because what would readers think, would people troll, etc. Everyone needs a cookie now and then! AMEN!
Ashley says
Thank you so much for sharing Dana! That means a lot <3 🙂
Michelle says
Hello!
I was just wondering what you would suggest flour-wise if I need to make these cookies gluten free?? They seriously look so amazing!!
Ashley says
Hi Michelle! Thanks for reaching out 🙂 So the only flour I would recommend subbing for this particular recipe would be like an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour. I know Bob’s Red Mill makes one. I haven’t tested this myself but as far as subbing wheat flour, I’ve had success with other recipes using that GF all-purpose blend. I would maybe start with just 1 1/2 cups of the GF flour and see how the texture of the dough is. It should be soft but not too sticky-basically it should be like normal cookie dough 🙂 hope that helps! Let me know if you give it a try!
Michelle says
I used 1 1/2 cup of gluten free 1:1 flour (what I happened to have was actually Bob’s Red Mill) and it worked perfectly!! They tuned out amazing. My siblings love them. Thank you!
Ashley says
Yay so glad it worked! Thanks so much for reporting back 🙂 and so happy they were enjoyed—my family loves these too 🙂
Ai Tris says
hi Ashley what will happen if I don’t use whole wheat flour? i don’t have any as of the moment
Is it ok to make it 2 cups all purpose flour?
Thanks for your recipes…
As for your question, regardless of the ingredients processed foods are not always healthy but we eat them because it’s good. Eating in moderation is key.
Just yesterday I saw some vegan donuts on sale, do you think that is still healthy? i think it’s still basically a donut 🙂
Ashley says
Hi there! You can use all purpose, you may end up just needing a 2-4 more TBS since whole wheat tends to absorb more than all-purpose.
And lol I definitely agree about a vegan donut! It is still a donut and probably not the most nutritiously dense if still using the standard oil-flour ratio. Vegan is not synonymous with “healthy” 🙂
Ai Tris says
Thanks Ashley!
I baked the cookies! 🍪🍪
They look yum! I’ll tag you on IG Stories!
I used Muscovado sugar hence its darker
Thank you for your recipes!! 👍🏼👌🏼👏🏼🙌🏼
Ai Tris says
OMG so good!
I just tried it
I used whole wheat flour
I didn’t use coconut oil though
I just added 3/4c muscovado sugar
No granulated
So good!! Thanks!!
Crunchy on the outside chewy on the inside
Ashley says
Awesome!! So glad they turned out for you 🙂 I saw the IG stories – thanks so much for sharing with me!
Angie says
Has anyone tried these with a vegan egg substitute? Which method do you think would work the best? I have flax, chia and aquafaba xoxoxox
Ashley says
Hi there Angie, I haven’t tried a vegan sub with these myself – but my best guess would be to use 2 flaxseed “eggs” 2 TBS flaxseed mixed with 6 TBS water and let sit until it gels. I am not sure the cookies will hold together as well but if you try it out I’d love to hear how it goes!
Cecilia says
Is there a way to make these gluten free?
Ashley says
I have not tried this exact recipe with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour (like Bob’s) but if you did you would likely need a little less (like 2-3 TBS less) and the texture may be a little different too. But overall it should produce similar results.
olivia says
I followed the recipe and it was a hit! A definite repeat – thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Glad you love them Olivia! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review! I really appreciate it 🙂