I’m pretty stoked about these cookies.
White chocolate has always been my thing, but I don’t eat it very often because you can’t even pretend it’s remotely healthy. I think the last time I had it was around Easter time, when my parents gave us this “wedding cake” Easter egg (really, the flavors get weirder every year).
The “egg” was really just a pile of sugar that passed for a creamy center covered in another pile of sugar that passed for a white chocolate crust. And it was so tasty.
So, I kind of swore off white chocolate for a while because that egg thing was so rich.
And come on, at least when it’s the dark variety, it’s somewhat healthy with all of those antioxidants… at least that’s what I tell myself.
About a week, ago I got a craving for a white chocolate macadamia cookie, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. That is, until I went to the grocery store and realized how crazy expensive the macadamia nuts were.
I scrapped that idea. But the white chocolate I could do, so I walked out of the store with a bag of white chocolate chips, and a cucumber. Gotta keep those priorities straight.
And then, somewhere along the line I decided that these cookies should be gluten free, so enter the almonds and oats! It went from there, and this recipe started to come together.
If you use store-bought oat flour, these will have a bit more of a traditional cookie texture.
If you grind it yourself, they will have a lot more texture in general, which is what you see in the photos here. So much texture! I made them both ways, and I really can’t say which I like better. They are both great.
I’d also like to note that I also forgot to add the flax seed when I made one of my early attempts at these. Surprisingly, they worked!
The batter spread out a bit while they baked since I left out the egg substitute that helps to give vegan cookies their structure, but they held together just fine (if not quite as well as the flax-containing versions).
On a more serious note, these are almost fit to eat for breakfast. There is no added processed sugar (except that in the white chocolate chips, but let’s not talk about those…) and they are sweetened with just a half cup of pure maple syrup.
The oat flour and almond meal provide lots of fiber and protein and heart-healthy fats, and everything else provides a lot of deliciousness. All in all, healthier with far fewer empty calories than you’ll find in most early-morning treats.
I won’t judge you if you eat them for breakfast. Really. I did. (Don’t tell AJ.)
PrintGluten-Free White Chocolate Almond Cookies
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies 1x
Description
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1/4 cup vegan margarine (or unsalted butter for a non-vegan version)
- 1/4 cup unsalted almond butter
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups oat flour
- 1 1/3 cups almond flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup vegan white chocolate chips (or regular- note that they typically contain milk)
Instructions
- Combine the ground flax seed and water in a small bowl, whisk together, and set aside for about 10 minutes to make a flax egg.
- Melt the margarine in a large bowl and beat in the almond butter with a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Add the maple syrup and vanilla, then stir in the flax egg. Mix well.
- Pile the remaining dry ingredients on top of the wet, then mix together with a large spoon until evenly moistened. The batter will be a bit more wet than what you are used to for cookies, but if it seems excessively wet, you can add another tablespoon or two of oat flour (this can be due to the consistency of the grind).
- Fold in the white chocolate chips, then let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
- While the batter rests, preheat the oven to 350°F. Drop the batter 2 inches apart in heaping tablespoons onto a silpat-lined or parchment-covered baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes, until just barely golden on the bottom. Let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 13 mins
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Baked Goods
Keywords: Cookies, Gluten Free, Vegan, Almond, White Chocolate, oat
If you love cookies and want more gluten-free options, be sure to check out some of our other recipes such as:
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip
- Gluten-Free Soft Gingers
- Lemon Almond Coconut
- Gluten-Free Oatmeal Monsters
- Cinnamon Coconut Flour
Did you make a batch of these? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and please give the recipe a rating as well.
Don’t forget to Pin It!
Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on August 6th, 2014. Last updated: March 6, 2020 at 17:05 pm.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).