These soft and chewy maple almond butter cookies are naturally sweetened and made healthier with whole grains!
When I first started baking in a healthier way, I baked many horribly textured cookies. Really, they were just awful. These maple almond butter cookies were the first cookies that were actually successful, and after two years of experimenting, they’re still fantastic!
When I make this recipe, I only make half the recipe because using 1/2 cup of maple syrup on cookies just kills me. A liter of maple syrup costs $27 here. And I prefer to consume my maple syrup on a spoon. We even call it my medicine. Sad? Not feeling well? My husband brings me a teaspoon of my “medicine” and I always feel a little better. Or perhaps just happier. ;) It’s ridiculous, I know.
Almond butter can also be expensive, but not if you make your own! Here’s my recipe for maple cinnamon almond butter. It’s great in these cookies, on bread, or you know – on a spoon straight from the jar.
These almond butter cookies also seem to be quite forgiving. I forgot to halve the oil and couldn’t just add more of the other ingredients because I didn’t have any almond butter left, and so I ended up adding way too much flour. They still worked out! And if you’re an almond hater like me, you can replace the almonds with something else. I only added them because they look nice.
You can’t tell from the picture, but these are soft and kind of chewy. They have a really nice texture!
Right now I like them with maple extract. Sometimes I like them with almond extract. But definitely use one of those and not vanilla! They need something to help lessen the whole grain taste. Unless of course you enjoy that. :)
I haven’t tried this, but I’m pretty sure you could turn these almond butter cookies into peanut butter cookies. Just use peanuts instead of almonds (or leave them out completely) and vanilla instead of almond or maple extract.
Maple Almond Butter Cookies (100% whole grain, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 20 cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (about 125 grams) almond butter
- 1/2 cup (120ml) maple syrup (use Grade B instead of Grade A for a more pronounced maple syrup)
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) canola oil
- 1 teaspoon maple or almond extract
- 1 cup (130 grams) whole spelt or whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (about 85 grams) chopped almonds
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- In a large bowl, mix the almond butter, maple syrup, oil and extract until well blended.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the almonds and stir just until combined. Let sit for five minutes.
- Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and place on Silpat or a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Flatten to about 1/3 of an inch.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool and then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Adapted from sweet + natural
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58 comments on “Maple Almond Butter Cookies (vegan, 100% whole grain, dairy-free)” — Add one!
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Do you think I could use normal unsalted butter in place of almond butter?
Unfortunately not. They’re not interchangeable. Sorry about that!
Great recipe, really good taste wise. The only issue I had is they didn’t seem to rise enough. Any suggestions to fix that? I love the spelt flour, but maybe mixing it with another type of flour would help with the rise, but I kind of like the idea of only using spelt but perhaps increasing the amount of baking soda or adding baking powder.
Hello! I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment. You could try adding 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder. I think that’d probably work. :) They’re not really supposed to rise and be fluffy but I’ve never found them to be compact. So I’m wondering, did you make any changes at all to the recipe? That might explain the issue!
This has been my favorite recipe for years! It turns out perfectly every time. My whole family loves the cookies. They have a great flavor and texture. Thanks so much for the recipe, Erin!
You’re welcome! I’m glad that you like them so much. Thanks for your feedback (and sorry for my slow reply!).
Delish! I just made these, but I used butter in stead of canola oil b/c I didn’t have the oil. Very moist and I’m definitely making these again! Great with coffee too:)
I’m glad that you enjoyed them! It’s good to know that butter works well. :) Thanks for your comment!
This might just be the cookie we could have in this restricted diet period, if we could sub a non-wheat/spelt flour! Do you think oat, rice, millet, quinoa, or buckwheat flour would work? Or a combo of them? I’ll experiment but thought I’d draw on your experimental expertise in case you’ve already tried.
Hey there! :) The flours you listed aren’t interchangeable with wheat or spelt. It could work, but like you said, it would require some experimenting which I haven’t done. Sorry I don’t have a better answer for you!
I don’t have whole wheat flour… I see that you don’t recommend coconut flour … what about almond flour or just regular white baking flour?
Unfortunately, nuts flours aren’t interchangeable with non-nut flours. Regular all-purpose flour would work well, though. :)
and I didn’t use any extracts..just added a little bit of cinammon.smelled so good
Mmm! That sounds delicious. I’ll have to try that!
I haven’t made many healthy cookies but this must be the best healthy cookie ever.it was so delicious even before baking it, I couldn’t stop eating unbaked dough!
I used honey because I can’t find maple syrup where I live(I love to know how it’s taste is).and put a few chocolate chips on top..just incredibly amazing.thanks for recipe
I’m so happy that they came out well for you! Honey sounds like a nice change. :) And so are chocolate chips. Thanks so much for the feedback and sorry for my slow reply!
These cookies were literally amazing! My boyfriend was visiting from out of town and I was looking for a simple dessert with maple syrup (he’s Canadian haha) and this was perfect! He raved about them for days :) Thank you!
Haha. I love that you made him something maple flavored so he would feel at home. ;) I’m so happy you all liked them and thanks a ton for your feedback!
Thanks for the great recipe! I came across it a few months ago, and have made it twice. I did add an egg, and in the last batch, about 2/3 tsp. of cinnamon. Rather than rolling balls, I used a small scoop–a more uniform solution for me. My husband says they’re the best cookies I’ve ever made.
I’ll have to try these with an egg! It sounds great, especially with the added cinnamon. I’m so happy that you and your husband enjoyed the cookies so much! Thanks for the feedback. :)
I made these, exactly as written, a few years ago and I have been hooked on this blog ever since. These are delicious.
Thank you for coming back to leave feedback on a recipe that you made a few years ago. I certainly appreciate it! And I’m happy to read that you’re hooked on the blog. I guess I’m doing my job! ;)
hey, erin!
your recipe’s just great!!!
replaced the almond butter with peanut and the almonds with dark chocolate buds, turned out to be the best thing I’ve ever baked (according to my dad)
looking forward to try some of your other posts as well..
keep up the good work ;)
Wow, that sounds great. :) I’ve been meaning to try these with peanut butter for ages! I’m happy you and your dad liked them and thanks so much for the feedback. :)
I have been looking for a long time to find a tasty and healthy cookie recipe and I have found it.
I am thrilled to bake without sugar and I shall try some of the other recipes on the website.
Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m so happy that you liked the cookies! I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes you try. :) Thanks for the feedback!
What can I use instead of Canola oil? Don’t like the fact that it is so unhealthy for the body…
/Love
Btw they look awesome :)
You could use olive oil but if you use extra-virgin, you’ll be able to taste it. Someone in the comments used coconut oil and said that it worked out, so you could try that! I haven’t tried it myself though, so I can’t guarantee anything. Good luck! :)
All right I will try that. Thank you for the wery quick respons. :)
No problem! Happy to help. :)
Hi Erin! Greetings from Munich! ;)
I used your recipe as an inspiration how to use up some leftover roasted almond butter and the cookies turned out SO GOOD.
I omited the oil, added just 100ml of maple syrup, used a mixture of whole spelt flour and spelt oats and made half of the cookies with 80% dark chocolate. :) Thanks for your recipe!
Anja
Spelt oats?! I didn’t know that those were even a thing! I’ll have to look for them. Your changes sound amazing. So happy that you liked them and thanks a ton for the feedback. :)
You are living in Germany right? I used these http://www.rinatura.de/produkte/getreide-vollkornerzeugnisse/produkt/vollkorn-dinkelflocken.html and I got them at REWE :)
Oh, neat! Thanks so much. I go to Rewe every week. I’ll have to get some! :)
Could you use almond flour or coconut flour for these?
I’m afraid not. :( They’re totally different and require different amounts of moisture. I’ll try to come up with a grain-free maple cookie, though!
I used apple sauce instead of oil, pine nuts instead of almonds, and added dried cranberries. Deeelcious. My whole family loved them.
Olive oil is fine, flavor wise, if you use "light" olive oil. Also, I subbed apple sauce for the oil, and it worked great! I used pine nuts in lieu of almonds, since that is what I had and dried cranberries! Delicious. My 16 month old approved too.
Cailey – I usually bake with olive oil when I think the flavor won't shine through, but I wouldn't feel confident about making these cookies with it. Unless you like the taste of olive oil. Good luck!
Can the canola oil be replaced with olive oil? I've heard that canola oil is the unhealthiest of the oils.
Kt – Thanks a bunch! Your changes sound excellent. From you and the other reviewers, it seems like this recipe can stand a big amount of change. That's good to hear. :) I'm so happy you enjoyed them and thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Loved, loved, loved this! Thanks for sharing. I made mine with raw creamy almond butter, raw organic coconut oil, and fresh ground hard white wheat(I have a grain mill). I left out the almond chunks for my little ones. I am suspicious of maple extract being made of chemicals, so I went with half organic almond extract and vanilla. Mine came out fairly flat, but tasted sooo good. It's a keeper!
Anon – Wow, thanks a lot for spending the time to leave that really helpful feedback. I normally use olive oil in everything but was afraid of using it in these. It's good to know that it works! I love the changes you made. It certainly makes them more interesting. :) I'm so happy that it worked out for you and thanks again for leaving feedback!
I took a chance and made these- doubling the recipe with tiny tweaks. I used olive oil (didnt have canola), added 1 cup of semi sweet chips (this is for the doubled version), 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon (could've used a bit more), I split the extracts (1 teaspoon of maple, 1 teaspoon of almond), added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, 1/4 cup of raw cashews (had some leftover). I wouldn't normally have used wheat flour but had none, couldn't find my fave brand so I used Bob's Red Mill brand organic whole wheat pastry flour. I let the dough sit in the fridge for about 15 mins so I could handle balling. Family were the first testers and it passed. Brought some into work and I haven't been fired (laugh)- also passed. I think next time around I will use unsweetened coconut flakes.. but this was an excellent recipe! Thank you so much!!
I'm so happy that you tried them! We also like that they're not too sweet. It's good to know that coconut oil works. And if vanilla worked out, that's great! I just think they taste even better with a different extract. Thank you so much for the feedback! I really appreciate that you took the time to share your results. :)
Very reminiscent of the texture of a peanut butter sugar cookie. We really enjoyed them. I just had the last few for after breakfast dessert haha. Thank you for this recipe. I am def keeping it and will do variations of it in the future!
Hi!
I made this recipe last night for my bf and I after bookmarking it on tastespotting awhile back. It was last min. I'm 5 months preg and craving sweets like crazy so I love the idea of a healthier alternative. I also bake and cook with whole wheat and whole grains and healthy oils. I personally prefer the taste of the whole wheat or whole grains. White flour is so bland to me, so this was def a recipe for me.
I used whole wheat flour and added about 1/4 cup of ground flax. I subbed coconut oil for butter and walnuts or almonds because that's what I have on hand and they're healthier anyways. I didn't have the extracts either and used vanilla (before reading the "don't use vanilla" lol).
The cookies came out great. They weren't too sweet, which we like and had a nice flavor due to the mix of maple syrup and almond butter. They had a nice texture too.
EM – Wow, you even have a blog devoted to maple recipes! I think you'd like these cookies. :) I've got to say though, the maple taste isn't strong, especially if you don't use the extract.
I put maple in nearly everything and have yet to make cookies like these. They look great! I can't wait to give'm a try.
I hope you love them! Please let me know if you do (or don't!).
These look so good! I LOVE how simple and healthy they are :) Will be making soon!
Anonymous – I hope you're enjoying them! The lack of maple extract is weird. And sad. It's really great in cream cheese frosting, so if you ever come across some, get it!
I also found you through TasteSpotting, and I have your cookies in the oven right now. I can't wait for them to come out!! (I can't find maple extract either, and I live in DC….so I have a Dean&Deluca;, Balduccis, Whole Foods, etc….)
Erin – Thanks! Let me know how they turn out. I hope you love them! :)
These look amazing. These have all of my favorite things – and I just bought a bottle of maple syrup. Can't wait to make these! (Found you through TasteSpotting)
Thanks Caroline! I was just lazy with those almonds. They were supposed to be chopped but I guess it doesn't really matter.
Miryam – me too with the honey. But maple syrup tastes sooo good. And maple extract is my favorite extract! I add some to cream cheese frosting when I make carrot, spice, or pumpkin cake. I asked my mother to bring me some more and she wrote me yesterday to say that none of the stores she's visited has had it. Adam's Extract still has it on their site, so it must be sold somewhere.
The cookies aren't grainy at all, it's just that I dislike the whole grain taste. You know, that healthy taste. Yuck!
Wow, I didn't know maple syrup was so expensive there. It is pretty expensive here that is why I try to use honey rather that maple syrup.
I have actually never came across maple extract but now I will look for it.
Judging by the ingredient list in this recipe I bet these cookies taste wonderful. I couldn't probably taste any grainy texture, I am so use to whole grain food my palate wouldn't even notice :-)
I love the texture on these and the whole pieces of almonds. Just beautiful Erin! :-)