Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookies

October 8, 2014

Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookies


I respect fellow bloggers and each person's choices.
I respect fellow bloggers that keep it real and honest all the time.
I respect fellow bloggers who donate their time and talents to publish beautiful pictures, wise words, great recipes and innovative ideas.
Fellow bloggers who educate, entertain and enlighten me daily.
I’m very proud of being part of this immense community, because it allows me to do something that I thought it was not possible to do: share my passions.
But today allow me to rant a little about something that is currently happening in the food blogosphere.
I just need to get it off my chest.
What’s up with these ridiculous brownies/cookies/bars/cupcakes, that seem to appear everywhere and that are basically an amalgam of multiple desserts smushed together?
Like cupcakes stuffed with cheesecake, topped with oreos, topped with refrigerated cookie dough, with some crunched up pretzels, topped with dulce de leche and sprinkle of caramel popcorn.
I’m not sure how this trend took off, but it’s a trend, and I don’t think it’s for the greater good.

Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookies
In all honesty, I find this “How many desserts can we mush together” concept unappealing, it’s like the turducken of dessert — and just like turducken, I’m not sure we need it. 
Maybe because I’m a simpleton that prefers to have a dessert he truly enjoys, and where he can  actually taste and appreciate the individual components, such as dark chocolate, butter, nuts, etc.
I do not like cronuts: can you imagine how I feel about an apple fritter cake topped with caramel popcorn or a Peanut Butter Cup and Oreo stuffed brownie cupcake with Root Beer syrup?
I guess my question is if there's really a need for these kind of desserts...
...I dunno...I really dunno.
Maybe I’m just becoming an old fart who’s losing contact with the new trends and that longs for the good old days, when cookies were cookies and brownies were brownies.
TheIronOldFart....how’s that sound?
Ha!


Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookies
Take these chocolate chunk almond butter cookies, for instance.
This is an honest and simple recipe for irresistibly fudgy chocolate cookies, where you actually taste the richness of the almond butter and the deepness of the chocolate.
Cookies that are delicious, healthy and can be whipped up in no time flat.
I would never trade one of these cookies for say a Peanut Butter Cup and Oreo stuffed brownie cupcake with Root Beer syrup (yes, I think I've been scarred for life by that mishmash.)
Because these cookies are so legit, words can’t describe.
My only advice is that you make them asap: only eight simple ingredients and 20 minutes stand between you some of the fudgiest chocolate cookies you’ve ever tested.

Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookies

Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookies                                                     Print this recipe!
Barely adapted from SunnySideUps

Ingredients
Yields 16 cookies

1 cup / 8.5 oz / 240 gr almond butter
½ cup / 3.5 oz / 100 gr raw coconut palm sugar*
1 large free-range organic egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup / 2.4 oz / 67gr coarsely chopped +70% dark chocolate

*if you don’t care about the paleo thing, you can use brown sugar.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and place a rack in the middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl lightly beat the egg. Add almond butter, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt and vanilla.
With a wooden spoon mix ingredients very well until combined. The dough will be very thick, that’s how it’s supposed to be.
Gently fold in chocolate chunks.
Scoop one heaping tablespoon of cookie dough and using your hands roll into a ball.
Place onto the lined baking sheets (place 8 balls on each baking sheet.)
Using a spatula, gently press down balls to form a more flat, circular cookie (the cookies will not spread much when baked.)
Bake, one baking sheet at a time, for 8 to 9 minutes - the cookies will look underbaked, that’s okay.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.
With the help of a spatula transfer cookies to a rack and let cool completely.

Nutrition facts

One cookie yields 119 calories, 10 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein.

51 comments:

  1. Did my first comment post? Lol I don't think it did. I was saying that I totally agree with you. Most of the time, I stick to the tried and true original chocolate chip cookie or something very basic even when presented with a ton of other options and concoctions in the bakeries. I get excited to see the choices but they overwhelm me!

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    1. To me it feels like they're just trying too hard. Sometimes it doesn't make any sense...

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  2. Dude, those look sooo good. I want/need at least a couple!

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  3. Love how simple these are to make Mike, they look incredible!

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  4. These look so much better than a turducken dessert. And I can easily make these at home without having to go get crazy ingredients. I'm saving this and making these babies later in can't imagine a better 3 pm pick me up on a Friday afternoon! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU. Keep it simple and delicious. When I'm splurging on a great dessert, I want to enjoy all the flavors in it - I don't need Oreos and Rolos and M&M's and Whatever competing for attention. Looks like a great recipe.

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  6. Bahahahaha! I literally sat at my computer and laughed out loud at this Mike, you're HILARIOUS! I think everyone is just trying to come up with the next 'big thing', which I guess means adding pretzels and cookie dough to everything?... I like the simple approach to food as well, especially the more I blog. I think it's important to refine recipes in the manner which is important to each person, whether it's eliminating sugar or grains, etc. These look like an awesome grain-free cookie buddy!

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  7. You are going to feel a deep urge to throw something ...starting now - I love all desserts - this so called "cupcakes stuffed with cheesecake, topped with oreos, topped with refrigerated cookie dough, with some crunched up pretzels, topped with dulce de leche" (minus the popcorn) has me drooling! While I know I wouldn't make it, I would gladly sample it anytime ..so how's that urge...don't fight it...just pick up a handful of these and throw em ...wait...can you make sure you happen to be flying over my house when you throw 'em? :)
    Almond butter and chocolate flourless cookies are some of my favs - and these are no exception - awesome photos Mike!

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    1. Shashi, Shashi, Shashi....between the beets and the trashy desserts, how come you and I are still friends. Sometimes I wonder...
      ;)

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  8. Ha! My youngest can make a mean oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie. LOL Her friends love them, she however thinks they are sugar overload. She rarely eats her creations...just makes them at the request of friends. We really love a good old tried and true cookie recipe.

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    1. So basically your youngest is fattening up her friends....smart move on her part to be the prettiest girl in school. Ha!

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  9. only because I am short on available time, right now, I can at least just comment on the intro to your SPOT ON, FULLY JUSTIFIABLE RANT, that, by the way SOMEONE had to do!! {as minor background} some days i feel like i want to start my own food writing forum, buy a nice useful camera and shoot the heck outta some sick cupcakes and so forth, but then i open up my in box and get your beautiful photos and amazing thoughts, and think to myself, "huh. well, that solves that dilemma. He's already read my mind and penned my thoughts!" So, hats off to you, bud! And you are totally right, those disgusting "creations" that are posted, they are bad name to all that is pure...

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    1. *fist bump* Andrea, you and I are on the same wavelength (and btw you should totally buy a camera start a forum and rant like there's no tomorrow!)

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  10. Chocaholic here, will definitely be trying these out!

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  11. The turducken of desserts,classic! There is a bit of a root beer syrupy willy wonka on crack trend going on. P.s. don't forget to throw some pumpkin spice on top of that ;) These cookies look fantastic, god I love almond butter cookies, so much.

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    1. I know, what's up with this root beer syrup non sense? And yes, when in doubt, always sprinkle pumpkin spice mix, it's the new fairy dust of food!

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  12. I have never used almond butter in cookies before, definitely an idea that I need to try. These cookies look so delicious Mike & I especially am loving your photography of them!

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    1. You should get on board with almond butter T, it's the IT!

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  13. I can honestly say I enjoyed reading this post~ HAHA :) *I'm new & discovered your blog yesterday from Tastespotting* I'm all for being healthy & looking after yourself through good food, which is probably why these "trends" never caught on with me... :/ It's great to know that other people (such as yourself~) think exactly the same! When I first saw the cronut (aka. croissant + donut toppings) I thought, "Whyy would you do that to yourself?? That can't be too good... for anyone..". But, well... each to his own I guess.

    In the meantime, let's treat ourselves to some chocolate chunk almond butter cookies! :D Thank you very much for this fine post ;)

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    1. Hey Sam,
      I'm so happy you discovered TIY and enjoying it so far. If you're not into cronuts, then you've come to the right place.
      I suggest we make ourselves a cup of tea and trash-talk about cronuts for a good half-hour. You in?

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  14. Mike, I must say that you hit it right on. The interwebs are loaded with dessert mash-ups, and some of them are quite ridiculous. But I think you need to give mash-ups another chance. After all, isn't a triathlon just a mash-up of a bunch of sports...each respectable in it's own right? Someone may look at a triathlon and say "why in the world would someone want to go swimming and then climb on a bike?". To those people I say, eat another Oreo brownie cheesecake bar covered in Nutella and root beer ganache. Yup, that happened. #WolfpackEats

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    1. You've got a point there my friend, triathlon is indeed a mash-up. And I know a lot of people think that we, triathletes are just a bunch of idiots.
      But dessert mash-ups....I can't do it. What can I say, I have limitations...

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  15. I totally get what you are saying... Like the title of the recipes is as long as the sentence. Like really, am I gonna make that? Too complicated! I love the simplicity and the wonderful nutritious ingredients in these! Totally want to try them!

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  16. Could not agree more, and love the comparison with turducken, which for me is a food abnormality. Just because one can stuff one animal with another two, cook it and eat it, doesn't mean one should.

    I want two of these cookies.... one for now, one for after lunch.... ;-)

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    1. Only two cookies? You're low-maintenance my friend...good for you!

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  17. Ha, I wrote something similar on my own blog recently, the cookie inside a brownie inside a pie phenomenon! I love dessert but it doesn't have to be over the top. Mine are all low carb and gluten-free and they don't need the fancy-pants stuff.

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  18. I appreciate your rant. Over combining of flavors just makes food complicated. I love simple flavors. No over mingling of different tastes. I also appreciate your small batch recipe. It is just my husband and I and we do not need to pig out on loads of cookies. I will let you know what I think. thanks

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  19. I want to be the person who is dipping that cookie in milk!!!! I love simplicity, too! Sometimes I'll try to do something I think is 'gourmet' and 9/10 times I'm not happy with it.

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    1. Same here Medha, you can't go wrong with the classics!

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  20. I LOVE this honest and simple recipe. Chocolate and almond butter? You just don't mess with that! Pinned!

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    1. Thanks Taylor, sometimes nothing beats the classics. Right?

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  21. I didn't even know of cronuts' existence before just now. What an abomination! And Root Beer Syrup? Really? *burp* no thanks, not for me.

    I'll gladly have one of those cookies, though. Pass the plate, please?

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  22. Awesome post Mike, and lol. Remind me not to invite you to my mash-ups board on Pinterest. Ha ha. Totally agree about going overboard on it, and 9 times out of ten I prefer the simple ones. But i do admit to liking a two-fer myself once in a while. Just sayin'. A three and four recipe mash-up is over board though.

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    1. Agreed Katie, there must be a limit to recipe mash-up. We should draft a regulation to submit to Congress, it's definitely a pressing matter ;)

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  23. I'm completely hopeless when it comes to trends, maybe it's because I've always lived in an area about 10 years behind the times! The more complicated foods and desserts that appear the more I'm leaning toward single flavors and classic pairings, and these cookies are perfection!

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  24. Okay, did I do something wrong or is the texture of these cookies quite different to a 'normal' cookie? Its the first time I have baked without the usual egg/sugar/flour base and these were quite unusual, moist to the touch but quite dry in the mouth. They did taste very delicious and there are none left however!!!

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    1. Hey Terri, they are quite different indeed from a "regular" cookie. However, they should be moist, fudgy, a bit chewy but not dry.
      So I'm thinking, maybe it has to do with the almond butter you use (thicker than mine?)
      Also, make sure to use natural, as opposed to Dutch-processed, cocoa. They have different levels of acidity, which react differently and may make the cookies dry.

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    2. Thanks for the tips. My almond butter was rather thick I've used up what I had so I'll check out another brand and give them another go! Cheers

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  25. I don't mind complex desserts. However, these look delicious! I've never used almond butter wonder if I could sub peanut butter?

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  26. Its really fudgy and simple to make cookies. I just love the way of your writing and the respect towards fellow bloggers.. Happy to find your space. Surely will try your delectable recipes.

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  27. Mike, You nailed it, buddy! If you're a "simpleton, grumpy old fart" than so am I, because I just don't understand the concept of some of these desserts I've seen. Well, unless the intent is to engorge ones self with as many fat and sugar gram servings as possible in one sitting. Then those bloggers deserve 10's from the Russian judge.

    Hey, I'm putting together a round-up of low carb cookies for one of my clients (The Low Carb Diet). Would you mind if I linked to your recipe and used a photo in a collage? Please let me know, m'kay? Thanks!

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  28. on a low carb diet I guess this means i'm only allowed to have one a day right?

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