Chocolate Almond Butter Swirls

When you start eating Paleo, you think that you’ll never bake again, let alone make eye-catching treats because the ingredients, and therefore the doughs, are so different from traditional baking. But after playing with ingredients and dry-to-liquid ratios, you find that you can make plenty of beautiful desserts without wheat flour! These cookies are the perfect example, and a great blend of chocolate and almond butter swirled into a big soft cookie. The kids flip for these!

DRY INGREDIENTS

1 cup (240 ml) almond flour
2 TBSP (30 ml) coconut flour, sifted
1∕3 cup (720 ml) arrowroot starch
½ tsp baking soda
Pinch of sea salt
WET INGREDIENTS

2 TBSP (30 ml) pure maple syrup
1 egg
2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
¼ cup almond butter
2 TBSP (30 ml) coconut sugar (dry crystals)
2 TBSP (30 ml) coconut oil, melted
ADD-INS

½ cup mini chocolate chips
2 TBSP (30 ml) cocoa powder
2 tsp (10 ml) water
Makes 12 cookies

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, baking soda, and sea salt. Set the bowl aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, blend the maple syrup, egg, vanilla extract, almond butter, coconut sugar, and coconut oil with a hand mixer until well combined and the coconut sugar has mostly dissolved.
Add the contents of the small bowl to the medium-sized bowl, and mix well.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Divide the dough in half, and place one half in another bowl.
Add the cocoa powder and water to one half of the dough, and mix with your hands to incorporate.
Shape 1-inch dough balls of both the plain dough and the chocolate dough. Take 1 ball of each, lightly press them together, and roll them in your palms to make them swirl.
Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned. (I take mine out at 10 minutes because I like them a little doughy in the center.)
Let the Swirls cool on wire racks.
Store the Swirls in an airtight container, or freeze them until ready to eat.

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Chocolate Almond Butter Swirls are marbled cookies that look fancy and bake in one bowl. Almond butter cookie dough splits in half — one batch goes cocoa-dark with mini chocolate chips — then the two doughs press and roll together into gorgeous, bakery-style swirls.

Pro Tips

• Blend the wet ingredients with a hand mixer until the coconut sugar mostly dissolves — that's what gives the cookies a smooth, even crumb rather than a grainy one.
• Shape 1-inch balls of both the plain and chocolate dough, press one of each together, and roll — the swirl happens naturally as you handle them, so don't overwork it.
• Add the cocoa powder with a couple of teaspoons of water to the chocolate half; the moisture helps the cocoa incorporate without drying out that dough.
• The mini chocolate chips in the plain dough melt into little pockets that contrast beautifully with the darker cocoa swirls.
• Don't overbake — the cookies set as they cool, and slightly soft centres mean fudgy, tender swirls the next day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these cookies paleo?

Yes: almond flour, coconut flour, maple syrup, egg, almond butter, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and chocolate. Use paleo-friendly mini chocolate chips to keep them fully clean.

How should I store them?

Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They stay soft and fudgy — if anything, the swirls look even better on day two.

Can I freeze the dough?

Yes — freeze the shaped raw dough balls, then bake straight from frozen with an extra minute or two. It's a brilliant way to have fresh cookies on demand.

Can I skip the cocoa swirl?

You can bake them as plain almond butter chocolate chip cookies. But the cocoa swirl is what makes them look and taste special — worth the small extra step.

Recipe Card

Stav Kogan

Chocolate Almond Butter Swirls

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 TBSP coconut flour, sifted
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 2 TBSP pure maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup almond butter
• 2 TBSP coconut sugar (dry crystals)
• 2 TBSP coconut oil, melted

Method

 

1. ADD-INS
2. ½ cup mini chocolate chips
3. 2 TBSP cocoa powder
4. 2 tsp water Makes 12 cookies Preheat your oven to 350°F.
5. In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, baking soda, and sea salt.
6. Set the bowl aside.
7. In a medium-sized bowl, blend the maple syrup, egg, vanilla extract, almond butter, coconut sugar, and coconut oil with a hand mixer until well combined and the coconut sugar has mostly dissolved.
8. Add the contents of the small bowl to the medium-sized bowl, and mix well.
9. Stir in the chocolate chips.
10. Divide the dough in half, and place one half in another bowl.
11. Add the cocoa powder and water to one half of the dough, and mix with your hands to incorporate.
12. Shape 1-inch dough balls of both the plain dough and the chocolate dough. Take 1 ball of each, lightly press them together, and roll them in your palms to make them swirl.
13. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
14. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned. (I take mine out at 10 minutes because I like them a little doughy in the center.)
15. Let the Swirls cool on wire racks. Store the Swirls in an airtight container, or freeze them until ready to eat.

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