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Chocolate almond meal cookies with dried cranberries are the biggest, boldest batch in the almond cookie line: toasty pecans, tart cranberries, and chopped cacao nibs in a rich cocoa-tinged dough. Quarter-cup scoops make bakery-sized cookies. The cracks on top show the soft center hiding underneath.
Pro Tips
- Toast the pecans first and cool them completely before chopping. Warm nuts make greasy dough.
- Stir the almond meal, pecans, cranberries, and cacao nibs together before adding them, so the mix-ins distribute in one go.
- Roll the dough in full 1/4-cup balls and flatten to 1 inch thick. That size is what gives the set edges and soft centers.
- The cookies will look raw between the cracks when they come out. That is exactly right; they firm during the 10-minute cool on the sheet.
- The dough keeps 2 days in the fridge, and the baked cookies freeze beautifully for up to 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this cookie dough ahead?
Yes. Wrap the bowl tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days, then let it come to room temperature before portioning. The shaped balls can also be frozen and baked from frozen at 25 to 30 minutes.
Why do my cookies look underdone?
They are supposed to. Pull them when the edges are set and browned but the centers still look soft and puffy, and let the 10-minute sheet cool do the rest of the work.
Can I use chocolate chips instead of cacao nibs?
Nibs keep the cookies grain-free and less sweet, which is the intent. If you use chips, choose a bittersweet non-dairy variety and chop them coarsely.
Are these cookies paleo?
They are built on almond flour, almond meal, coconut oil, palm sugar, and dried cranberries, with no grains or dairy. Check the cacao nibs are unsweetened.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- 1.
- Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350°F.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a small bowl, stir almond meal, pecans, cranberries, and cacao nibs together.
- 2.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the coconut oil and palm sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds or until well combined.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated (about 30 seconds), scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
- 3.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, beating until combined (about 30 seconds). Gradually add in the almond meal-cacao nibs mixture until incorporated.
- 4.
- Working with ¼ cup at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about two and a half inches apart. Flatten cookies to a 1-inch thickness with your palm.
- 5.
- Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown, but the centers are still soft and puffy (20 to 25 minutes), switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. (The cookies will look raw between the cracks and seem underdone.)
- 6.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Making Dough Ahead The bowl of cookie dough can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to two days.
- When ready to use, allow the dough to come to room temperature, then portion and bake as directed. The dough can also be shaped into balls and frozen on a cookie sheet.
- When they are frozen solid, transfer them to a large freezer bag. To bake, arrange the frozen cookies (do not thaw) on two large parchment-lined baking sheets and bake as directed, increasing the baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.
