Craving a sweet treat but short on time and ingredients? You’ll love these easy, delicious 3-ingredient almond butter cookies! Made with just smooth almond butter, almond flour, and maple syrup, these cookies are ready in less than 15 minutes and so delicious. Plus, they’re egg-free, making them suitable for those with dietary restrictions or allergies.

These almond butter cookies are very similar to my popular 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies, but replace the peanut butter with almond butter.

Feel like an afternoon snack on the naughtier side? You have to try these no-bake biscoff bites topped with dark chocolate!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple: With only three ingredients are required, it’s super easy to whip up a batch of these healthy cookies.
• Vegan & Gluten-Free: These cookies are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, perfect for those with dietary preferences or restrictions.
• Soft: The combination of almond butter, almond flour, and maple syrup creates a delectable, soft, and chewy texture.
• Egg-free: No eggs needed, making these cookies suitable for those with egg allergies or vegan diets.
• Customizable: This recipe can be easily customized with additional add-ins such as chocolate chips (as pictured!), chopped nuts, or a sprinkle of sea salt. 

Ingredients

Make sure you scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredient quantities and recipe instructions for these 3 ingredient almond butter cookies!

• Smooth almond butter: Any natural almond butter (or whatever you have in the cupboard!) will work great for this recipe. Smooth works best, but crunchy will also be fine.
  
• Almond flour: This might also be described as almond meal or ground almonds in your local store. Almond flour will be light and very fine in texture, whereas almond meal is darker and has a grittier texture. You’ll want to find the former for this recipe.
  
• Maple syrup: Sweetens the cookies without adding refined sugar! 

Substitutions & Variations

If you can’t find or don’t like a certain ingredient for these cookies, here are a few potential substitutions:

• Instead of almond butter, make these peanut butter cookies!
  
• If you can’t use almond flour, you could try using oat flour. However, the oat flour does tend to make the cookies drier in texture, so you might need to adjust the quantities.
  
• You could use an alternative liquid sweetener such as honey, date syrup, or agave nectar instead of honey.
  
• To make these almond butter cookies a bit more exciting, add dark chocolate chips (as pictured), more chopped nuts, freeze-dried raspberries, or dip the cookies in chocolate once baked.

How to make your 3-ingredient almond butter cookies

Make sure you scroll down to the recipe card to have the exact ingredient quantities and instructions all in one easy-to-follow place.

This recipe is very beginner-friendly! The main thing you need to be very conscious of is not overbaking your cookies.

Step 1: Mix the Dough

In a large mixing bowl, combine the smooth almond butter, almond flour, and maple syrup. 

Stir until the ingredients are well incorporated, creating a slightly sticky dough.

Step 2: Shape the Cookies

Take a small scoop of the dough and roll it between your palms to form a ball. Each ball should weigh approximately 22g. 

Repeat this process to make a total of 9-10 dough balls and place each one on your baking sheet (lined with baking paper). Evenly space the cookies.

Step 3: Flatten the dough balls

These cookies do not sink and spread like other cookies while baking, so we need to shape them before baking.

Using a fork, press it horizontally into each dough ball, about halfway through, to flatten the cookie. Turn the fork 90 degrees and repeat to create a hatched cross-section pattern.

Step 4: Bake to Perfection

Bake the almond butter cookies for 5-8 minutes, checking them frequently to ensure they do not burn. 

Remember, they can be overcooked very quickly, so keep a close eye on them. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes on the baking sheet, until the cookies have hardened.

Expert Tips

• When you first remove your cookies from the oven, they will be extremely soft! So soft that you’ll think you underbaked them. Trust me, you didn’t.
  
  As they cool, the almond butter cookies will firm up to a perfectly management (although still soft) texture, perfect for picking up and eating!
  
• To shape the cookies into perfectly round shapes, use a cookie cutter edge when they’re still pliable after baking.
  
• Customise your cookies by adding a handful of chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the dough or simply scatter over the cookies once you’ve shaped the dough on the baking sheet.
  
• Alternatively, you could dip half the (baked and cooled) cookies in melted dark chocolate for an extra indulgent twist.

Other Recipes You Might Like

If you like easy, no-fuss sweet treats, you’ll also love these recipes:

• No-bake vegan biscoff bites
• Chocolate Tiffin Recipe
• Protein flapjacks
• 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies (No Egg)

Storing Your Almond Butter Cookies

These almond butter cookies are best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. They should last up to 5 days.

You could also freeze these cookies. I would freeze them on the baking tray, evenly spaced, and then tip the frozen cookies into a storage container or bag to save space. Fully defrost each cookie before eating.

FAQs

Can I eat this recipe without baking the cookies?

Yes, you could make these almond butter cookies as a no-bake recipe. Unlike a lot of flour, you can eat almond flour raw, so this recipe is safe to eat before baking. 

I think adding chopped nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate chips to the dough and rolling it into individual bliss balls would be really tasty!

Can I use crunchy almond butter instead of smooth?

Yes, you can use crunchy almond butter if you prefer some texture in your cookies. However, the texture and appearance may differ slightly.

Can I substitute the almond flour with another type of flour?

Yes, you can experiment with different flours, but keep in mind that the texture and taste may vary. Almond flour gives these cookies a soft and delicate crumb that I don’t think you can beat with any other type of flour, personally. You might also need to adjust quantities.

How should I store these 3ingredient almond butter cookies?

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They also freeze well for longer storage.

Can I use honey or another sweetener instead of maple syrup?

Yes, you can substitute honey, agave syrup, or another liquid sweetener of your choice in equal amounts. I think agave syrup works particularly well!