These Flourless Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies are gluten free, dairy free, and absolutely amazing. I replaced the flour and butter of a traditional cookie with creamy pecan butter, and you won’t believe the results!
Once I discovered the rich flavor and perfect texture of gluten free nut butter based flourless cookies, I’ve never looked back. These flourless pecan chocolate chip cookies beat regular cookies on so many levels ~ not only is the flavor richer, thanks to the nut butter, but they are moist and chewy, and stay that way for days. They’re full of protein, and take no time at all to make and bake. I only wish I had these recipes when my girls were little, I would have felt a whole lot better about giving them cookies!
cookies with benefits!
If you’re going to have a cookie, it just makes sense to have one that’s going to give you an energy boost and some nutrients while you’re at it. Pecans are the most anti-oxidant rich of all the nuts and The American Heart Association certifies them as heart healthy. While you can find all kinds of nut butters in stores these days, it’s super simple to make your own, as long as you have a food processor or high speed blender. Even the mini processors will do the job.
to roast your nuts, or not?
Nuts that are organic and raw are the healthiest, and if you make your own pecan butter you can control the ingredients. There’s some evidence that roasting reduces the nutrients in nuts, but the flavor payoff is huge, so I roast.
what do flourless pecan chocolate chip cookies taste like?
The pecan flavor is so subtle that unless you’re told, you might not notice it’s there. The nuts just give the cookies an extra richness.
As for the texture, I bake these cookies just enough to set them, but no more ~ they’ll look slightly under-done as they come out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool down. I used a dark brown sugar in this recipe which gives them an extra soft and chewy texture, and combines with the richness of the nut butter and the dark chocolate really nicely.
Check out my collection of nut butter based flourless cookie recipes for more inspiration. I’m working my way through all the nut varieties and I’ll eventually have a complete set of recipes that covers the whole nut kingdom…Bwahahahah!
Flourless Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecan butter, or about 3 cups raw pecans
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, use light or dark, I used dark
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
- If you are making your own pecan butter, you have the option of using raw pecans, or toasting them to deepen their flavor first. To toast, spread out on a dry cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, giving the pan a shake once halfway through.
- Put the pecans in a food processor or high power blender and blend until you get a smooth butter. This will require scraping down the sides of the processor to make sure all the nuts get processed. The mixture will go through a dry grainy stage, then will gradually become finer and moister as the nuts release their oils, and finally will transform into a smooth butter. Note: If you make your own pecan butter and the nuts seem very dry as you are processing, you can add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to help it come together.Â
- Measure out 1 cup of pecan butter into a mixing bowl with the egg, sugar, and baking soda. Mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop out tablespoon sized balls of dough and place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. I use my 1 3/4 inch cookie scoop for this. I like to add a few extra chocolate chips to the surface of the cookie dough before baking. Push them into the dough gently.
- Bake for 8 minutes or just until set. The cookies will look under done, but will firm up as they cool. Be sure your oven is at the correct temperature before you bake. I keep an oven thermometer in my oven at all times so I can be sure.
- Cool the cookies on a rack.
I’d love to try these with natural peanut butter- would that work? Thanks for another great recipe Sue!
Sister Estelle
http://www.monasterykitchen.org
Yes, Sister Estelle, I’ve tried this recipe with all kinds of nut butters, and you can use natural peanut butter, just be sure to stir it well before you measure it, because the oil tends to separate out.
Oh thank you for these! as someone who has issues with flour – they’re perfect!!
Let me know how you like them Mary 🙂
Hi Sue! These look fabulous! Looking forward to baking them. Best ~ Bijouxs
Would almond butter work as well as pecan butter?
Yes, Brenda, definitely!
I’m going to be making a lot of these delectable goodies, they certainly don’t look like any flourless cookie I’ve tried to make. They look like perfection. Very nice Sue!
Thanks Cheri <3
Do you think coconut sugar would work instead of brown sugar?
Yes, that would work fine, JoAn, you could probably add a little coconut to the cookies, too.
These look wonderful so I was thinking of making all of the different kinds of your flourless nut butter cookies so I could put a few of each kind into goodie bags for guests of a high school reunion to take home with them. Have you tried other add-ins that you especially liked besides the chocolate chips so that each kind of cookie would be a little different? How do you think they would turn out if some were made without any additions? Thanks
You can make them without any additions, for sure. I also like chopped nuts, any kind of dried fruit, coconut, even oatmeal. Check out my other recipes for inspiration: https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/flourless-cookies-recipes/
Love the idea of pecan butter in these cookies. They look beyond amazing!
Wow – there is nothing like a warm cookie with a glass of milk. I can’t believe these are flourless – what a wonderful recipe! Pinning and sharing – have a great weekend Sue!
wow I can totally enjoy those cookies without guilt! I guess the recipe would work just with any kind of nut butter?
It does Angie, and I’ve done lots of them. Each one has its own special flair.