And here I thought I knew almond flour. Early on in this diabetes thing, I bought a bag of almond meal from Trader Joe’s, and used it in a couple of recipes. It performed admirably and so I thought I was all set. I knew there were other brands out there, some made with blanched almonds, and all of them more expensive. But I figured that there couldn’t be that much of a difference. A finely ground almond is a finely ground almond, after all. I even sometimes went so far as to make my own at home by grinding them in a food processor. Sure, my baked goods were not of as fine a texture as those made with wheat flour, but I figured that was just par for the course, something I’d have to live with as a low carb baker. I made my peace with it and went on my merry way.
And then I received some lovely samples from Oh! Nuts. You may remember the Cashew Ginger Granola Bars I made with their gorgeous cashews. Well, they also sent me a bag of their blanched almond flour and when I finished off the last of my Trader Joe’s almond meal, I opened it up. I instantly noticed a difference. It was much, much finer and since it was ground without the skins, it was paler in colour. And when I baked with it, I was more than a little impressed. It baked differently and the final product had a much finer, more flour-like texture. Since it doesn’t have gluten, I still had to compensate for that and add more binders and leaveners, but ultimately, it made a huge difference to the quality of my baked goods.
Now that I finally see the difference, I decided to tackle chocolate chip cookies again. The thing about baking without sugar is that it is difficult to mimic some of sugar’s qualities. Replicating the sweetness is the easy part. In that holy trinity of baking, flour, sugar and butter, there is something magical that happens that allows cookies to spread and become crispy and chewy at the same time. I just haven’t found a way to to make anything low carb and gluten free that even compares. Until now.
These were originally conceived to be breakfast cookies, and I thought that the dried cranberries and walnuts would make them more hearty. But I tasted the batter partway through and it was wonderful but rich, so I thought I should make them smaller and more dessert-sized. This is not to say that you couldn’t eat them for breakfast, because I will confess that I did. It’s just that they seemed more like dessert to me. I also used some grain-sweetened chocolate chips I found at the grocery store as I didn’t have the time or the patience to make my own low carb chocolate chips and these had about half the carbs of regular semisweet chips. And at the last minute, I decided to make them with coconut oil in place of the butter.
The Results: These cookies are phenomonal (or were phenomenal, because they didn’t last long). I would be lying if I said they were just like conventional flour-and-sugar chocolate chip cookies. They don’t have the same texture at all, and they don’t spread and get all crispy/chewy. But they are rockin’ their own special thang and it is a very delicious thang indeed. Because of the coconut oil, they almost melt away in your mouth as you bite into them. And the cranberries give a sharp little tartness that offsets the richness of the almond flour, walnuts and chocolate.
If I had more than two thumbs, I would give these more than two thumbs up. They aren’t just great low carb cookies – they are great cookies all around! I will be making these again for certain. Now, the tough part is that unsweetened dried cranberries are hard to come by. You can make your own, as I did before Christmas, with the recipe HERE. And I had some left over, which is what I used in these cookies. But in place of that, consider using fresh cranberries chopped in small pieces. The juice may run a little but I think it would work just as well.
Cranberry Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
16 drops stevia extract
1/4 cup unsweetened dried cranberries (or fresh, finely chopped)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup low carb chocolate chips (or chopped high % cacao chocolate)
Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, erythritol, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum. Stir in egg, oil, vanilla and stevia until thoroughly combined. Stir in cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chips.
Form by hand into 1-inch balls, and place on baking sheet. Flatten with palm. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until just starting to brown on top.
Let cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 18 cookies. Each cookie has 8.2 g of carbs total, but only 5.2 g if you subtract erythritol.
I am Carolyn, a writer, runner, mother and diabetic. I am also the evil mastermind behind this blog. I live for food. Join me in my experiments in creating delicious low carb, gluten free recipes. 
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I still haven't tried baking gluten-free cookies, but this scrumptious looking recipe will definitely be where I'll start. Thank you so much for sharing your detailed knowledge of and experience with the subject … and for including cranberries here!
They are fabulous. You are very creative. I could eat these breakfast lunch and dinner!
They look really good. I would like some right now
carolyn !! these cookies are tempting me so much !! yummy pics
Carolyn – I am SO excited for this post! It is FABULOUS!! And you really captured some beautiful shots. I am a new user of almond meal and I have enjoyes it. Now I'm interested in trying this brand! Thank you! ♥- Katrina
These look excellent. I love the vibrant pop of red. A neighbor of mine growing up used to make me similar cookies and I always loved them.
They do look very, very good. I'm a big fan of cranberries in cookies. I'm interested in that almond flour. I've never purchased any but there is a recipe for macarons in my Fine Cooking issue that calls for it. Do you recommend I get my hands on that brand for these?
these look soft and delicious colours
These looks so yummy and fantastic! Your pictures are gorgeous
These cookies are gorgeous. I love that they're just plain good cookies, regardless of being anything else. Well done and thanks for sharing!
I love that combo of Cranberry and Chocolate..and plus it is gluten free! Looks really tasty!!!
Love the bright colors, looks very tasty indeed
Your cookies look beautiful and I'm sure they taste wonderful! I've never used almond flour before but I'd love to give it a try one of these days.
They look great, low carb or not! Great recommendation for the almond flour and nice to know you do not have to settle
I cant believe these are low carb.These look scrumptious.You are a really talented baker.I can never dare to bake with stevia.Have a nice weekend my friend.
I am fascinated with your substitutions! All of your post, and goodies, just leave me in awe, and this one is leaving me hungry
It's so hard to believe this is a low carb. I like the fact that you can still eat these delicious treats while you choose the right ingredients to make it healthier. I really need to work on that philosophy and take an action. Thank you for the recipe. I enjoyed your pictures as usual!
I love cranberries in cookies and these do not look like they would disappoint! PS: I have a fun giveaway going on right now…stop by and check it out!
They look amazing – and thanks for the information on different sorts of almond flour. I guess some things do come at a cost
This looks so good! I make my own almond meal (it is what is left when I make almond milk). I'd love to find more ways to use it.
This is the first time I've seen your blog. Great writing! I'm sending it on.
Carolyn,
These look amazing! Great photos!
What gorgeous cookies! These have all of my favorite flavors rolled into one cookie.
You are such a fabulous resource for those who need gluten free/low carb food! I'm always amazed at what I find here…your treats are extraordinary!!! This cookie looks so yummy…brava~ Happy Easter wishes to you~
I had the same experience with almond meal. I tried TJ and I liked it a lot so I thought there was no reason to try a more expensive one but there are indeed huge differences. I still like TJ's one but if you want a less rustic texture you have to go for the finely grounded. You did an amazing job with these cookies. I need to go and buy some of that almond flour.
Carolyn, as long as I have you, I could do a low-carb diet any time!! You have amazing recipes!
I have some almond flour left over from another recipe and I love baking with coconut oil. I can't wait to try these. Thanks for the recipe.
These sound great! I can see how the finer almond flour would perform better. I've made cakes with almond flour that was a little course, it really affected the texture.
yum! i like how the cookies have the reddish tinge coming from the cranberries…simply beautiful!
I tried them…and they were really good! I think I skimped on the sweetener so next time I'll make sure to be exact…My DH really liked them and that's something! I even dried my own cranberries so it was pretty cool…I will definitely make them again but up the sweetener. This was my very first time using Almond Flour so YEAH! and Thank you!
These cookies look incredible! I always, always scroll down your ingredients list because I still can't quite comprehend how your baked goodies are always low-carb and gluten-free… They look totally sinful!
Those DO look great–healthy or not!
I love the name of your blog! These cookies look fantastic. Cookies are my favorite to bake.
Beautiful cookies!
I love the little red cranberries peeking out through the brown cookie… gorgeous! Thank you for sharing! 
Thank you for stopping by my blog!
Yum! These cookies look amazing. Love almond flour, dried cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chips. What a treat!
Cranberries and walnuts make me think healthy, could I get away with eating one for breakfast?
Looks healthy & delicious. A good way to get kids to eat cranberries and walnuts!
Beautiful photos! Your cookies look so good. I love cranberries and walnuts. I wish you and your family a Happy Easter.
Looking yummy! Totally want to eat these right now!
I always love a good cookie recipe and these look just wonderful! Beautiful photos too
I love that you used real chocolate here instead of white chocolate! These look almost light and airy, but the chocolate must make them so decadent.
Good luck on your training!
These cookies LOOK phenomenal! I can only imagine how they tasted!
I love learning about almond flour, I keep learning about it from all your lovely recipes!!! Thank you for this beautiful recipe, it really does sound fantastic:-)
Hugs, Terra
Beautiful photos as per usual. Good job – sounds lovely!
I love cranberries in cookies! These sound awesome.
I'm going to have to try the almond flour you recommend. I've been using one I find at a restaurant supply store near me and it's from blanched almonds but the grind just isn't fine enough for me, especially when making macarons.
A beautiful cookie and so colorful. I would have had a couple for breakfast for sure.
I've been loyal to TJ's almond meal for a while, but thank you for the tip on Oh Nuts – I'll have to try it! I've enjoyed their other products.
I am going to make these without Xanath Gum as I don't have any. Either tonight or tomorrow. They look so delish!
I have Honeyville almond flour, I wonder how it compares?
M
WOW. These look amazing!
be careful of making without xanthum! your cookies may end up quite thin and brittle. love this recipe! saving it to my online cookbook at http://cookmarked.com !
I made them! They are good. I had to adapt the recipe as I didn't have coconut oil (used butter) or xanthan (sp?) gum. I was worried they wouldn't turn out, but they did and they held together well.
I posted a pic and how I made them on my blog if anyone wants to see.
Thank you for the recipe. This is going to see regular use at our house!
M
Oh, wanted to add, I made them bigger ( I think) which may have helped them hold together.
No 1" balls, more like 2".
M
I want these! They look spectacular, seriously. Great flavors, too! I need to use more almond flour and coconut oil in my baking!
Ahhhhhhhh.mazing!!!!!! These are hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made, regardless of ingredients…totally the best ever! I used Honeyville almond flour, Truvia for the erythritol, and 1/2 tsp Stevia plus for the stevia drops. Dough seemed dry so I added 1 TBSP almond milk…glued it all together perfectly. Your recipes are my favorites – please keep them coming!
Total agreement with Janet and Kicking Carbs–fantastic low carb cookies, the best I've ever made. I love wanuts, I love cranberries, and I love dark chocolate, and they all come together perfectly in this tender little cookie. These rarely last two days in my house since I can't keep away from them. Thank you!