American Drop Cookies Class

Matthew Woolen is a master pastry chef and has worked in a variety of Seattle restaurants, including gastropub Old Sage, Zhu Dang, and a gluten-free restaurant called Capitol Cider.

Matthew Woolen

This recipe is part of our <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/classes/cookies">American Drop Cookie Class</a>.

 The key building blocks of <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/american-drop-cookie-an-introduction-to-drop-cookies">drop cookies</a> are simple and straightforward: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. But these cookies do the impossible—they’re freakin’ delicious without butter, eggs, and gluten-y flour. In fact, they’re made entirely without grains! The not-so-secret ingredient that makes these cookies epic and suitable for any and all eaters, regardless of dietary restrictions, is almond flour. With a fine and fluffy texture, this flour yields tender baked cookies without the gritty mouthfeel that is a common characteristic of other gluten- and grain-free baked goods. The recipe below makes goshdarn delicious chocolate chip pecan cookies that’ll blow your mind—whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or just really, really like chocolate chip cookies. At the bottom of this page, you’ll also find three ways to manipulate the base recipe—swap the chips and nuts for peanuts and peanut butter, molasses and spices, or a grain version with oats and dried fruit, and you’ve got three different cookies that are just as sweet, tender, and tasty.

Plant-Based, Gluten-Free, and Grain-Free Cookies That Are Impossibly Delicious