While visiting my grandparents in San Diego last weekend, my family and I went to a couple of baseball games. If you’ve been reading AHB for a while, you probably remember that my dad and I are huge baseball fans. As an 11-year-old, I told my dad that I wanted to visit all 30 MLB stadiums with him, and we’ve seen games at 22 so far!
Petco Park in San Diego definitely falls within our top 5 favorite stadiums. Located in the heart of downtown just a few blocks from the ocean, the design actually includes the walls of an old four-story brick building, previously abandoned before the ballpark’s construction. With a very fan-friendly layout, Petco is charming, modern, clean and just about everything you could want in a sports stadium.
Even better, the ballpark offers some of the best food of any stadium we’ve been to! Just walking from the entrance to our seats a few sections over, we passed by stands for tri-tip sandwiches, freshly made crêpes, gourmet gelato, and Dippin’ Dots. (Hello childhood memories!) Although we didn’t explore the entire stadium, our family friends reported that the outfield food booths boasted the best Mexican street corn they’ve ever eaten too.
But as we watched the first game and cheered from our seats, I smelled the faint aroma of freshly baked cookies wafting by every so often. I tried to peer at the people walking down the aisles to see what they were holding, but I only spotted peanuts and ice cream. You guys know how much I love my cookies… So that nearly drove me crazy to smell some and not eat one!
So the day after we returned home from vacation, I baked these Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies to curb my cravings. And boy, were they worth the wait! Soft, chewy, hearty, chocolaty… And probably way better than anything I could’ve bought at the ballpark!
These are the next flavor in my clean-eating oatmeal cookie series. I’ve created some fun recipes like peach pie and carrot cake, as well as classics like oatmeal raisin and peanut butter chocolate chip. You guys seem to love them all, especially because they’re low in calories and contain no butter, refined flour or sugar!
But in case you haven’t tried any of those recipes yet, let’s talk a little bit about the ingredients. First up, the oats and flour. These cookies use instant oats (also called quick cook or minute oats), and they’re sold in large canisters right next to the regular old-fashioned oats. If you don’t have instant oats, you can easily make your own by adding the same about of old-fashioned oats to a food processor and pulsing 10-15 times or until they’re about half of their original size.
It’s extremely important to measure both the oats and flour correctly because too much of either will dry out the cookies and turn them cakey or crumbly. I highly recommend a kitchen scale for this. This is the inexpensive one that I own, and it’s worth its weight in gold! A kitchen scale ensures that your baked goods turn out perfectly every time, and I use it in every recipe that I make for this blog.
For the almond butter, I recommend using homemade (here’s my recipe!) or a really good quality brand like Trader Joe’s. The only ingredients should be almonds and salt! No sugar, no preservatives… Just simple nutty goodness.
To enhance the almond butter’s flavor, we’ll add in a touch of cinnamon for warmth and depth, and we’ll use pure maple syrup to sweeten the cookies. Again, use the good quality kind! The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup.” Avoid the faux or sugar-free varieties; these will give the cookies a different taste and texture.
And now for the best part… The chocolate chips! I always add both regular-sized and minis to my cookies. The former provides those big rich, gooey, melty chocolate pockets that erupt in your mouth, and the latter ensures that every bite contains at least a little bit of chocolate. I love these dark chocolate chips and these mini chips because they melt really well while baking.
Because of the maple syrup and runny almond butter, chilling is mandatory. Chilling gives the oats time to soak up the extra moisture in the dough, and it also helps stiffen the cookie dough so it doesn’t spread into one big cookie blob on the baking sheet while in the oven.
However, without any butter or egg yolks, this cookie dough really doesn’t spread too much, so you must flatten the cookie dough to your desired thickness and width. I use this adorable little spatula to do so because the cookie dough is much too sticky to flatten it with my hands! Then bake, cool, and…
Time to eat!
| Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured correctly and gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (64g) creamy natural almond butter (homemade or good-quality like Trader Joe’s)
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp (28g) dark chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp (14g) miniature chocolate chips
- Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg white and vanilla. Mix in the almond butter until smooth. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the dark chocolate chips and ½ tablespoon of miniature chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 11-13 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and a gluten-free flour blend. I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.
For the best results, the only ingredients in the almond butter should be almonds and salt. You may try substituting crunchy almond butter, although I can’t guarantee the results.
If you prefer, honey or agave may be substituted in place of the maple syrup. You may also substitute ½ cup (106g) brown sugar plus ¼ cup (60mL) of milk. Any milk will work.
For more substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookies FAQ page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
I have made these cookies 3 times now and they are absolutely amazing! I added walnuts to each batch. I make them as gifts for neighbors and everyone loves them! Thank you for posting this recipe.
I’m so honored that you’ve made this recipe three times already — and that everyone is enjoying them! You’re so sweet to give them to your neighbors, Sam! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to let me know too. That really means a lot!
Hello! I have two questions:
1. I have rolled oats, will that be an issue?
2. Can I use oat flour? It is not gluten free, I would just make flour from my rolled oats
Please let me know how I can adjust the recipe to make this work
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Lidia! I’ve actually answered both of your questions on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, and there’s a link to that FAQ Page in the Notes section (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I’m excited to hear what you think of these cookies!
This is a great recipe! I used a sprouted almond butter and Flax egg instead of egg white. They are soft and moist, I love that they use maple syrup as the sweetener. I will make them again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Molly! That’s the best kind of compliment there is, if you already think you’ll make them again. Thank you for taking the time to let me know — it truly means a lot! 🙂