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And just like that, we are through the first week of back to school! Things have been a little slow over here on the blog as this time of year has really taken its toll on my “routine”. There’s the back to school supply shopping, the back to school clothes, all the last minute summer bucket list activities to cross off, school orientations, last minute dentist and doctor appointments… all. the. things!!! It has felt like a rollercoaster ride the last few weeks but I feel like perhaps we’re sliding into a new normal and things will level out on the crazy scale here soon. Know what helps? Chocolate chip cookies. Yes, these always help.

This year, after I saw this post from Sweet Frugal Life, I was inspired to start a new tradition with my kiddos of having fresh chocolate chip cookies warm out of the oven for them when they get home from their first day of school. You see, I always had this tinge of guilt that I wasn’t that mom that always had fresh cookies for her kiddos after school… it was like I thought if I was going to do it, I had to commit to doing it ALL the time. That seemed overwhelming so I just never did it. Why it didn’t dawn on my that I could do it ONCE, twice, even just 3 times the whole year, and it would still be super special is beyond me?! Alas, chocolate chip cookie free days are behind me, we are now on a fresh start! The kids were pretty thrilled to have their fresh cookies and it really made for a special start to the school year. Plus, I doubled the recipe so now we have cookies. for. days!!!!

These are my absolute favourite chocolate chip cookies. I think I made them, this perfect recipe from Meaningful Eats, for the first time about three years ago? The first time I made them, I didn’t take care to cream the butter and sugar thoroughly, my almond flour was a little rough texture wise, and I didn’t rest the dough before baking. Needless to say, they looked pretty frightful coming out of the oven. I was ready to chock it up to another recipe fail, but when we actually ate the cookies, I was stunned. They tasted AMAZING!!!! Literally we could not stop eating them. I knew this recipe was worth keeping and have since refined my ways to ensure both a pretty looking AND absolutely delicious cookie.

So, as you’ve probably deduced, creaming the sugar and butter together well is a crucial step. You want to beat them tougher for at least 2 minutes, until the whole mixture turns lighter in colour and the coconut sugar is nicely dissolved into the butter. This is going to help your cookies have a smooth, chewy texture rather than a grainy, uneven texture.

Using blanched almond flour is also critical to the perfect chocolate chip cookie texture. Blanched almond flour is made from almonds with the skins blanched off, creating a smooth fine texture that more closely mimics white flour. I prefer to use store-bought almond flour as it has a finer texture than what I can achieve at home with my food processor (I often get into almond butter territory when trying to grind my own almond flour!).

Finally, I’ve found that resting the dough in the fridge makes a huge difference in the final cookie shape. Now, if you really love super thin spread out cookies (they do have a certain appeal, I will admit), go ahead and bake them right away. I’m a sucker for a classic chocolate chip cookie shape, however, so I find at least an hour of resting in the fridge makes all the difference. I give them a little press down before baking and they come out the perfect shape! Plus, resting the dough also helps develop a more intense flavour in the dough so it’s a win-win! You can even freeze the dough in tablespoon rounds on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a zip lock back and bake a few whenever the mood hits! Chocolate chip cookies on demand? Yes please.

On a final note, these cookies maintain the best texture if kept in the fridge (they taste delicious straight out of the freezer also if you are into that!). At room temperature they tend to become quite soft once kept in an airtight container and will stick together if touching. They maintain a crispier bite in the fridge and do not stick together at all, plus they will keep much longer this way! Also, I’ve left a note in the recipe for how to make this dairy free – it is very doable.

I hope these cookies find their way into your kitchen, they are truly delightful. I love having baking on hand that I can feel good about eating and serving my family, knowing it’s low on the glycemic index and full of nutrient dense ingredients (I wrote a whole post on the healthy ingredient swaps I’ve enjoyed making over the past few years here). I’d love to know what you think of these if you give them a try, let me know in the comments down below! Also, do you make chocolate chip cookies for after school snack? Often or more for special occasions? I’m very curious! Talk to you soon 🙂

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This list includes affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission at no extra cost to you should you decide to click through the links and purchase anything. These are my honest opinions, none of the items are sponsored nor am I being paid to talk about them. I would never recommend anything to you I didn’t truly love and enjoy using on a regular basis. I hope you find these lists helpful!

Almond Flour – This is my favourite gluten free flour for baking. It is low in carbs and high in protein and fats, making it a great choice for low carb baking. I’ve always had great success baking with it, it doesn’t act up on me like the notorious coconut flour. This almond flour is made from finely milled blanched almonds which provides the optimal texture for baking. The Yupik brand has been the most reliable for baking ingredients on Amazon, it is consistently very good quality!

Yupik Coconut Sugar – Coconut sugar is my go to dry sweetener. It has about half as high of an impact on the Glycemic Index (how much it spikes your blood sugar) compared with table sugar, and contains many beneficial nutrients derived from the coconut palm. I don’t notice any sacrifice in taste or texture when I use coconut sugar in my baking. This brand is a great price and they have excellent customer service. One time I received a bag that had ripped open in the box and spilled everywhere and they sent a new one out right away, no questions asked.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips– I love the Kirkland chocolate chips because they are dairy free and they taste just as good (if not better) than the most popular brand. If I’m making a small batch of something or really want to watch my sugar I’ll spring for a more expensive dark chocolate chip or 70-85% dark chocolate chopped up, but for my everyday baking I prefer something affordable like these.