This scrumptious Chocolate Decadence Cookies recipe is my gift to you, dear readers! I’ve been making these healthy cookies for family and friends for a couple of years now and everyone loves them. A base of rich dark chocolate, studded with pecans and MORE dark chocolate, they remind me of my Chocolate Pecan Pie in a cookie.
Every time I make this easy cookie recipe I think of my mother-in-law. Why? First, like me she has celiac disease. Second, she loves dark chocolate. Third, she likes cookies with tons of nuts in them, and these have a lot!
The batter for this recipe is very runny. It’s more like brownie batter than cookie dough, but don’t alter the recipe, follow it, and the cookies will bake up into chocolate perfection.
Chocolate Decadence Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 ounces chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons palm shortening or salted butter
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 ounces chocolate chips
- 1½ cups pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- In a medium pot, melt 6 ounces chocolate chips and shortening over very low heat
- Remove pan from heat
- Using a hand blender, mix in eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla
- Blend in almond flour, salt, and baking soda
- Stir in additional 6 ounces chocolate chips and pecans
- Scoop batter 1 tablespoon at a time onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Flatten dough with the palm of wet hands
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes
- Cool for 1 hour
- Serve
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
Equipment
Chocolate Decadence Cookies are fantastic all year round, and make especially fabulous Christmas cookies! Since these healthy cookies are made primarily of luscious dark chocolate they’re also perfect Valentine’s cookies.
My Chocolate Decadence Cookie recipe is based on one by Alice Medrich. That one had loads of gluten and white sugar in it. While it was fabulous inspiration in terms of an idea, there was much work to be done in “Elana-fy-ing” it. So this recipe was entirely different when I was done with it. Still, I think it’s nice to give credit to an author even when a recipe is merely referenced, don’t you?!
Cookies are my favorite thing to make because they’re easy. Because my grain-free cookie recipes are extra simple, I can make the batter made in less time than it takes the oven to pre-heat. While the cookies are baking, I clean up. The entire process takes around 10 minutes. Writing quick and easy recipes is now second nature. I’ve been doing it since 1998 when I was diagnosed with celiac disease.
Lately, though I’ve been focusing on creating healthy meals. If you are too, you’ll want to take a look at my easy Paleo Meals recipe page. And since the boys are getting bigger than big (look at this year’s Hannukah photo!), I’m focusing on making as many healthy snack recipes as I can! Though to be honest their favorite category of food may be my cake recipes, with my Paleo Birthday Cake and Cinnamon Coffee Cake topping that list!
I’m delighted that the boys bring so many of their friends home and that all of the guys are so great about taste testing for me. What an incredible tribe they have built, and I feel beyond lucky to be a part of it. So much to be grateful for this year!
Yvonne says
Have you ever tried to use other nut flours? We have been lovers of your books and recipes for years, but just found out that my daughter should not eat almonds either (as well as: Gluten, soy, pine nut, peanut, pistachios, rice, oats & milk? Can I make hazelnut or pecan flour?
Elana says
Hi Yvonne, thanks for your comment. Because I’ve had such great results cooking and baking with almond flour, and because I don’t like to keep tons of different ingredients in the house, I’ve really just stuck to this one nut flour. If you do experiment, please let us know how it goes!
Stacy says
Just delicious!!! And so easy. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Elana says
Stacy, I’m so happy these were easy and delicious!
Jane says
I made these this afternoon and they are fabulously satisfying. I think they’d be wonderful for a potluck or larger gathering where a small amount of something deeply chocolatey is often called for (in my opinion). Thanks a million Elana!
Elana says
Jane, you’re welcome! I’m so happy these cookies were fabulously satisfying :-)
Shari from NC says
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us, Elana. I made them last night; they are so yummy! My daughter says they even have the texture of a “real cookie!”. As we say here in the South: “Bless you!”
Elana says
Shari, we say that here too. Bless you and yours :-)
Heather says
OK, this might be a silly question, but is “6oz choc chips” listed twice in ingredients on purpose, or is it a typo? Do I need 6 or 12oz choc chips? Thanks! Love your recipes! :)
Elana says
Heather, you will need 12 ounces of chocolate total. Happy holidays :-)
Courtney says
I just made these and the batter is really runny. Not sure what happened.
Elana says
Hi Courtney, when I make these cookies my batter is thin like a brownie batter but the cookies turn out perfectly after they are baked and cooled. When you baked this batter what was the result? Hope your holidays are fantastic.
Courtney says
I was worried but they turned out fantastic! They taste great. Thanks!
Diane says
These look delicious Elana! And after a year on SCD with no chocolate, I’ve been adding it back into my diet and plan to eat this with much pleasure – Thank You!!
Elana says
You’re welcome Diane!
Chrissy says
Ohhhhhhh. These are going to be made soon!!! They are easy and I’m sure delicious! It’s what I love best about your recipes – they are almost all incredibly simple and we have loved everything I’ve made from your page or cookbooks. It’s gotten to a point where I do 90% of my baking from your recipes! They are just that good! And I bake a lot. Ha ha! Thanks!
Laura ~ RYG says
Thank you for this lovely cookie recipe/gift! You weren’t kidding when you said there were lots of nuts crammed in here. I love nutty cookies. And dark chocolate. Because it’s good for you!! I have all this leftover Valentines Day chocolate in my fridge and I’m honestly thinking about chopping it up and using it in these cookies?!? My husband says we have to clean out the freezer and my mom (bless her heart) gets me at least 10 pounds of chocolate for both Easter and V-day. I mean, I’m too old to eat that much chocolate.
Michelle says
These look delicious!
Can I substitute the maple syrup for swerve?
Thanks
audrey says
Usually Truvia works in place of mapel syrup or honey