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.
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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!
Julie says
Just made a batch of these and they are terrific! Letting them sit an hour before serving is not to torture us , it’s because the flavors deepen!
Elana says
Julie, thanks for letting me know these were terrific!
Elizabeth says
Made these today for Valentine’s Day…..delicious! The name describes them perfectly! Thank you for all of your amazing, tried and true, recipes!!!
Elana says
Elizabeth, I’m so glad to hear these were delicious! They’re one of my family’s favorites and we make them at least once a week :-)
Vanessa says
Hello Elana,
thank you for your lovely recipes and Infos on your site..
I have a questin about this (and other recipes) > what do you recommend to use instead of chocolate Chips? I cnt find them..
Thanks a lot…
best regards
Vanessa
Elana says
Vanessa, thanks for your comment. If you click the green text in the ingredients portion of the recipe that says “chocolate chips” you will find that info :-)
Anne Hudson says
Elana, thank you for sharing all these wonderful recipes. I can’t have any sugar at all, and if I make (and eat!) any of your chocolate cookies, I get inflammation from the sugar in the chips. I have looked everywhere for chips that use something besides either sugar or stevia (which I don’t like), but can’t find any. I am wondering if you or any of your followers have ever tried making your own chocolate chips with honey. Perhaps it isn’t possible, but I thought I would ask. If I left out the chips in the actual cookie, and just made chocolate cookies, I might be able to use unsweetened chocolate and add extra honey or maple sugar. Thank you.
Elana says
Hi Anne, I’ve been working on a homemade chocolate recipe for some time now and have not obtained results that I’m satisfied with yet. I’ll keep you posted :-)
Diane says
Anne, I always use a bar of 100% cacao, unsweetened baking chocolate by Guittard or Ghirardelli. I just take a sharp knife and cut the bar into narrow strips (about 1/4 inch wide) and cut across the strips. I get a whole plate full of unsweetened chocolate bits that work great as unsweetened chocolate chips. So much easier than melting chocolate and forming it into chips.
Elana says
Laurel, no errors here. We’ve made this recipe with these ingredients dozens of times. If you follow the recipe you will love it!
Nancy says
I love these little pillows of chocolate!
Wonderful easy recipe.
I used Pascha chocolate 100% and 85% and made them plain.
I can’t wait to have tea with a friend to serve these and watch their face upon first bite.
Elana says
Nancy, so glad to hear this was a wonderful easy recipe!
DonnaL says
Hi Elana,
Do you have any idea how many carbs are in these cookies. I am diabetic, but trying to stay away from artificial sweeteners so would like to try them. Your book Gluten Free Almond Flour cookbook was the first book I ever bought and I love it.
Thank you for your diligence in helping us.
Donna
Elana says
Hi Donna, here’s more info on that for you:
https://elanaspantry.com/nutrition-information/
Have a great day!
Elana
Joy says
Is there anyway that I can substitute eggs for something else? I am not really on any strict diet nor have any food allergies, but I really want to make this for my friends, who are combinations of gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free diets. I would so appreciate a response!
Elana says
Joy, I have’t tried making this without eggs so not sure. Here is a wonderful cookie recipe that might work for your friends:
https://elanaspantry.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/
It’s gluten-free, egg-free, and nut-free :-)
Elana
Missy says
Hi we made this recipe to a tea and it was a bit too runny, so after referring to your other recipes, we added an extra cup of almond flour. It turned out great! Really? You use just 1/2 cup almond flour? Delicious and not crumbly! Easy to store and my non-
G.F.husband loved them!
Elana says
Hi Missy, yes the batter for this recipe is supposed to be quite runny. Don’t fear though, bake the wet batter and you’ll have incredible cookies that are very different from my other cookie recipes. We have made these cookies several dozen times with the 1/2 cup of almond flour and they’re absolutely amazing. I’m glad you enjoyed!
cydni says
I’m excited to try this recipe. I am not a good baker or cook, especially when it comes to portion sizes. What will measurements be for a serving size for 1?
Elana says
Hi Cydni, thanks for your comment. I’d say 1-2 cookies is a good serving size :-)