MAR
12
Almond Butter Cookies
Giving up peanuts when we found out that Logan had a severe allergy wasn’t too difficult, though I have missed Peanut Butter Cookies. What has been hard is how many of our favorite things are processed with peanuts, because we can’t even have that in the house. Our nut options have been pretty limited the past 3 years because almost all of them are processed on shared equipment.
That isn’t to say that we don’t eat nuts on occasion, but we try to maintain as close to a peanut-free house as we can so accidental exposure on our own turf isn’t even a possibility. Imagine my excitement when I found an almond that was actually labeled “Peanut-Free.” And more excited that Logan liked them (the vanilla bean flavor)!
Within the same week, while browsing online, I came across Barney Butter – a peanut-free Almond Butter. So far we’ve been limited to Soy Nut Butter, as all the other nut butters I’ve come across have been labeled that they may contain traces of peanuts. Soy Nut Butter was functional for the kids, but I didn’t really care for it. Barney Butter is delicious! It had me immediately craving “peanut” butter cookies.
I found a recipe for peanut butter cookies that also had ground peanuts in them for extra flavor and I substituted almond butter and ground vanilla bean almonds. These Almond Butter Cookies have been goodLife {eats} family approved!
I can’t believe that I never thought to substitute another nut butter in peanut butter cookies before, but I am so glad that I finally figured it out. Almond Butter Cookies are delicious!
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Almond Butter Cookies
adapted from Cook's Illustrated
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
16 Tbs (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 c brown sugar
1 c granulated sugar
1 c almond butter
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c almonds, ground to resemble coarse breadcrumbsDirections:
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Beat butter until creamy. Add sugars beating until fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Scrap the bowl as necessary. Beat in almond butter until incorporated. Beat in vanilla and then eggs, one at a time.
Gently stir in the dry ingredients (I switched to the paddle on my kitchen aid mixer). Add ground almonds and stir until just incorporated.
Roll cookies into 2 Tbs sized balls. Place on baking sheets and press each ball twice with a fork to make a crisscross design. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes. Edges should be slightly browned and the cookies puffed. Cool on sheets for 4 minutes before transferring to a cookie cooling rack.
If peanut allergy is a concern: Look for an almond butter labeled "Peanut Free," i.e. Barney Butter. For the ground almonds, I recommend Blue Diamond Brand as a peanut-free option.

Hello! I'm Katie Goodman, author of GoodLife Eats Etc. where I share what I find in my life. A mix of great recipes, family memories, adventures, good reads, and anything else that I love is what you will discover here.


Yum! I think I’d actually like those better than peanut butter. Yum!
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I have to make these! My hubby is allergic to all nuts so he still can’t have these, but oh well, I can!
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Woahhhhhh – yummy!!!! I’m not alergic to nuts, but count me in for these!Lindsay
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These look SO good! And I’m thrilled that you found something you and you son both love the taste of. I’m going to have to track some of those almonds down to try.
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Omigosh. YUM. And you’re numbered comments look GREAT!
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Those look delicious! I’m sorry I’m gonna miss playgroup this morning and won’t get to taste them.
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Our little guy is also allergic to tree nuts, but those do look yummy. Have you tried sunflower butter? It tastes a LOT like peanut butter (soy butter is nasty) and has a similar consistency. The brands I’ve found are completely nut free.
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MoreThanMommy – I did just get some Sunflower Butter on Monday. I’d like to try the recipe w/ it and add some sunflower seeds to it. It is yummy – the one I got also has flaxseed in it!
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I love almond butter! Perfect swap for PB. Great cookies
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These sound delicious, and I’ve been meaning to try those vanilla bean almonds. Thanks for sharing!
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A very late poster here, but have you tried making your own nut butter? It's very simple, and very quick. Just find the desired nut of choice (free of peanut exposure, in this case), buy in bulk, and throw in the food processor with a bit of honey or sugar (if desired), and a nice dollop of good coconut or olive oil!Also, while this recipe looks delish, I thought I'd share my personal favorite as well. I can't eat grains or peanuts, so this has become a staple in my house!1 cup but butter1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 chopped nuts1 egg2 tsp baking powderJust blend well, roll into balls, press with fork, and bake for nine minutes at 350 degrees.Enjoy! And thus far, I'm loving your (newly discovered!) blog.
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"1 cup but butter" Made me laugh
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Although we have no food allergies, we avoid the aflatoxins in peanuts because of a family history of colon cancer. Just wanted to drop a note and say that your almond butter cookies are a hit at my house. Thank you!
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I'm passing this on to my daughter and keeping a copy of myself. My grandson has a peanut/tree nut allergy as well. It's amazing how many products are processed just as you said. I really read those labels carefully. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for the recipe! Although this post is years old, the recipe was excellent! We, too, have a kiddo with a peanut allergy. Found your blog on Google (while searching for this type of recipe). I’ve now subscribed to you RSS. Can’t wait to start trying more of your recipes.
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