Almond Flour Cookie Bars

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Almond Flour Cookie Bars are soft, golden-brown cookies swirled with melted chocolate chips. These flourless and naturally gluten free cookies, make a delicious Passover snack that is also a year round favorite!

Overhead shot of golden brown cookie bars with swirls of melted chocolate baked in.

Why you'll love this recipe

Baking gluten free treats often requires a lot of specialty ingredients to create the texture of baked goods made with wheat flour. Not this recipe! Get delicious flavor and soft, chewy texture using a handful of common ingredients.

Finely ground almond flour can easily be found at most supermarkets. It gives the bars a soft crumb and almond flavor.

Adding starch, potato starch for Passover use and corn starch for all other times, provides the chewiness expected from cookies and bars.

Recipe ingredients

For bars with the soft texture of regular flour, use finely ground almond flour. Using almond meal will produce a grainier texture.

Mini chocolate chips melt faster than regular sized chips, which is important in this recipe. If substituting regular chips, chop them into smaller pieces before using.

Potato starch is a common Passover ingredient and can sometimes be found in the kosher food section of a grocery store year round. For non-Passover use, corn starch can be substituted with the same results.

Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.

Using an electric mixer, combine the ingredients.
Spread the batter evenly into a lined jelly roll pan with a silicone spatula.
Bake for 5 minutes, until the chocolate chips are melted. Remove from the oven and swirl the batter with the spatula to create a marbling effect.
Return to the oven and bake until golden. Cool then cut into squares.

Recipe tips

For the best texture, use finely ground almond flour.
For non-Passover use, corn starch can be substituted for the potato starch in this recipe.
To get the swirled chocolate effect, very small pieces of chocolate must be used so that they melt before the dough begins to bake. Use mini chips or chop regular chips or chocolate.
There is enough batter to cover the bottom of the jelly roll pan. It will be very thin, but will rise when baking to produce cookie-like bars.
For thicker bars use a smaller pan. The baking time will be slightly longer.
This recipe can also be used to make thick, chewy almond flour blondies. Make the recipe as written using an 8" or 9" square baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes after swirling the melted chocolate.
Slice into bars while still warm to reduce cracking and crumbling.
Do not attempt to move the bars out of the pan until they are completely cooled. The bars get sturdier when cool and will hold together beautifully.

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Storage tips

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.
To keep these bars soft while shipping, double wrap piles of 2-4 squares in plastic wrap, then place the bundles in a column, in a plastic storage container or freezer weight ziplock bag.
These bars freeze well for up to a month, when well wrapped in plastic wrap. Defrost at room temperature.

Closeup stack of cookie bars showing chocolate swirled throughout the almond dough.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between almond meal and almond flour?

Almond meal is usually made from coarsely ground raw almonds with their skin. Almond flour is made from blanched almonds with the skin removed, giving it a lighter color and finer texture.

Can you substitute almond meal for almond flour?

The finer the grind, the closer the texture will be to wheat flour. If almond meal is used, the baked goods will have a heavier, grainier texture.

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