The Best Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
These might be the best cookies I’ve ever made. Seriously. Adam agrees, and he’s not even much of a sweets guy.
I love chocolate chip cookies. It’s hard to compete with my favorite browned butter chocolate chip cookies that will forever hold a special place in my heart, but these paleo cookies are just plain next-level addicting. Dare I say it, but they are absolutely my new favorite.
I’ve made three batches of these cookies in the past two weeks, and they barely last three days before they’re all gone… They are that awesome, I promise.
We love to eat healthy. I actually really enjoy salads, fruit and vegetables. However I have a steadfast sweet tooth that doesn’t quit, and I always save room for dessert. Lately we’ve adopted a mostly paleo diet, too. (However I’m still fueling up on gluten-free pasta and sweet potatoes on the nights leading up to my long runs during my marathon training!) And these cookies are a fun treat that you would never guess are paleo and a more healthful alternative to the traditional cookie.
They’re slightly less sweet than regular chocolate chip cookies, which we happen to love. And I dig how soft and chewy they are, which is often hard to find in a gluten-free cookie.
Oh, hello gorgeous. The cookies are gigantic. Just look at the size next to my thumb!
There is an important tidbit in the instructions for these cookies – if you’re truly making them paleo and using coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, and coconut oil instead of butter, you absolutely need to let the dough refrigerate for a few hours (or I’ve even done overnight) before you bake them. If you don’t, they’ll spread out and get thin and not as big and chewy.
I used Enjoy Life baking chips to keep these paleo. You’d never know that they were dairy-free chips, and they come in mini milk chocolate morsels and yummy dark chocolate. You could absolutely use regular chocolate chips if you aren’t on a dairy-free diet.
You could make smaller cookies if you’d rather get more out of the batch. I haven’t tried that yet, because I love the gigantic treats, but you’ll definitely need to adjust the baking time. Remember that cookies continue to bake while they’re cooling on the cookie sheet, so they should be a bit underdone when you pull them out of the oven. Be careful not to over-bake, or your cookies will likely be dry and not as chewy.
Happy cookie baking and noshing!
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, vegan optional)
- Total Time: Prep Time: 15 min + 3-12 hours to chill the dough / Cook Time: 11-15 min
- YIELDS 8 gigantic cookies (or 16 smaller cookies)
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Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt until combined and set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat together the coconut oil (or butter) and sugar at medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Beat in the almond butter and vanilla extract on medium speed until well combined.
- Beat in the egg on low until well incorporated.
- In three batches, add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until well combined.
- Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
- If you used coconut sugar, place the bowl in the refrigerator for a few hours (or overnight) or until the dough is firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into 8 balls and place the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on the top and on the sides of the dough balls.
- Place 3" apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press the cookies down lightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 11-14 minutes (if using coconut sugar) or 14-17 minutes (if using brown sugar) or until the surface of the center of the cookies no longer appears wet. They'll be very soft but will continue to cook as they sit on the cookie sheet. (If you choose to make 16 smaller cookies you'll need to adjust the baking time. I haven't tried that yet! Trust me, the big cookies are AWESOME!)
- Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days, if they last that long :)