Paleo chocolate chip cookies that are gluten, grain and dairy free but taste just like the real thing! Just a small amount of easy ingredients and you can be eating these in minutes!
It’s been a week.
Like one of those that despite your best intentions, all you can eat think of is chocolate, dessert, pasta, cheese… Basically, all the bad stuff.
I blame the stupid weather which, according to weather.com, was supposed to be sunny and 60s every day when I checked on Sunday and then somehow ended up a cloudy, drizzly mess for 3 of those days.
My cousin just graduated with a degree in meteorology and took his first job which is accompanied by a disgustingly low salary. I now understand why. I’m convinced they all just sit around throwing darts at a selection of weather patterns and pick whichever one they hit for the forecast. (Chris- I’m kidding)
This is why I hate winter. It makes me crave bad things.
And before someone gets all sassy in the comments, no, I’m not calling cheese and pasta inherently bad, but when you crave copious amounts of each every day because it looks like armageddon outside, it’s not the healthiest choice.
I can usually hold myself off for the first half of the day but that 2-3pm blah time gets me.
Every. Single. Time.
It’s about the time I want a nap, lose all motivation to work and want to eat every single piece of chocolate and/or carby goodness in my house. This doesn’t happen in the summer.
Reason #345987456 why we should’ve never moved back to NY from Florida.
So since we have approximately 6 more months of this craptastic weather coming our way, I decided I needed a go to 2-3pm fix.
Requirements:
- Chocolate
- Tastes legit
- I can eat like 5 of them without feeling bad.
Let’s expand upon #2 for a second – when I say “tastes legit” I mean I don’t want some “health-ified” or “high protein-ified” version of a classic that uses prunes or dates or protein powder. Although, I’m kinda making fun of myself when I say that because these raw brownie bites fit that description but are SO delicious at the same time.
Guys- there’s some crazy ass shit out there in the form of “recipes” for stuff like that.
I just so happened to have picked about 5 of them for recent breakfasts. Wednesday’s ended up in a batter explosion and a black waffle with great flavor but the texture of an air puff. Um, wtf? Do people not taste their creations before posting for the world?
I digress.
I’m giving myself an A on this assignment.
These paleo chocolate chip cookies have chocolate chunks, legit chocolate chip cookie flavor and most importantly for me when it comes to a chocolate chip cookie, they have the soft gooey chocolate center. Soft batch cookies are where it’s at. Life’s too short for crispy, hard cookies, at least when it comes to chocolate chip.
Somehow they’re also miraculously dairy-free, grain-free and paleo.
Holla.
Also, I somehow only ate 3 straight out of the oven. So make that an A+ on this cookie assignment.
If you want to take these paleo chocolate chip cookies to the next level, check out these paleo bacon chocolate chip cookies!
Same recipe just with the addition of some crispy crumbled bacon to the batter for that delicious salty sweet combination.
Love these paleo chocolate chip cookies?
Try these other paleo cookie recipes like this Paleo Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet <– so gooey and insanely delicious!, these Paleo Blueberry Thumbprints or these Paleo Blueberry Chocolate Macaroons.
And for something chocolaty but not in cookie form, paleo chocolate mousse never disappoints.
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil, *update: make sure to measure oil after melting so that you’re not inadvertently using too much. This can cause cookies to flatten
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate pieces Enjoy Life chocolate chips are a great option.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Whisk together wet ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add wet to dry and mix together.
- Fill a tablespoon measure with batter and press down to form a half-circle. Tap batter out onto baking sheet and lightly press down in the center. *Optional – freeze cookies on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before baking. This helps keep them from spreading.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes until bottoms just start to turn brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They will be soft when removed from oven but firm up in a couple of minutes.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Great recipe! So easy to make too! I’ve already shared it to love one’s. Thank you!
I made your cookies three times. The first time they turned out perfect. But ever since I put my almond flour in fridge, they have come out flat. I measured everything exactly how you recommended but I couldn’t fix the problem. Is it because I store my flour in fridge? Or maybe it is because it got super hot outside (I live in hot Arizona, and dry climate sometimes affects wheat flour), I don’t know……We still ate the cookies, they are delicious no matter what.
Hmm…my guess would be the fact that the almond flour is refrigerated but I don’t keep mine in the fridge to be able to say that with certainty.
These look deliciously amazing! Love paleo cookies even more than the “real” thing. Give my sea salt and dark chocolate chunk paleo cookies a shot :)
https://www.thepaleopanda.com/heavens-best-paleo-sea-salt-and-chocolate-chunk-cookies/
I made these for a weekend class, I used butter instead of coconut oil but otherwise followed the recipe as is. My recipe only made 16 cookies, not 24 and perhaps I ate a couple before they got to the class :) Anyway, I was so surprised when I had about 12 of the women come up to me to tell me how great they were. Mind you, it’s not a group that knows me except by name. I have never had such a big response to a recipe before. Will be making them for the class again next weekend and doubling the recipe. Thank you!
https://thepaleodietfoodlist.blogspot.com/
So happy to hear that!
Just made these and they are great.No subs and and came out just like the pic.Thnx.
Great to hear, glad you enjoyed them!
Hi! I’d love to make these, but I have a nut allergy :-(
I assume I can use soy milk instead of almond milk, but what can I substitute for almond meal? Soy flour?
thanks for your help!
YUMMY! I am new to the paleo lifestyle. I have been trying new recipes out on the family. They all love this. I doubled this recipe. I only cooked seven cookies because the batter is so good. My husband said he would easy these paleo chocolate chip cookies over regular chocolate chip cookies any day. I also ate a small amount of batter, maybe a little more than that,but I’m so full. I love how it satisfies my craving and my hunger. Headed to a family dinner full and not craving a refined sugar dessert. Thank you for sharing! I’ll send some sunshine your way.
Awesome! My husband said they are some of the best cookies he’d ever tasted, and he is not Paleo friendly :) My husband, 2 kiddos and I thank you!
This sounds amazing, thank you for posting up this recipe.
Simon
So I didn’t have almond flour and thought I could substitute 1/2 c coconut flour & 1/2 c of tapioca flour. Needless to say I couldnt even roll them into balls. The dough would not stay together. So I added an egg and about a tbsp more almond milk. The dough finally looked normal, but after pressing onto a cookie sheet and baked for 10 minutes, I took them out and they dry and tasteless.
Yeah, unfortunately those substitutions aren’t really 1 for 1 with almond flour. If you’re going to use subs, any other regular nut flour (not coconut) would probably be your best bet.