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.
Thank you! These were awesome. I think the secret to the great, real-cookie texture must be the lack of eggs? I even substituted butter for coconut oil and omitted the almond milk, and they were still wonderful.
Hello Gina! Just wanted to let you know that last night my friend had a cookie baking contest and I made your Paleo Chocolate Chunk cookie. Keep in note it was my first time ever baking a cookie, let alone it being a special kind of cookie, being Paleo and all. But, the cookies came in 2nd place in the competition. I was proud of my accomplishment. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. They are very delicious cookies!!
That’s awesome! Congrats :)
I had been meaning to make these ever since they were posted. I finally made them yesterday and they were one of the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipes I’ve ever tried, paleo or not! So moist and delicious…cookie perfection!! My roommates couldn’t believe how good they were and each ate 3!! Can’t wait to make these again soon!
So glad you all liked them! :)
It’s a classic – everybody’s favorite! :-)
these are amazing. I linked to this recipe from my site…I made a few adaptations. So tasty!
Hello hello!! I like your humor… But on to my review. :)
I happened to be desperately seeking to bake a cookie/sweet-thing for my unsubsiding sweet tooth since I’ve recently adopted the paleo lifestyle and making a goodie that would taste delish AND look delish was no small feat.
In this day and age of the web and all the offerings of recipes it brings, finding one that really works is tough….. and unlike some reviewers that hadn’t posted a review I made these cookies and I will now post my “review”. :)
Sooooooo…. Here goes. This cookie took me, like, 5 seconds to make. Okay, more like 5 min, but really? 5 min? Why the hell not?! And let me tell you… These are the closest to the real thing that I’ve ever tried!! So yum!! These are perfection!! Chewy on the inside, lightly crispy on the outside, with a hint of almondy goodness from the almond meal and perfectly sweet with only 2tbsp of honey. I could cry for joy because you are right my sweet Gina, I would, and did eat the whole batch right away without guilt!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Ps. I did bake them for a bit longer, 12 minutes because I prefer more crispness. And, I added toasted chopped pecans as my original recipe (that I will no longer miss) had them and they add a nice crunch and flavor.
Elle
Thank you for such a nice comment :) Glad you like the cookies so much! I haven’t made a batch in awhile, now you have me craving them again ;)
I don’t know whether to thank you or be mad at you ;) because these are so good I can’t stop eating them when I make them!
Seriously, thank you for the awesome and easy recipe! They are delicious!!
Just made these (with dark chocolate chips) and they are fantastic! Definitely one of the best healthy cookies I’ve eaten. Awesome recipe =).
So glad you liked them!
These cookies are awesome. Made one batch to try them and immediately made a second batch. They’re like almond joys!
Thanks for the recipe! These were so easy and yummy. A good “cheat” treat that will keep my tummy happy.