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.
I’ve tried this recipe twice now. My cookies bake flat and fall apart before I can even transfer them to the cooling rack. The ingredients are so expensive that I just ate the cookies with a bowl and spoon.
Has anyone used coconut milk instead of almond with the same flavor and texture results? I have aroy-d milk on hand as a cooking staple. I am not anti-almond milk, just really love coconut milk.
Wow…. I am so impressed : ).
So iv been baking Paleo goodies for some time now and have had some good successes with my own recipes.. though i was nervous about attempting cookies. My boyfriend LOVES cookies.. but usually forces himself to refrain until special occasions due to being health conscious. I wanted to make him something that he could enjoy and that wouldnt “taste healthy” as a lot of paleo baked goods do.
The moment I tasted the batter, I knew that these were going to be perfect. I doubled the batter straight away and made them in to larger cookies than you have pictured (my double batter made 10 cookies) and I also rolled them into balls with my hands to give them smoother edges when baked.
They smelled amazing.. and browned nicely.
Now.. I tasted one right out of the oven before it had firmed up and felt like jumping with happiness. My boyfriend came home at 10:30pm from a LAARRGEEE dinner… had a humungous food baby…. could hardly move.. but ate 3.
He asked if they were out of a packet… Proudly.. I said “no, they’re paleo!!”
Thanks so much for the recipe. I will repost on my blog and let people know where the amazingness came from : )
So glad you both liked them, Mel!
I just made two batches of these with locally sourced honey and some raw cocoa. They taste amazing! Thank you!!
Can you substitute maple syrup for honey and still get the same results?
I haven’t tried it that way but I think you’d be fine.
Yes you can substitute maple syrup for honey. I used 1 tablespoon, and it was plenty sweet for me. I also used almond extract instead of vanilla and Kerrygold butter in place of the coconut oil. They turned out way too good!
a friend made these for me and they were delicious! i tried to make them myself, but used coconut flour instead of almond flour, and for some reason they turned out so dry and didn’t stick together well. do you think that made such a difference and why? i thought it was weird that they wouldn’t be interchangeable.
Yes, it definitely made a difference. Coconut flour is very different than other flours and not interchangeable at all with almond flour, especially in a 1-1 ratio. Coconut flour is like a sponge and absorbs a tremendous amount of liquid so that’s why they turned out dry.
These are a life saver!!! I have been dying to eat Christmas cookies! Thankfully these are getting me through the holiday season without feeling like I’m cheating!
JUST made these. OMGGGGGGGGGG. Finally. Finally. A delicious paleo chocolate chip recipe with simple ingredients. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Made these this afternoon. KEEEEEPER! Thanks for sharing!
I tried these last night. OMG good thing I worked out hard beforehand….it only made 9 so 4 were gone before I stepped out for some shopping. The other 5 looked so lonely sitting there on the cooling rack, I had to put them out of their misery and polish them off. And you are right, after they cool, they are the proper consistancy. I’m going to make them again, and let people try, but am not going to tell them how they are made. I’m sure they will love them! Thanks for the recipe!!!