These paleo almond flour chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, easy to make and made with wholesome ingredients. They’re gluten free, dairy free and have a vegan option. I promise, you’re going to love these!
I am obsessed with these paleo cookies. Obsessed. Though I love all chocolate chip cookies if I’m being honest, but these ones really take the cake. They’re soft, chewy, perfectly chocolatey, naturally sweet, fluffy, I could go on.
Plus, they’re made with wholesome ingredients without an ounce of refined sugar or flour. One bite into these and I promise you would have no idea they’re paleo!
Personally, I like cookies that are a bit on the thicker side and very soft, almost like muffin tops. These cookies fit that bill and are not only super soft fresh from the oven, but still soft even days later.
This is all thanks to the almond flour and coconut flour which adds a lot of moisture thanks to the fat content and yields a really chewy texture.
How to make paleo cookies
The first step is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is heating up, we’re going to measure out all of the wet ingredients and add them into a large mixing bowl.
Whisk together well until the nut butter is evenly mixed and the egg is broken up.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix together well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a dough forms.
Next, gently fold in the chocolate chunks or chips. To “fold” them in, you’ll want to pour the chocolate chunks in all at once, and then use your spoon to scoop the batter on top and repeat this until the chocolate is well mixed in.
Use a spoon or medium cookie scoop to scoop about 1 1/2 -2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball using your hands. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
They will spread mostly during the final few minutes of baking, and then flatten a bit more as they cool.
Bake for 9-10 minutes for a soft and chewy cookie, or 12-13 for a crispier cookie.
The cookies will continue to harden slightly as they cool. I suggest leaving them on the baking tray to cool for about 15 minutes before transferring to a plate or other rack.
The best flour
These cookies are made with a blend of almond flour and coconut flour to keep them grain free, gluten free and paleo.
I recommend sticking with these flours in the proportions listed for best results. The coconut flour is key for making the cookies really nice and fluffy.
I don’t recommend subbing the almond flour for more coconut flour as coconut flour is very absorbent and that would change the proportions of all ingredients.
They’re sweetened with a mix of maple syrup and coconut sugar to keep them refined sugar free, but they still taste like an incredibly indulgent and sugar laden cookie!
Why didn’t they spread?
If your cookies don’t spread at all, this is likely because too much flour was added. This is why it is so important to measure properly!
Be sure to spoon and level the flour to measure. If you scoop from the bag, you may inadvertently end up with too much flour which can dry out the cookies.
Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level of the top with the back of a knife for best results!
If the timer is almost up and you notice they haven’t spread much, you can take the cookie sheet and slam it down on the oven rack a couple of times to encourage spreading.
The oil will encourage spreading, as will the baking soda. These cookies are on the thick side, but should definitely spread in the oven.
How to keep cookies chewy
You probably know this by now, but I have a thing against crunchy cookies. You won’t ever find a crunchy cookie recipe on here!
These paleo chocolate chip cookies are incredibly soft and chewy, but still have those slightly crispy edges we love.
To make sure they’re ultra chewy and stay chewy, take them out of the oven closer to the 9-10 minute mark. They will be quite soft and almost still a bit doughy, but will continue to harden as they cool.
Once they’re out of the oven, leave them on the baking tray for about 10-15 more minutes and then you can safely transfer them to a plate or eat them right away (my preference)!
Frequently asked questions
Can I make them vegan?
Yes! To make these cookies vegan, you can sub the egg for a flax egg.
To do so, combine 1 tbsp ground flax with 2.5 tbsp of water and set aside for about 10 minutes to thicken. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe as usual.
What chocolate is best?
I prefer chocolate chunks for this recipe because they melt into little pools of chocolate that are honestly just so good, but anything works! Chocolate chunks, chips, chopped up chocolate bar etc.
I used dark chocolate to keep these paleo, but any chocolate you have on hand works! My typical favorite for cookies is semi-sweet.
Do they keep?
These chocolate chunk paleo cookies should last in an air tight container for about 5 days. Let cool completely before storing for best results.
I like to warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds before eating so they’re good as new!
You can also freeze these paleo cookies! Just let them cool completely, then transfer to a freezer safe bag for up to 2 months.
Reheat in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes or until warm through the center.
Try these cookies next!
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Grain Free Brownies
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
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Paleo Chocolate Chunk Cookies
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Dry:
- 1 ¼ cup blanched almond flour spoon and leveled
- ⅓ cup coconut flour spoon and leveled
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup chocolate chunks or chopped chocolate bar
Wet:
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup runny almond butter can sub tahini
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar can sub brown sugar
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil be sure to use refined
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk together all wet ingredients.
- Add in the dry ingredients aside from the chocolate chunks and combine with a wooden spoon.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks until evenly incorporated. Let sit in the fridge for just about 5-10 minutes to allow the flours to absorb some extra moisture. Coconut flour is very absorbent, so the dough doesn't need to chill for long.
- Use a spoon or cookie scoop and scoop the dough into about 1 1/2 to 2 inch balls. Press extra chocolate chunks or chips on top.
- Bake for 9-13 minutes (I usually do 10 for soft cookies or 11 if I want the edges slightly crunchier but still keep soft centers) and then let cool.
- The cookies will continue to harden as they cool, so if you want them to stay chewy, take them out of the oven when they still look slightly raw in the middle but have slightly golden brown edges. If you like slightly crunchier cookies, just bake for closer to 13 minutes!
- Use a round cookie cutter to carefully scoot the cookies into a perfectly round shape as soon as they come out of the oven. Sprinkle with salt flakes and enjoy!
Sam says
These cookies are soo yummy!! I’ve made them a few times now.
Just wondering have you ever made the dough ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge overnight, or froze it before baking?
Claire Cary says
You should be able to do either! If you freeze them, freeze them in balls and lower the bake temp to 325 and bake a few extra minutes to account for the frozen dough.
Elizabeth says
These were lovely! I used a drippy tahini (pepperwood, my fave). Mine were soft – came out crispy on edges (yum!) but went pretty soft after a couple of hours. I think they’ll do well stored in the fridge. Thanks for a keeper!
Claire Cary says
Unfortunately, these don’t stay as crispy as other kinds of cookies because of the flour, but storing in the fridge might help!
Melissa says
These cookies are amazing. Made with a combination of peanut butter and nerigoma (Japanese sesame paste) because I didn’t have almond butter. Have made with egg and flax egg. Always perfect. This is now the recipe I always use.
Claire Cary says
oh yum, that sounds like a delicious combination! I’ll have to try that!
Peter says
These are the best cookies I have ever had. If you have cravings for chocolate chip cookies- you have to give these a try
Becca says
That chocolate looks irresistible!