Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These paleo chocolate chip cookies are easy to make in under 20 minutes! They are perfectly soft & chewy, slightly crisp, and are the best paleo cookies you’ll ever try! Dairy & grain-free!

overhead view of 6 Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies on a baking sheet


We are well-known for our chocolate chip cookie recipe, but sometimes you just need a healthier treat to satisfy your sweet tooth. So I took everything I know about cookies & healthy baking and created the best Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies ever!

This paleo cookie recipe is made in 20 minutes with nutritious ingredients. They are perfectly soft & chewy, slightly crisp, and are seriously the best paleo cookies you’ll ever try! Plus they are dairy-free, gluten-free & grain-free with no refined sugar.

stack of 5 Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies with one cookie leaning on it

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies: Ingredients & Substituions

Let’s discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions in this recipe!

overhead photo of the labeled ingredients in this Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe
  • Almond flour. You can substitute a 1:1 gluten-free or paleo baking flour for the almond flour. Tapioca flour also works well. Do not use coconut flour in place of almond flour, they are not 1:1 substitutes for each other.
  • Coconut flour. Please be aware that coconut flour is a unique flour that absorbs significantly more liquid than other flours. There is no substitution for coconut flour in this paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe.
  • Coconut Oil. Butter (grass-fed for paleo), or ghee can be used in place of coconut oil.
  • Cashew butter. Almond butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini, etc. can be used in place of cashew butter. However, I find that cashew butter yields the most authentic chocolate chip cookie flavor.
  • Coconut sugar. Any granulated sugar works well! I have used organic cane sugar (not paleo thought) with great results.
  • Honey. Maple syrup can be used in place of honey, however it will impart a maple flavor.
  • Chocolate chips. Use your favorite chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate bars, in this recipe – I have listed my favorite paleo chocolate below.
7 Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Paleo Chocolate Chips & Bars

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out which chocolate chips are Paleo, so I’ll discuss some of my favorite healthier chocolate options!

overhead view of 8 Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies on a baking sheet

How to Make Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is very simple to make, and can even be mixed together in one bowl if you’d like. Let’s walk through the steps together, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Begin this recipe by mixing the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl, then set the mixture aside to use later. If you’d prefer to make this recipe in one bowl then wait and add the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients later on in the recipe.

two photos showing how to make Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies, mixing the dry ingredients

Next, melt together coconut oil, cashew butter and honey together in a microwave safe bowl and let the mixture cool completely.

two photos showing how to make Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies mixing cashew butter and honey

Once the mixture is cooled, mix in coconut sugar until dissolved. Adding the sugar before the egg also helps cool the mixture so that the eggs don’t “cook” when mixed in.

When the sugar is dissolved, add egg and vanilla and stir until combined.

two photos showing how to make Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies, adding coconut sugar, egg, and vanilla

Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.

two photos showing how to make Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies, adding dry ingredients

Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Then, use a 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the dough.

two photos showing how to make Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies, adding chocolate chips & measuring with a cookie scoop

Bake & Cool

Roll the portioned dough into balls and place them evenly spaced on a large, parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-9 minutes until cookies are slightly browned, then remove the paleo chocolate chip cookies from the oven and gently tap the cookie sheet on the counter 2 times.

two photos showing how to make Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies, dough on a baking sheet before and after baking

Let the paleo cookies cool on the pan for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

5 Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies cooling on a wire cooling rack

Store/Freeze

Store these paleo chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can freeze them in an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag for up to 1 month.

front view of a stack of 5 Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies with one leaning against it

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe FAQs

Which chocolate chips are Paleo?

Here are some options, but Hu Kitchen gems are my favorite!
Hu Kitchen Chocolate Gems. This is my favorite paleo chocolate. These gems are delicious and easy to toss into cookies (no bar chopping required).
Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Bars. You can also buy dark chocolate bars and chop them up to toss into these paleo chocolate chip cookies.
Lily’s Dark Chocolate. They make chips and bars that are stevia sweetened, low carb, keto, etc.
Enjoy Life Foods Dark Chocolate Chips are a good option that are vegan, dairy-free but not fully paleo.

How do you keep cookies from getting hard after baking?

Store them in an airtight container so they do not dry out.

stack of 3 Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies with other cookies around it and a glass of milk

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Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Laura
These paleo chocolate chip cookies are easy to make in under 20 minutes! They are perfectly soft & chewy, slightly crisp, and are seriously the best paleo cookies you’ll ever try!
5 from 7 votes
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Cookies
Calories 176
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time9 minutes
Total Time15 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, mix together almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt together coconut oil, cashew butter and honey. Cool completely.
  • Mix in coconut sugar until dissolved.
  • Add egg and vanilla and stir until combined.
  • Add dry ingredients and stir until combined.
  • Fold in chocolate chips.
  • Use a 1 ½ TBS cookie scoop to portion out dough, roll it into balls and place evenly spaced on a large cookie sheet.
  • Bake for 8-9 minutes until cookies are slightly browned.
  • Remove from oven. Gently tap the cookie sheet on the counter 2 times. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substituions
  • Almond flour. You can substitute a 1:1 gluten-free or paleo baking flour for the almond flour. Tapioca flour also works well. Do not use coconut flour in place of almond flour, they are not 1:1 substitutes for each other.
  • Coconut flour. Please be aware that coconut flour is a unique flour that absorbs significantly more liquid than other flours. There is no substitution for coconut flour in this paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe.
  • Coconut Oil. Butter (grass-fed for paleo), or ghee can be used in place of coconut oil.
  • Cashew butter. Almond butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini, etc. can be used in place of cashew butter. However, I find that cashew butter yields the most authentic chocolate chip cookie flavor.
  • Coconut sugar. Any granulated sugar works well! I have used organic cane sugar (not paleo thought) with great results.
  • Honey. Maple syrup can be used in place of honey, however it will impart a maple flavor.
  • Chocolate Chips. Use your favorite chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate bars, in this recipe – here are some of my favorites: 
Store/Freeze
Store these paleo chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can freeze them in an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4 Comments

  1. These were great but they cooked in a ball shape and didn’t flatten. Any suggestions? My family loved them, regardless!