It’s not unusual for me to make 8 different cookie recipes before I decide that the recipe I’m looking for does not yet actually exist. I’m more of a chef than a baker by far, so I love that there are so many amazing grain-free bloggers out there. I love when the talented paleo bakers do the work for me. But sometimes, I don’t find what I’m looking for, and have to play baker.
This is why I buy almond flour in bulk.
The problem with the paleo and primal cookie recipes I’ve tried is that they’re too soft and cakey. They might be delicious, but they’re boring texture-wise. I want the cookies of my childhood; Crispy on the edges, and soft and chewy in the center.
I want this:
And so do you, I’m willing to bet, so here ya go.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about one and a half dozen cookies
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, preferably grassfed, softened *
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup arrowroot
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 large egg, preferably pasture raised
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In either a food processor or with beaters, cream the butter, coconut palm sugar, egg, maple syrup and vanilla for about 30 seconds. You might need to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula to get it all mixed in.
- Add the almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
- Drop by tablespoons on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool, or at least as long as you can stand it.
waiting is the hardest part
* If you want these to be dairy free, you can sub palm shortening for the butter. I can’t promise the texture will be the same, though.
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Ouida Lampert says
Thank you! My Paleo baking experiences are NOT memorable (well, maybe memorable for their awfulness!), so these should help nicely. You don’t, by chance, want to venture into banana nut bread, do you? The recipes I’ve tried are, well, not good.
zenbellyblog says
I’m not sure if you saw, but I posted a banana bread recipe! I’m pretty happy with how it came out. http://zenbellyblog.com/2013/01/13/banana-bread-sweetener-free/ I kept it plain and simple, but you could definitely add chopped nuts.
Crystal O. says
All the baking recipes I’ve gotten from paleomg are awesome. Try that website too if you want some good ones.
clay says
Primal Cravings has a fantastic banana bread recipe.
zenbellyblog says
I hope these create a good paleo baking memory for you! I haven’t ventured into banana bread, but we are notorious for buying too many bananas and letting them over ripen, so it’s bound to happen soon…
Sherrill says
Can I substitute regular sugar or something else for the coconut palm sugar?
zenbellyblog says
Yes you can. Cane sugar is a bit sweeter than coconut sugar, so you can either have slightly sweeter cookies, or use less sugar, but it might change the texture.
jenskitchen says
I was just wondering that myself 🙂 Thanks!
Sherrill says
I made these today and substituted light brown sugar for the coconut palm sugar. They are delicious and as you stated the texture is much better than other recipes that I have tried. I have ordered the palm sugar and will give it a try when it arrives. Being new to Paleo, I still crave sweets, so was excited to see this. Thanks.
zenbellyblog says
I’m so glad you like them! I feel very strongly that everyone should be able to have chocolate chip cookies, at least once in a while!
Michelle says
I’ve checked area stores and can’t find arrowroot. Any substitution suggestions?
zenbellyblog says
The brand I use is Bob’s Red Mill, so if there’s a store near you that carries any of their products, they might be able to get it for you… HERE is a link to buy it online.
If none of those options work for you, I think the closest substitute would be tapioca, as far as consistency, or coconut flour as far as paleo-ness. BUT I don’t know what measurements you would use. If you experiment with it, let me know!
Kristin says
Is there something essential to the process about using a food processor? Or will my trusty stand mixer do the job? It has been sadly idle since I’ve gone paleo.
zenbellyblog says
I think the stand mixer would work fine. There’s a chance that the food processor gets the almond flour a bit finer and buttery, but it’s probably not crucial.
Andrea says
I made these yesterday and they were indeed the most “normal” cookie I’ve had since going Paleo. The texture was finally right and they were not crumbly like the ones I’ve made so far have been. They were thick and soft, almost cakey in the middle. I was in cookie heaven! Thank you so much for sharing. I didn’t have the palm sugar so I used honey and it turned out fine. I will be making these again. And again. And again……..
zenbellyblog says
Thanks, Andrea! I’m all about “normal” cookies for everyone. 🙂
Emma Lowrey says
Thanks Simone! I’m making these for a Paleo friend’s birthday. I’m on an elimination diet right now so I can’t try them yet, but I knew I could trust your recipe completely. I have a good reputation to maintain when it comes to cooking and baking, so that’s really saying something about how awesome every recipe of yours I’ve made has come out! You should make a cookbook, that would be most wondrous.
zenbellyblog says
Thanks Emma! I’m so glad to hear that.
I had to do a lot of baking when I did the 21 DSD last month. Kind of torture, but also gratifying when your willpower wins! And thanks for the cookbook comment! I’ve actually been thinking that this is the year that will happen.
Shirley Edgecomb says
These cookies are the greatest!! I made them for the first time tonight. Ground my own almonds…they are a little chunky but that is fine! My husband has been whining for CC Cookies like his Mom made…..well, I think this will do the trick! He ate 6 at the minute they were cool enough!! They will be a staple in my kitchen…..really appreciate this!!! We are trying to stay away from Wheat…but the cookies were missed!! Not any more!!!
zenbellyblog says
Hooray! I’m so glad to hear that Shirley 🙂
Heather says
Thank you for this amazing recipe! My husband who never likes my gluten free goodies absolutely loved these, and my kids too! Keep up the great work 🙂
zenbellyblog says
Hooray! I love changing people’s minds about gluten-free baked goods. Thanks Heather!
Leslie says
Wow, these turned out great! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Keep them coming!
Tara says
Wow. Best Paleo chocochip cookie I’ve had, and I’ve tried a LOT of recipes. I think next time I will chill the dough before baking…unless you think this would have a negative effect?? They spread out quite a bit and I’d like to see if I can get them a little puffier…MAN, they taste goooooood…
zenbellyblog says
I think the only effect would be less spreading on the pan, so go for it! Glad you like them!
Rosanna says
excuse me while I do the happy dance…… Okay, I’m back!! So very excited over these cookies! I saw this recipe a while back and tucked it away thinking it was too good to be true. So when my 6 year old asked for cookies today I thought I’d give it a try.. He likes chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips (crazy I know but I was the same way growing up). So I made them without the chocolate chips and crossed my fingers they were going to come out like you’d promised. You most certainly delivered my friend.. Thank you.. P.S. They do flatten out a ton. So much so I thought I must have missed something in the ingredients but realized I didn’t. I will definitely make fewer cookies in a batch next time. Can’t wait to make them again!!
zenbellyblog says
Horray! And funny! When I was a kid, I actually used to like the cookies with the least amount of chocolate chips too. I think it makes total sense when the dough part is so delicious, which my mom’s always was. Re: flat cookies, I think I’ll edit the post accordingly, suggesting people space these cookies generously; they do spread a lot. Thanks Rosanna!
Karina Bowles says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. These are the best cookies ever, and they are paleo!!, I can’t stop eating =)
Adriana says
Thank you so much for this recipe, this is my favorite grain free cookie recipe now.
Sandy says
Can you use a Vitamix for this recipe I don’t have a food processor.
zenbellyblog says
Yes, and you could just use regular beaters too. The food processor method is just to get the almond flour really fine, in the case that you’re not already starting off with finely ground almond flour.
monroe444M says
I made these with coconut oil instead of butter and I used ground flax seeds in water as an egg substitute (because I’m allergic), and I used tapioca flour instead of arrowroot, and they turned out really well. I will definitely make these again, thanks for the recipe!
Anna says
I used palm shortening in place of butter and made “sun-flour” for the almond flour, delicious!
I may have to double the recipe next time!
Cathy says
Made these yesterday and OMG they are delicious! Question though: my dough was quite wet? I ended up refrigerating it first because of the consistency. The cookies turned out great, but I’m just wondering if I did something wrong?
zenbellyblog says
Glad you liked them! I’m not sure why the dough was wet; honestly… when I make this recipe the dough is only slightly moister than regular cookie dough. Any chance your egg was extra large?
Gina says
I made these cookies, this evening, for my family. I doubled the recipe and used one egg as you had suggested on FB. I also added chopped walnuts, They were gooey in the middle and crispy on the edges. This was the best CC cookie recipe I’ve come across. I am not Paleo but am interested in a whole foods approach to baking and try to stay away from grains as much as possible. Thank You so much! This is my new “go to” recipe. Could xylitol be used as a substitute for the coconut sugar to make it a sugar free recipe?
zenbellyblog says
Glad you liked them! I’m not at all sure about xylitol, I haven’t used it. If it works as a cup for cup substitute in other recipes, I say go for it! But anytime you change an ingredient, the result can change too, so maybe try a single batch until you know how it comes out!
Emily says
Wow, these were delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly. Very close to the real deal. Thanks for sharing!
Cookie Lover says
These were very good! Thanks for a great recipe. 🙂
Sandy says
In this recipe arrowroot is the same as arrowroot starch from your Perfect Grain-free flour recipe? Thanks.
zenbellyblog says
yes! arrowroot/arrowroot starch/arrowroot powder are all the same thing. I’ll edit it so its consistent throughout…
Alejandra says
Thank you for the recipe! These are so delicious and I love the texture. The best paleo version I’ve tried! I ran out of parchment, so I used foil, and they stuck a bit. I ended up with bottomless cookies but I made them into ice cream sandwiches with some coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla. Just mixed it up and let it set for a bit before putting it between the cookies. This is going to become a must have in my freezer this summer 🙂
Anne says
Absolutely delicious! And you’re right! The texture is perfect!
Ali says
Great recipe! I baked about half, then used a cookie scoop to create scoops to freeze. I baked a couple of frozen ones (thawed very slightly while the oven preheated) and I think they actually tasted better! Just an extra minute (12 in my oven at 350) and they were fantastic!
Sabrina says
These were amazing! I substituted tapioca flour for the arrowroot and they came out wonderful. I also baked for 13.5 minutes. Best GF chocolate chip cookies I’ve made to date (and I have tried MANY!). Thank you so much for this recipe! Can’t wait to buy your cookbook 🙂
zenbellyblog says
Awesome, thanks Sabrina! 🙂
Celine Williams says
I followed the recipe exactly (although i did use coconut oil in place of butter) yet my cookies turned out flat and very sad looking. Why do you think this is?
Gabriella says
I am hopeful. I have been very disappointed with paleo cookies so far, hope this is the answer.
Lynda says
I usually don’t post comments to recipes but felt I had to for these AMAZING cookies! I doubled the recipe because I had a feeling they would be awesome and they were! I have a coconut allergy so I used Sucanat instead of coconut sugar. I also subbed carob chips for the chocolate chips and they were perfect! The kids love then and even hubby has come back for seconds. He usually doesn’t like my grain free baked goods so that’s a win! Thank you for this outstanding recipe! I am so grateful 🙂
zenbellyblog says
Aw I’m so glad to hear it, Lynda! Thanks for taking the time to leave the sweet comment. Happy New Year! 🙂
Paula says
Absolutely wonderful. I didn’t have enough arrowroot, so I used tapioca flour once. Great either way. Leave out the chocolate chips, add 1 tsp of cream of tarter to the flours and sprinkle with cinnamon and coconut sugar to make snickerdoodle cookies. Yum!
zenbellyblog says
Oh what a great idea! I’m going to have to try that.
Angela Belleville says
I love this recipe. It has been my go-to for CCC for years. I do need them to be dairy free so I use spectrums shortening. I also can get by with subbing out the arrowroot for Casava flour (it’s what I have on hand). I just use less, probably about 5 TBS. Also the ads on this page block the content/text, I’m not able to see all of the instructions.
zenbelly says
Hi Angela!
I’m so glad you love these CCCs and so sorry about the ads! That definitely shouldn’t happen. If you’re able, would you send me a screen shot of what you’re seeing so I can report it to my ad network and get it fixed? You can email it to zenbellysf@gmail.com I’ll send you an email too.