Perfectly Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
I love chocolate chip cookies. Like really, really love them. There’s just something about a warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven, with a glass of cold milk, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered over the past few years, that dairy and wheat do not leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy. I used to be able to eat anything with no consequence, not even weight gain. I don’t know if it’s old age or my autoimmune disease or just years of eating junk that is catching up to me, but my body isn’t what it used to be. I try to be conscious of what I put in my body, knowing that “you are what you eat” and that at some point it’s all going to catch up with me.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not on a super strict diet, even though I probably should be. I go on spurts of die-hard healthy eating and I’ve followed a paleo diet for several months straight, but I struggle with staying on the band wagon of 100% healthy eating. Sometimes, I just want that piece of chocolate cake! For the most part, however, when I am home, I try to be good and fix healthier recipes. It’s all about moderation, right?
During one of my paleo binges (which, by the way, I did for health reasons, not for trendy reasons), I was craving chocolate chip cookies. I experimented with several different recipes and there were parts of each one that I liked, but I hadn’t found one recipe that I was completely sold on. After making some tweaks between a couple of different recipes I’d tried, I finally came up with a recipe I loved! The best part about it was that not only did I love it, but my kids loved it too! This recipe has become a staple in our house. The kids know I’m not big on junk food; I try to save sweets for special occasions. When they have a sweet tooth, I make up a batch of these cookies and they are happy. They are sweetened with honey, but they are free of refined sugar, which I am happy about! They are gluten free, dairy free, soy free and guilt free!
To keep it dairy free, I use So-Delicious chocolate chips. You can use regular chocolate chips if you’d like, but these chocolate chips pretty much taste the same and they are a healthier option. I like how little they are too. These cookies don’t spread out like your regular cookies do, so they are smaller in size and the mini chocolate chips are perfect.
Another thing I love about these cookies is how quick and easy they are to make. I’m a busy mom; I like simple and I like quick.
All you need to do is mix all of your dry ingredients in one bowl, and your wet ingredients in another. Make sure to sift your almond flour first and that your coconut oil is in the liquid state. Once the two mixtures are stirred through, add them together.
Refrigerate your batter for about 20 minutes. While that is sitting in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
When the dough is a bit chilled, take it out and drop it by the spoonful on the cookie sheet. I like to flatten it down just a little bit, since they don’t spread out when they are baked.
Put in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Baking with almond flour versus regular flour is a little bit of a learning curve, but don’t worry, it’s not hard. You’ll know they’re ready when the tops and edges are a golden brown. Make sure not to overcook; you can take a spatula and check the bottoms of the cookie to make sure they aren’t getting too brown. With my oven, 10 minutes is perfect; everyone’s oven is different. Let your cookies sit on the pan for a couple of minutes to cool before taking them off with a turner and placing them on a cooling rack.
They taste glorious when warm, but they are good cool as well. When I’m truly following a paleo diet, I like to eat these either dipped in almond milk, or with a scoop of coconut ice cream on top. I won’t tell you how to eat yours. Don’t they look amazing?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
cookies
|
- 2 cups almond flour, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients
|
|
- Mix together the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another bowl. Make sure that the coconut oil is in the liquid state. Add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredient bowl.
- Next, combine the wet and dry mixtures together. Put the dough in the refrigerator to chill for about 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place dough by the spoonful on the cookie sheet, slightly pressing down the tops with a spoon to flatten it out a bit. Put it in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the edges are just turning a light brown color.
- To keep it a perfectly paleo dessert, serve with a cold glass of almond milk or a scoop of coconut ice cream on top. Yum!
