Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Get ready for the best paleo chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever had! These cookies are soft, chewy, and have a rich, buttery taste. They’re also incredibly easy to make, which is good because everyone will be asking for more!

When I tell you I’ve made this paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe over 100 times, I am not exaggerating. Do other cookie recipes exist? Possibly. I wouldn’t know, because we always default to these glorious paleo cookies when we’ve got dessert on the mind.

Guys, these paleo chocolate chip cookies are SO INCREDIBLY GOOD. They’re thick, soft and chewy, and loaded with little pockets of melted dark chocolate chips. I’ve tested these on all of my friends (those who are gluten free and gluten filled), and they’re always a fan favorite. Tailgates, birthday parties, dinner with friends, Father’s Day, or just weekend baking fun—you name it, these cookies have stolen the show!

They’re also incredibly easy to make, which is good because they tend to go fast! The entire cookie recipe mixes up in one bowl. Then, just form into balls and bake. Let’s do this!

What Makes These Paleo?

I love figuring out ways to make healthy swaps in desserts without sacrificing texture or flavor. While this easy paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe is made with healthier ingredients, these cookies are everything you’d want and more—soft, chewy, and melt in your mouth good! This recipe is:

• Made with whole ingredients: The base of this recipe is almond flour, egg, and ghee.
• Gluten free: This chocolate chip cookie recipe is made with paleo-friendly flours including almond flour, tapioca flour, and coconut flour. This gives the cookies a soft and chewy texture.
• Dairy free: As a nice aside, this cookie recipe is great for people avoiding dairy because it uses ghee. If you are sensitive to dairy fat, just swap the ghee for coconut oil.
• Naturally sweetened: Honey and coconut sugar are used to sweeten the cookies. Both help to create a sweet and chewy texture.

How to Make Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Prepare the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. Whisk the almond flour, tapioca flour, and coconut flour together until it’s broken down and fine. Add the sea salt, baking soda, and coconut sugar, and whisk until combined. 
3. Add the wet ingredients. Add the honey, ghee, egg, and vanilla extract, and fold everything together until a uniform dough forms. The dough should be fairly thick and come together to form a ball. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Form into balls. Form the dough into about twelve 2-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each cookie ever so slightly with the back of a spoon.
5. Bake the cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool.

The Secret to Irresistibly Soft Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, what’s the secret? These paleo chocolate chip cookies are made with almond flour, but they’re also made with a blend of coconut flour and tapioca flour. This makes them irresistibly soft. While I tested many different flours combination, this trifecta was a match made in heaven.

No weird gritty texture or dryness. No browning on the bottom or sogginess in the center. Just pure, thick and chewy chocolatey goodness.

The second piece of the soft and chewy paleo chocolate chip cookie puzzle is how you process the flours. After much testing, getting perfectly chewy cookies requires whisking the flours until broken down and fine. You can use a food processor or stand or hand mixer to do this. Just whisk the flours for about 2-3 minutes, then switch out the attachment to the beater to fold in the remaining ingredients.

Of course, you can also mix the flours together by hand. Just use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients together, and then fold in the wet ingredients with a spatula.

Can I Make Ingredient Substitutions?

Yes! However, this is where I make that special note that you won’t get the same consistent results if you vary from the original recipe. But, if you find yourself short, here’s a few swaps you can make!

• Almond flour: You can use another nut flour, like cashew flour.
• Tapioca flour: You can use arrowroot flour. Note: this will change the texture slightly as arrowroot is a little more gummy.
• Honey: You can swap this for maple syrup. Honey is generally sweeter, so you’ll taste that difference.
• Ghee: If you need to be completely dairy free, you can swap this for coconut oil.

Why I Love This Recipe

• While this paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe is made with almond flour, these cookies will be loved by all!
• This recipe makes soft and chewy cookies with a buttery taste. SO YUM!
• The ingredients are simple and easy to find.
• You can easily double or triple this recipe to make a large batch of cookies.
• These paleo chocolate chip cookies are allergy-friendly and perfect for holiday gatherings, tailgates, and birthday parties!

Serving and Storage

Let the cookies cool slightly before serving. Store any leftover paleo cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. Use a piece of parchment paper to separate the layers when stacking them. They’re best if eaten within 1-2 days, but will last up to 4 days at room temperature. You can also store the paleo cookies in the fridge for up to a week.

Can I Freeze These Cookies?

Yes! To freeze, simply wrap the cookies in parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking, then put them in a freezer-friendly storage bag in the freezer for up to three months. To thaw, lay a cookie out at room temperature for about an hour.

Baking Tips + Tricks

• If you don’t have a food processor or mixer, just whisk the flours by hand!
• These paleo chocolate chip cookies cook up fast! Make sure to watch them at the 10 minute mark for any golden brown color on top.
• Making this paleo cookie recipe for kiddos or a special holiday? Add naturally colored sprinkles or chocolate candies on top just before placing them in the oven.
• Want to turn this into a cookie cake? Check out my Paleo Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie!

Stocking the Pantry

I love this food processor and this hand mixer is the best for all your baking endeavors. I personally use Thrive Market for most of my pantry needs because it saves me some cash—especially when it comes to commonly used items like blanched almond flour, ghee, and coconut oil. For a complete list of my recommend pantry items and what I use in my home, check out my Baking and Cooking Resources Page.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

• Fudgy Paleo Brownies (Crackly Top, Gluten-Free)
• Paleo Chocolate Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting
• Baked Chocolate Donuts (Paleo, Gluten-Free)
• Paleo Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
• Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread

After you make this paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe, come back and let me know what you thought! I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!