Grain free baking is the best! The ingredients and methods are usually very simple. There’s no worry about over-mixing and causing too much gluten to form. The cookies don’t spread all over the pan and the cakes never rise too high. In most recipes, you can pour all the ingredients into a food processor, mixer or even a blender, whirl away, pour them into a pan and you’re done! Cakes, muffins, pies, cookies – all of them – have turned out to be very uncomplicated.
If you’ve had a fear of baking or some bad experiences in the kitchen, well, now’s the time to pull out those mixing bowls and give it another try. These cookies are the perfect place to start. There aren’t any scary steps and the dough can be mixed by hand. No special equipment required!
One word of advice about grain free baked goods – we have to be careful about how much we consume because most contain large quantities of nut flours. These nut flours contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids. While omega-6 fatty acids are good for you, in excess, they can cause problems. It’s a good idea to keep your omega-3 consumption (from foods like organic butter, pastured beef, pastured eggs, raw organic cultured or fermented dairy, fish, etc.) twice as high as your omega-6 consumption to avoid possible inflammation.
Now, back to the cookies! They’re best the day they’re baked, as they’ll get a little moist as time goes on. They aren’t crumbly, so they work well in a packed lunch. I made these with Honeyville blanched almond flour. I’m not a fan of the phytic acid in the skins of my almonds, so I recently switched over to blanched almond flour. One last thing – you might want to make a double batch, because these little beauties won’t last long!
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Grain Free, Gluten Free, Paleo, Primal)
I tested these with both butter and coconut oil and our family preferred the butter. To make these into GAPS legal cookies, simply omit the chocolate chips and add in some mix-ins of your own.
Adapted from Elana’s Pantry.
Makes twelve 3 – inch cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (I prefer Bernard Jensen)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (or coconut oil), melted
1/4 cup honey (I prefer a light honey like clover)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or dark organic chocolate, chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF and adjust rack to middle position. Place almond flour, coconut flour, gelatin, baking soda and sea salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together. Whisk butter, honey and vanilla in a large measuring cup and pour into dry mixture. Stir until a dough forms. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a 2” cookie scoop, scoop the dough and place each dough ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press each dough ball down so the diameter of the cookie is now 3”. Bake for 12 minutes until just golden brown on the edges. Cool for 5 minutes. Serve.
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I rave about myself every night at the dinner table, “Honey, can you believe I made this??” And it’s all thanks to you!! (and teaching me that organic butter is welcomed and embraced! No more fat free, yay!!
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Do you know the role the gelatin plays in this recipe?
I chose to use this ingredient because it helps bind the ingredients together. Also, if you’re buying a good gelatin, such as Bernard Jensen, it has good health benefits as discussed here: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/the-crucial-reason-you-need-more-gelatin-in-your-diet/
I just made these (twice!) last week and I didn’t have gelatin. I subbed about a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half of water/chia mix. I didn’t grind the seeds or measure terribly accurately. I just mixed that in with the wet ingredients and my cookies were chewy, held up, and FANTASTIC! This recipe earned a “I think I like these better than ‘grain’ cookies!’ comment from a friend!
That’s great to hear that the chia seed/water mix worked so well. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
They look so good! I made your pumpkin chocolate chip muffins last week just a couple of days before you reposted. They were a huge hit at home and work. This will be our next goodie. Thank you sooo much!
I’ve seen a lot of grain free cookie recipes lately and none of them seem to include eggs. Is there a reason why the egg is omitted when you are working with almond flour?
In my testing I found that the egg make things too “fluffy” and the cookies didn’t taste as good.
Oh… that makes sense, thanks!
Do you have any suggestions for replacing those nut flours in grain-free cooking? We have a nut allergy in our house, and therefore, almond flour is a no-go.
Hey Katie – I don’t have a substitution for these cookies using coconut flour, but here’s a recipe from Tropical Traditions: http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/index.cfm/2009/10/3/Coconut-Flour-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies They have dozens of coconut flour recipes. It’s a great resource!
Help! I want to make these now
), but I don’t have blanched almond flour. Can I use almond meal? should I sift it? or process it for a bit to make finer, then sift. Appreciate any suggestions. 
You can make these with almond meal, sifting would probably be a good idea. They will be a tad more crunchy, but still taste really great!
I made them today, I used the TJ’s almond meal and I sifted it. They are delicious! Although, I would definitely like to make them with the blanched almond flour the next time. Yours look like they are a little lighter in consistency more like a flour based cookie. But, when I get a “10″ on a cookie from my husband, all is good! He is currently going back for more
Yay! Yes, the blanched almond flour gives them a bit more of a “white flour” taste. I’m so glad they got a “10″!
Love this cookie recipe!
Those cookies look simply beautiful! I’ve never used gelatin in a recipe, but I’ll have to give it a try.
These look so great Carrie- I am always fascinated at the ingredients you use to get everything just right- you are like a mad scientist! (gelatin!?) very cool- I always pass on your recipes for my mom and dad who are gluten free- but I would like to try these too
Ha! I kind of am like a scientist in the kitchen. It’s such fun!
There;s nothing better than a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, one of my favorites!
Since you say these cookies are best the day they are made, what should I do with the one we don’t eat the first day or two? Will these cookies withstand the freezer?
They will still be very good for 2-3 days, just a bit softer then the first day. Yes, these cookies will do great in the freezer.
I really like your other grain-free chocolate chip recipe, which I mix by hand. Sometimes I use maple sugar or even sucanat, when I’m feeling less strict.
My question is if you have any storage tricks for almond flour cookies and muffins? If I put them in a container, they get so soft and mushy. A bit better if I leave the lid cracked. Any ideas? Thanks.
I’ve also found that they get soft in a closed container. I keep them in glass jars, with the lid slightly open. They still soften a tad, but keep well for several days.
Thanks for your lovely recipes and inspiration to live a healthy lifestyle. I just made these heavenly cookies 2 days ago, and store them in a metal container and I must say they get soft. We don’t mind it, but my son does… He wants them hard. Any tips on what I can do?
Almond flour baked goods tend to get a bit soft when stored in an airtight container for several days. I put them in the container and leave the lid ajar. This way the air can circulate and the cookies don’t get too soft.
Wow, that was quick! Thanks, I will try it!
You could always store them in the freezer.
Looks like the perfect Paleo cookies!
Seriously…you need to start working on that Grain Free Cookbook.
Thank you. I’m putting a lot of thought into writing one. Fingers crossed!
I’m obsessed with chocolate chip cookies! Thank you for this great recipe!
One of my clients is following the Paleo diet for many reasons. Her birthday is tomorrow and I think that these would be the perfect b-day gift! They look great, Carrie
i made this over the weekend, using brown rice flour in lieu of coconut flour (cus man, that stuff is PRICEY!). i opted to go with your version vs. elana pantry’s because of your use of the gelatin & option to use coconut oil. it turned out delicious. i did not miss the gluten and tho i never ever eat raw cookie or cake batter, i sampled a taste of the batter. utterly delightful.
i am attempting going gluten free this month, my question is have you ever switched the flours before? what i mean is, almond flour is also expensive, what if i used 2 cup brown rice flour instead & added 2 TBL of the almond flour? i would like to try it, for experiment sake, without completely blowing my grocery budget.
thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m glad to hear they turned out well with rice flour. When I test recipes, I only use specific ingredients and don’t usually have exact substitutions, so I can’t really say how my baking recipes will turn out with other flours. Coconut flour is more expensive than other flours, but the nice thing is you only use a little at a time. I buy mine via Amazon and I do a ton of baking and replace my stock once every 4 months or so. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KENKZ8?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=B000KENKZ8&linkCode=xm2&tag=deliciorgani-20) Another great place to buy from is http://www.AzureStandard.com – They have fabulous prices! Also, if your health food store has bulk bins, you should be able to get a few scoops of almond flour for less than the packaged variety. I hope your month of gluten free eating is a success!
i wanted to let you know that i made these again, this time switching the flours. they’re still delicious but harder in consistency. thank you for the links for online flour purchases!
I would love to try these, but I’m a vegetarian and can’t use the gelatin. I’m very new to this, so I’m wondering if you know of a good substitution? Thank you!
You can make these without the gelatin, but the texture will be a bit more crunchy.
For some reason I didn’t see this until now. Thank you so much for your response; I’m so happy to know that the gelatin won’t make a huge difference.
You have said these cookies freeze well. Do you know if the dough freezes well? I like to freeze my cookie dough on a cookie sheet then transfer them to a container. This way I can just make a few at a time. The chocolate is always melty and delicious and I avoid overeating. So back to my original question, will the dough freeze nicely? Thanks!
I haven’t tested it, but I’ve never met a cookie dough that didn’t freeze well!
I would scoop them, place them on a baking sheet, freeze them, and then put in an airtight container in the freezer. You should be able to bake them straight from the freezer, but you’ll need to add a couple extra minutes of baking time.
First, thank you so much for your blog!! I have learned so much from you and I’m so grateful!!!!! I read on http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/almond-flour-pancakes/ that soaking almonds with skin will reduce the phytic acid. I tried soaking, de-skining, dehydrating and grinding my own almond flour and it was a pain. Is the whole almond high in omega-6 or just the skins. She said “do not buy almond flour from the store as it is not presoaked to eliminate anti-nutrients such as phytic acid, and, as such, will present digestive issues (like gas, bloating) for those who consume it. Also, almond flour in the store will have lost most, if not all, of its nutrient content from sitting in bags for goodness knows how long before you come along and buy it.” Let me know what you think. Thank you so much for your time!
I too soak nuts to remove the enzyme inhibitors, but then learned that the majority of the phytic acid is in the skins (for almonds). So, if the skins are removed, then soaking them isn’t as necessary (I’ve seen some recipes calling for skinned, blanched almonds in Nourishing Traditions). I was also soaking, dehydrating, de-skinning, etc. and it was quite a pain. So, I started using the Honeyville almond flour because they seem to have a quick turnover and the skins have been removed. Also, the almond is high in omega-6, so I do my best to keep these treats at a minimum. I’m sure if you called Honeyville or another company that sells almond flour they could give you more info about their product, just so you can have all of your questions asked before purchasing.
Thank you so very much!!!!! I really appreciate your help and further education! I love learning about this stuff and I’m pretty sure I’ve learned the most from you! Thanks & take care! Teresa
Tried these cookies last night and they turned out great! My 13 yr old originally wanted to make a ‘regular’ batch for school, but after she tried them, she confiscated the whole dozen to bring to her friends! Great job, keep the wonderful recipes coming!
Angela
I can’t find coconut flour anywhere! I tried three separate stores locally that all carry multiple kinds of flours – without any luck. No luck at the fresh market either…can I substitute the coconut flour with something else? whole wheat flour or an additional almond flour in place of the coconut flour? Thanks!
The coconut flour acts as a binder, so yes, a whole wheat flour would probably be the best substitution that I can think of. If it helps, I usually purchase my coconut flour online since my local grocery store doesn’t carry it. (http://secure.ttpurchase.com/039F0602-1E0B-90B3-0E59751832D3D022)
I cannot eat gelatin, can I use an egg as a binder instead? Thank you!
You can leave the gelatin out, but the eggs will be a bit more crumbly then originally intended. I never tested this recipe with an egg, so I’m not quite sure how the cookies would turn out.
Thank you so much for the quick response. I used one small egg and they turned out great. My husband and 2 yr. old gobbled them up. They are a bit more cake like but fantastic none the less!
I’m glad it worked out!
Hi! Do you have a source for bulk ORGANIC almond flour? I see regular almond flour everywhere but want ORGANIC and would like to buy it in bulk. Thanks! Karielyn
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