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Just like the best bakery chocolate chip cookies we all grew up with, Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies are crispy around the edges, tender in the middle and packed with melty chocolate chips! Paleo, AIP, Gluten-free, Low FODMAP and Vegan.
This recipe is grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free and nut-free — and can easily be made coconut-free if needed.
Ingredients in Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
I love the short list of ingredients in these cookies: tiger nut flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking soda and sea salt are the dry ingredients. And chocolate chips. 🙂 (Or carob chips for AIP.)
Coconut oil (*with alternative), maple syrup and apple cider vinegar are the wet ingredients.
That’s all. This recipe is so fast to measure and mix together.
*AIP coconut-free option: For those of you who are coconut-free, this recipe can be made with melted lard in place of the coconut oil! And if you reintroduce ghee successfully after the elimination phase, you can also use ghee.
How these cookies are made
Easy, easy, easy. Fast and easy. This is a one-bowl recipe.
All of the dry ingredients are stirred together in a mixing bowl. The wet ingredients are added.
I like to use a handheld electric mixer to then combine. Using a cookie scoop makes portioning the cookies fast — onto the cookie sheet, and then into the oven they go.
That’s all. This is the fastest cookie recipe I know!
Tips when making Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Hmm, not a lot of tips on these! ? They are really straightforward.
If I brainstorm really hard, here are a few things I might say:
- I link in the recipe below to my favorite tiger nut flour brand. If you don’t already have some in your pantry, the Tiger Nuts brand is the freshest, best tasting and best textured tiger nut flour.
- Cooking times on cookies can be tricky. In my oven, these cookies bake for 8 minutes. They may look a teeny bit underdone at 8 minutes, but this cooking time yields the most bakery-like cookie in my opinion — tender and a little gooey in the middle with crispy edges. If you bake your cookies 9 to 10 minutes, they’ll still be great! The bottoms won’t be too dark, but the cookies will be a little firmer and crisper. So bake according to your desired outcome, and comment below if 8 minutes was perfect for your cookies too.
- If you want your Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies to look extra yummy, hand place extra chocolate chips on top of each mound of cookie dough before baking — so the chocolate chips show! (Extra chocolate chips also taste good. 😉 )
- For AIP, you’ll need to make your own compliant carob chips — this is great to do ahead of time, another day, and then keep them on hand for cookie baking days! Here are some AIP Carob Chip recipes to consider: one (uses coconut butter), two (coconut-free option). You can use this silicone chocolate chip mold to quickly shape the chocolate chips.
Substitutions
With egg-free baking, you can’t make a lot of subs, because each ingredient behaves uniquely to make the recipe work.
In this recipe, you can not exchange the tiger nut flour for a different flour. It may work, however, to sub the tapioca flour for arrowroot. Let us know in the comments if you try it.
You can also sub the coconut oil for palm oil or lard, if you are coconut-free. (If you use palm oil, be sure not to use the orange one. Here’s the one you’ll need.) For Paleo and GF, ghee and butter may also be used.
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie (AIP, Vegan, tigernut flour)
Equipment
- oven
- cookie sheet
- bowl and mixer (or mix by hand)
Ingredients
- 1 cup tiger nut flour <— This is the best brand.
- ⅔ cup tapioca flour
- ½ cup coconut oil melted and cooled slightly
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup chocolate chips <-- Fair Trade/Rainforest Alliance only 🙂 , or use homemade carob chips for AIP
- 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar or maple sugar
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda sifted
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In medium size bowl, stir together dry ingredients: tiger nut flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking soda and sea salt.
- Add wet ingredients and chocolate chips. Use handheld mixer to combine, without over-mixing.
- Use cookie scoop to portion out dough onto lined cookie sheet. This recipe makes 15 1-ounce (average-sized) cookies.
- Bake 8 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
Nutrition
Here are some other great Paleo, AIP cookies for you too:
And if you love tiger nut recipes, I recommend my easy Tigernut Yogurt! It’s Paleo, AIP and Vegan.
Pam says
I’m wondering if a person could sub cassava flour for the tiger nut flour. Any thoughts on this?
Megan says
Hi Pam, because these are egg-free, I don’t think you’ll get the same results. Tiger nut flour produces a little more aerated cookie and makes up for the lack of eggs, whereas cassava has a more glutinous quality, denser; so I think it would yield a chewier cookie and would be too much with the tapioca. We need a whole different cookie recipe for you, I think. 🙂 You could add chocolate chips to these: https://eatbeautiful.net/aip-pumpkin-cookies-paleo-gf-egg-free-nut-free/ or these: https://eatbeautiful.net/banana-breakfast-cookies-aip-egg-free-paleo-resistant-starch-collagen-easy-breakfasts-pack-lunches/ … or perhaps in the future I can provide an egg-free cassava chocolate chip cookie as well!
Anna says
These were delicious and we loved them!
Megan says
Hi Anna, thanks so much for the feedback!! I’m so happy you love the cookies, and it’s so helpful for other readers to know that the recipe is reliable! 🙂 I appreciate you coming back to comment! 🙂
Cara says
I love how recipes can be modified so anyone can enjoy them, regardless of their unique nutrition needs. I’ll be pinning this one to share with some of my clients!
Kay says
We made these cookies for my sister as she is Vegan, I’ve never used coconut flour before with cooking cookies but these come out superb, my sister loved them 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing!!
Megan says
Great to hear, Kay, and thank you for sharing your results! 🙂
Sharon says
I can’t wait to try these! I haven’t worked with tiger nut flour before but the cookies look fabulous and I love trying new healthy ingredients.
Maria says
Could avocado oil be used instead of coconut oil? or melted vegetable shortening? Can’t do dairy. thank you
Megan says
Hi Maria, you could use a natural vegetable shortening, like palm oil. 🙂 I haven’t tried the recipe with a liquid vegetable oil like avocado oil, so I’m not sure you’ll get the same texture with it.
Tracey kays says
Curious, mine were yummy but never flattened out (too high on top). Any recommendations? Should I flattened them a bit? Plus I had them in the oven for 12 minutes before taking them out and cooked them… barely brown. Maybe my oven?
Megan says
Hi Tracey, yes, could be your oven temp. So many variables with cookies, LOL. Could be your fat or your sugar or the temperature of one of your ingredients. Maybe read the ingredients and instructions again and see if there was one thing slightly different with those 3 variables. And I personally did have to buy an oven thermometer. Our oven was 75 degrees off when it was brand new, so that could certainly have affected two aspects of the outcome: doneness and their height.
Jan says
How far apart should I place these on my baking sheet? Apparently mine were too close and came out as one jumbo cookie. Which is not a bad thing necessarily
😉
Also, they are more sweet than I like. Which would you recommend I reduce, the maple syrup or the coconut sugar–or a little less of both?
Thanks!
Megan says
Hi Jan, I’m sorry your cookies ran into each other! Space them apart by 2 inches. If you remove some of the sweetener, they’ll spread out even less. I’d reduce each sweetener by 1 Tablespoon to start and see how you like the outcome. You’re welcome and best! 🙂
Sarah says
These are AMAZING! Tender and melt in your mouth. I used Nutiva’s buttery flavor organic coconut oil which is pretty lovely. I didn’t have any maple syrup on hand so I used honey and I cut it back to 2 TBSP because I don’t eat sugar too often. For my chocolate I cut up Evolved brand “signature dark”. Swapping and cutting back the honey was the only change I made. I baked exactly 8 min and made sure my oven was at 350. Mine flattened only slightly which I love. I would maybe try baking 1 or 2 more minutes when I make them again just to see the difference, but 8 minutes was perfect if you like a soft cookie. I don’t discriminate on my cookie textures. ? I couldn’t wait and ate some warm which were delightful, but I liked them even more once they cooled, as u suggested. I haven’t had cookies that remind me of childhood in so long due to food sensitivities and these brought me back. Thank you SO much. ? So glad I made these. Trying your tigernut blueberry muffins next! Keep up the great work!! ?
Megan says
Hi Sarah, and thanks so much for all the details of what you did. I’m so happy you love the recipe!
Jerry Dell Haggerton says
Loved this cookie!!!! Will be making them often! Thanks so much.!!!
Megan says
Great, Jerry!! Thanks so much for commenting, and I’m so happy you loved the cookies!! 🙂
Emily says
Could maple syrup sub coco sugar?
Megan says
Hi Emily, to get the exact texture of the cookie that you see in the photos, you do need to use a liquid sweetener (and the smaller amount of coconut sugar). I can’t say what you’ll get with all granulated sweetener, but it will be different than the cookies in the photos. You could sub honey, coconut syrup or agave, if you can tolerate/have on hand any of those, for the maple syrup.
Carrie Hartes says
I didn’t have regular coconut sugar, so I used brown coconut sugar. They didn’t flatten out, which I’m ok with, but the texture was very crumbly and they didn’t set up well. I’m going to try again to see if I mis-measured one of my dry ingredients because the flavor was fantastic (even crumbly), but I highly recommend these! Thank you!
Megan says
Hi Carrie, thanks for sharing. I hope your second batch turns out perfectly!
Thao says
Do these freeze and defrost well?
Megan says
Yes, Thao, beautifully. Just seal, freeze for up to 3 months. Leave on the counter to defrost. Enjoy! 🙂
Thao says
These were delicious! I’ve missed a good chocolate chip cookie. Mine didn’t flatten but still loved the flavor and texture. I’ll flatten the next time. Thank you!
Megan says
Yay, Thao! Thanks for sharing your outcome! So happy you enjoyed the cookies. Yes, what is it about chocolate chip cookies and how each of us have a slightly different flatness when we bake them?; so funny. 😉 My pleasure!
Maggie Ness says
My cookies didn’t spread out. Any thoughts? Batter tasted great!
Megan says
Hi Maggie, Hard to say without being with you while you cooked. Could be how you measured or a brand of flour used, or if you made any other variation, like in the sweetener or kind of fat (various melting points). Did you make any variations at all?
Maggie Ness says
Yes! I used Monk fruit instead of coconut sugar so they would be anti-Candida compliant. I did not know that monk fruit would effect them that way! I also only used half the amount of maple syrup. In other recipes I’ve done I made sure to add the remaining amount of oil so that the cookies wouldn’t be too dry. (other recipes suggest that you do this, when trying to cut the maple syrup or honey amount). They were still tasty!
Megan says
Great, Maggie, no harm done. They may just be a yummy variation, if you enjoyed them like that, or if you make them again, you could flatten them with 3 wetted fingers before baking next time. Yes, sugar melts and causes cookies to flatten while baking when it does. So when you reduce or change the sugar, that no longer happens. I’m glad you still enjoyed them. 🙂
Rosie says
I have NEVER written a review before but these were so good needed to thank you. I’m returning to AIP after several years “off” and this time have a 4 year old daughter doing it too and these made me feel so positive about helping her to have an enjoyable AIP experience. She LOVED them. “Even better than the other ones” (aka, regular choc chip cookies).
Megan says
Oh I love that comment of hers, and your comments; thank you. And yay!! SO glad!! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Chelsea says
THANKYOU!!!! My Boys are sensitive to Histamine and Oxalates and it has been soo hard to find a cookie recipe that they can have, that also tastes good!! I made this recipe without the Chocolate chips and they turned out great! I can’t thank you enough, it made my momma heart so happy to finally be able to give them a cookie!!
Megan says
YAY, this makes me so happy, too!! Thank you for sharing, and I’m so glad for you all!
Theresa says
I just watched a video on Epoch Times about lead in chocolate. Do you know if the chocolate you recommend is lead free?
Beware of Toxic Chocolate: Heavy Metals Found in Major Brand Names | Facts Matter https://link.theepochtimes.com/mkt_app/beware-of-toxic-chocolate-heavy-metals-found-in-major-brand-names-facts-matter_5247603.html?utm_source=andshare
Megan says
Hi and thanks for that interesting video! I don’t, but I now avoid real chocolate because it’s very high in copper, and most people are copper toxic. So, one more metal to get out and not put in more of! I use carob instead, so homemade carob chips could be used in this recipe, or I really like Missy J’s, which I just recently found: https://amzn.to/3py9DLI
Theresa says
P.S. The link to the Fair Trade chocolate chips isn’t working.
Megan says
Thank you, Theresa, for letting me know. I just updated it. Many companies are now using Rainforest Alliance Certification to communicate Fair Trade standards as well. This company has several products. This one is unsweetened: https://amzn.to/3BsVbrc, and then the updated link in the recipe has less cocoa for those wanting less copper in their chocolate chips. I hope those help. 🙂
Priscilla Jean Burgers says
I have gastritis and would rather not use apple cider vinegar. What would happen if I left it out?
Megan says
You could use cream of tartar in its place. What you need is something to react with the baking soda, which creates the rise. If you want to do this, use 1 teaspoon cream of tartar. 🙂
Ann says
These are great. I had to make some fat substitutions because I didn’t have enough coconut oil, so the cookie texture came out a little funky. However, the taste was excellent. I will 100% be making these again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Megan says
Great to hear, Ann; thanks for sharing. I look forward to you having them just right! 🙂
Dan says
Just made these for my Christmas cookie plate after hoarding the recipe for months. These were delicious! My husband said three times that they were excellent (and this was after he’d only had two cookies). The recipe was very easy and quick to follow. Thank you so much for sharing!
Megan says
Great to hear! You’re welcome. Thank you so much for sharing, and I’m glad they added to your holiday fun! 🙂
Andrea says
I read the comments and made this for the first time today and they were DELICIOUS!!! I have found leaving the cookies to completely cool after removing from oven is important as they are delicate and easily fall apart when hot. I omitted the sugar as the syrup and chips added enough sweetness for me. They also spread quite a bit so leaving plenty of space between cookies or perhaps refrigerating before baking to firm up the dough; this may help. I have been craving a chocolate chip cookie and THANK YOU, Megan, this really hit the spot! All the best, Andrea
Megan says
Great to hear, Andrea; thank you for sharing! The original recipe does not spread, so the change is sugar must have done that. Cookies are so sensitive, and they love their sugar for the right texture. But if you don’t mind the spreading, I’m glad you figured out how to have less sugar and still get a treat you love. 🙂
Melissa says
These are amazing!!!!! I have histamine intolerance so tigernut flour is my friend. 🙂 I can sometimes get away with a small amount of chocolate chips, so this is a really nice treat!! Even my family loves them. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!!!
Megan says
So great to hear, Melissa!! Thanks so much for sharing, and I’m so glad! 🙂