Introducing… a revolution in my cookie recipes. These are not only The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER, but they are also the very first Kalejunkie cookie recipe that doesn’t contain tahini. Groundbreaking, right?! However, this isn’t just a tahini-free recipe – it also happens to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free, making it the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe to have in your baking toolbox!
If you’ve been to my blog before, then you’ll know the I am the self-proclaimed queen when it comes to cookies. In my world there is truly nothing better than a good chocolate chip cookie, and I have to say, my chocolate chip cookie recipes turn out perfect, every time. Just take my Life Changing Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies, for example. This recipe is truly, well, life changing, and went viral for a reason. It’s the best!
But back to this cookie recipe. These cookies are a traditional chewy chocolate chip cookie, and they are a nice change when you want a “real” chocolate chip cookie that isn’t packed with nut butter (or tahini, like my Life Changing Cookies are).
What You Need to Make These Perfect Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Coconut oil or ghee: You can use coconut oil or ghee in this recipe. I personally love the taste of ghee for a classic “buttery” taste, but coconut oil is a fantastic option as well. If you don’t want to taste the coconut flavor, I recommend purchasing refined coconut oil.
- Coconut sugar: I love using coconut sugar for this recipe simply because it’s an unrefined sugar, but cane sugar will work too, it’s totally up to you!
- Egg: You need one large egg for this recipe, and if you don’t eat eggs, that’s ok – you can substitute for a flax egg! To make a flax egg, simply whisk together 1 tablespoon ground flax seed meal + 3 tablespoons water, and let it sit for about 10 minutes to thicken.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract is the secret ingredient in all things baking related, so make sure to add it! In most of my recipes, we only use 1 teaspoon, but here we use 2. And that’s because we want that flavor to stand out in this recipe!
- Almond flour: I use almond flour in this recipe in order to get the nutritional benefits from the almonds. Almonds are so good for you, and because of the higher fat and protein content than regular flour, they keep you full longer. I have not tested other flours.
- Cinnamon: I love the small addition of cinnamon to this recipe.
- Chocolate chips: In this recipe in particular, I recommend using big chunks of chocolate instead of chocolate chips, as that is how you get those beautiful puddles of chocolate. You can roughly chop up a few bars, or you purchase these chocolate Hu Kitchen Gems. Otherwise, you can just go with good old-fashioned chocolate chips! What ever you do, use a lot! Measure with your heart and soul!
- Baking staples: You’ll also need baking soda and salt so that these cookies bake up properly.
How to Make These Delicious Chocolate Cookies
It simply couldn’t be easier to make these cookies! Your first step is super simple: just mix together the coconut oil/ghee, coconut sugar, egg/flax egg, and vanilla, until it’s nice and smooth. Then, add in the almond flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda, and mix everything together until incorporated.
Next, is the best part. It’s time to fold in the chocolate chunks! Give everything a nice fold, then refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes (or one hour if you have the patience!). This will help the coconut oil/butter solidify, which will prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
After the dough comes out of the refrigerator, form 12 cookies using a spoon or a cookie scoop and line them up on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes, until the edges start to brown. If they still look soft in the middle, that is ok. The cookies will finish cooking while they cool!
That’s it! Sprinkle them with flaky sea salt for a little extra sumthin’ sumthin’, and you’re good to go!
Tips for storing Your Chewy Cookies
I recommend storing these cookies in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. If you leave them on the counter for more than one day or so, they will get soft, so it’s best to maintain their freshness by storing them in the fridge. They will last for up to one week.
More cookies recipes to try
If you like this recipe, then you’ll love these other cookie recipes of mine!
Paleo Chocolate Fudge Crinkle Cookies
Chewy Paleo Maple Pecan Cookies
The Best Double Fudge Soft Baked Cookies
Life Changing Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a rating below so that others can see what you have to say! And of course, be sure to tag me in your creations on Instagram, so that I can repost them!
Equipment
- 1 Hand Mixer OR Stand Mixer love my KichenAid Hand Mixer as a more budget-friendly option, but if you're a serious baker or just want to splurge, you can't go wrong with a Classic Stand Mixer. These bad boys are not cheap, but they last forever!
- 1 Baking Sheet You also can't go wrong with a set of solid baking sheets. I love this set from Williams Sonoma, that comes with 3 different sizes!
Ingredients
- ½ cup refined coconut oil, melted and cooled (or ghee)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 large egg at room temp , (or flax egg)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 heaping cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the coconut oil/ghee, coconut sugar, egg/flax egg, and vanilla, until smooth.
- Add the almond flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda, and mix together until incorporated.
- Next, fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, for the best result.
- Preheat oven to 350 F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, form 12 cookies and line them up on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, until the cookies begin to turn golden at the edges – if they look soft when they come out of the oven, that is ok! They will settle and achieve the perfect chewy texture.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and enjoy!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
I made this recipe with exactly the same flour and it was far too sticky to work with, I am going to try again some time and use more flour in the mixture to get it more workable. These will be more like cinnamon blobs… lol
Hi Britney! I definitely recommend trying again with more flour until the dough is workable.
I followed the recipe, but they were way too salty. It may be because I used iodized salt instead of sea salt potentially. Other than that, the cookies seem to have a lot of potential. I will have to remake with less salt.
Hi Celine! Yes iodized salt does not pair well with cookies. You want to make sure you’re using sea salt, and try using a smaller amount next time so it doesn’t end up salty! I hope this helps.
Love your recipes! If I use unsalted butter instead of ghee or coconut oil, how much of it would you suggest for this recipe?
Hi Gabrielle! Unfortunately, it’s hard to say. This recipe has not been tested with unsalted butter or ghee, and since it’s very different from coconut oil, I can’t guarantee the recipe will turn out the same. However, if you decide to try it, do let me know how it turns out! I wish you the best of luck with it!
Hi Nicole! I made these cookies and I looooved them! The only sad thing was that they turned out really salty, a bit too salty. Could that be because I used Himalaya salt? I’m making them again tonight and was thinking to use less salt and a bit more sugar, but would love to hear your thoughts!
Hi Margo! I’m so happy you loved these cookies! If they’re too salty, you can go ahead and lessen the amount of salt that you’re using!
I love these cookies so much and so does my family. Do you have the nutrition facts for these by any chance?
Hi Christina! I am so thrilled that you and your family loved this recipe. I unfortunately do not provide nutritional information for my recipes, and you can read why, here: https://kalejunkie.com/why-i-decided-not-to-include-nutrition-information-on-my-blog/
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate a healthy cookie recipe that actually tastes divinely bad for you! 😂
I instead used unrefined coconut oil, diamond crystal kosher salt, decreased the amount of sugar to a little less than a cup and actually subbed with swerve brown sugar, used lily’s dark chocolate chips and WOWZA. Never going back to any other chocolate chip cookie recipe…unless I happen to buy some tahini somewhere 😉
You’re amazing!
I am so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Corey! Thank you so much for making it, and for leaving such a kind review!
I accidentally left you three stars somehow when these needed to be rated 10!!! I guess since five is the most, that’s what I’ll have to do! ❤️😉
Thank you so much, Corey! I really appreciate your review!:)
I have to bring these cookies for a class presentation and I was wondering how do I store these because I’m making them a day before my presentation and I want them to still have the same texture? Do u have any tips to keep these cookies still fresh?
Hi JJ! I recommend storing them in an airtight container. You can leave them on the counter overnight and they should be fine. ☻
Mine came out really big and got stuck all together. Not sure what I did wrong. I left about 1 in space between them. They came out twice bigger and flat. 🙁