It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Because it’s starting to look a lot like Christmas (and holiday) cookies!! What are you guys making this year? First up for me: Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Nothing screams Christmas time more to me than whipping up a whole batch of holiday cookies. Every year growing up, my best friend, brother, and neighbors would all make a huge list of about 10-12 different cookies we wanted to make, and then just take a weekend to make them all. The epicness was real. Mind you, this was before I found out I had celiac, was lactose intolerant, the whole nine yards…so I didn’t have any dietary restrictions and could eat all the flour/butter/milk/traditional cookie ingredients I wanted without consequence (or so I thought, anyway).
Chocolate chip cookies were always my favorite. No super special family secret recipe, just the one on the back of that yellow bag of chocolate chips we all know and love(d?). Seriously, we made that recipe so many times I can recite it by heart. Even though I can’t eat a good number of those ingredients anymore. The struggle is real you guys!
So now, cookie making is a little more of a challenge. You’ve heard about my woes of gluten-free baking (spoiler alert: I stiiiink at it), so tackling an old recipe I used to love to make it gluten-free and Dana-friendly is a challenge to say the least. Like I had to make these cookies 6 times before I actually got the recipe the way I wanted it to be. But MAN are they delicious! Plus, the addition of cashew flour…new obsession. see: Dark Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. I die of happiness a little inside.
I feel like these cookies should come with a warning label. Side effects may include: family members fighting over the last cookie, a new obsession of using cashew flour (guilty), not being able to stop after just one….and exclamations across your crossfit gym of “WTF ARE YOU SERIOUS DANA!? HOW DID YOU DO THIS?!”
I mean, chewy in the middle, crispy on the edges…what more could you want in a chocolate chip cookie?
Happy cookie making! What’s on your baking list this year?
- Ingredients
- 16 oz 365 raw cashews (to make cashew flour - you’ll need 2 cups)
- ⅓c coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup oil/butter - browned ghee
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup 365 dark chocolate chunks (or your favorite chocolate chips!)
- Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, pulse the cashews until they resemble a fine flour, but not so much so that they turn into nut butter. Measure out 2 cups, and place in a small bowl for the dry ingredients. Save the rest for another recipe!
- Cream room temperature butter, sugar, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla together with a stand mixer or hand beater until well combined. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to incorporate the dry ingredients and chocolate chips in with the wet ingredients. Freeze for 20-30 minutes.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once the dough is chilled, use a level tablespoon to shape cookie balls onto the sheet. This will make multiple batches, so make sure you refrigerate the dough in between each batch (otherwise the cookies will spread totally flat).
- Bake for 12-15 minutes on the middle rack of the oven, until just browned around the edges.
- Leave on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes to cool. (They may flatten out a bit - don't worry!) Then remove to a rack. The longer you leave them on, the crispier they'll get.
This recipe is part of a sponsored collaboration with Whole Foods to share updated versions of your favorite traditional holiday recipes! Share your favorite on instagram or twitter with the hashtag #MyHolidayTradish!
Ooo these look amazingly crispy and buttery! I can’t wait to try them! I would have never thought to use cashew meal!
Thanks Renee! Cashew meal is amazing!
Hello cookies!!! These look incredible and pretty darn easy to make. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Thanks so much Halle!!
These cookies look so gorgeous and golden-delicious ! I have yet to try cashew flour but now I am really looking forward to it!. Thanks so much for sharing . A must try recipe!
Thanks so much, ChihYu! You definitely need to try cashew flour asap!
I’ve been waning to try cashew flour. These look so amazing.
Thanks Katja! Cashew flour lends such an amazing, unique flavor to them! A bit like caramel 🙂
These look so delicious! I’m loving the ingredients- browned ghee, maple syrup, coconut sugar- there is no way these don’t taste incredible! Great job recreating them, even if it did take 6 tries 🙂
Thanks Jessica! It was a struggle for sure, but I’m so glad I finally got it 🙂
Yes please! I wish I had some of these to snack on right now after my kiddos are asleep! They look so good!
They would be the perfect snack!! 🙂
I really need to try making cashew flour because I love their buttery flavor, I bet they make these cookies taste amazing!
They do! It’s a bit caramelized 🙂
These look delicious and simple to make.
Thanks Stacey!
: Ohhh Falala! Christmas time is here with a classic with a healthy twist! Can I come over to your house and we can ask like cookie monsters on these? That would be awesome! Great recipe.
Haha, that sounds great to me! Thanks Kelly!
Don’t you love having to make something 6 times to get it right? I consider myself pretty good at Paleo baking and it usually takes me that many times, so don’t be too down on yourself! I’m excited to try these though – can’t say I’ve ever had cashew flour but now I am intrigued!
Yikes. Definitely didn’t enjoy the frustration of them failing 5 times before I got them right, but it’s so worth it to have the delicious recipe now! Hope you like the cashew flour! And I’ll leave the baking to you, ha!
Cashew flour!? Yum! So creative!
Thanks Taesha!
These DO look crispy on the edges! Love that. Bookmarking this for my next special event.
Thanks so much Rachel!
: Tis the season for cookies! Lots of delicious, ooey-gooey, soft, melt-in-your-mouth amazing cookies. These sound amazing and something I should make very soon.
Exactly! A bit of cookie overload to be honest, ha! Let me know if you try them!
Love the idea of making your own cashew flour, and the cookies look fantastic!
Thanks Becky!
Just found this recipe as I was looking to use up the remaining Wellbies cashew flour in my frig. Can you tell me what you used exactly as far as the butter/oil/ghee goes as directions seem a bit vague, & often recipes don’t turn out if you don’t use the exact type or brand of ingred listed ! Can’t wait to try these !
Hi Terissa, yes! Totally understand. Unfortunately I didn’t write down the exact ones at the time, and I really need to re-do the recipe to make sure I do that! Cookies definitely tend to come out flat for me when I don’t – total facepalm moment. Let me know if you made them and how it turned out!
You’ve said 1 egg
But then mention eggs plural??
Oh! It’s just one egg. Corrected it in the recipe – thanks!