Chocolate Chip Cookies (Paleo, Gluten-free)

This is it!  My new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Even if I weren't doing a month of paleo, I would still make these.  They are SO good--a little chewy, super chocolaty, not too sweet, with a good dose of vanilla.  In other words, perfect.

Several months ago, my friend Audrey emailed me a recipe for chocolate chip cookies with almond flour, which she said she liked better than the real thing.  I was a little skeptical, but finally tried it.  The cookies were delicious, but the recipe had no egg, and I found that the cookies fell apart easily and were a little too flat.  I tried again with a couple of eggs, which resulted in much sturdier cookies that were also delicious, but very cakey.

Hoping to strike a balance between too cakey and too flat and fall-aparty, I tried a third time.  As often happens, the third time was the charm!  I hope you make these cookies.  You won't miss the flour or the sugar (and they don't taste like honey).  They are really easy to make, and not that bad for you!  Do it!

Note: the main reason I chilled the dough here is because I wanted to leave the kitchen before I started preheating the oven (it's 100 degrees today!).  So, you can stay mostly cool and still make these cookies.  Try them!  You know you want to.


Ingredients (makes about three dozen small cookies):

8 tablespoons grass-fed butter
1/2 cup honey
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups almond flour
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (paleo chocolate exists, but I couldn't find any...so technically my cookies are just ALMOST paleo)

In a large bowl, cream the butter with a fork until smooth.  Add the honey, vanilla, and salt and stir until very smooth, then add the egg and stir to incorporate.  Add the baking soda, almond flour, and chocolate chunks and stir until combined.  Refrigerate the dough for up to 30 minutes if possible.

Preheat the oven to 350 and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper (or if you don't have three, like me, bake in batches--just be sure to let the cookie sheet cool between batches).  Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the sheet, flattening them a little if you like a flatter cookie.  They don't spread much while they bake, and will be adorably domed if you leave them alone, but I flattened some because I am planning to make ice cream sandwiches.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown on top but not burned on the bottom.  The cookies will be unstable, and need to cool on the pans for at least five minutes.  After that, carefully transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

You might also like:

Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies

Mocha Chip Cookies

Chewy Chocolate Almond Cookies