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4.95 from 17 votes

Thick & Chewy Vegan Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

With crisp edges and gooey middles, these vegan paleo chocolate chip cookies are a snap to make. You won't believe they're plant-based and free of dairy, eggs, grains, gluten, and refined sugar. I’ve given substitution suggestions below, but I have not tested these myself. If you’re trying a substitution, I would advise baking off a single test cookie, that way you can adjust the remaining dough if need be (i.e. add more flour if the cookies spread too much, or flatten the dough balls if they don’t spread enough).
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total: 27 minutes
Servings: 9 cookies

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (130 g) room temperature, well-stirred cashew butter (such as Artisana; or try almond or peanut butter)
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (110 g) maple syrup (preferably dark)
  • 1 tablespoon (8 g) coconut sugar (or 1 tablespoon more maple syrup)
  • 3 tablespoons (35 g) melted, cooled coconut oil (or ghee if not vegan)
  • 1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (55 g) cassava flour (I use Bob's Red Mill; or try sweet rice or AP flour if not paleo)
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (40 g) tiger nut flour (I use Anthony's; or try almond flour, more cassava flour, or oat, buckwheat, teff, or AP flour if not paleo)
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 ounces (115 g) coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate, plus extra for the tops (70-75% cacao mass)
  • flaky salt such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Instructions

  • Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375ºF. Line a rimless cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the cashew butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla until smooth and emulsified.
  • Place a strainer over the bowl and sift in the cassava and tiger nut flours with the baking soda and sea salt. Stir to combine, then stir in the chocolate chunks.
  • Scoop 2-inch diameter balls of dough (3 tablespoons or a #24 spring-loaded ice cream scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheet, spaced 2-3 inches apart. Top each cookie with a chunk or two of chocolate and a pinch of flaky salt.
  • Bake the cookies in the top rack of the oven until golden and puffed, with the edges beginning to set and the centers soft, 8-12 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet at 8 minutes for even baking.
  • Remove the cookies from the oven and slide them, parchment and all, onto a cooling rack. Let them cool as long as you can stand it. Enjoy warm from the oven, at room temperature, or let cool completely and store, covered at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

Notes

Tips for better cookies:
Since cookies are sensitive to slight changes in moisture and temperature, here are some ways to get foolproof cookies:
  • measure by weight, not volume
  • if measuring by volume, use the dip and sweep (aka scoop and swoop) method
  • make sure your oven is the correct temperature by using an external oven thermometer
  • bake off a single test cookie to make sure your cookies spread the right amount
  • if your cookies spread too much, add more flour or increase the oven temperature
  • if they don't spread enough, flatten the dough balls or decrease the oven temperature
Flours:
I first tested these cookies with all cassava flour for ease, but I preferred the version that included tiger nut flour. Tiger nut (which is actually a tuber vegetable and not a nut at all) adds browning and tenderness to these cookies, making them look and taste more like classic CCCs. I order mine from Anthony's, but you can also find it in some health food stores with other alternative flours.
If you don't have tiger nut flour on hand, try one of the other suggestions in the recipe. You'll have to experiment a bit as flours absorb moisture differently and cookies are sensitive to these slight differences. If you’re trying a substitution, I would advise baking off a single test cookie, that way you can adjust the remaining dough if need be (i.e. add more flour if the cookies spread too much, or flatten the dough balls if they don’t spread enough).
You can also try omitting all of the flours and using 165 grams (about 1 cup + 2 -4 tablespoons) all-purpose flour (wheat, GF, or paleo). 
Make-ahead:
Make the dough as directed, then let sit until firm enough to scoop (or chill for a few minutes). Scoop into balls, place the dough balls on a small baking sheet lined with parchment, and chill until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer the cold dough balls into a container and chill for up to a week or so. When you’re ready to bake, just plop the dough balls on a cookie sheet as directed, top with flaky salt, and bake. You can also freeze dough balls for up to several months.
Nutrition facts are for 1 of 9 cookies. 

Nutrition

Calories: 277kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 4gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 133mgPotassium: 185mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 6IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 2mg
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