My mother-in-law (aka Grandma Marylyn) is obsessed with all things crispy, crunchy, and Paleo. Like me, she has celiac disease and has followed a strict gluten-free diet for years. I created this Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe just for her. Grandma Marylyn is a huge fan of my Cranberry Chocolate Biscotti, as well as my Chocolate Orange Scones, and presents me with freshly made batches of each of these every time we have a visit.
While Grandma loves everything I make and cooks from my latest book Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry religiously, she is passionate about making my Paleo desserts for our large Jewish family.
Grandma has been asking me for years to develop a thin and crispy cookie recipe. She has no idea that I’ve created these Paleo chocolate chip cookies for her!
Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup palm shortening
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda in a food processor
- Pulse in shortening, coconut sugar, egg, and vanilla until dough forms
- Remove blade from processor and stir in chocolate chips by hand
- Scoop dough one level tablespoon at a time onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Press balls of dough down so they are very flat, wetting your hand if dough is sticky
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes
- Cool for 15 minutes (do not handle prior or cookies will break)
- Serve
When I made these Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies my husband and children devoured numerous batches. The boys’ friends also gobbled up my Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies so quickly that I couldn’t keep enough on the counter for them. I had one very busy week of baking gluten-free chocolate chip cookies for the hungry teenagers that fill my home. These cookies have the teenage seal of approval many times over.
In addition to inspiration from Grandma, I also enjoyed seeing that the adorable Kosher Cavegirl had come up with a Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. It was her post that gave me the idea to create this new recipe which differs only slightly from my Primal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe –the changes include using coconut sugar in place of honey, and doubling the amount of shortening and adding an egg. That’s how you get to crispy cookie heaven. So if you’re tired of complex gluten-free recipes with long lists of ingredients, this is another recipe of mine that solves this vexing problem!
I have other chocolate chip cookie recipes on my website in addition to the ones above:
- Chocolate Chip Cookies -an oldie but goodie that I still make for the boys and their dairy eating friends; I created this, my first chocolate chip cookie recipe back in 2007 –it uses butter as the fat and honey or agave for the sweetener; slightly crispy around the edges, and chewy in the middle.
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies -a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses grapeseed oil for the fat and agave as sweetener… for the vegans in my life.
- Primal Chocolate Chip Cookies -my most recent chocolate chip cookie recipe (prior to the one featured in this post for a crispy cookie) uses shortening and honey; a classic, moist, chewy chocolate chip cookie, and a great post workout snack for the CrossFit crowd.
What are your needs and desires for a classic chocolate chip cookie? Are they dietary, or flavor-based? Leave a comment and let me know which of the above recipes you plan on using and how you will customize them to your personal preferences.
Alyssa Fiedor Hyndman says
Think I could use chicory root flour for the sweetener in these? Trying to do anti-candida ;)
Elana says
Alyssa, I haven’t tried that so not sure. Here’s a link to my Candida Diet Recipes page for you:
https://elanaspantry.com/diets/candida/
Enjoy!
Elana
Linda says
Chicory Root sweetener is all I use and the cookies are to die for!
Marykay says
I don’t use almond flour because it’s not low glycemic, and we don’t care for it.. What’s a good alternative?
I really need a good crispy ? recipe.
Also, wanted to thank you for all your recipes!
Being Paleo is very difficult, and I need help sticking to it.
Thanks!
Elana says
Marykay, thanks for your comment. We find that almond flour is a fantastic low-carb food that works wonderfully in baked goods recipes. I haven’t tried making these cookies without it so not sure what would work instead. If you do experiment please let us know how it goes :-)
Pratibha says
Hi Elana, I tried this recipe by halving the quantities. I used coconut oil and a bit of honey along with coconut sugar. They turned out good to taste but not crispy, they were soft. What could have possibly gone wrong?
Elana says
Pratibha, thanks for your comment! If you follow the recipe and use the ingredients that I use, these cookies will be crispy heaven :-)
Diane Lee says
Hi, Elana.
I tried these cookies …. they were absolutely delicious! Is there a reason why you don’t break out the nutritional values of calories, fat, fiber, protein? It would be helpful to see these.
Keep the great recipes coming…..I’m hooked.
Elana says
Thanks Diane. Glad you found the cookies absolutely delicious! For more on nutrition info please go here:
https://elanaspantry.com/nutrition-information/
Have a lovely day!
Elana
Dindy Fuller says
Hello Elana, I am currently starting to bake again (thanks to you) but I read lots of sad things about the production of palm oil and palm shortening. It is written up on the web, one example (https://orangutan.org/rainforest/the-effects-of-palm-oil/.) So, I will use a combo of gee, coconut, maybe even lard.
You have contributed so much to my life by sharing your healing path, innovative recipes and vision for enjoying good food -made better.
Blessings, but check out those orangutans! :) dindy
Elana says
Thanks Dindy!
Denise Cupp says
Just use a brand that doesn’t do all that. Grain Brain is a good brand that doesn’t use sewage sludge, done w/o pressure -all by hand and organic. It’s on Amazon
Angie says
Thank you for this info Denise! I am going to order this. So happy to be baking again Elana! These cookies SAVE me!
Elana says
Angie, I’m so happy to hear that these cookies have saved you, that’s fantastic :-)
Robin says
I’m going to try these with Swerve or Xylitol. Sugar is sugar and I don’t use it anymore to be really healthy and low carb.
Elana says
Robin, I hope you’ll stop back by and let us know if that works!
Regina Finch says
Hi, Elena
The recipe sounds lovely, but in place where I live I can’t find the palm shortening. Is it possible to substitute this ingredient with, let’s say, coconut oil or normal butter? Please let me know if these changes are going to affect the recipe in good or bad side.
Thank you very much!
Regina Finch. Gran Canary, Las Palmas.
Elana says
Hi Regina, here’s a link to my Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe which uses butter:
https://elanaspantry.com/paleo-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Enjoy!
Elana
Denise Cupp says
Or at least just cut back on sugar u put in
Marianne van der Velde says
I’ve been using this recipe for a while and it’s always been a hit. This last time, however, I decided to make a change. Instead of coconut sugar I used a light 1/4 tsp stevia and they were delicious! Gonna make this a permanent change!
Elana says
Marianne, that’s great to hear!
Marykay says
1/4 tsp or 1/4 cup??
K D says
Thank you for posting this comment! I was just scrolling through comments to see if anyone else wanted to omit the sugar
Sarah says
These are so good! Thank you for the recipe!
I used coconut oil instead of palm shortening which was all I had on hand. And 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate chunks. Nice to have something crispy, I’m missing my old crispy foods. :)
Elana says
Hi Sarah, so glad you enjoyed the cookies :-)
JULISSA Arriola says
how much coconnut oil you use?
Jennifer C. says
I just made these for the first time and they are fantastic. The best cookie I have made since my dietary switch two years ago. I am gluten-free and refined sugar-free. So, I had to to use unsweetened chocolate chips. (Does anyone have a better solution to this chocolate chip dilemma?) I doubled the amount of coconut sugar to make up for that bitterness (and use half shortening/half butter and added pecans). They are a hit! My fiancé, who does not adhere to the same “rules” as me, thought the cookie was good, but that the chocolate was bitter. In the future, I will make half for him with his chocolate chips, and half for me. (I am used to things being less sweet.)
Elana, thank you for continuing to work hard to make my food more delicious. I appreciate it!!
Elana says
Jennifer, I’m so glad to hear you say these are fantastic! I hope you’ll keep us posted on your unsweetened chocolate chip conquest :-)
Rina says
I used Lily’s stevia sweetened chocolate chips, and it turned out fantastic! You can find Lily’s stevia chocolate bars and baking chocolate at Whole Foods.
Sandy Betker says
Elana – This is the BEST cookie recipe I have tried for my family. I have substituted hazelnut flour for the almond and it is a delicious chocolate chip cookie. I have also added cinnamon and chopped pecans for the chocolate chips and so yummy. You have developed the perfect base for a crispy cookie and I can not thank you enough. I have also purchased all your cookbooks so far for myself, family and friends and we are wearing them out! Thank you again for all your amazing recipes. Sandy
Elana says
Sandy, thanks so much for your awesome comment! I love how you’re using this recipe, and I’m so glad to hear that you’re wearing out my cookbooks, that’s what they’re for :-)
Robin says
Is Elana answering any comments?
Is there nutritional breakdown any place for the recipes?
Thank you,
Robin
Elana says
Hi Robin, thanks for your comment. Some of my readers use this website to calculate nutrition info for my recipes:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/brand/nutrition-facts-calories/elanas-pantry
I hope this is useful!
Elana
Dee says
I’m looking for the calorie content? ?
Elana says
Hi Dee, feel free to calculate the nutrition info for this recipe, and if you think it will help others, leave it in a comment.