Paleo Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Healthy chocolate chunk cookies on a cooling rack on a white wooden table

5 from 20 votes

These giant, indulgent cookies have crispy edges, soft centers and lots of chocolate. Made in one bowl, they also happen to be gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free.

Prep Time15

Cook Time18

Resting time30

Total Time1 3

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 407kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

2 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup / 120 g / 4.25 oz. coconut sugar
1 cup / 165 g / 5.8 oz. palm shortening
2 teaspoons / 10 mL vanilla extract
½ teaspoon / 2.5 mL apple cider vinegar
2½ cups / 275 g / 9.75 oz. blanched almond flour
1 teaspoon / 5 mL baking soda
¼ teaspoon / 1.25 mL fine sea salt
1 cup / 175 g / 6 oz. chocolate chunks
flaky sea salt, for garnish (optional)
crushed pink peppercorns, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the eggs, coconut sugar, palm shortening, vanilla and vinegar. Start on low and increase the speed to medium-high and blend until the palm shortening is fully blended in, which could take 1-3 minutes (mixture might look freckled with sugar). You can also use a hand mixer or a sturdy spatula.
Turn off the mixer. Pour in the almond flour, baking soda and salt. Start on low and increase the speed to medium, blending until totally combined into one smooth, evenly brown batter.
Stir in the chocolate chunks with a spatula.
Place six ¼-cup-sized scoops on each sheet. The cookies will spread by about 1" so leave a few inches between each one.
Sprinkle the cookies with flaky seat salt or crushed pink peppercorns, if desired. Do NOT use both salt and peppercorns on the same cookie - it'll get too savory.

FOR COOKIES THAT ARE MORE SET:

Put the cookies immediately in the oven. Bake for 12-18 minutes, until you see dark brown edges. Halfway through, swap the pans (top pan goes to the bottom rack and vice versa) and rotate them 180°. The cookies will look like weird UFO's at first but they'll spread out and look adorable by the end.
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies to cooling racks and let cool to room temperature.

FOR COOKIES THAT ARE A LITTLE GOOEY IN THE MIDDLE:

Put the cookie sheets in the fridge for 30 minutes, then put the cookies directly in the oven. Bake for 12-18 minutes, until you see dark brown edges. Halfway through, swap the pans (top pan goes to the bottom rack and vice versa) and rotate them 180°. The cookies will look like weird UFO's at first but they'll spread out and look adorable by the end.
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies to cooling racks and let cool to room temperature.

FOR COOKIES THAT ARE THE GOOIEST IN THE MIDDLE:

Put the cookie sheets in the freezer for 30 minutes, then put the cookies directly in the oven. Bake for 12-18 minutes, until you see dark brown edges. Halfway through, swap the pans (top pan goes to the bottom rack and vice versa) and rotate them 180°. The cookies will look like weird UFO's at first but they'll spread out and look adorable by the end.
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies to cooling racks and let cool to room temperature.

Notes

Cooking time does not include putting the cookies in the fridge or freezer, if you choose to do so.

If you bake these cookies when it's very humid out, they may spread much more than usual and end up very flat.

It may seem weird, but the pink peppercorns add a really unique touch. They don't have the kick of black peppercorns; they add a slightly musky, slightly sweet, floral flavor and a bit of crunch. You can crush them in a mortar & pestle, in a clean coffee grinder, or put them in a small baggie (leave it open) and crush them with the bottom of a glass, jar or sturdy skillet.

You can easily halve the recipe to make 6 cookies.

You can store the cookies in the fridge for up to 5 days. After a day they get wonderfully thick and rich, but you can also warm them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to reactivate the chocolate gooey-ness.

You can also freeze the batter so you have cookies ready to bake whenever you want. Place the 1/4-cup-sized scoops on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze the whole sheet, uncovered, until the cookies are frozen, about 1 hour. Then wrap each cookie ball in plastic wrap and place them all in an airtight bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake directly from the freezer for 15-20 minutes, rotating and swapping the pans halfway through.

Substitutions and variations

You can use cashew flour or fine ground up sunflower seeds instead of almond flour.
No palm shortening? You can substitute coconut oil, but I would recommend following only the directions for baking them immediately after making them. If you refrigerate or freeze them before baking, they'll end up too greasy and fall apart.
Instead of Enjoy Life! chocolate chunks, I sometimes chop up 3 bars of Hu chocolate, which is dairy-free and Paleo-friendly.
You can use lemon juice instead of the vinegar (you won't taste it).

Nutrition