THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES-

Author: Lilian

These cookies took a few tries, but I’m happy to say they’re now the best gluten-free, paleo, vegan chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had.

You guys. I don’t think I’ve been this excited about chocolate chip cookies in a long time. And I mean gluten-free, paleo, vegan chocolate chip cookies that actually taste like the real deal, classic, chewy chocolate chip cookies. If you’ve done any amount of gluten-free, grain-free baking then you’re probably familiar with how most “dietary restricted” cookies turn out – thick, dry, chunky and crumbly. Not exactly mouth watering, eh?

So I set out to create the best chocolate chip cookies that met all my dietary needs – and then some! Now, I’ll be honest, this winner of a recipe took three tries.

But once this version was baking in the oven I knew it was gonna be a winner. How so? Because it flattened all on it’s own. It didn’t take any manual, finger-smooshing flattening…it melted into the most golden, gooey, sweet, chocolate chip cookie – effortlessly in the oven. Winner winner.

What I love most about this cookie is that it’s crispy and golden on the edges, but soft and chewy on the inside. It’s the best of both worlds…and it’s highly addictive.

The key to this cookie is creaming the palm shortening, coconut milk, vanilla and coconut sugar together. Then, adding your dry ingredients to the creamed ingredients. The dough will be quite sticky and tacky as you mound the cookies on your parchment paper, but trust me, that’s a good thing. I tried two versions of this recipe with honey, which didn’t turn out, and one version with not enough liquid/fat, which also didn’t turn out.

But life is about sticking with it…so I didn’t give up. And in the end, I’m so glad I did…because now I have the best chocolate chip cookies to munch on.

INGREDIENTS:

¾ cup organic palm shortening

½ cup coconut sugar

¼ cup full fat coconut milk (shake the can to mix)

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups almond flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp sea salt

½ cup dark chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

2. Place the shortening, coconut sugar, coconut milk and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to blend all ingredients together until creamy.

3. Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for one minute, until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop heaping tablespoons of dough, evenly spaced. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are turning golden brown. (Note: if the cookies haven't flattened all the way, gently tap the baking sheet on your counter as soon as you remove them from the oven and they'll flatten).