These easy paleo chocolate crinkle cookies are sure to become a holiday baking favorite! They have double the chocolate and a chewy brownie-like inside. Gluten free, grain free and dairy free.
Chewy, brownie like chocolate crinkle cookies are definitely a top choice at my house!
This paleo version is surprisingly easy to throw together and tastes like original crinkle cookies.
I used dutch processed cocoa powder and added in dark chocolate chips for extra chocolate flavor. My family devoured them in hours!
These double chocolate crinkle cookies are sure to make your holiday season a lot sweeter! Let’s get into the recipe details.
What You Need to Make Paleo Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
An almond flour base gives these grain free cookies the taste and texture of the classics!
Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare them:
- blanched almond flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- baking soda
- salt
- ghee or vegan butter
- maple sugar or coconut sugar
- eggs
- pure vanilla extract
- dairy free chocolate chips (I used Evolved Chocolate)
- organic powdered sugar or powdered monk fruit sweetener
How to Make Paleo Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, cream together the ghee with the maple sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg and vanilla until creamy.
Mix the dry mixture into the wet until a thick dough forms, then fold in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 15-20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350° F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Place the powdered sugar or monk fruit in a shallow bowl.
Take about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dough (use a medium cookie scoop to measure, if you want) and roll it into a neat ball. Roll generously in the powdered sugar or sweetener, then place on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat the process to use up the dough, spacing cookies 2” apart on the baking sheet.
Bake one batch at a time in the preheated oven for 11 minutes. The cookies will not spread (“crinkle”) until the last 2 minutes or so. Cookies will be very soft when done.
Cookies will be chewy and brownie like on the inside when cooled.
Store the leftover cookies loosely covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or keep them in a sealed container in the refrigerator to keep them longer. Enjoy!
Paleo Friendly Powdered Sugar
If you don’t mind using cane sugar in this recipe, you can use organic powdered sugar which is grain free.
If you want to keep the cookies lower in sugar and strictly paleo, I recommend using powdered monk fruit sugar.
I’ve used this one from Lakanto and it also works well for icings and frostings.
I sometimes use maple sugar to make powdered sugar that’s paleo friendly, but for this recipe I prefer the snow-white look of one of the above choices.
I hope you’re ready for a delicious new recipe for your holiday cookie rotation!
Grab your ingredients (and maybe a loved one or two!) because it’s time to bake – let’s go!
Paleo Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Paleo Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons ghee or vegan butter
- 3/4 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup dairy free chocolate chips I used Evolved Chocolate
For Rolling:
- 3/4 cup organic powdered sugar or powdered monk fruit sweetener
Instructions
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In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, cream together the ghee with the maple sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg and vanilla until creamy.
-
Using a spoon, mix the dry mixture into the wet until a thick dough forms, then fold in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 15-20 minutes.
-
Preheat your oven to 350° F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the powdered sugar or monk fruit in a shallow bowl. Take about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dough (use a medium cookie scoop to measure, if you want) and roll it into a neat ball. Roll generously in the powdered sugar or sweetener, then place on the prepared baking sheet.
-
Repeat the process to use up the dough, spacing cookies 2” apart on the baking sheet.
-
Bake one batch at a time in the preheated oven for 11 minutes. The cookies will not spread (“crinkle”) until the last 2 minutes or so. Cookies will be very soft when done.
-
Remove from the oven and cook on the cookie sheet for 5-8 minutes or until you can easily transfer them to a cooling rack to fully cool.
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Cookies will be chewy and brownie like on the inside when cooled. Store leftover cookies loosely covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator to keep them longer. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Want More Paleo Holiday Cookie Recipes? Try One of These!
Perfect Paleo Cut Out Sugar Cookies
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I absolutely adore all of your recipes, they never disappoint! This one is absolutely incredible. I didn’t even roll in any sugar – but instead used as a plain double chocolate cookie and experimented with a few toppings for our Christmas cookie tray: I sprinkled some with flaky sea salt, some with sprinkles, some were rolled in chopped toasted hazelnut and some – after baking (right out of the oven) – I sprinkled with chopped candy cane (i did some before baking with candy cane and it completely melted into the tops, so to give a more distinctive look I added the rest of the candy cane to a batch after the oven and that solved the issue!). They are unbelievably good – whatever combo you choose, even plain!
Great ideas!!
These came out tasty but super flat and quite ugly. Would not serve at a party.
Could I substitute Cassava Flour for Almond flour? If so how much would I need? Would I need to add any other flours to the cookies work better?
These paleo chocolate crinkle cookies look absolutely divine — chewy on the inside and perfectly festive! If you’re tracking your holiday baking expenses or even calculating potential baking-related income (hello, home-based bakers!), a tool like this [Bonus Tax Calculator](https://taxcal.co.za/bonus-tax-calculator/) can come in handy. Delicious cookies and smart planning? Yes, please! 🍪✨
These paleo chocolate crinkle cookies sound amazing! I love that they use almond flour and have a brownie-like texture. I’m definitely going to try this recipe for the holidays!
ChatGPT 说：
Just made these paleo chocolate crinkle cookies and wow—so good! 🍫✨ The texture is amazing, chewy like a brownie, and the chocolate flavor is spot on. I was skeptical at first since they’re gluten and dairy free, but honestly, you’d never know. Perfect for a cozy baking day or holiday treat!
Made a batch for a potluck and they were almost too good to part with!
I did use some judicious swaps so the outcome was not strictly paleo – namely I used dairy butter, and a lovely granulated sweetener from Wholesome Yum that blends monkfruit with allulose and – at the risk of sounding like a shameless plug (I SWEAR I’m not sponsoring for them) is easily THE best sugar replacement I’ve encountered to date with no cooling nor bitter aftertaste. I did have to use regular powdered sugar though because their powdered sugar replacement…wasn’t it. At all. They need to go back to the drawing board on that one.
So the cookies turned out low-ER carb if not strictly “low carb.” But!! They also turned out oh, so fudgy and go – o – o – od! and I absolutely plan to add them to my regular cookie rotation!
Just wondering, has anyone here tried rolling the dough in granulated sweetner/sugar vs the powdered? I know it won’t have the same aesthetic (and well, mine didn’t turn out like the picture either, with the powdered sugar partially melting into the cookie vs. resting prettily on top.) I’d heard it can give a rather pleasant caramellized “crunch” (and as I said, the granulated > the powdered 110%) but I’m curious if anyone has tried it and what their results were.
P.S. Regarding those who stated that their cookies spread/flattened too much, mine did not and I think the extended time chilling the dough in the fridge contributed to that. I prepared my dough a full day before baking, rolled it into balls, and popped them into a covered container in the fridge, then basically rolled ’em real quick in the powdered sugar and put them in the preheated oven while still chilled. Hope that helps!!