All the delicious chunky, crispy-edged, chocolate chip goodness of oatmeal cookies but paleo without any oats or grains. Easy, one bowl, less than 30 minutes!
I simply set out to make a yummy healthier cookie filled with hemp seeds and almond butter and cacao nibs and things, but they turned out JUST LIKE OATMEAL COOKIES. The texture is freakishly identical with no oats involved. And of course I love every inch of these cookies, but those edges. The gloriously crispy browned edges. The best part ♡
What’s in These Paleo “Oatmeal” Cookies?
- Not an oat, not one single oat.
- Almond flour. These cookies don’t require much flour, but almond keeps them super moist and grain-free.
- Hemp seeds. These are what give them the chunky “oat” texture, plus a little healthy fat and protein and flavor.
- Coconut sugar. For that caramelized “brown sugar” sweetness.
- Flax eggs. Almond flour doesn’t bind much by itself, so this is key for holding the cookies together. I used a little less water than the typical flax egg ratio, so be sure to note that in the recipe. Real eggs will work too.
- Almond butter. This helps bind, keeps them moist, makes them spread – its very essential. Other nut/seed butters will work as well, personally I just love the flavor of AB.
- Coconut oil. I tested an oil-free version with non-dairy milk instead – delicious, but not as crispy and they don’t spread as well.
- Cacao nibs. Instead of chocolate chips, they are crunchier and more bitter which I love since these cookies are quite sweet. Chocolate chips are fine too of course, but I used these sweet cacao nibs from Sunfood which are lightly sweetened with coconut sugar and a perfect in between.
Tips for perfect Cookies
- Bake them the full 15 minutes. Don’t take these babies out early, you want them to be nice and golden on the edges and tops. They will have better taste and texture this way.
- Don’t crowd the pan, these cookies do spread quite a bit.
- Use a very drippy almond butter.
- Measure by weight. I always recommend this, it will save you time in cleanup and be more precise too.
- Eat minimum one spoonful of dough. This is more a happiness tip than a perfect cookie tip I suppose. But still important.
- Freeze them! Not the dough, the finished cookies. If you’ve never had an oatmeal cookie straight from the freezer you’re missing out. This may or may not be the summer 90º+ weather talking too.
I realize these Paleo “Oatmeal” Cookies aren’t nearly as cost effective as a traditional oatmeal cookie, but trust me they are very tastebuds = HAPPY effective. If you are looking for OATmeal cookie options:
- Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies (oat flour + oats)
- Vegan Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Almond Butter Oatmeal Bars (date-sweetened)
Paleo “Oatmeal” Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
All the delicious chunky, crispy-edged, chocolate chip goodness of oatmeal cookies but without any oats or grains. Easy, one bowl, less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 4 tbsp water)
- 1/2 cup (75g) coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) coconut oil*
- 1/3 cup (50g) hemp seeds
- 1/2 cup (125g) almond butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
- 1/2 cup (60g) almond flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (40g) cacao nibs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Prepare the flax eggs and set aside to gel for 10 minutes.
- Whisk together the almond flour, hemp seeds, coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt until lump free.
- Add the almond butter, vanilla, flax eggs, and coconut oil.
- Fold in cacao nibs (save a few for on top).
- Scoop onto a lined baking sheet (about 2 tbsp per cookie) leaving space in between because they will spread. No more than 8 cookies per pan.
- Add a few cacao nibs on top of each and press them down lightly.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes at 350ºF.
- Cool for 10 minutes on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy warm, or I love them straight from the freezer too!
Notes
*You can sub non-dairy milk to make them oil-free, but they will be less crispy and rich.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 81mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
Keywords: paleo, chocolate chip, grain free, dairy free, vegan, gluten free, grain free, egg free, healthy, dessert, snack