These chai spiced cookies are perfect for fall with almonds, almond butter and lots of autumnal spice. They’re paleo with a vegan option.
I recently made an old recipe of mine, these paleo chai spiced cookies, wanting to retake the photos but decided against it. Why? Because the texture of those cookies isn’t nearly as good as the one in my paleo chocolate chip cookies.
It’s like those chocolate chip cookies have ruined other paleo cookies for me. That’s why I keep using the same base again and again.
I have to admit that I don’t think these chai spiced cookies are the most exciting cookies in the world, just because gooey chocolate (like in these paleo peppermint cookies, which is also adapted from the original recipe) wins over spice + almonds. At least for me.
But they’re still delicious! So here they are for the 4 or 5 readers who don’t like chocolate. ;)
If you like other spiced goodies, try my paleo spice cake! And if you want something more like spicy Christmas cookies, check out these paleo gingerbread cookies.
Substitution questions for these chai spiced cookies?
- Can I use something instead of almond flour?
Almond flour is only really interchangeable with other nut flours so cashew or hazelnut meal would probably work.
- Can I use something instead of coconut flour?
Nope! There isn’t a really good sub for coconut flour. A few people have mentioned using oat flour (for a non-paleo version) with success but I haven’t tried it myself.
- Can I use something instead of almond butter?
For these spice cookies, I definitely think almond butter is the best fit! I don’t think they’d taste too good with other types.
- Can I use something instead of coconut / brown sugar?
Subbing in a liquid sweetener won’t work. There’s no liquid to reduce to make up for the added liquid, so it’d made the cookies cakey. Any other granulated sweetener would probably work.
- What can I use instead of the egg or chia egg?
I’ve tried flax eggs but I don’t like the taste (people say that flax eggs don’t taste like anything but I think they do).
- Can I make these cookies smaller?
Yes, but I think they have a better texture when they’re baked as huge cookies. Several reviewers on the original recipe agree with me!
If you try these spice cookies, I’d love to hear how they come out!
Chai Spiced Cookies (paleo, vegan)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 8
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100 grams) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (32 grams) coconut flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (84 grams) coconut oil, room temperature (not melty at all)
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) coconut sugar, very tightly packed
- 6 tablespoons (98 grams) natural almond butter (the kind with just almonds in it and no added fat / sugar)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (50 grams, out of shell), room temperature or 1 chia egg for vegan
- 3/4 cup (83 grams) chopped almonds
Directions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer or using a stand mixer, beat together the fat, sugar, almond butter and vanilla extract at medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Beat in the egg on low and mix until well incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined. Then stir in chopped almonds. Chill the dough for an hour or until easy to roll into balls.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into 8 (75-gram) balls. Place 4" apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press the cookies down lightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 11-14 minutes or until the surface of the center of the cookies no longer appears wet. They'll be very soft but will continue to cook as they sit on the cookie sheet.
- Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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36 comments on “Chai Spiced Cookies (paleo, vegan)” — Add one!
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These sound amazing. Can you make them with Canola oil instead of coconut oil?
Thanks! I haven’t tried it, but I think it’d work. I can’t say for sure without trying it, though. I hope you’ll enjoy them if you try them. :)
It’s mid-August, not yet Fall, with “feels like” temp of 105-degrees, but I cranked the A/C, and made these Chai Spiced Cookies. I realized it’s never too early in the year for a delicious warm, spiced chai cookie. 🍁🍪🧑🍳 (I added white chocolate and dates 😋 .)
My Grandson is diabetic so we have to count everything. Do you have the nutrition values?
Love them by the way.
I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. :) I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for your comment.
I made these a few days ago and they are delicious! I made them with just over half of the sugar your recipe calls for as I don’t like things too sweet. Not sure if that’s why the cookies turned out on the dry side, but will try to add one more egg and see if that helps. But I really love the taste of the cookies – the spices and the almonds go very well together.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! And yes, that’s exactly why they were dry. Sugar adds moisture and holds things together. So while you can try adding more egg, they’ll come out more cakey. Thanks for your comment! :)
I was so excited about these, but they were a complete failure for me. I followed the directions exactly (except refrigerated the dough for over an hour), but the coconut oil seeped out of the cookies and they ended up super flat and burnt because they cooked so quickly. :'(
I’ve made these many times and not had an issue so I think something must have gone wrong somewhere. Did you make any subs or changes at all? Was your coconut oil at all melted?
These look incredible! I never get enough of chai flavors and these would be so perfect for cozy holiday baking too!
I can’t wait to try these. A couple of these with a chai-latte would be a delightful snack!
These are Delicious!!! Everyone loved them! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe… Followed the your directions and weighed ingredients, they turned out perfect! Thank you for these non-chocolate recipes for the few of us who prefer them! 😊
i love this website look so cool and these cookies are bomb
We have a few family members who can’t eat chocolate, so I am always looking for delicious, flavorful alternatives. These Chai Spiced Cookies look amazing!!!
Delicious! Love the chai flavor! Can’t eat just one!
So glad you liked them! :)
Those look absolutely delicious! I love that they’re grain free. :)
Thanks! :)
I love chai anything so I am down for these cookies! And hey, maybe I’ll add chocolate chips for the best of both worlds. ;)
Haha. I so wish I could do white chocolate!
These sound wonderful! Love almond butter in cookies too!
It really does wonders for the texture!
I actually never had a chai flavored dessert before and I’m dying to try! These looks so perfect.
Thanks so much!
YUM! These look so good.
Thanks! :)
I am going to try these. :) Should #5 in the directions be the rest of the almonds instead of chocolate chips? (btw, I love your chocolate chip recipe. I make them all the time!) :)
Oh geez! Thank you so much for letting me know. I’m so embarrassed. I obviously copy and pasted those directions from the chocolate chip cookies but didn’t finish changing them up. Thank you again! And I’m glad you like the original recipe. :D
Yum! I can’t wait to make these. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’d love to hear how they come out. :)
I can already see myself sitting down with a big glass of almond milk, just dipping away!
A very good idea! :)
I’m not much of a cookie baker but your high praise on these has me intrigued!
Haha. I didn’t think I really sold them at all. :D
These look SO great. I always love your beautiful photographs and appreciate the egg-free variation. Thank you!
You’re welcome and thank you for the nice comment! :)