These paleo chai spiced cookies are perfectly soft, chewy and also grain-free, gluten-free and dairy-free!
11/2019 update! I just posted another recipe for chai cookies that I think are even better. Check out these chai spiced cookies. They’re paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free and have a vegan option.
I came across these grain-free thick and chewy snickerdoodles from A Clean Bake last week and knew that I had to make them! But being as it’s October, I wanted to fall-them-up a little, so I used maple syrup instead of honey and added quite a bit of chai spice to turn them into paleo chai cookies.
I looked up different recipes for chai spice mix and all the recipes were different and used different spices so I just threw in some ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. I thought it was a perfect mix but you can use whatever spices in whatever proportions you want.
The first time I made them paleo chai spiced cookies, I used the chai spice mix in the dough and in the sugar I used for rolling the cookie dough balls in. That was kind of overkill. The cookie itself is spicy enough without rolling them in even more spice. But I still rolled them in sugar because… why not? ;)
At first, I rolled them in coconut sugar, which totally worked, but I preferred them with granulated sugar, because of texture and taste. Raw sugar would also work well! But of course, if you want to keep these chai spiced cookies paleo, use coconut sugar!
I LOVE how chewy these chai cookies are. Have you ever tried these soft and chewy ginger cookies? They’re just like those in size, shape, and texture but with a totally different flavor.
Out of all the types of grain-free goodies (cakes, brownies, muffins, etc.), cookies are definitely my favorite. While the texture is different from cookies with all-purpose flour or whole wheat, they’re still nice and chewy and not at all funky. And from a recipe development standpoint – they’re the easiest and therefore the least likely to make me frustrated. :D
Wondering what to drink with your chai cookies? This hot spiced apple cider or pumpkin chai latte would be perfect!
And for another great Christmas cookie, try these gluten-free cut out sugar cookies!Paleo Chai Spiced Cookies (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 22 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 grams) blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup (34 grams) coconut flour, sifted if lumpy
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 3-4 tablespoons sugar for rolling (you can use raw sugar or coconut sugar for the paleo verison)
Directions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (almond flour through salt).
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and egg.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir just until combined.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm enough 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 1" balls, roll in the sugar, and place 2" apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the tops are firm and no longer wet. They will not brown but may crack a little.
- Remove to a baking sheet to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Adapted from A Clean Bake's Grain-free Thick and Chewy Snickerdoodles
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118 comments on “Paleo Chai Spiced Cookies (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)” — Add one!
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What if you use molasses instead of maple syrup (or combined with it) and increase the amount of ginger? I’m wondering if it would taste like gingerbread!
I’ve found that when using molasses in place of other sweeteners, other adjustments are needed. I’d recommend these paleo ginger cookies, which are very similar to these chai cookies texture-wise! :)
I love your website!
Thanks so much! :)
These were delicious. Especially right out of the oven. Haven’t had a cookie in a long time, since I started paleo. Thank you!
I’m happy you enjoyed them! If you’re interested, here are my very favorite paleo cookies: paleo chocolate chip cookies. Everyone seems to enjoy them, paleo or not! Thanks for your comment. :)
I hate to be the ‘party pooper’, but having sugar in the recipe IS NOT paleo. Otherwise, I’m sure the cookies are delicious.
Coconut sugar, which is called for in this recipe, is considered paleo. (Source: here and here)
I apologize, when I saw the recipe on my android, I saw two separate lines for coconut and sugar. I didn’t realize it was ‘coconut sugar’. Thanks for clarifying.
No worries! :)
These are absolutely delicious !! Great recipe.
I’m happy you liked them! Thanks for your comment. :)
Sarah
I have been very successful using finely ground raw (no shells) sunflower seeds instead of almond flour in several baking recipes. The measurements are 1 to 1 so there is no need to rework a recipe (an added bonus). Just grind up the sunflower seeds in a blender or pulse in a food processor until the consistency is similar to almond flour.
*** do not be alarmed if the baked item has greenish coloured flecks in it the next day ***
This is a common occurrence when using sunflower seeds and does not affect the taste in any way.
I hope this comment helps you out or anyone else that is new to paleo.
Thanks so much for your helpful comment! Does it have a strong taste? Would you taste it in a recipe like this with so much spice? Thanks again for your help!
Erin,
No, it does not have a strong taste even in recipes that I have tried that do not have a lot of spices in it.
Is it as flavourful as using almond flour ??? I do not know … as this is not an option that I can try.
Interesting! I’ve never tried it because I assumed it’d have a strong taste. Thanks again for your comments!
how many calories
You can copy and paste the recipe here for that info.
I’ve never used coconut sugar and hate to make a special trip to the store just for that. Would it work to substitute regular white or brown sugar and, if so, should I use the same amount?
You can use the same amount of white sugar! I hope you’ll enjoy them. :)
Can I use a substitution of more coconut flour or tapioca starch? I am allergic to almonds and gluten, so nothing else is really an option. :(
I’m afraid not. It’d require reworking the whole recipe as almond flour isn’t interchangeable with coconut flour. I’m sorry about that! Maybe you could try adding some chai spice to these coconut flour shortbread? I haven’t tried that recipe and I’m sure the texture is totally different but I bet it’d make a nice Christmas cookie. :)
These cookies are delicious! Thanks for the recipe
So happy you liked them! Thanks for your feedback. :)
These have a very nice chai flavor. They weren’t as chewy as I had hoped though – maybe that’s because I omitted the maple syrup? (trying to cut down on the sugar) I put in a little stevia instead and they were plenty sweet.
I’m happy you liked the taste! There’s not much liquid in these cookies so I’m pretty sure removing 1/4 cup maple syrup was what caused your cookies to not be crunchy. I’d cut back on the coconut sugar and keep the maple syrup to keep the liquid amount the same.
I saw this recipe yesterday when I was searching wheat and dairy free “tea” flavored cookies, I bought the ingredients today, and I must say they turned out exactly like your picture, and they don’t taste too bad, either! I have a strong desire to dip them in some form of icing though…or coconut butter…mmm or ginger frosting…thank you for the recipe, it was super simple! I’ll make them again when I can find almond flour on sale, $7 for 2C is kind of steep, haha
Ginger frosting sounds like it’d be amazing! I’m so happy that the came out well for you. :) And $7 sounds insane! You could try almond meal if you don’t mind the specks of almond skin. Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
I just made these and they are awesome! I did not let the dough chill in the fridge at all….is the purpose of that to let the spices marry? Mine were still delicious! And it just so happened that I was out of eggs so I subbed the 1tbl. Flax meal/3tbl. Water for my egg substitute.
I’m so happy that you liked them! The only reason I chilled the dough was that it was far too runny to roll into balls. If your dough was firm enough, no need to chill it. It’s great to know that flax eggs work here! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
I just finished making the dough, it’s chilling in the refrigerator now. I, of course had to sneak a little taste of the dough. OMGee! They taste amazing! I can’t wait to try one once they’re cooked. I think my daughter will really love them, she absolutely loves Chai! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I think I’m going to have to make another batch just so I have some to give away with my Christmas cookies, as I have a feeling my daughter and I are going to be munching this batch!
I hope you liked the cookies baked, too! I’m normally into the dough more than the baked cookies but I’m the opposite way with these. I hope that your daughter will enjoy them, too! Thanks so much for the feedback and happy holidays. :)
Finally got a chance to bake them. Wow, they are fantastic! These just might become mine and my daughter’s new favorite cookie! They have a wonderful Chai flavor! Definitely going to be needing to make another batch. Happy holidays to you also!
So happy to hear that they baked up well and that your daughter enjoyed them, too! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know how they came out. :)
I made chai cookies recently and yours look million times better than mine.
Thanks! I’m sorry yours didn’t come out, though.
These are just fabulous, Erin! I accidentally left out the sugar, so the only sweeteners were the maple syrup and the sugar the cookies were rolled in. The cookies still turned out great, so maybe that would be an option for those who like things a little less sweet. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe with us…it’s a keeper!
Less sugar is always better so I love the accidental change you made. :) Thanks for letting me know it works without the extra sugar! And I’m happy to hear that the recipe is a keeper. :) Thank you so much for your feedback!
Omg these are amazing!!!
I made them last night and my hubby and I ate them all within 3 hours. Honestly one of the best paleo cookies I’ve ever had. Obsessed!
Hahaha. I love that the two of you ate them within 3 hours. That’s dedication right there. ;) Thanks a bunch for the feedback! So happy that you liked them. :)
these are ah-mazing!! Thanks for the recipe! A smidge too sweet for me so I will cut down on the sweeteners on my next batch, but i will definitely be making these again.
I’m so happy that you liked them! Less sweetener sounds good. I do have quite the sweet tooth. ;) Thanks so much for the feedback!
Would Quinoa flour work instead of Almond flour?
I haven’t tried it so I really don’t know, but I’m guessing no. Almond flour is usually interchangeable with other nut flours so if you don’t like almonds, another nut meal / flour would probably be your best option. :)
Do you know if these freeze well?
I haven’t tried it but I know the dough would freeze well.
Tried these and they are delicious ! My kids don’t like the almond flour. Could you use all purpose flour instead of the almond ? If so, would you leave out the coconut flour?
I’m so happy that you liked the cookies! I hate to say it, but subbing any kind of grain based flour for nut and coconut flour doesn’t work so well. Is it the taste or the texture that your kids don’t like? If it’s the taste, maybe they’d like a different type of nut meal or flour? Any kind should work here! But if it’s the texture, I recommend making these chai spiced cookies. :) Thanks so much for your feedback!