UPDATE – 10/13/15 – After a few people commented that these chai spice cookies flattened out completely for them and after experiencing that myself, I edited the recipe. I also decided to include a starch free version using xylitol.
I started making these fantastic little chai spice cookies a year or two before posting the original version of this recipe on my food blog. Then, when I found out that I was going to be working in a wellness clinic where many people with Lyme disease come through, I decided to make a Lyme-friendly version of this recipe.
Chai Spice Cookies – updated (vegan, paleo)
Ingredients
2 cups almond meal
1/2 cup tapioca starch (or arrowroot starch)
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup coconut oil (in solid form)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla until completely blended.
Drop the cookie dough on a cookie sheet. These cookies won’t flatten a whole lot when baking, so make sure to press down the top a bit.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. These cookies will not look golden when they’re done. Makes two dozens.
Chai Spice Cookies (vegan, low carb, sugar free)
Ingredients
2 cups almond meal
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup xylitol
1/4 cup coconut oil (in solid form)
1 1/2 tbsp dairy free milk alternative
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in the oil, dairy free milk, and vanilla until completely blended.
Drop the cookie dough on a cookie sheet. These cookies won’t flatten a whole lot when baking, so make sure to press down the top a bit.
Bake for 12-14 minutes. These cookies will not look golden when they’re done. Makes about 20 cookies.
Note: xylitol can cause bowel sensitivity. If you don’t regularly consume xylitol, eat sparingly to avoid being glued to the toilet or having unpleasant bloating.
Anonymous says
February 21, 2014 at 9:48 amAny suggestions for subbing out the maple syrup for honey or stevia?
Christina Najjar says
March 17, 2014 at 6:17 pmI'm sorry, I thought I had replied to this before. You can switch it out for honey with the same measurements no problem. I don't use stevia so I wouldn't be able to tell you.
Candi Brazeal says
May 23, 2014 at 3:23 pmIt smells like Starbucks in my kitchen. Thanks for this awesome recipe!!
Christina Najjar says
May 29, 2014 at 8:22 pmAww it's my pleasure! Thank you!
TiMRD says
July 20, 2014 at 10:33 amGreat recipe. Thanks.
Christina Najjar says
July 28, 2014 at 8:06 pmAnd thank you!
Anonymous says
August 3, 2014 at 4:57 pmcan u sub the arrowroot for almond flour
Christina Najjar says
August 5, 2014 at 7:55 pmI haven't tried it, but because the almond flour and arrowroot would have very different densities, I wouldn't recommend it. Let me know if you do try it.
Kate Nankervis says
September 19, 2014 at 11:22 amI substituted the tapioca starch with rice flour (I found the correct proportions), do you think that will work? They're in the oven now, smelling gorgeous!
Kate Nankervis says
September 19, 2014 at 11:34 amJust took them out. I overcooked them as they look very brown-nothing like your photo! But I think they worked out fine apart form that 🙂
Christina Najjar says
September 23, 2014 at 5:43 pmHah thanks for letting me know 🙂 Maybe the rice flour affects the cooking time? I should test that out at some point.
Marilou Simard says
November 10, 2014 at 1:31 pmdelicious! i would however add a little more of each spices next time
Christina Najjar says
November 17, 2014 at 8:24 pmThanks! That's good to know!
Anonymous says
January 21, 2015 at 4:20 pmI added half a diced apple to this.. delicious!
Christina Najjar says
March 16, 2015 at 8:09 pmMmm that sounds like a great idea! I think I'm going to have to give that a try in the near future.
Shirley Bacon says
August 23, 2015 at 4:35 pmCould you substitute organic oats for the tapioca flour? Love the idea of the addition of apple and all the spices; sounds delish!
DH3545 says
August 31, 2015 at 9:58 pmHmmm…these did not turn out for me at all. They fell totally flat (think crackers) and fall apart if you touch them. I followed the recipe exactly, but I used raw almond meal. Could that have been what happened? I really didn't think that would hurt anything?
Christina Najjar says
September 17, 2015 at 12:42 pmOrganic oats and tapioca flour have a different density, so I'm not sure how the cookies would turn out. If you do try it, let me know!
Christina Najjar says
September 17, 2015 at 12:43 pmI've tried this recipe with different kinds of coconut oil since posting it and have had a variety of results. I've also moved, and so I now use a different oven. In your case, you may need to reduce the oil or increase the dry ingredients. I'm sorry it didn't work out well for you!
Crunchy Muma says
September 19, 2015 at 12:32 amIt didn't work for me either, and I bake gluten free totally, and have been using almond meal in cookies for years. I think it's an issue of too much oil. I have a similar recipe I tweaked from gluten to gf, but it didn't contain tapioca flour. I wanted to try yours as I was keen to see if the tapioca would give it some crunch. I'm disappointed 🙁 my kids however have decided they can just eat them by the bowl full as cookie crumble….hmmmmm lol
Christina Najjar says
October 1, 2015 at 2:58 pmYeah I'm sorry about that :/ I'll have to tweak the recipe sometime soon.
Marji Lynn says
December 13, 2015 at 10:55 pmWorking on my second batch. The first ones went fast, they were delicious!
Christina Najjar says
May 16, 2016 at 11:34 amI’m glad you liked it!
Michelle says
December 11, 2016 at 11:10 amI made these while pregnant with my son 2 years ago and I loved them and so did everyone else I gave them to. I had your post saved in my favorites for future use and was disappointed that the post got deleted, but then I did a little more searching in your archives and was so glad to find it. I can’t remember what the original recipe was but this recipe seems just like it. I made them for our churches sock and mug exchange last night and everyone loved them! Even got a few recipe requests from people! 🙂 Btw, I am pregnant again! 🙂
Christina Najjar says
January 2, 2017 at 5:44 pmHi Michelle! Congratulations on your pregnancy!
Lots of content on my website had to be migrated so some URLs had to change, but the content is essentially the same. I did update the recipe to reduce the amount of coconut oil, helping the cookies better keep their shape. I’m really glad the cookies are being well received! Thanks for letting me know 🙂