These grain-free, Paleo chocolate chip cookie bars will cure your sweet tooth—and make you reconsider what is possible in a Crock-Pot!
The noble Crock-Pot has dutifully slow-cooked so many dips and dinners in my life. Meaty pasta sauce, Ro-Tel cheese dip, chicken cacciatore, vegetable soup, and even my favorite cornbread can be cooked in a Crock-Pot. This handy appliance has been around since the early 1970s, and there’s a reason it’s stuck around so long: Crock-Pots come in handy for busy people who barely have time to cook.
My parents used their Crock-Pot on a weekly basis, if not multiple times a week. Dinner would usually be prepped in the morning, thrown in the Crock-Pot, and enjoyed without any evening effort on anyone’s part. Because we always used it for dinner—which was typically soup, sauce, or stew—I never considered that you could bake in it. Well, guess what? You can, and the results can be amazing!
These Crock-Pot Paleo chocolate chip cookies are not just conveniently made with a slow cooker, but I dare say they taste better because of it. These cookie bars are decadent, perfectly chewy, and guaranteed to keep you coming back for more.
Are These Crock-Pot Paleo Cookies With Chocolate Chips Healthy?
Yes, they are fairly healthy, especially for cookies! As the name suggests, these cookies are Paleo-friendly, meaning you won’t find any refined sugar, wheat, or dairy products in them. Almond meal makes up the base of this recipe and is simply ground-up, unpeeled almonds, which are high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats. The coconut oil adds saturated fat, however. The coconut sugar in this recipe is considered slightly healthier than granulated sugar, because it has a slightly lower glycemic index due to the leftover plant fiber it contains. But keep in mind that it’s still considered sugar!
Overall, these cookies are low in carbs and sugar compared to regular cookies, but they are not low in calories or fat per serving. They’re vegetarian-friendly, dairy-free (make sure you get dairy-free chocolate chips!), gluten-free, and suitable for low-carb dieters, so lots of folks can enjoy these cookies as part of a healthy diet in moderation.
Careful With The Cookies!
These cookies are built a little differently from normal cookies. They don’t have any egg yolks or flour holding them together, so they will be very fragile when you take them out of the Crock-Pot. Unfortunately, you must remove them from the hot slow cooker to stop the cooking process. The best way to do this is to be sure to leave enough parchment paper around the edges of the cookie batter before cooking so that you can easily (and carefully) pull the mass of cookies up and out of the Crock-Pot.
Try your best not to disturb the parchment paper once the cookie bars are on the cooling rack! They can crumble easily. Don’t worry; they’ll firm up as they cool!
How Do I Store Leftovers?
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or you can store them in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Serve them at room temperature for the best flavor!
Serving Suggestions
These cookies are great to enjoy for dessert after a delicious Paleo dinner. For some Paleo dinner ideas, try this Paleo Low-Carb Keto Beef And Broccoli, this creamy Whole30 Coconut Paleo Chicken Curry with Mushroom Cauliflower Rice, or this Easy Low-Carb Paleo Meatloaf.
If you’re not eating Paleo, feel free to enjoy these cookie bars like cookies were meant to be enjoyed, with a tall glass of milk.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted, plus more for greasing the Crock-Pot
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 large egg white
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups finely-ground almond meal (5.4 ounces)
- 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips dairy-free and no refined sugars, if Paleo
Instructions
- Line a 5-quart Crock-Pot with parchment paper and rub the paper with coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together ¼ cup melted coconut oil and coconut sugar. Add in the egg white and vanilla extract, then beat until well combined.
- Add the almond meal, baking powder, and salt into the oil mixture, and stir until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the dough to the Crock-Pot and press down evenly. The parchment paper may cause this to take a few minutes; take your time until the dough is evenly pressed down.
- Cook on the "low" setting until the edges and top of the dough appear golden brown and the inside is still soft; about 2 to 2½ hours. Mine was perfect at 2 hours and 15 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the bars; they firm up a lot once cooled.
- Once cooked, carefully use the edges of the parchment paper as handles to gently lift the bars out of the Crock-Pot, and transfer to a rack to cool completely. Don't disturb the parchment paper when you transfer the bars to the rack, as the cookies are very soft at this stage and can easily break.
- Once cooled, cut cookies into bars.
Nutrition Info:
Nutrition information are estimates only and may vary based on the specific brands, ingredients, and portion sizes you use. This data is provided for informational purposes only.
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