If you want an easy DIY gift that tastes as good as it looks, these Gluten-Free Cookie Jars are for you. Be sure to grab the printable recipe card to go with it below!
I love the idea of giving a homemade “cookie mix.” Since most of my cookie recipes call for a liquid natural sweetener like maple syrup or honey, I developed this particular recipe with coconut sugar, so that the dry mix would be as easy as possible to prepare for the gift recipient. All they have to do is add oil and water!
It doesn’t get much easier than that. Or more delicious.
Made with protein-rich almonds and low-glycemic coconut sugar, these chocolate chip cookies might just be my very favorite cookie recipe ever. They have a rich flavor and perfect texture– crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Even if you don’t plan on making them for a gift, you should make these cookies to enjoy yourself!
How to Make Them
To make the gift jar, fill a 32-ounce glass jar with the dry ingredients, layering them however you like for a pretty presentation. I like to layer half of the ingredients first, and then repeat, so there are two layers of coconut sugar and chocolate chips.
Seal the jar and attach the printable recipe card below.
To prepare the cookies, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dump the contents of the jar into a large mixing bowl, and add the coconut oil and water. Mix well, until a sticky batter is created. Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough and drop it onto a baking sheet, using your hands to flatten and shape the cookies as desired— they will not rise with baking, so you must shape them the way you want them to turn out.
Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350F, until the edges are lightly golden, then cool on the pan for 15 minutes before serving. Store the cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week, or even longer in the fridge.
Almond Flour Cookies in a Jar (Paleo, Vegan)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups almond meal
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Wet ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or butter)
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- To make the gift jar, fill a 32-ounce glass jar with the dry ingredients, layering them however you like for a pretty presentation. Seal the jar and attach the printable recipe card below.
- To prepare the cookies, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dump the contents of the jar into a large mixing bowl, and add the coconut oil and water. Mix well, until a sticky batter is created. Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough and drop it onto a baking sheet, using your hands to flatten and shape the cookies as desired— they will not rise with baking, so you must shape them the way you want them to turn out.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350F, until the edges are lightly golden, then cool on the pan for 15 minutes before serving. Store the cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to three days, or for for a longer shelf life, you can store them for two weeks or more in the fridge.
Video
Nutrition
Printable Recipe Card
Click on the recipe card below to download a printable version, or just use this link.
Enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite holiday cookie?
Paleo, vegan or none of it: these sound absolutely amazing! I’ve gifted cookie mixes before but really like the simplicity of these – delicious yet still nutritious. Great idea!
I’m loving all of these “jar” gifts you’ve been sharing! I’m hoping to make some baskets of healthy treats for my sister and sisters-in-law and I’m planning to use this recipe and your hot cocoa recipe. Thanks so much! I love all your recipes:)
This looks so great – thanks for the idea!
cool idea
Can I use the almond ‘meal’ that I have left from when I made my almond milk?
Love your blog!!
No, it will not taste the same at all– the almond pulp leftover from making almond milk has very little fat and flavor, so it doesn’t work as a substitution for almond meal without making a LOT of adjustments to a recipe. I do have a couple recipes for leftover almond pulp if you search for it using the search bar located on the right side of my website.
I love the idea of using these jars as teachers gifts. I’d bet they love them.
Favorite cookie is still the same old chocolate chip cookie. I know cut-outs are popular this time of year, but if I’m only gonna eat one cookie, it’s definitely C.C.!
Visited Santa with the kids the other day and they asked what kind of cookie he wanted and he said “chocolate chip please”
I would love to try these but we have coconut allergies in my house. What can I substitute?
Thanks!
These cookies in a jar sound absolutely fabulous, Megan! I can’t wait to try them myself!
I just posted a DIY real food gifts on my blog, all gluten- and refined-sugar free. This would be a perfect addition to that list. Love!
Forget giving these as gifts I just want to whip a batch up and eat them! 🙂
perfect Christmas idea!!
I was so excited when you posted a picture of this on Instagram and I cannot wait to make these! I feel like you always see DIY gifts online but I can never actually eat or have the ingredients in my home, but this solves all that!
These cookies are insane!!!! Just made them! Super easy too….I did bake them for 25 minutes though!
What kind of chocolate chips do you recommend? It’s been a challenge for me to locate truly GF chocolate chips.
Megan – I saw your fab’ post as I was hunting down extra homemade foodie gifts to make for Chrissy. Naturally, I had to take them for a test run. THEY ROCK! Thanks so much – my partner has a new favourite gluten- dairy- AND egg-free cookie, and I have another GREAT Chrissy pressie that looks fab’. MUCH gratitude from down under.
Have a FAB’ Chrissy!
Merry Christmas, Megan!
I just wanted to report that these were heavenly! I made a half batch, until I got more ingredients, and whipped them up to see how they tasted, and my hubby said they were the best paleo cookies I have ever made! Kudos to you! I like how easy it is to assemble and give as gifts so no one has an excuse to say it’s too hard to go paleo 😉 I made a jar for my sister (a busy, working mom) to whip up with her boys and think she will love it 🙂
Thanks for all the DIY gift ideas and delicious recipes. I hope you and your family have a blessed New Year!
xo,
Jess
WOW! Thank you for all you’ve contributed to our family’s nourishment as we’ve been transitioning from unhealthy eating practices. We had a plant based Thanksgiving this year to support my brother-in-law’s post cancer lifestyle, and our whole family used recipes from your site- all were incredible without pre-trial! We love plant-based main courses that are filling and also allow us to feel we are not missing out(ie your cauliflower pizza crust!)- keep them coming you are changing lives.
Blessings, Autumn
Instead of using water, could I use almond milk?
Definitely!
Does anyone have any thoughts on baking these into bars? Thanks
Love these little morsels of deliciousness! My 11 year old daughter gave me the jar for my birthday and then made them for me during the week when I wanted to eat them! Yes, so cute! Anyway….easy to make and delicious! And what a great gift for the the GF/DF, busy mom! —Angela
Hi Megan,
I love your Cookies in a Jar and would like to feature your blog post in the Gluten Free Cookies Recipe Advent Blog Hop I will be running this December from the 1st to the 24th on my This Fox Kitchen blog. If you’re interested, can you please send me a quick email for details? Basically, all I need is permission to use an image from this post. My blog posts will link to the recipes. I won’t be publishing them on my site.
Cheers
–Laureen
Yes, you’re welcome to use an image with a link back to the full recipe. Thanks for including me! 🙂
I want to make these for my family but they are oil free vegans. Do you think they could sub the coconut oil for applesauce,mashed banana, or avocado??
Love you blog and have enjoyed many of your recipes. We have an almond allergy in our home. What GF flours could we sub for the almond flour.
Just tested this out and we love it! We’ll be giving it to several family members for Christmas. Thanks!
You are such a sweet person. Thank you for posting all these healthy, beautiful recipes! Merry Christmas!
Hi there,
Love this recipe. Going to give it a try. Can I use almond flour instead of Almond Meal?
That should work, the cookies will just be a little more cake-like in texture.
Yes, I think almond meal and almond flour can be used interchangeably in this particular recipe.
Best Paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve tried… I’ve tried too many to count in the last 5 years but this is jackpot… my search is complete.
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know!!
Can I use almond flour in place of almond meal?
The link for the recipe card doesn’t work anymore. Could you fix it?
It’s fixed; thanks for letting me know!
I would love to use some of my whole raw almonds to make an almond meal for these cookies. Do the cookies pictures include blanched&skinned almond meal or unbalanced&unskinned almond meal?
I believe I used almond meal in these photos, so that does have flecks of the almond skin in the flour.
If I have a chocolate allergy do you think these would still be good? Or if there is a good substitute for chocolate chips
Can you use almond flour instead of almond meal? I successfully made 3 gifts and want to do one more but ran out of almond meal and have plenty of almond flour.
How many days can you store the mix for
Do you think a gluten free flour mix would work instead of the almond meal? Trying to avoid nuts.
Would oats or oat flour work as a substitute for the almond meal?
This is one of the best vegan cookies I have ever tasted! The best and so easy