My easy cottage cheese cookies are delicately crisp on the outside with a soft, moist centre that tastes almost like cheesecake. They're gluten free, sugar free and keto friendly, with just 0.8g net carbs per cookie.
If you like my cottage cheese cheesecake, you'll love these cottage cheese cookies. They have the same creamy, fresh and gently sweet flavor, with a butter cookie texture.
I didn't want to hide the cottage cheese behind chocolate chips or other strong cookie flavors. Instead, I made it the star and added lemon zest and vanilla, which complement its mild tang.
There is no protein powder either, just simple low carb ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen already.
I am so pleased with how these cookies turned out. They are perfect with an afternoon cup of tea or as a little after-dinner dessert.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy to make - The dough comes together in a food processor or mixer. There's no chilling required and the cookies are ready in 30 minutes.
Fantastic flavor - Like a mix between a butter cookie and a cheesecake - fresh yet sweet.
Delicious textures - The cookies have a crisp crust that contrasts beautifully with the soft centre.
A lighter cookie - Each cookie has just 50 calories. They are also sugar-free, gluten-free and keto, with only 0.8g net carbs each.
What do cottage cheese cookies taste like?
These cottage cheese cookies have a mild, creamy tang rather than a cheesy taste. The lemon and vanilla complement that freshness, which is why the soft centres remind me of little cheesecakes. Once cooled, the crust becomes delicately crisp.
Ingredients
Here is what you need to know about the ingredients. (See the recipe card for exact amounts.)
Important: The cottage cheese, egg and butter must be room temperature so the mixture combines well.
- Cottage cheese - I used a 2% fat small curd cottage cheese. 4% or above works well too and makes the cookies taste richer. Don't use fat-free cottage cheese, it gives the cookies a gummy texture. It is absolutely essential that the cottage cheese is firm. Drain any liquid by putting it in a colander or cheesecloth. Too much moisture will make the dough too soft.
- Butter - For that classic rich cookie flavor. The butter must be unsalted and very soft (think mayonnaise texture). Take it out of the fridge an hour before.
- Egg - Large. It binds the dough and firms up the cookies.
- Coconut flour - This gluten-free flour binds moisture and is highly absorbent, more than almond flour or regular flour. It gives the cookies structure.
- Sweetener - I used Lakanto Classic, which is an erythritol monk fruit sweetener blend. It gives the cookies a firmer texture than allulose because it re-crystallises as it cools.
- Baking powder - Helps the cookies rise and provides a lighter texture.
- Vanilla and lemon zest - Both add tons of flavor and go well with the fresh taste of the cottage cheese. Don't omit!
Instructions
It is simple to make cottage cheese cookies. Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method with ingredient amounts, timings and nutrition information.
STEP 1
Add the wet ingredients (cottage cheese, soft butter, egg and vanilla extract) plus the sweetener to a food processor or use a tall jug and an immersion blender (stick blender). Blend until smooth and no cottage cheese curds remain. This takes around 2 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula in between to incorporate everything.
STEP 2
Add the coconut flour, baking powder and grated lemon zest. Blend until just combined.
The cookie dough will be thick and moist.
STEP 3
Form dough balls with your hands or use a small cookie scoop. The mix makes 20 cookies of 20 grams each.
Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spacing them apart.
STEP 4
Pinch them gently horizontally and vertically with your thumb and index finger to flatten the balls into cookies and shape the tops.
STEP 5
Bake the cookies in the lower third of the oven for 20-23 minutes. They are ready when the tops are still pale with small cracks appearing and the bottoms are golden.
STEP 6
Once the cookies are fully cooled, dust them with powdered sweetener. I used a small sieve for this.
Katrin's Top Tips
#1 Firm cottage cheese. Drain any excess liquid from the cottage cheese before measuring! This is important for a dough that's firm enough to shape.
#2 Ideal baking time: The time depends on the cookie size, thickness and actual oven temperature (some ovens run hotter than others). Smaller, flatter cookies bake more quickly, larger ones take longer. Mine took 22 minutes.
#3 How to know when cottage cheese cookies are done:
- The cookies are pale in color
- The outside has set
- Cracks are starting to show on top
- The bottom has turned golden (see image below for reference)
- The centre is moist and soft
#4 Let them cool fully. The cookies are fragile straight out of the oven and firm up as they cool. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. This prevents them from going soggy on the bottom and lets them crisp up all over.
#5 Enjoy at least one cookie on day one. The cookie texture is best on the day they are baked: delicately crisp on the outside, moist on the inside.
Variations
Orange zest: Grate the zest of an orange instead of lemon and add ½ teaspoon of orange extract.
Fiori di Sicilia: This blend of essential oils is perfect for cottage cheese cookies. It has hints of vanilla, citrus, lavender and bergamot. Use ½ teaspoon.
Lemon glaze: Instead of dusting the cookies with powdered sweetener, add the glaze from the keto lemon cookies.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. It is important for a smooth dough consistency that you blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth. Otherwise, the cookies won't hold together well.
If the dough is too soft to shape, your cottage cheese may have contained more liquid. Add a little more coconut flour or ⅛ teaspoon of xanthan gum to firm it up.
Yes. Use 175g or 1 ¾ cup of almond flour instead of the coconut flour.
You can use Swerve or xylitol. Allulose may result in a softer cookie. Coconut sugar also works, if carbs are not a concern. Don't use liquid sweeteners such as honey, as they change the structure of the cookies and make them too soft.
Storage
I keep the cookies on the kitchen counter for a day so everyone can sample them at their best texture.
On day 2, I put them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 1 week.
The cookies do lose their crispness in a closed container because moisture from the centre gradually softens the crust. They'll still taste great though!
Cottage cheese cookies freeze well for up to 2 months. Defrost them on the counter. Dust them with more powdered sweetener after defrosting.
More Cottage Cheese Recipes
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Recipe
Cottage Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup cottage cheese small curd, 2% fat minimum, well-drained, 175g, room temperature, I used the Philadelphia cottage cheese
- ⅓ cup butter very soft, unsalted, 80g
- 1 egg large, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla and ½ teaspoon orange extract
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour 60g
- ¼ cup granulated sweetener I used Lakanto Classic, an erythritol/monk fruit blend, 50g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- zest of 1 lemon finely grated
Topping
- 2 tablespoon powdered sweetener to dust on top of the cookies after cooling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C / 320F electric. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drain any excess liquid from the cottage cheese by putting it in a colander. Weigh afterwards.
- Add the wet ingredients (firm, drained cottage cheese, soft butter, room temperature egg and vanilla extract) plus the sweetener to a food processor. Blend until smooth and no cottage cheese curds remain. This takes around 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary. *** see notes
- Add the coconut flour, baking powder and grated lemon zest. Blend until just combined. The cookie dough will be thick and wet.
- Form cookie dough balls with your hands or use a small cookie scoop. The mix makes 20 cookies of 20 grams each. Place them on the lined baking tray, spacing them apart.
- Pinch them gently horizontally and vertically with your thumb and index finger to shape the tops.
- Bake in the lower third of the oven for 20-23 minutes. The cookies are done when the tops are still pale with cracks starting to show. The bottom should have turned golden and the centre is still moist and soft. Mine took 22 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the tray for 5 minutes. They will be very fragile. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack and let them come to room temperature to firm up.
- Once the cookies are full cooled, dust them with powdered sweetener. I used a small sieve for this.
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