Keto ginger snaps are one of my favourite sweet treats when it's cold outside. They are crispy and buttery with a gorgeous spicy kick. Even better, they are ready in less than 30 minutes. During the Christmas season you can use the recipe to make gingerbread men!
Sugar free ginger snaps are a must make during the cold season! I bake several batches each year, as soon as the weather turns.
My recipe is:
- Super crispy - with that perfect snap
- Easy - suitable for beginners
- Quick - ready in 23 minutes
- Gluten-free - not a grain in sight
- Keto-friendly - only 0.7g net carbs per cookie
- Stores well and is suitable for freezing
Did you know that the name refers to the snapping sound the cookie makes when broken in half or bitten into? Ginger snaps are a derivation of gingerbread and they've been around for hundreds of years. Basically, it's gingerbread that's been rolled out extra thin and left in the oven a little longer to brown.
If you are a gingerbread lover like me, also check out my keto gingerbread cake, sugar free gingerbread cookies and these keto gingerbread cupcakes.
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Ingredients
- Almond flour. This is what we use instead of wheat flour. I'm using ground almonds, which is the same as regular almond flour in the US. If you have super-fine almond flour, reduce the amount by 1-2 tablespoons.
- Granulated erythritol. It is possible to use regular (white) granulated erythritol in this recipe. However, I like the flavour of a brown sugar alternative here, such as Lakanto Golden or Sukrin Gold. You'll get that lovely molasses or treacle taste with it that is characteristic of gingerbread. In the UK and Europe you can use NKD Living erythritol gold. It's a very reasonably priced product.
- Spices. Ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
- Butter. Must be softened.
- Egg white. Beaten to stiff peaks.
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Step 1
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl - almond flour, a golden erythritol and the spices.
Step 2
Add the softened butter and blend with an electric mixer until the dough resembles crumbles.
Step 3
Beat the egg white to stiff peaks in a separate bowl. Add to the dough and blend until just combined.
Step 4
Form 2 dough balls...
Step 5
...and roll out the dough thinly between two sheets of baking paper.
Step 6
Chill the dough either in the freezer for 10 or in the fridge for 20 minutes. This is a trick I learned when I made my keto cinnamon stars.
Step 7
Get stamping! Then gather together the leftover dough and roll out again until all dough is used up. Unlike wheat cookie dough, almond flour cookie dough does not become tough or dry if you repeatedly roll it out.
Step 8
Using a knife or a small spatula, pick up your keto ginger snaps and place them on a lined baking sheet.
Step 9
Bake until browned all over. The oven time will depend on how thick you've rolled out the cookies.
Expert Tip
If the dough becomes too soft while you are working with it, simply put it back in the fridge or freezer to cool. This helps solidify the butter and you'll be able to stamp out cookie shapes without problems.
Recipe FAQs
Erythritol based sweeteners are the best sugar substitute for keto cookie baking. Erythritol sets hard and produces crunchy, crispy cookies. I don't recommend using xylitol or allulose.
The tiny air bubbles in the stiff egg white give the cookies a lighter, crisper texture.
Make a keto mayonnaise.
For a sugar free icing, mix ยผ cup of powdered sweetener with a splash of water. Brush over or simply dip cookies into the icing mix bowl. Then, dry them on a cookie rack.
Variations
Dough thickness. I like my sugar free ginger snaps snappy - that's why I'd recommend to roll the dough out quite thin. For a chewier cookie, roll out the dough thicker. You can even roll it into a log and cut cookie rounds with a knife, like I did with my keto sugar cookies.
Baking time. The length of time you bake your cookies also has an impact on crispiness. The longer they stay in the oven, the crunchier they'll be. Leave them in until they're nicely browned all over! If necessary, rotate the tray during baking. Ovens tend to be hotter at the back.
Spices. For me, it's the spices that truly make this cookie shine. In my first batch I only used ginger. However, I prefer them with the extra kick that the nutmeg and the cloves lend. If you wish, you could even add cinnamon and cardamom to the mix. I'd go for 1 ยฝ teaspoon and ยผ teaspoon respectively.
Blackstrap molasses. Molasses is a traditional ingredient in ginger snaps. You can add 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses to the dough to get a more intense gingerbread flavor. Divided between 30 cookies, the increase in carbs is negligible.
Christmas cookies. Use a star shaped cookie cutter or another festive shape. Then, get decorating!
Dairy-free. Simply use coconut oil instead of the butter. This would affect the taste, but not the texture of the cookies.
If you're a cookie monster just like me, don't miss this roundup of sugar free cookie recipes! It includes EVERYTHING I've learned about how to make delicious low-carb cookies - we're talking flours, sweeteners, flavours.
More Easy Keto Cookie Recipes
Made a batch of keto ginger snaps? Give the recipe a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Ginger Snaps
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 2 cups / 200g almond flour
- โ cup / 60g Lakanto Golden or granulated erythritol
- 2 ยฝ teaspoon ground ginger
- ยฝ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- โ teaspoon ground cloves
- โ cup / 80g butter softened
- 1 egg white beaten
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients - almond flour, Lakanto golden (or another "brown sugar" erythritol) and the spices.
- Add the soft butter and blend with an electric mixer until the mix resembles crumbles.
- Beat the egg white until stiff and blend into the dough until just combined.
- Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and cool in the freezer for 10 minutes or in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.
- Lift off the top parchment and cut out shapes using cookie cutters.
- Using a knife or a spatula, transfer cookies onto a lined baking tray.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are browned. Let cool completely before handling.
Jacqueline D Bates
I can't use any sweetener containing sugar alcohols. I tend to use liquid Stevia and monkfruit. Can I make these recipes with liquid sweetener?
Katrin Nรผrnberger
I have not tried that yet, so this would be an experiment. But from my experience, it it erythritol based sweeteners that make these cookies crunchy.
Nora
Perfect!
Kate
These did not get crispy for me at all and the flavor was rather blander than I expected.
Katrin Nรผrnberger
I need more details to help you. Thickness, length of oven time and ingredients all have an impact on the outcome. When cookies do not get crispy, most of the time the reason is the wrong sweetener. You must use erythritol based sweeteners for anything that you want crispy.
Karyn
Iโm allergic to almonds(coconut too.) Can I use another keto flour?
Katrin Nรผrnberger
A popular alternative to almond flour is a 50-50 blend of sunflower seed flour and sesame seed flour. You can blend these at home with a high-speed blender.
Gladys
Thank you for this recipe! I am looking for a very strong spicy hot hard ginger snap cookieโฆ did I use enough adjectives? โฆ.Is this recipe very spicy?
My grandmotherโs favourite cookie was ginger snaps.
SoโฆI kind of want to recreate a childhood memory by baking these. It is funny how memories work is it not?
I love your blog and recipes!
GladysTorontoCanada
P.S. Weight loss 80 pounds in 5 months. I am your reader with the hiatus hernia โฆ wanting to lose another 70 pounds before surgery! My MD jubilantly approves!
Katrin Nรผrnberger
Hi Gladys, I would say this gingersnap recipe is medium spicy. Add more for a real kick!
Congratulations on the weight loss, you must be so proud. 80 pounds in 5 months, that is amazing!