Buttery and totally irresistible: Keto sugar cookies taste just like traditional sugar cookies, only without the carb load. This easy sugar free cookie recipe requires only 6 ingredients and is gluten free, grain free, low carb and suitable for diabetics.
If you’re looking for an easy and yum cookie recipe, you are reading the right post. These Keto sugar cookies are the perfect buddies for your afternoon coffee or tea. You can enjoy them plain, decorate them with sugar free icing or dip them in sugar free chocolate.
I’ve been wanting to make sugar free sugar cookies for a while now. One reason for this is that I love simple, no-nonsense cookies and a healthified low carb version of sugar cookies totally fit the bill. The other reason is that “sugar free sugar cookies” just sounds so nutty it’s kind of fun.
I’ve replaced the wheat flour in the traditional sugar cookies with a mix of almond flour and coconut flour. I find that a mixture of these two grain free and gluten free flours gives a texture that resembles “real” cookies.
There are recipes which include cream cheese in sugar cookies (I have done this with my Low Carb Sugar Free Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies), which results in a softer texture. For these Keto cookies I was after a gently crispy texture, which I achieved by using butter (plenty of butter!!).
You can roll the cookie dough into a log and slice them into circles or you can roll the dough out and use cookie cutters – the choice is yours!
How to make the perfect Keto sugar cookies – step by step:
1.) Mix your dry ingredients – almond flour / ground almonds, coconut flour, powdered sweetener, baking powder and xanthan gum, if using.
Xanthan gum gives the cookies a better crumb structure, it is often used in gluten free baking. The recipe works without, but your cookies will be a little more brittle.
2.) Add the wet ingredients. In this case, that’s just the butter and the vanilla extract. If you want cookies to taste utterly buttery, you need a decent-sized amount of butter 🙂
TIP: To elevate the taste of these low carb sugar cookies, scrape out the seeds from 1 vanilla pod and use this in place of the vanilla extract. This is not the cheapest option, but will taste AMAZING.
3.) Aaaaand mix! I like to use my trusted old food processor for this, but you can use a stick blender or an electric mixer.
TIP: The dough will be soft in the beginning – let it sit a couple of minutes and wait until the coconut flour absorbs some of the moisture.
4.) Now get yourself some cling film and roll the dough into a log that’s roughly 6 cm in diameter. Wrap the log in cling film and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes or twice as long if you put it in the fridge instead. It’s much easier to handle when it’s cold.
If you prefer to make sugar free cut-out cookies, separate the dough into 2 balls. Roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it’s the desired thickness and place the whole lot into the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Again, cooling the dough before using the cookie cutters is an absolutely essential step.
5.) It’s a doddle to cut nice round shapes now! If the log gets flat at the bottom due to the knife pressing down, just give it another quick roll.
If you would like your cookies to be thinner, simply flatten them with your hands after you place them on the baking tray. Space them out a bit – they spread a little while they bake.
Tip: I always line my baking tray with parchment paper. If you haven’t got any, you can spray your tray with a bit of coconut oil to ensure the cookies won’t stick.
6.) And this is how your Keto sugar cookies will look like after 8-10 minutes in the oven – lightly browned on the edges.
Ovens do vary in temperature and how long your cookies will take to brown also depends on how thick you cut them. Check in on them after 8 minutes and take it from there. Super-sized cookies may need up to 15 minutes until they’re ready.
IMPORTANT!!! Do not attempt to handle these cookies until they’re cooled down. Keto cookies are VERY FRAGILE when hot. PATIENCE!! They firm up once cool and will be fluffy and light, gently crispy and simply delicious.
This Keto sugar cookies recipe is the perfect starting point for recipe variations:
- For low carb almond thins – substitute 1 tsp of vanilla with 1 tsp of almond extract
- Low carb gingersnap cookies – add 1 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and 1/4 tsp of cloves
- Keto cinnamon cookies – add 2 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of ground coffee.
Serving suggestions
If you’re a purist, you can eat these sugar free sugar cookies straight up as they are.
To take it up a notch, dust them with powdered sweetener after baking. Alternatively, reduce the sweetener amount stated for the recipe to 1/4 cup and dip the cookies in granulated sweetener BEFORE baking. That should add a nice crunch.
Another idea – melt some sugar free chocolate or 90% dark chocolate and dip the cookies or drizzle them with chocolate.
Last but not least – ICING! Use 1/4 cup of powdered sweetener and mix with 1 tbsp water. Add food colouring, if desired, and brush over cookies or simply dip them into the icing mix bowl. Let dry on a cookie rack.
You might also like these cookie recipes:
- Keto Almond Butter Brownie Cookies
- The Ultimate Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Keto Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 100g almond flour or ground almonds
- 1/3 cup / 35g coconut flour
- 1/3 cup / 35g powdered sweetener
- 1/2 cup / 120g unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum optional
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients - almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder, xanthan gum (if using).
- Add the butter and vanilla extract and blend until you have a smooth dough
- Place dough on cling film and roll into a log, about 2 inch in diameter. Chill in the freezer for 15-20 minutes (or in the fridge for 30-40 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 175 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.
- Remove log from the freezer and cut off cookies. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten with your fingers. Leave some space between the cookies - they spread a little.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are browned. Baking time will depend on the thickness of cookies. Rotate the baking sheet if necessary.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely before handling. Low carb cookies are VERY soft when hot. They crisp up once cooled.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Ella says
I made these yesterday and was a bit wary because most keto desserts I have tried have been disappointing. These, however, were AMAZING. My brother even asked if I was sure they were keto. Thank you so much!
Cheryl says
Just made them. Waited impatiently for them to cool, and devoured 4… mine got quite brown but I liked the caramelized notes… thank you!!
Jenelyn says
Okay, WOW. First off, the cookies are not even in the oven yet. They’re chilling in the fridge at the moment. I absolutely LOVE baking, but cookies for some reason never come easy. This recipe however–the measurements were seriously on point! I always have some sort of issue that causes me to need more or less flour, etc. even when I use my food scale. When I blended in the butter this time, the dough was the perfect consistency to roll into a log. I am truly so, so impressed. I’ll update once these are nicely baked. But thank you so much for this recipe!
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad they worked out well so far! Can’t wait to hear if they pass your taste test too!
Nk says
Just so yum! Thanks for the recipe. I added Chia Seeds… worked well.
Katrin Nürnberger says
That’s so interesting! I must try that 🙂
Claire says
This turned out very good! Thank you for the recipe! Gonna try to melt some chocolate and put a little sprinkles on it for Christmas!
Katrin Nürnberger says
That sounds like a great idea!
Michelle says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’m featuring some holiday favorites on my blog and have linked to this post. You can find it here: https://buckcreativeco.com/keto-desserts-10-recipes-survive-holidays/
I’ve been keto since the summer and have dropped 40 pounds. I’m struggling with the holidays though. Thank you for providing options for us lazy people who don’t want to come up with new recipes!
Amanda says
Hi,
Just wondering if I can use xylitol instead of Erythritol in this recipe? I have xylitol in the cupboard! Thanks
Katrin says
Yes, that should work. Your cookies may end up a little less crisp, I find that erythritol makes cookies crunch up more.
EA says
These are sooo goo! I’m new to baking and to eating low carb but this has been one of the easiest and yummiest sugarfree cookies I’ve made. 🙂 Thanks a lot!
Debby says
I made thes cookies and oh my lord the are so good!thank you