Keto Sugar Cookies

These keto sugar cookies are crisp at the edges and tender in the middle, made with almond flour, butter, an egg and a granulated sugar-free sweetener instead of sugar. The dough rolls out and cuts into shapes like a classic sugar cookie, so they work for holidays, birthdays and decorating with children. Each cookie has about 125 calories, around 1.5 g of net carbs and almost no sugar. The one trick is chilling: almond flour dough is softer than wheat dough, so a short rest in the fridge makes it much easier to roll and cut.

• Makes: 16 cookies (about 6 cm across)
• Serves: 16
• Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 40 minutes chilling
• Cook time: 10 to 12 minutes per tray
• Total time: about 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 240 g (2½ cups) fine blanched almond flour
• 80 g (about ½ cup) granulated erythritol, allulose or an erythritol and monk fruit blend
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 70 g (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract or a little lemon zest (optional)

Optional cream cheese frosting

• 60 g (¼ cup) full-fat cream cheese, softened
• 15 g (1 tablespoon) butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar-free sweetener
• A few drops of lemon juice or vanilla

Method

1. Cream the butter. Beat the butter and sweetener together in a bowl for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy.
2. Add the egg. Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract or lemon zest.
3. Add the dry ingredients. Mix the almond flour, baking powder and salt, then stir them into the butter mixture until a soft dough forms. Don’t overwork it.
4. Chill. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it and chill for 30 minutes.
5. Roll. Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper to about 5 mm (¼ inch) thick. Peel off the top sheet.
6. Cut. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and lift them onto a lined baking tray with a thin spatula, leaving 2 cm between them. Re-roll the scraps once. Chill the cut cookies on the tray for 10 minutes so they hold their shape.
7. Bake. Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan, 340°F). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden. Almond flour browns quickly, so check them from 9 minutes.
8. Cool on the tray. The cookies are very soft when hot. Leave them on the tray for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. They crisp as they cool.
9. Frost (optional). Beat the frosting ingredients until smooth and spread or pipe onto the cooled cookies.

Tips

• Use fine blanched almond flour, not ground almonds with skins, for a smooth, pale cookie that holds its shape.
• Weigh the flour. Almond flour packs down, so cup measures vary a lot.
• Keep the dough cold. If it gets sticky while you’re cutting shapes, return it to the fridge for 10 minutes.
• Pick simple cutters. Stars, circles and hearts work better than shapes with thin parts, which can break.
• Bake one tray at a time in the middle of the oven so the cookies brown evenly.

Choosing a sweetener

Granulated erythritol behaves most like sugar in this recipe but can leave a slight cooling taste. Blends of erythritol with monk fruit or stevia taste rounder. Allulose gives a softer cookie and browns faster, so lower the oven to 160°C (140°C fan, 320°F) if you use it. Liquid sweeteners and pure stevia won’t work, as the dough needs the bulk of a granulated sweetener.

Sweeteners aren’t all the same for health. A 2023 study in Nature Medicine linked higher blood levels of erythritol with a greater risk of heart attack and stroke in people already at risk. That kind of research can’t prove that erythritol causes harm, but it’s a reason to treat sweetened cookies as an occasional treat rather than a daily habit, especially if you have heart disease. Our guide to sugar-free candy on keto explains how different sweeteners compare.

Swaps and variations

• Lemon cookies: add the zest of a lemon to the dough and a squeeze of juice to the frosting.
• Cinnamon cookies: add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and dust the baked cookies with cinnamon and powdered sweetener.
• Chocolate: replace 30 g of the almond flour with unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Thumbprint cookies: roll the dough into balls, press a dent into each and fill with a little sugar-free jam before baking.
• Dairy-free: use firm coconut oil or a dairy-free baking block instead of butter, and skip the cream cheese frosting.
• Nut-free: this recipe depends on almond flour, so it doesn’t adapt well. Our list of keto desserts includes nut-free options.

Nutrition per cookie (estimate)

One serving is one cookie, without frosting. These figures were calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for blanched almonds, unsalted butter, egg, baking powder, salt and vanilla. The sweetener is left out because erythritol and allulose provide almost no usable calories, and their carbs are usually subtracted when counting net carbs.

The cream cheese frosting adds about 20 calories and a little saturated fat per cookie. Most of the fat comes from almonds, which are mainly unsaturated, and the butter. These cookies are calorie-dense, so two are a sensible portion. Our guide to almond flour vs coconut flour explains why they can’t be swapped one for one.

Contains: tree nuts (almonds), egg and milk.

Storage and freezing

Keep unfrosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for a week. Frosted cookies should go in the fridge. You can freeze the baked, unfrosted cookies for up to 3 months, or freeze the wrapped dough disc for up to 2 months and thaw it in the fridge overnight before rolling.

Decorating with children

These cookies are a good holiday project. Let children cut the shapes and do the frosting, while an adult handles the hot trays. Raw dough contains raw egg, so it’s best not to eat it. Colored sugar sprinkles add sugar, so for a fully sugar-free cookie, decorate with a few chopped freeze-dried berries, cocoa nibs or a dusting of cinnamon instead.

Common questions

Why are my keto cookies crumbly?

The dough may be too dry or overbaked. Weigh the almond flour, use a large egg, and take the cookies out as soon as the edges turn golden. They firm up as they cool.

Why did my cookies spread?

The dough was too warm, or the butter was very soft. Chill the cut shapes for 10 minutes before baking.

Can I use coconut flour instead?

Not one for one. Coconut flour absorbs far more liquid, so you’d need about a quarter of the amount plus extra egg. It’s easier to follow a recipe written for coconut flour.

Are these cookies healthy?

They’re lower in sugar and carbs than regular cookies and contain some fiber and protein from the almonds, but they’re still a treat. Enjoy them in moderation.

Safety note: Keto isn’t suitable for everyone. If you have diabetes, kidney or liver disease, take regular medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before cutting carbs this far (why it matters).

This article is general information, not medical advice. Nutrition figures are estimates from USDA FoodData Central and will change with the brands and amounts you use. If you follow a diet for a medical reason, check the recipe with your doctor or dietitian.