Chewy, lightly crisp and customizable to your taste buds! These gluten free and keto chocolate chip cookies are utterly amazing at just 1.5g net carbs a pop (i.e. the ideal low carb dessert!).
Note: the recipe was first published on December 2nd, 2017 and has since been updated with more deets ‘n tricks.
Gluten Free & Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bakery Style: Crisp & Chewy!
I must start off by saying that these keto chocolate chip cookies are top 5 of my favorite desserts… of all time! And if you consider the amount of baking that goes into a food blog, that’s saying a lot.
The taste is ridiculously good and the texture legit ‘cookie style‘! I’m talking soft centers and lightly crisp edges, with just the right amount of chew.
And at 1.5g net carbs, let’s just say I’m fairly in love with the macros!
Plus, you can also whip up a batch, freeze the shaped dough for up to 3 months, and bake straight from the freezer on a rainy day. 🌧
How To Make Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
But what exactly do I mean by the perfect keto cookies? After all, cookies vary a lot. Some are crunchy all over, others are cake-y, melt-in-your-mouth, crumbly, chewy, round, flat, spreadable… i.e. you’ve got options!
And let’s be honest, it seems that even though deceptively simple… it’s kinda hard to get keto cookies right (particularly the crisp ones!).
Standard cookie rules are aggravated in sugar free cookies due to the vast difference in ingredients from brand to brand.
So throughout the post you’ll find a few rules to help you get the cookies you want. Be it crispier, chewier, cakier… you name it!
But let’s get started with some hard-fast tips that apply to all cookies, be them keto or not!
- Cream the butter until light and fluffy. This is a big thing in cookies guys (i.e. the golden rule!) , and there’s no workaround! For best texture you want to cream your butter and the sweetener with your mixer for roughly 10 minutes, scrapping the bowl 2-3 times to ensure no uneven streaks remain.
- Dairy free? Not gonna like, this is a tricky one (particularly for the crisp cookies!). Shortening (i.e. lard!) is probably the closest sub to butter out there… but you’ll have to cut the amount of butter by 20% as it’s a pure fat. Also do keep in mind that you don’t get that butter taste (which is why even recipes with lard still throw in some butter).
- Cakier vs Crispier. You can play around with the texture without altering the recipe itself. For instance, if you want them crispier be sure to pre-flatten your cookies quite a bit prior to baking, use parchment paper and even have the cookie dough more at room temp than ultra chilled.
- And for cakier cookies you’ll want to do the opposite (ultra chilled, no pre-flattening). Note: convection ovens also lead to cakier cookies overall and sweeteners also play an important role (see section below!).
Whatever you decide. just don’t forget a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top, it’ll cut through the chocolate and sweetness beautifully.
Oh, and did I mention you can whip up a double chocolate version of these guys too?!
The Flours
I like a mixture of super fine almond flour (love Anthony’s) and coconut flour (again Anthony’s best taste and texture by a mile!) and (a very small touch) of konjac powder (i.e. glucomannan) for best crumb and bite. Add a touch of xanthan gum, and we’re golden.
What is konjac powder (i.e. glucomannan)? Short answer, it’s a great substitute to cornstarch for both thickening up sauces and gravy. And it also lends a nice chew and crunch to keto cookies, which you simply don’t get from either almond or coconut flour.
p.s konjac is stuff your miracle noodles (shirataki) are made out of!
Can I sub out the konjac? Yes, you can do arrowroot (closest) or even just more coconut flour. The taste was just as good with all three.
The Sweetener
Perhaps surprisingly, getting the sweetener right for these keto chocolate chip cookies is even more important than the flours. And this recipe works best with erythritol sweeteners, without a doubt.
Not only are they roughly 1-to-1 in sweetness to sugar (and the volume is important here), but they lend a very similar crunch and chew. No other sweetener did that.
My current favorite for these keto chocolate chip cookies? Lakanto’s golden (tastes and smells sooo good!).
So for crisp cookies use an erythritol sweetener for sure, as it’s the only one that will crisp up properly. And for even extra crispness you can place your tray in the upper part of your oven and increase the temperature by 10 degrees (the extra heat will spread them faster = crispier cookies!). Do note that erythritol can take up to a couple hours to crisp up completely.
And for soft and cakey cookies, adding some xylitol to the mix (think 3 parts erythritol: 2 parts xylitol) can really help a bunch. Other than that just don’t pre-flatten the cookie dough as much, you can bake on parchment or a baking mat, and be sure to place your rack in the middle oven. And, for extra extra cakey-ness you can even decrease the amount of butter by 10-20g.
Note: convection ovens also lead to cakier cookies overall!
Just keep in mind that cookies made with xylitol or allulose will stay soft and cakey (and need to be placed in the freezer once cool to speed up the setting process!).
How sweet?! In case you haven’t noticed, keto palates in regards to sweetness are all over the place (I feel mine fluctuates constantly still!). So I’m giving you guys a range of 110-140g (7-9TBS) of sweetener… which is already less than the average 200g in your usual cookies!
I also like to add a (optional!) teaspoon of blackstrap molasses for that extra brown sugar kick. 1 teaspoon (7g) adds 5g net carbs to the entire batch (just 0.3g net a cookie!). But carbs aside, blackstrap molasses is a nutritional powerhouse rich in vital vitamins and minerals, such as iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and selenium. But feel free to leave it out, just expect paler cookies!
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys! 🐕
The Keto Chocolate Chips (or Chunks!)
Call me weird, but I don’t like chocolate chips in my chocolate chip cookies. What I like, is an actual chocolate bar broken up into bits. You see, chocolate chips were designed to not melt completely, and I’m all about those chocolate bits melting throughout the cookies. And the darker the chocolate, the more it will melt through!
So I suggest simply breaking up a chocolate bar into bits. Don’t chop it up with a knife, or you’ll end up with powder and flakes which will make your cookies cloudy.
But in the end, just use whatever your taste buds desire (and Lily’s does make awesome sugar free chocolate chips too!).
Looking for more keto cookies?! Don’t miss out on our legit snickerdoodles, (actually crisp!) oreos, and incredible toasted-almond shortbread (or double chocolate!).
(1.5g net carb!) Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cups for an instant conversion.
Ingredients
- 120 g almond flour
- 16 g coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon konjac powder (i.e. glucomannan) arrowroot powder or more coconut flour*
- 1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt **use the larger amount for a 'salted' version!
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 150 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 110-144 g golden erythritol to taste (I use 7 TBS)
- 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses totally optional!***
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 85-120 g Lily's Sweets dark chocolate bar or chocolate chips!
- 70 g pecans roughly chopped
- flaky sea salt to garnish
Instructions
- Please see video for reference, tips and tricks! It's for the double chocolate version, but same difference (just has added cocoa and adjusted ratios!).
- Add almond flour, coconut flour, konjac powder (or arrowroot/more coconut flour), salt, baking soda and xanthan gum to a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined and set aside.
- Cream butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until softened, 1-2 minutes. Add in sweetener and molasses (optional), and continue to cream until light and fluffy (about 8 minutes).
- Add in vanilla extract and egg, mixing until just incorporated. The mixture will appear slightly 'broken' (i.e. not thoroughly smooth). With your mixer on low, add in half of your flour mixture- mixing until just incorporated. Mix in the rest.
- Fold in chocolate and pecan bits. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper (if you use a silpat baking mat they won't spread much, if at all).
- Divide cookie dough into 18 rounds for 3 1/2-inch cookies (or 12 for jumbo style!), and flatten them slightly. The cookies will spread somewhat during baking, but you still need to pre-shape them (i.e. the more you pre-flatten them the more they'll spread = crispier cookies, so if you like them cakier just don't flatten them too much!).
- Place cookie dough on the prepared baking tray. Bake for 9-10 minutes for smaller cookies and 12-13 minutes for the jumbo, turning the tray around 180° half way through.
- Garnish with flaky sea salt and allow the cookies to cool completely on the trays (sugar alcohols can take a few hours to crisp up, so don't despair!). Store in an airtight container for three to four days and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Note that the shaped dough can be frozen for up to 3 months, and they can be baked straight from the freezer (adding 2-3 minutes more to the baking time).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
and some food (for thought) 👁️
a newsletter about functional food to nourish, create and evolve.
(p.s. we don’t talk about fight club 🪄 )
xo! Paola
God I love this website. These cookies are amazing. I have been making (and eating) chocolate chip cookies all my life. They are kind of my thing. And I totally missed them when I started doing keto and I thought ah well, no more cookies for me. Then I found this recipe. OMG. These cookies. I tend to be able to eat a few more carbs than most without any ill effect so I do change the sweetener here to about 40g of brown coconut sugar and 80g of erythritol instead of straight brown erythritol (mostly because the first time I made them I didn’t have any brown erythritol on hand and didn’t want to wait to order some so improvised and it worked well) which only gets me to about 2.2 net carbs per cookie which is still 1/4th the amount of a normal cookie and super low.
I can’t (not can anyone else who tries them) believe how delicious these are.
Paola, these are AMAAAAZINGGG!!!!! Thank you so much!!! WOWIE WOWIE WOWIE!!! 😍😍😍 LOL!
Seriously though, I keep trying more and more of your recipes cuz they are the BEST I’ve found since starting to eat keto a few months ago. You’re my HERO!!!! 😊
This one does not disappoint! What’s next is the big decision now – so many choices! 🙂
Hope you’re having a happy fall! Thank you again for this recipe and ALL your incredible work!
Ruthie
I had some serious doubts about previous comments saying this was the best low carb cookie recipe ever. I’ve tried so many and I couldn’t believe that it was possible to get a non-cakey and non-almondy cookie. THIS IS IT. THIS RECIPE IS PERFECT.
They really spread out with baking, but I might just freeze the dough for a little while next time to prevent it. Completely cooled and straight out of the fridge, these cookies are a DREAM.
😂!! So awesome to hear Sophia! And yup on the spreading, you can play around it a bit with how cold your cookie dough is, the temp of your oven, and how much you pre-flatten them prior to baking xo!
Paola, I cannot, cannot, cannot, say enough good things about these cookies. THESE ARE PERFECTION.
I just made 3 batches for easy use later. I keep them rolled up in plastic wrap in my freezer already made and slice and bake when I’m in the mood, and it’s basically the ease of store-bought cookie dough. I found that slicing them frozen before baking kept them from spreading too much and they really are perfect. This is the kind of stuff that makes staying on keto so easy. I don’t have to cheat to have a cookie! Thank you, Paola. Your recipes really are genius. I just saw you posted Thin Mints and I cannot wait to try!
I was really excited to make these cookies. However they were WAY too salty–basically inedible. I followed the recipe perfectly, so not sure why this happened?! If I make them again I’ll do 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt.
Oh no! I mean they’re ‘salted’ chocolate chip cookies, but they should be yummy not salty! Did you use unsalted butter? What type of salt (believe it or not different salts vary A LOT in their seasoning capabilities) xo!
I purchased your cookbook and want to try your desert recipes but would like to substitute the alcohol sugars for conventional ones. I am not worried about staying in ketosis. Can you provide substitution guidance? Would love to try these! Thanks.
Hi b! Thanks so much for your support! You can just sub 1-1 with sugar (coconut, cane etc) all the sugar alcohols. The plus is that you’ll get better rise in the muffins etc 😉 xo!
this is the best cookies i have ever made FINALLY!!! thank you for taking the time to post this recipe. Highly recommended
Thank you Hailee! Awesome to hear!
Made these cookies tonight. Turned out awesome!
Love this recipe! Wondering if it would work to replace the egg with aquafaba? Would the consistency change at all? Have you tried it?
I’m sorry I can’t be much help here!
I have been searching for a Keto cookie that will get at least a little crispy. I have found them! These are amazing.
😉
Can I use powdered swerve for this?
mine turned out too salty that they are almost inedible. I used 1 tsp of the flaky kosher salt and 7 tbsp of erythritol. The texture is great but would probably use only a pinch of salt in the future or salt that is not coarse
OMG GIRL!!!!!!! These are to DIE for!!!!! Delish!!! Thank you so much!!!!!
Can we use psyllium husk instead of Xanthan gum?
Technically yes, just keep in mind that every time you sub an ingredient the results will change (namely texture) xo!
My cookies never got crispy at all, not even a little. I made them yesterday and they are still completely soft, and I did flatten them before baking. I did not sub out anything. The cooling effect is quite strong as well.
What sweetener did you use Bobbi? This is usually related to that (but it’s mainly a problem with xylitol, not erythritol)
Made these today. They don’t look like yours but they turned out great all the same. So glad I found your site. Thank you!
Awesome to hear Kimberly! And YUP on a different look (it seems to vary A LOT from reader to reader depending on different brands, sweeteners, ovens etc). Taste doesn’t change though 😉
These are the BEST Chocolate chip cookies EVER!!!!! I made these for Christmas. I have a batch of these in the fridge to bake later this afternoon. Yum!!
I’ve read all the reviews and I don’t see anyone that had the same problem I did…mine didn’t flatten out at all. I love flat and crispy, but I don’t think these are going to be crispy, just hard. The dough tasted great. I’ll try again.
Hi Kathleen! This has happened before (particularly in the beginning, before I gave further pointers on the flattening in the post). Could also be the particular sweetener you’re using (different erythritol brands do behave differently)
How can we get the chips to melt? My didn’t melt either of the 2x I’ve made this recipe. Thanks!
The thing is that chips are actually designed by the chocolatiers ‘not to melt’! So if you want to it to melt through try an 80-90% chocolate bar! (this is written in the post 😉 ) xo Heidi!
‘
Best keto cookies I’ve tried so far. Used Olugra euro butter because of the higher butterfat content and really good bourbon vanilla. Also, I toasted my pecans 1st. Lastly, i didnt have brown sugar substitute or molasses so i used a little sf caramel sauce. These are delicious! My new go to recipe for cookies!
Hi Paola,
I’m new to keto and ccc are my favorite but I can’t find xanthan gum or xylitol in my local grocery stores. Can I use pyure or coconut sugar instead. Can I use regular butter.what about cornstarch? Thanks
Hi Melissa! I wouldn’t use coconut sugar on keto as it will spike your sugar and kick you out of ketosis (and cornstarch is generally also a no). Try regular butter and half the amount of Pyure (just expect a different texture) xo!
how about allulose? would it work as well?
Finally a Keto Worthy cookie…all the others were Okay but this Chocolate Chip is what i’v been looking for. I switched the 1 teaspoon black-strap molasses for Fiber Surkin Dark. I happened to just order the Kojnac on Amazon so was thrilled when i stumbled on this recipe calling for it. Also had Sea Salt flakes great addition!
Hi! I tried making this recipe for the first time tonight. I doubled the recipe, used Lakanto Gold, and didn’t have the blackstrap molasses. I thoroughly creamed/whipped the butter before adding the Lakanto Gold. Even after I added the almond flour, coconut flour, and konjac powder mix, the dough is very soft and fluffy(?) Did I overcream the butter? I also may not have added enough konjac powder as they’re in capsules and I just estimated the amount for a tablespoon. What should the texture of the dough be like once mixed? Should it be denser like real cookie dough? It’s in the fridge now and plan to keep in there overnight in hopes it will firm up like the pictures. Can’t wait to bake these!!!
Same for me, Melanie! Whipped until it was very fluffy (about 8 minutes) and the dough was almost like a frosting consistency. Followed the recipe as is and used golden Lakanto. When I baked them up they were soft and had a cakey texture and didn’t get those lovely looking ridges the first couple pics show. I wonder if we whipped it less they will have a more chewy-crispy texture. Can you help us out Paola?
Hi JV! Did you use the touch of molasses? Are you baking on a convection oven? Are you pre-flattening the cookies pre-bake?
Any sub for xantham gum?
Twice the amount of flax (not a perfect sub, so a bit less chew)
Just made a batch of these today and they are SO good! I didn’t have chocolate bars, so I used chips. As noted, they didn’t melt much so I will try bars next time. I cook for 1 (my husband won’t give up sugar!) so I baked 10 and threw the other 10 in the freezer for later. Thanks for the recipe!
Hello! I just baked these now and the cookies came out very wet. Already added 3 minutes to the bake (did it for 9 minutes then added 3 more minutes at 350) and the cookies don’t look done? The bottom seems brown but the top of the cookies are still very pale and wet. Should I put them back in?
Hi Nalani! Did you use erythritol? Most brands just don’t brown, so they stay pale while they’re already cooked. If your bottoms are brown already I would just take them out. xo!
What effect would subbing the coconut flour for the Konjac powder have? Would it be less crispy? Could I use more Xanthan gum instead (since it is used as a thickener as well)? I ask because I don’t currently have Konjac powder and I want to make this tonight.
Its just a different texture (a bit less chewy? airy? crispy?)- I might just be a perfectionist, because I know most readers just do coconut flour ;). I wouldn’t sub with more xanthan gum though, even though they both act as thickeners in some applications they have very different behaviors when it comes to baking. xo!
Thanks for responding to my questions!
This is my 2nd time making these cookies. They taste great but one issue I’m having is the chocolate doesn’t melt. The first time I used a Lily’s bar which I broke into chunks. This go around I tried Lily’s chips which also did not melt. I have no clue how to get them to melt into the cookie? Should I raise the oven temp? Thanks!
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe! We’ve tried several of your dessert recipes and been incredibly pleased with all of them, but these cookies are our favorite pick so far! I followed the recipe exactly, only using the extra TBSP of coconut flour since I didn’t have glucomanannan and they taste almost exactly like old fashioned wheat flour chocolate chip cookies. We couldn’t wait til they cooled so we tried them hot and yes, we had to eat them with a spoon because they were so fragile, but in a few hours I’ll be going back for more and I’m sure they will have crisped up by then. 🙂
Thanks again for such an amazing recipe! We’ve been so happy with the keto recipes we’ve tried so far we may never go back to eating a typical American diet.
This is the first blog that I’ve ever “followed”. Anything that comes out of gnom-gnom I’ll try. This cookie recipe is no disappointment. This is the third keto cookie recipe that I’ve tried and it’s the best by far.
I have learned so much from this blog about cooking in general (thank you Paola!) and really appreciate the helpful tips and tricks throughout all the recipes. I will be making these cookies again!
Since starting this LCHF thing a couple of months ago I’ve learned to try a test batch with a half recipe of any low carb baking I do now… but with your recipes? I don’t need to hold back! Every one I’ve tried has been wonderful ❤️
For some reason chocolate chip cookies are second only to bread in difficulty of finding a good low carb recipe; so many I tried just weren’t working. These are the best. I made them last night even though I didn’t have arrowroot or konjac and just used extra coconut flour, and used double flaxseed as a sub for xantham gum-I imagine the texture will be even better once I order those ingredients! This is the kind of recipe I’ll make again and again. The addition of blackstrap molasses is genius!
Regarding sweetener: I’ve been experimenting with a baking blend of 1 part inulin to 5 parts erythritol to counteract its cooling effect (can’t use xylitol because of pets). This has been working very well (and works out to be cheaper than buying swerve for me). So for example in this recipe I used 100 grams erythritol and 20 grams inulin powder. No cooling and still crisp nicely.
Thank you so much for your recipes.
I love inulin, and dislike the cooling effect or erythritol. I’m going to try your hack. Thanks!
So when you use inulin (1 in 5 parts), do you do it by grams or TBS? Like if I do 5 tbs of erythritol, do I do 1 tbs of inulin? If I do it by weight, they don’t weigh the same. What is the correct way to figure out the 1 in 5 parts? Thanks in advance for helping me with this.