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) 👁️
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xo! Paola
Turned out really tasty. I cannot have eggs, so I replaced it with a splash of heavy whipping cream. They came out very soft, but hardened once completely cooled off. I also added only 65g of erythritol, which was nice – still sweet, but not overwhelming.
These are so God. Mine don’t spread like this, but they’re still a really great treat. The only issue I seem to be having is the nutritional info isn’t adding up. I listed all the ingredients in carb manager recipe manager and they’re 3 to 4 net carbs per cookie. Yielding 18. And that was without the chocolate chips…we prefer them without.
Please let me know if you have tried Bochasweet in this recipe (or any recipe) and what you think of it. Thanks!
Best. Keto. Chocolate. Chip. Cookies. Ever! Thank you for this recipe, Paola!
My pleasure!!
Do you use the same amount of coconut flour for konjac if subbing?
I made these..had no chocolate or nuts in them, but used the vanilla ice cream no churn recipe on your site 🙂 I use only cream though, I don’t like the coconut flavour in my ice cream. Divine!! I spread the ice cream out in a pan and froze it. Then used cookie cutter to get circles to put in between the cookies. My word it was good. Put them back in freezer individually wrapped. Yum! Wish I could post pictures here.
Hi,
Can I substitute ghee for butter?
I would think a 1:1 substitute.
Thank you
Hey, there … have you tried adding in some lupin flour into your cookies? I’d be so curious! Maybe would make cakier cookies?
Tbh I don’t care for lupin in cookies (or with chocolate), tastes a bit funky imo!
You are a master Keto baker! These chocolate chips cookies taste just like the real thing! I’ve also tried your keto cinnamon rolls also top notch.
click on the US Cups. It converts the metric into cups. READ the recipe and you would be offended and looking for another recipe.
Hi, I really hope it’s not too late to ask a question. I made these cookies and they were fantastic! The only problem for me is I want them a little bit crisper. I just can’t seem to get that really great crispy crunch. I’m wondering if it would be OK to leave out the xanathan gum all together and if that would help?
why don’t you put the amount of butter and erythritol in “cups” (1/2, 3/4, etc ) instead of Tablespoons? I’m very busy and don’t have time to measure out Tablespoons?
thanks!
Because that comes out to like .66 cups. If it helps, click on the metric measurement option Underneath the ingredients so that way you can weigh out those ingredients and be precise. One stick of butter is usually 8 TBL…
Professional bakers always use weight rather than other measurements. It is far more accurate and creates consistent results. I have grown to prefer this method of cooking and baking because there is very little room for error. The couple of seconds it takes to grab a digital kitchen scale just about equals fumbling with measuring cups and spoons.
Boo – we are not all professionals which is why we are checking the internet for recipes.
Wow can’t tell if that’s an adult or child complaining
When people try a new recipe and it doesn’t work, they get ANGRY at the creator for “wasting” their expensive ingredients. Often it’s because they didn’t read the instructions carefully, substituted some non-equivalent ingredient, or the measurements were off due to variances in volume or weight. Because weight DOES matter in baking outcomes, if the recipe creator states the importance of a measurement, it would behoove the reader to try to consider that it was stressed because it was important to the “successful” outcome. One can, of course, go through the trouble the first time, then make a note on their personal copy that x number of grams,Tablespoons, etc equal Y number of cups for future reference, but you’d have to realize that the next bag of flour may be more or less dense and thus it’s new volume will provide a different mass of the ingredient and your recipe will NOT come out as before. You could also use the internet to estimate the weight to volume conversion (i.e. One US cup of almond flour converted to gram equals to 96.00 g.)but that is still an estimate and doesn’t mean your almond flour will be as fluffy or dense as the internet example. I appreciate having the most ACCURATE measures possible because I expect my results to mirror the original. That way when it comes out wrong, I can know it was not because I didn’t measure correctly and can look for other solutions. And when it comes out right, I can know why and what I should expect if I decide to tweak the recipe in some way.
I always google “conversion __grams to cups” when I don’t have my scale handy.
Just click on US Cups below the ingredients 😉
Weights are appreciated, as I prefer to weigh than measure, but both should be used since weights will vary in flours dependent on manufacturer e.g. Bob’s Mill vs Now Almond flour. We need to know the measurement so we can make note as to what the actual weight is of the brands we use.
Thank you for using weight measurements.
Number of Tablespoons is twice the ounces. 12 T = 6 oz. 24 Tablespoons = 12 oz. Each stick of butter is 4 oz or 1/2 cup. (8 tablespoons). Each pound of butter is 16 oz or 32 Tablespoons. Don’t be a slave to lines on sticks of butter !! Get a scale (neat, compact ~ efficient) …..you’ll be a better, faster baker !!!
Paola is rather busy herself. And yet she tests recipes exhaustively and provides the information we need to recreate her amazing recipes – for free.
If you have a way to access this recipe, you also have a way to google the conversions you feel you need.
As many people have said, practicing baking by weight yields better, more consistent results.
Hi i am curious about shelf life and storage. How long will it last in an airtight container?
Do i refrigerate?
You are so annoying and rude too. You can choose to not follow this recipe if you’re so busy. Just saying.
I think this website has great recipes! Can’t wait to make these bad boys! 😊
Made these last night and they are by far the best keto cookie I’ve found! Thank you!
Is it ok to omit the golden monkfruit sweetner..I dont have any
Can I just use regular erythritol?
I have done em both ways(I make these a couple times a week cause I cant keep em around) and they are good either way. More like a traditional cookie with golden sugar.
You can, it’s like using white sugar instead of brown sugar though, so you’ll lose some flavor.
These are delish! I make some sugar free whipped cream and put it between two cookies like an Oreo. 😂
Made these today and they were delicious! Only, I accidentally used 1 tablespoon of the black strap molasses instead of 1. The cookies were still yummy but had taste of peanutbutter as well… I’m thinking that was the black strap. Going to make another batch tomorrow omitting that altogether because my daughter said the only thing she didn’t like was the peanut buttery taste. ¡Muchas gracias Paola por todas las recetas!
I want to report back about how wonderful these cookies are. And that subbing oat fiber for coconut flour 1:1 by weight works perfectly for those with allergies, or who don’t like the flavor.
I used Pyure erythritol with stevia, plus the molasses, to sweeten.
I added 2 T Golden flaxseed meal (without regrinding it) for texture.
I made these the day before serving them and the texture was PERFECT. Not cakey, but chewy in the center and crisp along the edges. So very close to our family’s favorite high sugar treat for all those years before keto.
My non-keto-eating extended family loved these and could hardly believe they weren’t full of sugar and wheat flour. My nieces ate them happily, as did everyone else. My sister-in-law wanted the recipe.
During yesterday’s family party, I had keto pizza, stevia sweetened root beer by Zevia, and chocolate chip cookies – and stayed on my eating plan. How awesome is that?!
Thank you, Paola, for all the testing and retesting you do, all your “deets and tricks” that make keto baking so rewarding. You’re amazing.
HOLY CRAP. I usually rarely leave comments even if something is great, but this deserves all the great reviews!! I can’t believe how much these taste like regular chocolate chip cookies!! I used coconut flour instead of the konjac powder, and the golden brown lakanto sweetener. I made the bigger bakery style size and thought they still looked undone after 13 min, so I baked for 15. They turned out so perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi, i made this recipe , ommited the blackstrap mollases and instead of baking soda i used baking powder. I used monkfruit plus erithytol blend from lakanto. My cookies were very soft even after letting them cool to the next day. I had preflattened them as you suggested. I think its because i used baking powder instead of baking soda. Next time, i am thinking of using baking soda.Now in your recipe what is the acidic ingredient to neutralize the baking soda? Is it in the blackstrap mollases. If mollases is the only ingredient with acidity then it will not be optional unless i add another acid like cream of tartar maybe? Am i missing anything? Have you tried this recipe without the mollases and had sucess, texture wise?
The cookies turned out great but my stomach couldn’t tolerate the erithrytol. I think 7 TBSP did it. I’ve never had such a bad tummy ache. Next time I will use half of the sweetener.
Wondering same thing about the acidic ingredient.
LOL. Never mind – I read it over and over and again and realize you meant 1 3/12″ cookie!
Wait, so does that mean 1 cookie is 1 serving or is it 3 1/2 cookies are 1 serving?
Hello,
I am having trouble reading the serving size – is it 1 cookie ? or is it 3 1/2″ cookies? Also how do you figure out the nutritional values? Thanks!
I have one problem is it supposed to be
1. 1/4 cup of Almond flour or 1 cup and 1/4 cups of almond flour
CONVERT USING GRAMS AND YOU WILL SEE ITS 4 OUNCES OR 1/4 CUP. THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 28.4 GRAMS PER OUNCE OR 1 OUNCE = 28.4 GRAMS
1/4 cup of almond flour doesn’t seem like it would make 12 jumbo cookies?
4 Tablespoons equals 1/4 cup. 4 ounces does not equal 1/4 cup. 120 g almond flour is about 1 cup.
It is 1 and 1/4 cup of almond flour
It’s 1 plus 1/4 cup
I’ve made a version of these many many times and I’m trying to figure out why sometimes my cookies stay puffier than the previous time I made them when they flattened out nicely with crispy edges which I prefer. What exactly does the xanthan gum do? I use less than 1/4 tsp because I thought it was making the dough too stiff. Does baking soda (not powder(I add just powder)) play a roll? Should I start using metrics to ensure I don’t add too much or too little of something? I cook on the middle rack in the oven at 355 deg for 18 min. I like mine a deep golden brown. Any suggestions or thoughts are much appreciated
I haven’t baked them yet, but are the pecans necessary? I want to bake these for my wife and she isn’t a fan of nuts in cookies.
Ari – I make this recipe without pecans. They come out just fine, and of course, I think even more delicious because I don’t like nuts in cookies either!
I made these vegan using 1 Earth Balance buttery stick, reduced salt to 1/8 teaspoon because of the salt in the buttery stick, 1 chia egg substitute (1 tablespoon ground chia + 2.5 tablespoon hot water), and they turned out great 👍🏽
Another awesome recipe, Paola – Christmastime has been a challenge on keto but these cookies made a huge difference! Now I don’t feel left out after baking ‘regular’ cookies for my hubby!
I haven’t had a choc chip cookie since going low car/GF five years ago… and the flavor of these did not disappoint! But texture was a bit of a fail… very light and crispy with no chew. Zero.
I’m at altitude (6000 ft) and thinking this might be part of the problem.
Any suggested adjustments for us mountain folk?
THANKS!
Can I freeze the uncooked dough ?If so how long should I let dough defrost before cooking?Thanks for the great recipes.
Any thoughts on adding chicory root to add inulin? I haven’t cooked with chicory yet or tried this recipe, but this recipe looks amazing!
This is my absolute favorite recipe. I quadruple the batch, make some now, freeze some, and keep some dough in the fridge in case of sweet tooth “emergencies.”
I didn’t read most of the 370+ comments, so my comment may be old news. I saw a YouTube video today titled “Low Carb CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BATTLE – The BEST Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe!”, posted September 5, 2019. Your recipe won. The person making the cookies followed your directions exactly, except left out the pecans because he doesn’t like them.
That’s why I’m here, too! I just saw the video comparing two low carb cookies and this was the winner. The dough is chilling in the fridge as I write this.
I’ve made about 5 different keto cookie recipes and my favorite so far has been Carnal Dish’s brown buttered chocolate chip but they weren’t the texture I craved (still will make sometimes). I stalled with making these because of pure laziness… didn’t want to bust out the mixer. But let me tell you, follow the directions and take out that mixer. Every step makes a difference. These were the only cookie to get crisp like a regular cookie, spread out and taste yummy. I used a combination of Lily’s milk and dark because I like the balance, the only difference. I was losing hope in keto cookies but Paola is a food genius. I purchased the e cookbook because I want to support her work, not sure I’ll use it but if I do I know it’ll be good.