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These keto Christmas cookies are simple and delicious cookies that are full of red and green candy buttons! Made with just 5 ingredients, these low carb cookies take less than 15 minutes to make! 3 grams net carbs per cookie.
When the Christmas season rolls around, my favorite desserts to make are gingerbread, pecan pie bars, and these low carb Christmas cookies.
The holiday season is filled with tons of Christmas desserts and no one can tell. I guess it helps that I never tell them that my pumpkin pie or pecan pie is actually keto… that might be a start!
These cookies are a winner. And nope, your eyes are not deceiving you- Those are not M & M candies. I picked out all the red and green candies from the Atkins Chocolate Candies. They look like them, taste like them, but have ZERO of the sugar or carbs!
Table of Contents
Recipe highlights
- 5 ingredients. Yes, you read that correctly. Oh, and you don’t need any almond flour or coconut flour.
- Ready in 12 minutes. Besides the chill time, these cookies bake up in just 12 minutes. I mean, you could whip them up on a whim when the cookie cravings strike.
- Cookie exchange friendly. When developing this recipe, my #1 non-negotiable for them was that they needed to be perfect for cookie exchanges, edible gifts, and parties. These tick the boxes.
- Easy to customize. I like to keep things classic with candy buttons but you can add whatever you like in it.
- Perfect texture. These have crisp edges and soft centers and filled with plenty of sugar free candy buttons. They are sweet and buttery, without any actual butter!
Ingredients needed
As mentioned earlier, these cookies use a handful of ingredients that are NOT hard-to-find. Here is what you’ll need:
- Cashew butter– Smooth and drippy cashew butter, with no added sugar. Be sure that it is a VERY smooth texture, otherwise, you won’t be able to mix it into a dough.
- Eggs– Room temperature eggs.
- Granulated sweetener of choice– I like using allulose, but monk fruit sweetener also works. The only qualm I have with the latter is that it sometimes yields grainy desserts.
- Baking soda– Helps the cookies stop from overspreading when they are baked.
- Sugar-free candy buttons- The green and red candy buttons represent Christmas colors! Of course, any low carb candy or sugar free chocolate chips work.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to make low carb Christmas cookies?
Step 1- Make the cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl, add all your ingredients, except for the candy buttons. Mix until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold through the candy buttons.
Step 2- Chill. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes, to firm up.
Step 3- Shape. After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a cookie scoop or large spoon, form 12 balls of dough and place them on a lined baking sheet.
Step 4- Bake. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges just begin to go golden. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
Recipe substitutions
Unlike other keto desserts, these cookies are one of the easiest to adapt with tons of ingredient variations.
- Swap out the cashew butter– Use either almond butter or peanut butter instead.
- Make it nut free– Swap out the cashew butter for either sunflower seed butter or tahini.
- Make it without eggs– Swap out the eggs for ground chia seed. Start with 3 tablespoons and if the dough is too thin, add an extra tablespoon.
- Use traditional sugar– If you don’t follow a keto diet, you can use white sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar.
- Add other candy or mix-ins– Use any candy or chocolate chips instead.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover cookies will keep well at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 1 week. You can refrigerate them if you’d like them to be stored for longer.
To freeze: Place cookies in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More keto cookie recipes to try
Keto Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashew butter smooth and drippy * See notes
- 1 large egg ** See notes
- 2/3 cup granulated sweetener of choice erythritol or monk fruit sweetener
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup sugar free candy buttons only use the green and red ones *** See notes
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all your ingredients, except for the candy buttons, and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold through the candy at the end.
- Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove the mixing bowl from the fridge. Form 12 balls of dough and place them on the lined sheet, 1-2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to go golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe originally published November 2020 but updated to include new information for your benefit.
This is the absolute best keto chocolate chip type cookie I have come across, hands down. I mix in either keto chocolate chips or keto white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts, but keep the base the same. I also use about 1/2 keto brown sugar substitute and 1/2 white granulated type for extra caramelized flavour. I even try to emulate a New York style cookie and keep them quite large and chunky so they have a nice crisp exterior and soft gooey interior. I love these cookies so much, they are perfection!
Can this dough be refrigerated overnight?
Yes it can!
Love this recipe. Just started my keto diet and love it.
I have a sugar mix including both erythitol and monkfruit would I still use the same amount of 2/3 cup of sugar?