Keto Shortbread Cookies
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My keto shortbread cookie recipe yields rich, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies. Made in one bowl, I love how they taste just like classic shortbread cookies! 2 grams of net carbs per cookie.
Keto shortbread cookies are a staple during the festive season
As the holiday season approaches, I’m making keto shortbread cookies by the dozens. This may surprise you, but my almond flour shortbread cookies are even more highly requested than any of my other keto desserts (thank you, Pinterest).
Instead of traditional shortbread fingers, I opted for cookies with crisp edges and a soft, buttery middle that melts in your mouth. Here’s why they are a holiday staple:
- 5 ingredients. And no niche or fussy substitutions required.
- Perfect for cookie exchanges or edible gifts. I love how well they hold their shape, and they stay crisp for up to one week at room temperature.
- Easy to customize. I’m boring and like my shortbread cookies plain, but I tested a few creative flavors (like lavender and lemon!) so you can switch things up.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Amazing recipe! Easy to make, great tasting low carb cookie” – KO
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Butter. I always suggest using unsalted butter since there’s no telling how much salt gets added to salted butter. Salt levels vary by brand, and too much can overpower the cookies.
- Sweetener. I prefer allulose since it works most like white sugar. I don’t recommend other sweeteners (like erythritol, monk fruit, or stevia), as they don’t bake up the same and leave the dough gritty and metallic-tasting.
- Large eggs. I tried this recipe without the eggs to make it vegan, and it turned out with a very burnt flavor and dark color, so don’t skip them. I suggest bringing the egg to room temperature so it doesn’t firm up the butter.
- Vanilla extract. Just a touch for a subtle vanilla flavor.
- Almond flour. Use blanched almond flour over almond meal, since a coarser grind can make things gritty. I tried this recipe with coconut flour, and the cookies were too dry and crumbly.
Flavor variations
While this keto shortbread recipe works wonders on its own, you can change up the flavor for some fun variety!
- Cinnamon shortbread. Add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle the baked cookies with cinnamon and sweetener.
- Cranberry shortbread. Fold 1/4 cup dried unsweetened cranberries into the dough.
- Lavender shortbread. Add 2 teaspoons of dried lavender to the dough.
- Lemon shortbread. Fold in some lemon zest and add several drops of lemon extract.
- Chocolate chip shortbread. Add 1/4 cup sugar-free chocolate chips.
How to make keto shortbread cookies
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2- Combine ingredients. In a large bowl, add the softened butter and sweetener. Using a hand mixer, beat until creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, until combined. Fold in the almond flour until combined.
Step 3- Shape. Using a cookie scoop, form 12-15 dough balls and place on the lined pan. Press each ball into a cookie shape, then make crisscross patterns with a fork.
Step 4- Bake. Bake the cookies for 17-20 minutes, or until the edges turn golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Don’t overbake the cookies. They’ll continue cooking as they cool (AKA “carryover cooking”), so pull them from the oven as soon as the edges turn golden and easily pull away from the baking sheet.
- Make the dough ahead of time. If you’d like to bake the cookies later, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days. Just remember to let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling it out (otherwise they will be way too crumbly).
- Add a final touch. For added decoration, I like to brush the tops of the cookies with melted butter and sprinkle them with keto brown sugar before baking.
- Transfer them to a wire rack after 5 minutes. So they cool more quickly. Just be careful, as they can be a little fragile.
More low-carb holiday cookies
Keto Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup allulose 40g
- 1/4 cup butter softened, 57g
- 2 large eggs room temperarure
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour blanched almond flour, 192g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/325F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your softened butter and allulose. Using a hand mixer, beat together until creamy. Add the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, until combined and smooth. Gently fold in the almond flour, until combined.
- Using a large spoon or cookie scoop, form 12-15 balls of dough and place on the lined pan. Press down on each ball into a cookie shape, followed by crossing on either side with a fork.
- Bake the cookies for 17-20 minutes, or until beginning to go golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool completely.
Followed recipe and came out a bit burnt in less time than it said and soft, more like macaroons but still tasty
Hi Johnathan! It sounds like its the brand of almond flour you used- The fact that it burnt in less time and was soft tells me that is what the issue is. If you let me know what brand you used, I can troubleshoot for you 🙂
Hello ! In the Ingredients you say you don’t recommend using salted butter, but on the recipe card you do?
My apologies Addie, it should have read “unsalted” in the recipe card. I’ll get that fixed.
Can you use stevia?
Hi Belinda- not for these, sorry. The sugar needs to be granular, and I found that allulose really is the only one which keeps the rich and buttery texture.
I’m on a strick keto diet fight colon cancer.
This recipe has been great. I also made maple shortbread and lemon shortbread from the base recipe.
Thanks
Gary, I’m wishing you all the very best health possible. Please keep me updated on how you are going 🙂
YUMMY
I live in Canada, what can I use in place of allulose? I can’t find it here?
Hi Barb- I’ve actually had Canadian readers use iherb to access it and some Costcos are stocking it there too 🙂
To Barb,
I am in Canada too, and I found allulose online at iHerb.ca. I ordered the Swerve allulose blend and it doesn’t crystallize like monk fruit/erythritol.
Prices on iHerb are good too, and if your order is at $39 and up, shipping is free, so I ordered three bags lol.
Thanks for sharing, Leander 🙂
So I used splenda sugar… everything else was the same. My “dough” is very dry… will not make a ball… any suggestions?
Hi Melissa- I’m not surprised that splenda caused this to happen- it tends to dry out baked goods.
Short bread that’s keto? Didn’t believe it. This was delicious. Any chance you have a puff pastry recipe that’s gf and low carb? Scottish and miss mincemeat in puff pastry so much this time of year! Thanks!
Oh you’ve got me inspired- let me work on it!
Can you use powdered allulose sweetener in this receipe for keto almond shortbread?
Thank you
You could try!
Does monkfruit work?
Hi Katherine- I really suggest sticking with allulose, as it keeps the shortbread nice and crisp instead of dry and brittle (monk fruit and eryrthritol did this in testing).
Would have liked to try this but no weights are given – please provide weights for butter and flour
Hi Maureen- the recipe card includes the measurements 🙂
Would love to try this recipe. I have pure stevia or stevia/ erythritol but I have no idea how to convert it from the allulose?
Hi Mary- i don’t recommend stevia or erythritol for these- the cookies bake best with allulose. Those two sweeteners leave the cookie dough grainy, and also a bitter aftertaste.
Is this liquid or powdered allulose?
Granulated allulose, Iki!
Made these tonight. They are delicious.
I love to hear that, Daphne! Thanks for taking the time to leave a lovely review and rating 🙂
Allulose burns at that temperature. Had to toss everything
Hi Cleo- I’m not sure what allulose you are using, but it doesn’t burn at that temperature- it’s actually fantastic at high temperatures (especially making toffee etc), so baking them at this temperature is identical to sugar 🙂
Really easy to make. Tasty and my kids enjoyed them as a school snack so low carb protein cookie win!
Hi, I’m allergic to almonds/nuts/coconut. Can you recommend another flour to substitute for the almond flour? I’m hoping to use your recipes for all of our Christmas desserts! Thank you!
Hi Erin- The best alternative for almond flour is either sunflower seed flour or cashew flour 🙂