A classic goes keto! Chewy white chocolate macadamia nut cookies get a low carb, sugar-free makeover. With awesome new keto-friendly white chocolate chips.
Finally, finally, finally! Finally someone has come out with a decent keto white chocolate, and I am over the moon about it. And of course, the first thing I had to make with them was White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. I mean, what other recipe could I use to test drive this new and exciting keto product?
Oh these cookies! Oh these gorgeous chewy keto cookies. You want these in your life. Preferably as soon as possible.
Where to find Keto White Chocolate Chips
In case you haven’t seen this new development, it’s a brand called Bake Believe and they are only available at Walmart in store. This is tough for me because I have no Walmarts very close to me and I like to shop locally as much as possible.
But I decided it was important to get my hands on some and test them out for keto baking purposes. So I traipsed all over Portland and Vancouver, Washington, looking for the damn things.
The first two stores I went to didn’t have them at all. The third had a space for them but none on the shelves. Fortunately, one kind employee looked in the back and found 6 bags. I bought all 6 of them.
Then she told me another “nearby” store carried them as well. Nearby turned out to be another 10 miles and after putting in so much effort, I decided to stock up. I bought another 10 bags. Plus I bought some of the semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips as well.
Because I am crazy like that. And because I thought it would also be fun to do a giveaway for the chocolate chips, since I know full well they aren’t that easy to get your hands on. (scroll down to enter the giveaway!).
Are the Bake Believe Chips any good?
So here’s my expert assessment on these new sugar-free white chocolate chips:
They are very good, but they aren’t perfect. By which I mean that they do have some limitations, both in taste and in bake-ability.
The first thing I noticed is that they don’t taste quite like conventional white chocolate. They taste sweet and very good but it’s not exactly that white chocolate flavor. Close but not quite there. In a recipe, however, they play the white chocolate part very admirably.
The second thing is that they melt quite a bit and can almost disappear into the baked goods. For these keto white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, the chips toward the edges melted entirely away. Fortunately, I had hand-placed some chips right on the tops of the cookies and those held their shape and stayed in place.
I also made some white chocolate cups for my kids and I found that the chips melted well for covering and coating, so that’s a big plus.
I tried making keto chocolate fudge sauce with the dark chocolate chips and those didn’t melt as well. It was serviceable but didn’t melt as smoothly as Lily’s does. And the sauce became almost jelly-ish as it cooled. So I’d say that they don’t make great melting or couverture chocolate.
Update! I have now tried all three brands of keto white chocolate chips. Both ChocZero and Lily’s are far superior to Bake Believe.
Tips for Keto White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
So given the nature of these keto white chocolate chips, what’s the best way to use them for baking? Here are some tips for making these delicious keto cookies:
Shredded coconut makes them chewier: I really like this combo of almond flour and shredded coconut and I use it my regular keto chocolate chip cookies too. But you can use all almond flour if you prefer.
Gelatin is optional: but it also gives them a delicious chewiness. If you prefer your cookies more crisp, leave it out.
Brown sugar substitutes: I am ever so grateful for the development of Swerve Brown, as it truly bakes like brown sugar. If you don’t have access to a good brown sugar substitute, try adding in 1 to 2 teaspoons of Yacon syrup or molasses. It won’t add more than about 1g carbs per serving.
Chop the macadamia nuts: It’s best to chop these fairly finely so that the cookies hold together a little better. But you can have some bigger chunks in there too, for texture and visual interest.
Don’t add all of the white chocolate chips into the cookie dough: It’s best to hold some of them back and press them into the top of the cookies so that they show through when the cookies are baked.
BIG UPDATE!!! I have had a chance to try out the new ChocZero white chocolate chips and they are, in my opinion, superior. They don’t melt and disappear into the baked goods, they hold their chip shape. And they taste delicious and a bit more like you would expect from conventional white chocolate.
Give them space: These cookies do spread quite a bit so leave space between them!
More keto cookie recipes you might like:
Keto Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookies
Keto Peanut Butter Cookies for Two
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ cups shredded coconut (can use another ½ cup almond flour)
- 1 tablespoon grassfed gelatin (optional)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup Swerve Brown
- ¼ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts (finely chopped with a few bigger pieces)
- ⅓ cup sugar-free white chocolate chips (see recipe notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, shredded coconut, gelatin, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweeteners until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the almond flour mixture and beat until thoroughly combined. Stir in the macadamia nuts and most of the white chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
- Roll the dough into 1 ¼ inch balls and place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (they will spread). Press down to about ½ inch thickness with the heel of your hand.
- Divide the remaining white chocolate chips among the cookies and press into the tops.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. The cookies will still be very soft. Remove and let cool completely on the pan. (If your oven cooks unevenly, you can switch the pans halfway through baking).
Video
Notes
Cheryl Dubien says
I’ve been adding an extra two teaspoons of almond flour and the cookies are still nice and soft but don’t spread so much. I use Kirkland brand almond flour. I tried refrigerating or freezing the cookies before baking and they still spread more than I liked. It might depend on your almond flour. I did follow the recipe exactly as written.
Karem Olguin says
Hi! Your white chocolate cookies recipe is amazing! But a have a question: do I need to refrigerate these cookies ( white chocolate cookies) for a few minutes or cooling before baking?
Cheers
Karem
Carolyn says
No, you don’t. But if you find yours spreading too much, you can certainly try it.
Sharon says
Just made these cookies. First time since going keto that I’ve ventured into something sweet. They are delicious and will definitely be part of my Christmas treats over the holidays.
Thank you Carolyn
Bdu says
This is the best cookie recipe I keep going back to. It’s phenomenal and I have made it over 15 time! Can sub pecans or other nuts and chocolate chips.
Sophia Paliov says
Made these cookies tonight. They did spread a LOT. Haha. But still tasted great. I used monk brown sugar and white. Just because i like that flavor better, bit cleaner too for me. Had to really let them cool before I could break them apart. They do break so so easily. But, taste is def there.
Cristie says
I have been using the Bake Believe rabd of dark chocolate chips as I can find a large bag at Costco fairly inexpensive for what they are. I wonder if freezing the white chocolate chips would help them hold their shape. I’m not a big white chocolate chip fan but will definitely try these as I love macadamia cookies! I will look for the Lillys chips first. Thanks for all your great recipies!
Cristie
Monita Gruhlke says
can these be made as bars instead of cookies?
Carolyn says
Probably.
Kelly says
I think the flavor is great! I wish they were a little more cookie in texture as they are very soft and can fold in half, but well we can’t have everything.
My first batch spread so much it covered the pan. I believe this is because the batter is at room temperature and the butter melts so quickly once in the oven. I made an adjustment on my 2nd batch and refrigerated the dough for an hour. I used a cookie scoop and did not press them down. I kept the dough in the refrigerator in between sheets of cookies. I also made sure to use multiple sheets, so as not to put the dough on a warm pan.This helped them keep their shape a lot better.
Carolyn says
If they are that soft, I think you must be using a different sweetener.
Brette Welch says
A friend brought me some freshacadamia nuts as a peace offering for always trying to get us to eat out 🤣. So I made these to share and he actually loved them! –As did I! yum!
Tree says
These are so simple to make and are very good! I especially liked the shredded coconut in them. It adds a good texture and flavor that meshes well with the nuts and white chocolate. I wonder how they would taste if I toasted the coconut a little before adding them to the dough. I might need to experiment next time!
Emmy says
I usually stick 100% to your recipes. I wanted just a tad more cake like and added a tablespoon of coconut flour. For me, and not everyone, it’s made the cookies perfect. Your recipes are perfect, though. I am still new to keto baking (2 years). I like to play around with textures and flavors. I have tried 5 other macadamia cookie recipes and this is the one I keep coming back to. Your recipes are my go to for literally every dessert I make!
Carolyn says
Great, glad you know what you like!
Lisa says
These tasted great, but chocolates melted. I have made other cookies with the same chocolates and they never melt. Weird! Also I was disappointed in the size because they did not grow at all and I followed the directions precisely.
Carolyn says
“Grow”? Do you mean spread or do you mean rise? I can’t help identify the problem without a little more info. Thanks!
Alice says
Hi Carolyn I made these cookies last night and they turned out delicious! I did notice the texture is a bit grainy/gritty – could it be the gelatin that remains unresolved? Any ideas? Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Carolyn says
It wouldn’t be the gelatin, I don’t think. It’s probably your almond flour.
Judy says
They are very good and easy! The chocolate chips after cooking does make it better!
Robyn Hurst says
Taste wise, the cookies are perfect!
But the cookies spread out pretty badly. Should I have chilled the dough before shaping and baking?
Carolyn says
No, you probably needed a bit more almond flour. They vary quite a bit by brand and it’s hard to judge. Try adding 2 more tablespoons next time.
Kerry says
Delish! But mine also turned into one large cookie sheet. I’d rather them spread than be dry though. Also, I used Lily chips and love them – my go to brand and easy to find at grocer.
Carolyn says
Sounds like you didn’t have enough flour. Also… how fine was your shredded coconut?
Donna says
Can you freeze the dough after mixing, and just cut off cookies as you want a couple of cookies.
Carolyn says
I think you probably could! Let me know what goes.
Marquia says
One easy recipe to get something I’ve been craving. Kudos for doing it again!
Linda says
Fabulous cookie. I took off one star simply because I don’t care for any chocolate chips in my cookies. I’m making another batch today and I’ll melt some dark chocolate to drizzle on top of the finished cookies.