Little bitty Boston Cream Pie Bites are a tasty keto treat. Easy and fun to make, these little low carb cookie cups are sugar free and grain free. This post is sponsored by ChocZero.
Okay now this is a keto dessert with an identity complex! Are they keto cookies? Are they mini keto pies? Or are they little mini cakes?
The name alone is quite misleading and my full size Keto Boston Cream Pie often puzzles readers. For those unfamiliar with this classic American dessert, they come expecting… well… pie.
Instead they see a large layer cake with a pastry cream filling and a rich chocolate ganache frosting. Blame those crazy New Englanders! I mean, who else would call a cake a pie???
Boston Cream Pie Cookies
And now I’ve given this misnamed dessert yet another little twist. These are indeed cookie cups, made with keto sugar cookie dough. You roll the dough into balls, press it into a mini muffin pan, and bake it into little cup-shaped cookies.
Then you fill each tender cookie with sugar free vanilla pastry cream and top it all off with a rich keto chocolate drizzle.
I spotted a conventional recipe on Practically Homemade and thought it would be fun, and tasty, to ketofy. Was it ever!
ChocZero Sugar Free Chocolate
I used ChocZero dark chocolate chips for an easy chocolate topping in this recipe. One of the benefits of ChocZero is that it’s not made with any erythritol.
I personally don’t have issues with erythritol, since it doesn’t upset my system in any way. And it’s very keto friendly, as it doesn’t raise blood sugar at all. It’s one of the few sweeteners I trust implicitly.
But chocolate made with erythritol can become cloudy after it has melted and cooled. This means that frostings and glazes don’t stay nice and shiny, the way you want them to.
ChocZero doesn’t have this issue so it’s perfect when you want a bright, shiny chocolate topping.
Tips for Mini Keto Boston Cream Pies
The cookie cups
The cups are made of a soft keto sugar cookie dough. Roll into balls and press into the bottom and up the sides of a mini muffin pan.
I recommend using a silicone muffin pan or silicone liners to keep the cookie cups from sticking and from over-browning. If you don’t have silicone, then use parchment paper liners.
The cups will puff up during baking and you will need to reform the wells after they’ve cooled for a bit.
The cream filling
Vanilla pastry cream is quite easy to make. Because this is a smaller amount, be sure to use a small saucepan. If you use a larger one, it will cook too quickly and possibly curdle on you.
Never walk away while making something like keto pudding or pastry cream. That moment when it thickens can happen quite suddenly, and you don’t want to miss it.
Also be sure to keep whisking constantly, and move the whisk all around the pan to ensure nothing curdles.
Let the pastry cool to lukewarm and then simply spoon it into the cups. Let it pile on top a bit. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to set up a bit.
The chocolate glaze
Now this part couldn’t be easier! Simply melt the butter and chocolate chips together. You can do this in a small saucepan, or you can melt them in the microwave, stirring frequently.
Then just spoon it over and let it cover the very top of each cookie cup, with plenty of pastry cream peeking out.
More delicious recipes with pastry cream
- The Original Keto Nanaimo Bars
- Keto Chocolate Eclair Cake
- Lemon Sugar Cookie Cups
- Keto Coconut Cream Pie
- Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake
Keto Boston Cream Pie Bites
Ingredients
Cookie Cups
- 1 3/4 cup (180 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (91 g) Swerve Granular
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, melted
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
Filling
- 3/4 cup (178.5 g) whipping cream
- 2 large egg yolks
- 6 tbsp confectioner’s Swerve Sweetener
- pinch salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp (1.5 tbsp) butter cut into two pieces
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) glucomannan, (or xanthan gum)
Topping
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
Cookie Cups
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a mini muffin pan with 20 silicone liners (or use a silicone mini muffin pan).
- In a large bowl, whisk togehter the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter, egg white, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together.
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and press into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared mini muffin cups.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and the edges are just golden brown. Remove and let cool 10 minutes, then gently press into the centers to reform the wells.
Cream Pie Filling
- Bring the whipping cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sweetener and salt until well combined.
- Slowly whisk about half of the hot cream into the yolks to temper, then slowly return the yolk/cream mixture back to the saucepan and cook until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes, whisking continuously. It thickens up very suddenly and quickly, so watch it carefully!
- Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Sprinkle the surface with glucomannan, whisking as you go, to combine well. Let cool to room temperature and then spoon into the cookie cups.
- Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes to firm up.
Chocolate Topping
- In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Stir until melted and smooth, then drizzle over the tops of the cookie cups.
- Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring until smooth.
- Refrigerate another 10 minutes or so to set the chocolate. Store in the refrigerator in a closed container.
Nutrition
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Oh. My. Goodness. Why have I waited so long to make these? They are delicious! One of my fave low carb desserts ever! I love pastry cream and this is so close to the full sugar version. The only complaint I have is that I can’t stop eating them!
Question: how thick should the cream be when pulling it from the heat? I had a crème anglaise texture but thought it should be thicker but after continued cooking, it seems like it broke, exuding oil and looking a bit curdled. I’m going to try to salvage it by folding in a bit of unsweetened whipped cream but I clearly missed the perfect point to pull it off the flame. The little tarts are lovely so I want to get this right next time. Thank you!
Yes, creme anglaise is about right for consistency.
These are the cutest! I didn’t have enough almond flour to make the cake for my birthday so I made these instead!
Very Delicious and wonderful! I only have a metal mini-cup pan. I was able to use mini paper liners and used cooking spray inside them and they did not stick to the cups.
Excellent!
I have a metal mini muffin baking tin but not silicone. Can I spray the metal and they pop out okay? thoughts?
Thank you very much!!
Probably but be very careful with them and watch them carefully in the oven so you don’t over-bake them. Use a sharp knife to gently pry them out.
I made these last night and they were a hit! BUT, I’m not sure how thick the cream should have been. It didn’t seem to thicken up as quickly as you indicated. I tried to find a video to watch you make these, but couldn’t find it. Would love a little feedback on that part if possible.
Somehow you post just the recipe I need when I’m wanting to make something special. These awesome Boston Cream Cookie Cups were exactly what I needed. They were a huge hit with the hubby on his birthday. Definitely something I will make again. Thank you Carolyn!
That’s great to hear!
These are absolutely my favorite keto dessert! I would like to know if I can freeze these?
I am not sure how well the pastry cream will freeze and then thaw again, to be honest.
I freeze these with no issue
Everything you want in a dessert, cookie cup, cream filling and chocolate. I have this dessert on repeat for any kind of group gathering or event.