I know what you’re thinking! You’re thinking that anything with the words “pop tarts” and “brown sugar” in the name couldn’t possibly be keto-friendly. But I have a reputation for defying expectations. And these Keto Brown Sugar Pop Tart Cookies certainly definitely defy those expectations!
Of course, they don’t contain any sugary breakfast pastries or any brown sugar. In fact, they don’t contain any sugar at all! Instead, they feature keto sugar cookies with a luscious cinnamon-scented filling and a sweet glaze. They look and taste like your favorite childhood breakfast, without the blood sugar spike.
I’ve never liked pop tarts much myself, but these cookies were a huge hit for me. I had to share with my neighbors, lest I eat them all. After the wild success of my Keto Pop Tart Bars, I had many requests for a cinnamon brown sugar version. And who am I to deny my lovely readers?
And my homemade keto brown sugar substitute is perfect for cinnamon filling. Absolutely dreamy!
⭐Love cinnamon treats? Be sure to try Keto Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake or Cinnamon Roll Protein Balls next!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Pop tart flavor: Craving your favorite breakfast pastries? These keto cookies will surely satisfy.
- Tender and buttery: I made the cookie dough to be similar to sugar cookies, so it’s buttery and soft but still holds up to the filling.
- Sweet cinnamon glaze: The glaze adds flavor and makes them look like traditional pop tarts!
- Make ahead friendly: You can prep the filling and the dough in advance and bake when ready.
- Gluten-free and low carb: With no grains or sugar, these treats have only 3g net carbs per serving!
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: You will need properly softened butter for both the cookies and the filling.
- Sweetener: This recipe takes multiple sweeteners, including powdered sweetener, granular sweetener, brown sugar replacement, and a little allulose. Please see the Tips for Success for a more in-depth discussion.
- Almond flour: Finely ground almond flour makes the best cookies.
- Coconut flour: A little coconut flour helps firm up the filling.
- Heavy cream: For the cinnamon glaze.
- Molasses: A tiny bit of molasses gives the glaze for color and flavor.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon in the filling and the glaze gives the cookies their unique flavor.
- Kitchen staples: Egg, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.
How to Make Keto Pop Tart Cookies
- Prepare the filling: Mix the ingredients and set aside.
- Make the cookie dough: Beat the butter and sweetener together, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt and beat until the dough comes together.
- Assemble the cookies: Roll the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Place some filling on the disk and fold the dough partway around it. Top with a smaller disk of dough and seal the edges.
- Bake the cookies: Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Bake until just golden around the edges.
- Make the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sweetener and cream. Mix in just enough water for a thick drizzling consistency. Whisk in the molasses, if using, and the cinnamon.
- Add the glaze: Spread glaze over the tops of the cookies and let set.
Tips for Success
The filling takes a teaspoon of coconut flour to firm it up a bit. Otherwise it might melt away completely during baking. If you are allergic to coconut, you can replace this with two teaspoons of almond flour.
Always remember to allow your eggs to come to room temperature before you start baking. Cold eggs will cause the nicely creamed butter to clump up again and will affect the texture of the cookies.
You only need a few drops of molasses to give the glaze the right color and flavor, but you can skip it if you prefer. I don’t recommend using brown sugar alternative in the glaze because it doesn’t combine well and the glaze will be gritty.
Sweetener Options
Each part of this recipe takes different sweeteners to give it the right flavor and consistency. While you are free to change things up and use your preferred sweeteners, your cookies may suffer in taste and texture.
I recommend erythritol-based sweetener for the cookie dough, as allulose will cause the cookies to darken a lot more. They may also be a lot softer and not as sturdy.
For the filling, brown sugar substitute will give it the right flavor, and a little allulose will help make it more gooey.
The glaze requires a powdered sweetener, but both allulose and erythritol work. I like a mix of both because it helps keep the glaze shiny while also setting faster.
More Keto Cookie Recipes to Love!
Keto Pop Tart Cookies
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 tbsp (42.61 g) butter, very soft, not melted
- 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar replacement
- 2 tbsp (20.29 g) allulose
- 1 tsp coconut flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (95 g) granular sweetener, erythritol-based recommended
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (280 g) almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Glaze
- 1/3 cup (63.33 g) powdered sweetener
- 2 tbsp (30.43 g) heavy cream
- 1 to 2 tbsp Water to thin
- 1/8 tsp molasses, (optional)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Filling
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to work them together until well combined. Set aside.
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a large cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sweetener together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt and beat until the dough comes together.
- To form the cookies, use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling on the disk and fold the dough partway around it.
- Top with a smaller disk made from 1 tablespoon of dough and seal the edges. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Repeat with the remaining dough and the remaining filling.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until just golden around the edges, switching the pans halfway through baking. The cookies will be very soft still, but will continue to firm up as they cool.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sweetener and cream. Whisk in just enough water for a thick drizzling consistency. Whisk in the molasses, if using, and the cinnamon.
- Spread over the tops of the cookies and let set.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a great recipe for making in advance! You can prepare the cookies up to the point of baking and refrigerate or freeze. Let them come to room temperature before baking. You could also make the dough in advance and refrigerate for a few days, then assemble the cookies when ready to bake.
Store the baked cookies on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze the cookies for several months.
This keto pop tart cookie recipe has 5.8g of carbs and 2.8g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.0g net carbs per cookie.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Do you have a recipe for “pop tarts” with sugar-free jelly in them or would you just use this recipe for that?
Try this recipe! https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-pop-tart-bars/
This is truly the perfect recipe! I’ve never seen a keto dough so easy to work with! I can’t wait to try some other flavors! Thank you again Carolyn for another amazing recipe!
Thank you for all your hard work on behalf of all of us wanting to take better care of ourselves.
I love cinnamon so I’m going to make these today!
Can you recommend a way to up the protein in this recipe?
Thank you and keep up the great work,
Greg
This is not meant to be a protein recipe and it will be awful if you try to add it.
These pop tart cookies are very good! Similar to a pop tart but much better! I would love to see more flavors! I made them into bar cookies and next time will use a larger pan, since mine turned out too thick. I used the brown sugar replacement recipe in these cookies and the caramel taste came through. Just Yum!
Made these over the weekend and will be making them again today because they are gone!
We love lots of cinnamon, so the only change I’ll make is to increase the cinnamon.
Thanks for your recipes, Carolyn! They have been such blessings on my very bumpy THM journey!!
Just made these and they are awesome! Yum yum!
I appreciate all your hard work and use many of your recipes. I am wondering if these Pop Tart cookies could be made as a slab and cut into small rectangle or squares? I am always wanting to save time.
I would thinks so, yes. Press half of the dough into an 8×8 pan, then spread the filling overtop, etc. Not quite sure how long it will take to bake so keep your eye on it!
These look amazing and can’t wait to try them! I noticed on some of your recipes that the ingredients are listed on both grams as well as volume measurements and was hoping this one might have this option too so we know exactly what you mean by, for instance, 2 1/2 cups of almond flour as it pertains to this specific instance. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes! Every one I have tried has been an absolute success 😊
Sorry, I must have forgotten to do the conversions. Hang tight!
Hi Carolyn,
would Lyles Golden Syrup be a good substitute for molasses?
I don’t know what that is.
Easy and 😋 Delicious
So glad you liked them!
Looks delicious
Pop tarts are something I grew up on and have been missing for years since starting keto so to make this and have if actually bring back those memories it’s almost tear-jerking.
These look like something my husband would love, but he’s allergic to nuts. Can the almond flour be substituted with Elevate proteins flour which is 1:1 ratio with regular flour, or possibly with coconut flour?
Sorry, I’ve never heard of that so I really can’t advise.