These chewy keto almond flour cookies are packed with fresh cherries and chocolate chunks. So tender and sweet, they have only 3.7g net carbs per serving.
Okay, don’t freak out. I repeat: do NOT freak out.
Yes, these cookies have real cherries in them. Yes, they are still low carb and keto friendly. And they are some of the best cookies I think I’ve ever made. Mind you, I say that about a lot of my keto cookies recipes!
But these are really, really good and I mean that with great sincerity. We love the chewy texture, the melty chocolate chunks, and the burst of fresh cherries. My husband ate three of them in one go and I had to tell him to keep his greedy paws to himself!
Why you need to try this recipe
I had some beautiful homegrown cherries from our neighbor and I simply couldn’t resist the temptation to bake with them. And you are going to be very glad that I succumbed to the aforementioned temptation!
I thought a lot about what I might want to make. Admittedly, cherries have a lot of carbs so I needed to keep them to a minimum while maximizing their flavor. I already have a recipe for Keto Black Forest Cake. Adding them to keto chocolate chip cookies seemed like a very good idea.
I was a little worried about the moisture they would add to the dough, but they worked out better than I even dared to hope. Moist but chewy, soft but sweet. And I found that I only needed half a cup of chopped cherries. More than that, and the dough became to hard to handle.
These are big, thick, beautiful cookies, where a single cookie satisfies the sweet tooth. That was part of my vision when I set out to make them, and they came out perfectly. And they have only 6.5g of carbs and 2.8g of fiber, so they fit well into any low carb or keto diet.
Ingredients you need
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- Almond flour: Many brands of almond flour say that they are fine grind, but some really aren’t. So if you find your baked goods coarse or gritty, it’s likely your flour. My go-to is Bob’s Red Mill.
- Brown sugar sub: A sweetener like Swerve Brown gives the cookies more depth of flavor. See the Expert tips for more sweetener options.
- Collagen: Collagen protein powder (aka collagen peptides) helps give the cookies a chewier consistency. If you must, you can skip the collagen and add another ¼ cup of almond flour.
- Coconut flour: The fresh cherries adds moisture so I recommend a little coconut flour to help the consistency and structure.
- Baking soda: Baking soda encourages browning and helps the cookies spread.
- Cherry extract: A little bit of cherry extract enhances the overall flavor. But if you don’t have it, just use the vanilla instead.
- Keto chocolate: I used Lily’s extra dark because that’s what I had on hand. But you can use ChocZero or other brands as well. Use the bars or squares and chop them with a large knife.
- Fresh cherries: Pit and chop the cherries rather finely, before measuring out half a cup.
- Pantry Staples: Vanilla, butter, eggs, salt.
Step by step directions
Prepare the cookie dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, collagen, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the egg, butter, and extracts until the dough comes together.
Add the cherries and chocolate: Stir in two thirds of the chopped chocolate and all of the chopped cherries, taking care not to crush the cherries too much.
Form the cookies: Form the dough into 15 balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches of space between each.
Bake the cookies: Bake 15 to 18 minutes, switching the position of the pans halfway through baking. The cookies should be puffed and golden, but still very soft. While the cookies are still soft, press the remaining chocolate pieces into the tops.
Expert Tips
You want to chop the cherries quite finely so you get good distribution throughout the cookie dough. Once you have removed the pits, cut each cherry in half and cut each half into four to 6 small pieces.
Unlike many of my other keto cookie recipes, you shouldn’t need to press these down to help them spread. The collagen in the dough and the moisture from the cherries causes them to spread on their own. If you aren’t using collagen, you may want to press them down to about three-quarters inch thick before baking.
Let these keto cherry cookies cool completely on the pan. They are very tender and soft when you remove them from the oven and won’t hold together properly until cool.
Frequently Asked Questions
On the whole, cherries are not considered keto friendly. One cup of pitted cherries has 19g of carbs, and much of that is from natural sugar. However, adding some chopped cherries to a recipe that serves 15, like these cookies, is acceptable for most keto diets.
These keto cookies have 6.5g of carbs and 2.8g of fiber. That means each cookie has 3.7g net carbs.
Store the cookies in a covered container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days. Because of the added moisture from the fresh cherries, you don’t want them on the counter for too long. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
More low carb cookie recipes
Keto Snickerdoodle Cookies
These pillowy soft keto snickerdoodles have the perfect chewy texture and a delicious cinnamon flavor. I worked hard to perfect a low carb snickerdoodle recipe that lives up to the iconic American treat.
Keto Lemon Cookies
These Keto Lemon Cookies are soft and tender sugar cookies topped with a creamy sugar free lemon frosting. They have all the tangy sweetness you crave with only 3g carbs per serving!
Keto Brownie Cookies
These Cosmic Brownie Cookies are flourless, sugar free, and totally keto-friendly! Fudgy and soft, they may just be the best keto chocolate cookies I have ever made.
Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ¾ cup Swerve Brown, lightly packed
- ¼ cup collagen protein powder
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 tsp cherry extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ounces sugar free dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cherries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line two large baking sheet with a silicone liners or parchment paper. Set the oven racks at the second highest and second lowest positions in the oven.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, collagen, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the egg, butter, and extracts until the dough comes together.
- Gently stir in two thirds of the chopped chocolate and all of the chopped cherries. Take care not to crush the cherries too much.
- Form the dough into 15 balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches of space between each.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes, switching the position of the pans halfway through baking. The cookies should be puffed and golden, but still very soft. While the cookies are still soft, press the remaining chocolate pieces into the tops.
- Let cool completely on the pans.
Notes
Nutrition
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You wrote: “See the Expert tips for more sweetener options.”
As far as I can see, there are none, either in that section nor any other. Am I just missing it?
Thanks for all you do.
I don’t see it either! Not sure why I wrote that but these do work best with a brown sugar replacement. Now that Swerve has changed their formula, I would actually recommend my own brown sugar replacement: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/brown-sugar-substitute/
Made these cookies for the first time today. OMG they are the best cookie you’ve shared with us! Thank you so much. Now I have to keep my hand out of the cookie jar!!!
I have a bag of dried tart cherries that I need to use up. Would these work for this recipe?
They would but they will much higher in carbs. Use less and chop them very finely!
Hello, LOVE your recipes!!
Do you think…. if I don’t have collagen etc I could substitute w gelatin?
Use 1 tbsp gelatin, since it’s stronger.
I tried these cookies today and used chopped Canned cherries(I jarred fresh whole cherries last summer). I drained them for a while before using, but I think they still added too much liquid-my cookies spread pretty flat and browned too quickly. they taste decent, but aren’t pretty to look at.
Could they protein powder be a substitute for collagen powder?
They don’t really bake up the same. Whey protein may make your cookies very cake-like. Do you have any gelatin? 1 envelope of gelatin would maybe be a good sub.
Hi Carolyn, I made this recipe and the cookies turned out great! Thank you.
A question: to make the cookies more chewy, I’m contemplating substituting the almond flour with sprouted whole wheat flour (for the gluten). I realize this is no longer keto. Would this simple substitution work, or do I also need to alter the other ingredients too?
I cannot advise you since I don’t use any sort of gluten flour. These cookies should be pretty chewy as is, without this sub.
Can you use frozen or dried cherries?
Dried cherries are pretty high in carbs. Use the frozen but drain them well.
Can I use thawed frozen cheeries in this recipe? I want to make them for my husband, but it isn’t cherry season. Thank you.
Yes but I would drain them really well.