These tender Keto Gingerbread Cookies have a delicious center of sugar-free white chocolate. They make a delightful addition to your holiday cookie line-up! This post is sponsored by ChocZero.
Hooray, it’s gingerbread season! And I for one couldn’t be more thrilled. I await it eagerly all year long. Oh who am I kidding? I don’t wait at all. I make gingerbread treats in the off season too!
I really do love that combination of sweetness and warm spices. You can tell just by searching my website. I’ve got classic Keto Gingerbread Cookies and tender Keto Gingerbread Cake. I’ve even added these delicious flavors to keto waffles and muffins!
And now I’m offering up these delicious Keto Gingerbread Thumbprints. With a sweet center of sugar-free white chocolate, they are a fabulous addition to any tray of Keto Christmas Cookies.
Why you will love this recipe
Gingerbread and white chocolate is a wonderful combination. It’s pretty and eye-catching, not to mention tasty.
These low carb cookies are easy to make and have a tender texture with a sweet, gingery bite. The center is made with ChocZero chocolate chips and a little butter to be set but still soft enough to bite into.
They also store nicely. You can make them well in advance of the holiday and freeze until you need them. They come out of the freezer looking as good as they went in!
And a serving of two cookies has only xg net carbs.
Ingredients notes
- Almond flour: Good finely ground almond flour works best for these keto thumbprint cookies.
- Cocoa powder: This just gives the cookies a slightly darker color. It does not make them taste like chocolate.
- Spices: Ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and a touch of ground cloves give these cookies their gingerbread flavor.
- Sweetener: I like using a brown sugar replacement in gingerbread treats. I used Swerve Brown.
- White chocolate: ChocZero white chocolate makes a wonderful filling for these cookies. But you could use milk chocolate or dark chocolate, if you prefer.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, egg, vanilla, baking powder, salt
Step by Step Directions
1. Prepare the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, spices, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined. Beat in the almond flour mixture until dough comes together.
2. Form the cookies: Roll the dough into one-inch balls and place a few inches apart on two silicone or parchment lined baking sheets. Press down to about ½ inch thick the the heel of your hand. Take a rounded tablespoon or other rounded implement and press a large indent into each cookie.
3. Bake the cookies: Place in a 325ºF oven and bake about 12 minutes, switching the pans halfway through. Bake until the edges are becoming golden. They will still be very soft and puffed. Remove and gently reform the wells while the cookies are still hot. Let cool completely on the pan.
4. Melt the white chocolate: In a heat proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, combine the white chocolate chips and the butter. Stir constantly until smooth, then remove from heat.
5. Fill the cookies: Use a small spoon to dollop the filling into the well in each cookie. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and let set.
Expert Tips
Don’t crowd the cookies on the baking sheet. They don’t spread, but you do want to leave enough room for air to circulate properly. I recommend doing two sheets and making sure to switch the position of the two pans halfway through. That way, you ensure even browning.
Melting white chocolate takes patience and care. Always do it over a double boiler and stay near it, stirring almost constantly. Keep the heat low, and once it seems to be really melting, remove the bowl from over the heat. Keep stirring until smooth.
I highly recommend silicone mats for baking these cookies. While parchment may keep the cookies from sticking to the pan, it doesn’t protect the bottoms nearly as well.
Make ahead tips
If you want to get a jump on your holiday baking, these cookies are a great option. You can make them ahead in two ways. You can bake the cookies and freeze them unfilled. Or you can make the full cookie and freeze those.
Be sure to let them cool completely before storing. If you fill them with white chocolate prior to freezing, let it set completely first by placing the cookies in the fridge for an hour.
Then store in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper to protect them.
Related Recipes
Keto Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup Swerve Brown or other brown sugar replacement
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 4 ounces sugar-free white chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoon butter
- Cinnamon for sprinkling
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line two baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, spices, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined. Beat in the almond flour mixture until dough comes together.
- Roll the dough into one-inch balls and place a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press down to about ½ inch thick the the heel of your hand.
- Take a rounded tablespoon or other rounded implement and press a large indent into each cookie. Bake about 12 minutes, until the edges are becoming golden. Switch the pans halfway through baking.
- They will still be very soft and puffed. Remove and gently reform the wells while the cookies are still hot. Let cool completely on the pan (the cookies will firm up as they cool).
Filling
- In a heat proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, combine the white chocolate chips and the butter. Stir constantly until smooth, then remove from heat.
- Use a small spoon to dollop the filling into the well in each cookie. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and let set.
Margaret H. says
I love your recipes and these look divine. I already have some Lily’s sugar free white chips and some Bake Believe white melting wafers on hand. Would either of these work for this recipe?
Carolyn says
The Lily’s would be fine. I have not tried the melting wafers, but I found that BB chocolate chips did not melt very well.
Baker Marla says
they only bake 12 minutes? wow
Kristi Lucia says
I think I’d like to try these with a lemon curd in the center. do you have a keto lemon curd recipe?
Carolyn says
I certainly do. Please use the search box and you will find it!
Sara says
These were so easy to make and delicious with a cold glass of almond milk. Love all your recipes, Carolyn!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!
Mare aka Mary says
Carolyn, your recipes are beyond delicious. I’ve not made as many as I wish I could have. Not being well is my problem. You have the best sounding recipes and the only recipes I try and or want to try. I am a true fan of yours and hope to one day be able to prepare and cook or bake all your recipes. My other half is a huge gingerbread lover and so I intend on making these gingerbread thumbprint cookies for “us.” Bless you, Carolyn, and thank you for sharing your fabulous recipes.
Carolyn says
If you lived near me, I would make them for you! Hang in there.
John-Mark says
“And a serving of two cookies has only xg net carbs.”
Nice! Thanks for the chuckle.
Joan Springer says
Can coconut oil be substituted for butter?
Jenny Arnold says
Your web site is the first place I look for keto/low carb recipes. They are the absolute best. Thank you.
Carolyn says
Thanks!