These Keto Pecan Pie Cookies are a delicious Crumbl Cookies copycat recipe. With tender almond flour shortbread and a gooey caramel pecan filling, they are a dream come true!
In case you didn’t know it already, I am utterly obsessed with pecan pie. I have loved it for as long as I can remember. For all I know, I came out of the womb with a slice of pecan pie in my hand!
But I think it’s possible that I love Keto Pecan Pie even more than I ever loved the sugary version. When I nailed that recipe, I was utterly joyous!
I also love to make other fun keto treats with the same deep, caramel pecan flavors. Like my Keto Pecan Pie Truffles, and Keto Pecan Pie Cheesecake.
These decadent keto cookies are my latest creation. Inspired by the famous Crumbl Cookies, they are big and beautiful. And beyond delicious! My fellow pecan lovers, you simply must try them.
Why you will love this recipe
You might even consider these like little hand held pecan pies. They have all the right flavors, with a tender crust and a rich, gooey filling.
The base is a tender keto shortbread cookie with a nice deep well in the center. The dough is very easy to make and uses basic keto ingredients. The filling is similar to keto caramel sauce, but is chockfull to toasted pecans.
I made 12 large cookies, so that they resembled the Crumbl cookie style. Each serving is a single cookie, but trust me, you won’t need more than that. You could also make 24 smaller cookies if you chose.
They look wonderful too, and store well in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days. You could even freeze them for a few months.
And with only 2.6g net carbs per serving, these cookies are the perfect holiday treat!
Ingredients you need
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- Almond flour: Finely ground blanched almond flour works best for any kind of keto cookies.
- Confectioners Sweetener: A finely powdered sweetener helps give the cookies the right shortbread-like consistency. It should be an erythritol-based sweetener, as allulose will make the cookies softer and they will brown more.
- Butter: Make sure it is properly softened but not melted before creaming it.
- Egg yolk: A single egg yolk adds tenderness to the cookie dough.
- Brown sugar replacement: Using a brown sugar substitute adds flavor and color to the pecan filling.
- Allulose: For a gooier filling that doesn’t recrystallize, use some allulose or BochaSweet.
- Heavy whipping cream: Heavy cream helps give the filling a wonderful consistency. You could also use coconut cream but it may be a little thinner.
- Chopped pecans: Can’t have pecan pie cookies without some pecans! Make sure they are chopped relatively finely so the filling sits in the cookies properly.
Step by Step Directions
1. Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft and creamy, then beat in the sweetener. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. All at once, add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until the dough comes together.
2. Form the cookies: Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Place the balls several inches apart on a large baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone. Press down to about ½ inch thick with the palm of your hand. Take a rounded tablespoon or other rounded implement and press a large indent into each cookie.
3. Bake: Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until just beginning to brown around the edges. 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).
4. Prepare the caramel: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and sweeteners. Stir until the sweeteners dissolve, then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the whipping cream. The mixture will bubble vigorously.
5. Add the pecans: Stir in the chopped pecans and return to heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens a little.
6. Fill the cookies: Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Spoon the mixture into the wells of the cookies and let cool.
Expert Tips
During baking, the cookies will puff up a little and the indents you created won’t be as deep. Make sure to re-form the wells right after the cookies come out of the oven and are still warm.
Use toasted pecans that are relatively finely chopped. You don’t want them ground, but you want small enough pieces that they sit nicely in the cookies. If you don’t purchase them already toasted, place them on a baking sheet in a 350ºF oven for 5 to 7 minutes.
I made my cookies large to be more like a Crumbl cookie. But you can easily make 24 smaller thumbprints and have 2 per serving. They will bake faster to keep your eye on them in the oven. They will probably take about 12 minutes.
Sweetener Options
You are free to use other sweeteners, but I want to point out how they might affect your results.
This keto cookie recipe does take several different sweeteners for the best results. In the cookie itself, I recommend a powdered erythritol sweetener for a crisper cookie. You can use allulose or xylitol based sweeteners, but keep in mind that the cookies will be softer and may brown more quickly.
For the filling, a mix of sweeteners like Brown Swerve and allulose work best. This gives a deeper pecan pie color and gooier consistency. Erythritol alone will make the filling harden and recrystallize as it cools. They will still be good, but a little more like toffee, rather than pecan pie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pecans are a perfect food for low carb and keto diets. They are quite low in carbs and high in healthy fats. A ¼ cup serving of pecans has only 4g of carbs and 3g of fiber. They are also a good source of unsaturated fats and vital nutrients such as Vitamin A and magnesium.
Most pecan pie cookies made with flour and sugar have about 25g of carbs per cookies. But these keto cookies have only 5.5g of carbs and 2.9g of fiber. Thus, they have 2.6g net carbs per serving.
Store the cookies in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can also freeze the cookies for several months.
More holiday keto cookies
Keto Pecan Pie Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup Swerve Confectioners
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoon Swerve Brown
- 3 tablespoon allulose
- 3 tablespoon whipping cream
- 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a large cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft and creamy, then beat in the sweetener. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- All at once, add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until the dough comes together.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Place the balls several inches apart on the prepared baking sheet and press down to about ½ inch thick with the palm of your hand.
- Take a rounded tablespoon or other rounded implement and press a large indent into each cookie.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until just beginning to brown around the edges. 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 small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and sweeteners. Stir until the sweeteners dissolve, then bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add the whipping cream. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Stir in the chopped pecans and return to heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens a little, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Spoon the mixture into the wells of the cookies and let cool.
Irina says
why US Customary and Metric Ingredients amounts are different? for example in Us Customary is written 2 cups Almond Flour which is about 470 grams, but in metric is written 224 g. Which one is correct ?
Thank you
Carolyn says
2 cups of almond flour do NOT weigh 470g. Not even close – try actually weighing it out sometime. The 224g is accurate.
Celia says
These are so far my husband’s favorite. For me I preferred the cookie to be a bit thicker so the well would better hold the pecan goodie. I have even made balls and baked in small muffin pan then when warm made indentation for the pecan goodies. They are delicious. My grandchildren love them even though their mother thinks keto cooking is yucky. Wrong!
Bernadette Terry says
Omg. Game changer. You are amazing.
Angelica M says
These were so great! I will definitely make them again!
LINDA says
Easy recipe and scrumptious!
Christa McCrillis says
I made these, and loved them.
I really enjoyed them and they were very much like a Crumbl cookie only way better and healthier.
I love this cookie base only now I just need new topping ideas.
Sherma Lewis says
Oh my! These are so tasty! I will definitely make these again and again. They are beautiful, too. My husband raved about these, even though pecan pie is not his favorite pie flavor. I love the sweet and salty buttery pecan component, and it is just the right sweetness for the soft cookie. Thank you, Carolyn, for sharing.
Camille says
I think this is the first recipe I’ve made from this website or any of her cookbooks that didn’t come out. The cookies have a nice flavor, but they spread in the oven and are the thickness of a fortune cookie. I followed the recipe exactly. My butter was room temperature (not too warm), my oven was preheated…. I’m not sure what went wrong.
Carolyn says
I am not sure either, because you can see from the other comments that this has worked for many people. You clearly needed more flour so perhaps you mismeasured?
Donald Walker says
Happy Holidays! I plan to make these in a few days and wondered if the flour substitute HighFalutinLowCarb (Wes) featured might work for the almond flour? I understand this isn’t his recipe but the originator’s name escapes me for the moment! I’m not crazy about almond flour cookies but may be unfairly anticipating the same results I usually get before trying this as you’ve written it. Just wondered if you’ve done any experimenting with this flour and if you think it might be an adequate substitute? Thanks so much for your recipes. I’ve NEVER been disappointed which makes me feel a little disloyal to be asking this question!
Carolyn says
I honestly can’t say. I don’t really believe in flour subs because nothing works like wheat flour except wheat flour.
I base my choices on what will produce the right texture and in this case, almond flour is the right choice. My understanding is that this “blend” contains protein powder. That will not give your cookies the proper texture. Protein powder is great in cakes and muffins but not for things that need crispness.
Carolyn says
Are these cookies gluten free?
Carolyn says
Yes. No flour = gluten free.
Joanne E Hein says
I first saw this recipe last night in a You-tube shorts clip, and today it’s in my emails this morning , must be meant to bake asap next❣
Heather Flowers says
These look so yummy, I can’t wait to try.
Do you think this recipe would work as a pie if I made it into one big cookie in a tort pan and then added the pecan mixture to the top?
Prior to my husband and I doing keto our thanksgiving dessert was a pecan pie tort. I’ve sadly never found a good keto alternative. This sounds hopeful.
Thanks for sharing all your yummy recipes! 🌻
Carolyn says
Why not make my regular keto pecan pie recipe? https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/best-low-carb-maple-pecan-pie/
Katie says
These are fabulous!!! I do a lot of low carb baking and cookies are hard to get right for me. My 3 teenagers are critical (in a good way) but not with these. Thanks for doing what you do!!
Carolyn says
Great to hear!
Sharon Smith says
Love these❣️❣️
Gina Donza says
I didn’t make these yet, so I can’t rate them. I’d like to know when you add the filling to the cookie wells. Do you add them after they come out of the oven and you reform the wells? Do you wait till they cook first before filling? Not sure as the recipe never mentions when to fill the wells.
Gina Donza says
Disregard question as the pictures answered it.
Carolyn says
Okay. But FYI… the last step of the recipe says: Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Spoon the mixture into the wells of the cookies and let cool.
Linda Abercrombie says
Which one of your cookbooks are these cookies in?
Carolyn says
None of them, it’s a brand new recipe.
Jennifer says
I can’t wait to try these once they’re done cooling off on my counter!
One question – I accidentally used too much butter, so I ended up doubling the cookie dough. I only had enough pecans for one batch. Any ideas what I could do with the remaining unfilled cookies? Maybe a pumpkin pie filling or a chocolate pie filling?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
So many ideas! Try just making some chocolate ganache, like my keto peanut blossoms!
Jill says
Just finished making these wonderful cookies, they came out great.
Sorry I can’t post a picture they look perfect! Thanks
Mary says
Amazing!! 🤩. I just made these incredible keto pecan pie cookies and let me tell you, you will not feel left out with these! Mouth watering, decadent and so delicious! Thank you, Carolyn.
Kristi says
These look fantastic! Can’t wait to try the recipe for our Christmas cookie swap next month!