These Keto White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are everything good in the world. Tender and a little chewy, with plenty of nuts and white chocolate. You’ll find it hard to believe they didn’t come from a bakery!
I started baking with low carb ingredients a long time ago, long before keto was a trendy way of eating. Back then, in those long ago days, we didn’t have very many options when it came to keto chocolate. And we had zero options for sugar-free white chocolate!
I tried a few times to make my own at home, but it just never really lived up to the promise. So I made up my mind to just go without, rather than settle for something sub-par. And then suddenly, in 2019, several different companies came out with good low carb white chocolate chips all at the same time. And of course, the very first thing I made were these keto cookies.
Since then, I’ve made any number of luscious creations, including keto peppermint cheesecakes and keto white chocolate fudge. But these cookies! Oh these gorgeous chewy cookies. You want these in your life, preferably as soon as possible.
Why we love this recipe
This recipe has long been one of my most popular. Here’s why:
- Chewy texture: Using a little collagen or gelatin helps give keto cookies a wonderful chewy texture.
- Classic flavor: These have all the flavor of conventional cookies.
- Easy to make: I tinkered with the recipe a bit and now they are even easier to make!
- Easy to store: You can make a big batch and freeze them for when you need a little treat.
- Low carb: Each serving of 2 cookies has less than 7 grams of carbs.
Reader’s Thoughts
“Just made these cookies. First time since going keto that I’ve ventured into something sweet. They are delicious and will definitely be part of my Christmas treats over the holidays.
Thank you Carolyn!” — Sharon
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: Always use a finely ground almond flour, as it gives keto cookies the best texture.. You can use sunflower seed flour as a nut-free alternative, but your cookies will be more gray in color.
- Collagen powder: This is optional, but it makes the cookies extra tender and chewy. You can replace this with 1 tablespoon of grass-fed gelatin or 1 envelope of Knox gelatin.
- Sweetener: I like to use a combination of brown sugar replacement and regular granular sweetener. I recommend erythritol in both cases, for the best texture (see Tips for Success for more information).
- Macadamia nuts: It’s best to chop these fairly finely so that the cookies hold together a little better. But you can have some bigger chunks in there too, for texture and visual interest.
- Sugar-free white chocolate chips: I recommend Lily’s or ChocZero for the best taste and texture.
- Pantry staples: Butter, egg, vanilla extract, baking soda and salt.
Step by Step Directions
- Chop the nuts: In a chopper or a food processor, process half a cup of the macadamia nuts until they resemble coarse crumbs. Use a sharp knife to coarsely chop the remaining nuts.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: Whisk together the almond flour, collagen, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together. Stir in the macadamia nuts and half of the white chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
- Form the cookies: Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place several inches apart on two large baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Press down to about 1/2 inch thickness with the heel of your hand.
- Bake the cookies: Bake at 325ºF for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges (If your oven cooks unevenly, you can switch the pans halfway through baking). The cookies will still be very soft. Remove and gently press a few more white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie. Let cool completely on the pan.
Tips for Success
It’s important to note that keto white chocolate chips don’t bake exactly as the conventional kind do. They have a tendency to melt during baking. This is why I always recommend holding back half of the chips and pressing them into the tops of the cookies right after you take them out of the oven.
I find that the Bake Believe brand of white chocolate chips is really bad in this way. They pretty much melt and disappear during baking. If you can use Lily’s or ChocZero, I recommend those instead.
Give the cookies some space! They do spread quite a bit during baking so you don’t want them to run altogether.
Be careful when grinding the nuts in a food processor. Macadamias contain a lot of oil and can become nut butter very easily.
Sweetener Options: I really think that erythritol based sweeteners work best in keto cookie recipes. Allulose tends to make them softer but they also brown too quickly during baking. That said, you can certainly use it if you prefer. Just keep a close eye on them in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store your cookies in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 10. You can also freeze them, both before and after baking, for up to 2 months. Make sure they are tightly wrapped up to avoid freezer burn.
I have found that Lily’s white chocolate chips perform best during baking, but ChocZero is a good option as well. Bake Believe white chocolate chips tend to melt and disappear during baking. They also tend to seize more when melting them for glaze or drizzle.
This keto white chocolate macadamia nut cookie recipe has 6.7g of carbs and 3.4g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.3g net carbs for two cookies.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw macadamia nuts, divided
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar replacement
- 1/3 cup granular sweetener
- 2 tbsp collagen protein powder, (optional)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sugar-free white chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a chopper or a food processor, process half a cup of the macadamia nuts until they resemble coarse crumbs. Use a sharp knife to coarsely chop the remaining nuts.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweeteners, collagen, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in the melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together. Stir in all of the macadamia nuts and half of the white chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
- Roll the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls and place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (they will spread). Press down to about 1/2 inch thickness with the heel of your hand.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges (If your oven cooks unevenly, you can switch the pans halfway through baking). The cookies will still be very soft. Remove and gently press a few more white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie. Let cool completely on the pan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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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I used dark chocolate chips instead of white. It is so yummy! I’m serving it along with pumpkin pie & pecan pie for the Thanksgiving meal, as an extra treat! Thank you for this one!
Tasty!
Made these tonight. So good! I did not have collagen, so used 1 Tbsp beef gelatin. Not sure if that was a good idea, but they turned out well, just a little delicate. 🙂
Thank you for your recipes.
As always, great recipe! I have never made anything from Carolyn that wasn’t great!
I have a question about adding more protein to these cookies. Can I add more protein powder as a substitute for some of the almond flour?
I’ve tried with other cookies and it can make them very dry…
Super delicious!! I made them as a gift but ended up eating quite a few!! I’ll be making and giving these on repeat. Thank you for all the great recipes!
Hi. I have been following you on Facebook for years, and today all of a sudden it looks like you have blocked me, and I have no idea why. I did comment about Cajun sausage on a recent post, but I am mystified why that would have been a problem. Because I logged out and looked, and the comment’s completely gone.
If it was an accident or mistake, no worries. But if it was on purpose, I don’t understand. We’ve never had a problem between us before. Ever. In well over a decade.
My account is here. I’m putting spaces in it so that hopefully it doesn’t parse as a link — don’t want to trip a spam filter:
www (dot) facebook (dot) com (slash) dana (dot) seilhan (dot) 9
Made your Ultimate Brownies first and they were so delicious I had to try these cookies, which happen to be my husband’s favorite cookies other than Anzac biscuits. After he tried them his first comment was ‘you can make these all the time.’ This was from someone who has turned up any Keto sweets in the past. These were a huge hit with everyone and am usually making a batch every other week.
Great to hear!
I just made a batch this afternoon Carolyn. Delicious!
Thankyou…
I use dark chocolate chips. Add a little extra coconut. Mine do not spread. Thick and moist . Hunny says they are so good they are like crack!!
Very good. They even get crispy. I use half the sweetener called for in the recipe. The white chocolate chips are sweet enough. Love the chalk zero vanilla chips.
I’ve been adding an extra two teaspoons of almond flour and the cookies are still nice and soft but don’t spread so much. I use Kirkland brand almond flour. I tried refrigerating or freezing the cookies before baking and they still spread more than I liked. It might depend on your almond flour. I did follow the recipe exactly as written.
Hi! Your white chocolate cookies recipe is amazing! But a have a question: do I need to refrigerate these cookies ( white chocolate cookies) for a few minutes or cooling before baking?
Cheers
Karem
No, you don’t. But if you find yours spreading too much, you can certainly try it.
Just made these cookies. First time since going keto that I’ve ventured into something sweet. They are delicious and will definitely be part of my Christmas treats over the holidays.
Thank you Carolyn
This is the best cookie recipe I keep going back to. It’s phenomenal and I have made it over 15 time! Can sub pecans or other nuts and chocolate chips.
Made these cookies tonight. They did spread a LOT. Haha. But still tasted great. I used monk brown sugar and white. Just because i like that flavor better, bit cleaner too for me. Had to really let them cool before I could break them apart. They do break so so easily. But, taste is def there.
I have been using the Bake Believe rabd of dark chocolate chips as I can find a large bag at Costco fairly inexpensive for what they are. I wonder if freezing the white chocolate chips would help them hold their shape. I’m not a big white chocolate chip fan but will definitely try these as I love macadamia cookies! I will look for the Lillys chips first. Thanks for all your great recipies!
Cristie