Crispy and delicious, these low carb butter pecan cookies are one of my most popular keto dessert recipes. They’re so buttery and sweet, and so easy to make. And they’re egg free!
I am delighted to be re-introducing you to one of my most popular keto cookie recipes. Now, for those of you who love these butter pecan cookies, don’t panic. I haven’t changed the recipe at all.
I’ve just taken some new photos and added in even more tips and tricks to get the best low carb cookies imaginable! Because you deserve success in your keto baking.
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Popular low carb cookie recipe
This recipe was first published in my cookbook, The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen, and I was amazed at how popular it was right off the bat.
But really, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that these unassuming little cookies took the keto world by storm.
While they aren’t fancy looking, and they don’t have frosting or sprinkles or beautiful drizzles of chocolate ganache, they pack a huge flavor punch.
They’re shortbread-style cookies, with no eggs and no baking powder. Just like traditional shortbread, they are the perfect marriage of flour, butter, and sweetener. Crispy, buttery, and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth.
Have I sold you yet?
Ingredients for butter pecan cookies
Just like conventional shortbread, you don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients for this recipe. You simply need:
- butter
- sweetener – must be erythritol based for a crisp cookie
- flour – a mix of almond and coconut flours gives the right consistency
- vanilla
- salt
- chopped pecans
Tips for keto butter pecan cookies
The method is ridiculously simple but I have a few extra tips for you!
- Use softened butter. The butter should be soft enough for you to press a finger easily into it. If not, warm it up ever so slightly before proceeding, otherwise the other ingredients won’t beat in as well.
- Beat in the sweetener. It is absolutely imperative to use an erythritol based sweetener such as Swerve here. Erythritol is the only sweetener that allows cookies to get crisp. Even a small amount of allulose or BochaSweet will make them too soft.
- Add the flour, vanilla, and salt. The dough should be very uniform and well combined.
- Stir in the chopped pecans. I find it easiest to do this by hand, as the nuts can get caught in the beaters.
- Roll into balls and flatten slightly. Don’t push them down too much yet, as the edges crack when you do. Bake for 5 minutes.
- Flatten again. This is a trick I developed to get nice flat keto cookies. After a few minutes of baking, the dough is softer and more cohesive, so you can press them down thinly with a flat bottomed glass.
- Finish baking and enjoy! Remember, they will continue to crisp up as they cool so, as hard as it might be, leave them alone for a bit.
Slice and bake method
I want to give you one additional tip for these low carb cookies that I think you will appreciate, and that’s the slice and bake method. It’s ideal for making them in advance and baking a few cookies at a time. Here’s what you do:
- Divide the dough in half and roll each into a log about 1 ½ inches thick.
- Wrap each log tightly in waxed paper and freeze for 1 hour.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into ¼ inch slices.
- Bake 5 minutes, then flatten with a glass.
- Proceed as directed.
You can freeze the dough logs for up to 2 months, but they will be very hard right out of the freezer. Let them soften for about 20 minutes before slicing. You can just cut a few and return the rest of the dough to the freezer, or you can make the whole batch.
Frequently Asked Questions
As mentioned above, these are shortbread style cookies. The recipe works as written and trust me, as long as you are using finely ground almond flour, they hold together just fine!
Please be sure to read the How To section. If you want a crisp cookie, the sweetener MUST be erythritol based, with no allulose or xylitol in the blend. As long as the main ingredient is erythritol, other sweeteners such as Lakanto should be fine.
Absolutely! Many readers have enjoyed these as low carb chocolate chip cookies too.
I have not tested this myself but palm shortening or coconut oil will probably work.
Storage information
Once baked, simply keep these low carb cookies in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days. You can also refrigerate them for up to 10 days or freeze them for several months.
If you would prefer to freeze the raw dough, please refer to the “Slice and Bake” method outlined above.
Other keto pecan recipes you might like
- The Best Keto Pecan Pie
- Keto Maple Pecan Scones
- Sugar Free Pecan Turtles Candy
- Keto Biscotti with Pecans and Cranberries
- Pecan Crusted Salmon
- Brown Butter Pecan Muffins
Keto Butter Pecan Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sweetener together until lightened and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the almond flour, coconut flour, vanilla extract, and salt until well combined. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake 5 minutes then remove from the oven and use a flat-bottomed glass to flatten again to about ¼ inch thick. Return to the oven and bake another 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
- Remove and let cool completely. Store on the counter for 4 days and in the refrigerator after that.
Shelley says
These look very tasty and I can’t wait to make them. I have a question though that I hope people who have been on keto longer than me can answer…..real sugar has 6 grams of carbs per teaspoon. BochaSweet (and others) have 4 or 5. Why not just use real sugar?
Carolyn says
Sugar affects blood sugar. However, Swerve (erythritol) and allulose have zero impact on blood sugar. They have “carbs” but the carbs don’t act like carbs. As someone who actually tests her blood sugar, I can tell you that this is true. 🙂
Jeanie Miller says
These have replaced chocolate chip as the family favorite.
Kathy Eckelberry says
I have a big bag of pecan flour can I substitute the pecan flour for the almond flour? otherwise, This recipe looks fantastic! Will be making this weekend.
Carolyn says
They will be very coarse and may not hold together as well.
Tulips says
How did your cookies turn out? I also have pecan flour; that’s why I going through the comments 🙂
Rita says
Delicious, but way too sweet when I used Lakanto golden monk/erythritol. Cut sweetener in half and the cookies were perfect. Love your recipes.
Tina says
I’m made this recipe and it was great so now I am attempting making peanut butter cookies using the same ingredients and methods. Instead of butter using peanut butter…… they are being cooked right now so not sure the outcome but love using recipes as a base for my own variations
Blessings
Tina says
The peanut butter variation turned out amazing….. keep an eye they don’t burn … they don’t take as long
Wyann Eggers says
love these
Rhett Barnes says
This recipe sounds great but my wife has a dairy allergy. Can you recommend a good butter alternative (e.g., plant based butter, coconut oil, etc.)?
Carolyn says
You can do it with plant based butters but they are a little more fragile. If she can do ghee, that’s even better!
Sharon Cartwright says
I’d give these 10 stars if I could. I used a monk fruit and erythritol blend for my sweetener.
I especially like the option to roll them up and refrigerate the dough. This allows me to cook one batch at a time because I only have one of those silicone mats. 
Yum!
Carol says
Turned out perfectly. Your attention to sharing details for success is so appreciated.
Shannon N. says
I just made these and they are utterly delicious! Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Sandra says
I am confused about the calories.. One cookie has 240 cal?
Carolyn says
No. If you read that nutritional panel more carefully, you will see that the serving size is 2 cookies.
Nancy says
Are there no eggs in this recipe? I’m looking forward to trying.
Carolyn says
Please make the recipe as written. No, there are no eggs.
Helen says
Delicious recipe! Want to make some for my father who is a Type 2 diabetic. But I also have to make them low salt. Could I leave out the salt?
Carolyn says
Sure!
Sally says
If I only have salted butter, would it work to leave out some or all of the salt called for in the recipe?
Joanne says
I find them a bit too sweet so I’ll cut back the sweetener the next time I make them. I also can taste coconut in them, which fortunately I like. I will try them again!
Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!
Susan says
Thanks for another delicious recipe! I made these this afternoon and just had one with a cup of coffee. Delicious! I was worried I might have done something wrong because the dough was very crumbly, but it all worked out. They were very soft when hot, but crisped up perfectly when they cooled.
In case anyone is wondering, I used half coconut oil and half ghee (instead of butter) because I will be sharing these with a dairy-free family member (she is able to have ghee). I haven’t made them the correct way to compare, but they are really good this way!
Debbie says
I’ve tried a few of your recipes and all of them are delicious! I’m going to use this pecan cookies recipe and take out the pecans and substitute with cocoa powder. I’ll first try 3 tablespoons and tweak as I go. Ty so much for taking the time to give us the best keto recipes Debbie
Melissa says
Hi there.
I am curious to know if these and most of your recipes could be made with regular sugars instead of sweeteners?
I am not Keto, but am gluten free and am not keen on sweeteners in general
Could you let me know if generally I should just be able to mark the swap or if sweeteners and the gluten free flours are a ‘’magic’ combination or something?
Thanks so much
Carolyn says
I wish I could tell you… but I don’t use it at all. And Swerve behaves very differently than sugar. You can replace it cup for cup in terms of sweetness but I just can’t say that texture and consistency will be exactly the same.
Alina says
How delicious! I overbaked some of them a bit as I flattened them too much but the ones that baked just right were so good! Even my kids and husband can’t stop eating them. 🙂 These cookies are so expensive in the store so I am thankful for this recipe!
Carolyn says
Great to hear!
Sherri Davis says
Oh my goodness! I am fairly new to the baking KETO world and de used to give these little gems a go and I am really sorry that I did! How in the world am I supposed to keep from eating every single cookie? These were amazing and did not taste like it is good for me! My sweetheart loves pecans so that is why I tried these. I did add one extra thing to it – unsweetened coconut because that is another one of my hubby’s favorites and it worked great!
Thank you!!!!!! Thank you for creating a cookie that was both easy and so yummy! I am converted to your KETO way of baking/cooking. I am goi g to go find another recipe to try! 💞💞💞