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.
Melodye says
I made a double batch today. Give some to my neighbor and she loved them. These are a win!
Crystal Thornton says
These are simply divine and have become a new staple in my 🏠! Thank You!
Dianne West says
Is this supposed to make 20 cookies, or 20 servings of two cookies? It’s a little confusing to me, and I want o make sure I’m counting my macros right cause we eat a LOT of these!!! 😋
Carolyn says
40 cookies, 20 servings.
Susan Brudos says
These are delicious. Thank you for the great recipe!
Jan Lewis says
Just made these. I didn’t have any plain Swerve granular so I used half Swerve powdered and half Swerve brown. Everything else was the same. They taste good, but aren’t very sweet. Is it the sweetener I used or are they not a sweet cookie? Just curious.
Carolyn says
Well for one thing, sweetness differs for a lot of us with these sweeteners. Some people find them TOO sweet. But… I have found that if I don’t pack the Swerve Brown into the measuring up, the final result tends to taste less sweet to me.
Roger says
Just did 2 batches of these cookie….first one turned out fine, second I left in the oven a minute or so longer for a darker look.
Both taste fantastic!
They’re now sitting on the bench top waiting to be bundled up for little Christmas parcels (after I carefully scrape off a little of the burnt butter run-off).
Love ‘em 😀👍
Michele says
I just finished making these cookies and my husband looked at me and said, “ we can have these?” Haha.. I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you. Christmas is my time to shine.. I’m the baker in the family, generally making tons of Christmas cookies. This year I was worried about not having any cookies for my husband and I to eat. These were excellent and I can’t wait to try another recipe!!
Carolyn says
So great to hear!
Cheryl says
These are really good! I used to love Pecan Sandies and these have a similar taste. Most keto cookies are better the day after they’re baked but I don’t think that these can get any better. Thanks again for a great recipe!
Fran McCann says
Fantastic! This is my favourite cookie recipe. I make these cookies about twice a month. I use a Monk Fruit/Erythritol mix instead of Swerve.
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Debbie says
I’ve been looking for a good cookie that is easy to make and tastes like a ‘normal’ cookie. These are the ones! They have turned into my goto cookie. Today I substituted the pecans for some Lilly’s cookies and crème chocolate bar!
Thank you for all you do.
I appreciate you!
Carolyn says
Yum!
Donna says
Hi I’d like to make these for a cookie swap should I let them sit out for a day or so?
Carolyn says
If you need to make them in advance but want them to still be fresh for the swap, I’d make them no more than the day prior.
Sally says
Love your recipes. Tried using coconut oil in same amount as butter – dough did not come together easily- very crumbly and hard to keep form. Tried again with 3/4 coconut oil – flattened out, just crumbly on edges when cooked. I beat the oil & sweetner like the butter, not sure if it should be longer, what the texture should be like.
I have made it numerous time with butter, no issues. Holds together, cooks fine.
Is there something different I need to do when substituting the butter. Add liquid, more oil, beaten more? Should I use ghee instead? What adjustments should I make for either of them. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Julie says
Hi there Sally, what I have found is butter has a lot of water and coconut oil is pure fat. I would add a little almond milk or something. That is what I did with the Walnut (I used pecan) Snowball cookies. I hope this helps.