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.
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 1/2 inches thick.
- Wrap each log tightly in waxed paper and freeze for 1 hour.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into 1/4 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
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (91 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 1 3/4 cups (182 g) almond flour
- 2 tbsp (14 g) coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1/2 cup (49.5 g) 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.
Video
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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Could I use pecan flour in place of the almond flour?
They are going to be a lot more coarse and probably quite a bit more crumbly.
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?
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. 🙂
These have replaced chocolate chip as the family favorite.
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.
They will be very coarse and may not hold together as well.
How did your cookies turn out? I also have pecan flour; that’s why I going through the comments 🙂
Delicious, but way too sweet when I used Lakanto golden monk/erythritol. Cut sweetener in half and the cookies were perfect. Love your recipes.
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
The peanut butter variation turned out amazing….. keep an eye they don’t burn … they don’t take as long
love these
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.)?
You can do it with plant based butters but they are a little more fragile. If she can do ghee, that’s even better!
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!
Turned out perfectly. Your attention to sharing details for success is so appreciated.
I just made these and they are utterly delicious! Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Glad to hear it!
I am confused about the calories.. One cookie has 240 cal?
No. If you read that nutritional panel more carefully, you will see that the serving size is 2 cookies.
Are there no eggs in this recipe? I’m looking forward to trying.
Please make the recipe as written. No, there are no eggs.
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?
Sure!
If I only have salted butter, would it work to leave out some or all of the salt called for in the recipe?
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!