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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Would it be ok to use THM gentle sweet? Or I have THM Erythritol.
Yes, you can use either but remember the Gentle Sweet is sweeter than Swerve.
Could I substitute coconut oil for the butter and in the same amount?
I am really not sure. It’s worth a try!
Thanks! I’ll give it a try this weekend.
Wow, my husband loves pecan cookies! Gonna try these today, will report back… Thanks for all the great recipes. I am so going to add your cookbook to my Christmas wishlist.
Can you substitute coconut oil for the butter to make dairy free
Not sure that would work as well in these cookies but you’re welcome to try.
O my goodness are these good! I am thinking I’ll try them with some almond extract and pine nuts instead of the pecans like these cookies we used to get at the Italian bakery. Thank you for yet another amazing recipe!
Caroline, I just entered the recipe in My Fitness Pal and it is calculating 15 carbs per serving. I made exactly 20 cookies and so my serving would be 2 cookies. Entered 10 servings for the entire recipe. It gives me 15 carbs. This will not be good for me as I limit my daily carbs to 20 or under. :{
You’re counting the erythritol…which doesn’t enter the blood stream and thus has zero carb impact. Please read up on erythritol.
Just made these for the second time in one week. So good!!! Topped the second batch with powdered swerve. Tastes just like the Mexican tea cake cookies I used to make.
These are the best low carb cookies I have tried. Afternoon snack with a cup of tea the best!!
Wow, these are fantastic. I just made them using ground xylitol instead of Swerve (not a fan). They are very, very good. I couldn’t wait until they cooled, had to have one right away. Soft and chewey. Thank you for sharing this unbelievably easy recipe.
My favorite cookie recipe. Yum!!
WOW! I made a double batch of these on Friday night and I can’t stop eating them! They get better with time because they get crunchier each day. Good thing I’m at work today and not hanging out in my kitchen! Thank you for the recipe! Love them!
Hi Carolyn…love your recipes! Are eggs not needed in this recipe?
No eggs.
So delicious! Made them this morning and took them to a church gathering. The toasted pecans make all the difference. Thank you Carolyn.
I have never toasted nuts before. Would you please tell me how you do it?
You can do it in an oven at 350F for 5 to 10 minutes or in a hot skillet.
Thanks that could explain it. I followed the online recipe not realising it was slightly different from the book. I still think my flour must be drier that that you use. With double the butter they came out very well. Thanks.for your advice.
Hi Carolyn, I really need some help, because I must be doing something wrong. I am diabetic and find your blog a god send for my low carb high fat diet. I bought your book and was so looking forward to these cookies. However, when I followed your recipe I ended up with a bowl full of bread crumb consistency mixture that seemed very dry and no way were they going to roll into a ball, but I tried some of the mixture and managed to force them into a crumbly lump which after 5minutes in the oven, when I pressed with a glass disintegrated to a pile of bread crumbs again. I don’t understand what I am doing wrong. By adding as much butter again to the rest of the mixture I just about managed to get it to hold together, but things are clearly not right. I need to check if my ingredients obtainable here in the UK are suitable and the measures I use are right? I used a converter which say that half a cup of butter is 114g. I use granulated erythritol as it says in your book. (mine has a tsp of pure stevia powder to a cupful of erythritol. The only fine blanched almond flour I can get is Real Food Source certified organic Extra Fine Almond flour. I have proper USA style cup and spoon measures by which 1 cup is about 240ml. Hope you can suggest something, please?
Yup, things are clearly not right. Sounds like your butter amount was fine. I looked up your almond flour and that seems to be about the right thing too. What about the coconut flour? I have made this recipe probably 8 times now…and as you can see in the video, it holds together. Not sure what the issue is for you.
I used the cup measures (1¾) for the Almond flour and spoon measures 2tbs for the coconut flour. I didn’t soften the butter but I see it says you should in the book. I used a food processor rather than a food mixer. By doubling the butter I have managed to get it to hold together and is in the oven now. I’ve not looked at the video so will do now.
Well, I think not softening the butter is a huge issue, actually. Please make the recipe as written. It’s not meant to be done with cold butter, nor is it meant to be done in a food processor.
The recipe doesn’t actually say ‘softened’ butter. Some might not assume it needs to be?
Thanks, I will changed that. But it does need to be beaten…hard to do with non-softened butter!
I used the cup measures (1¾) for the Almond flour and spoon measures 2tbs for the coconut flour. I didn’t soften the butter but I see it says you should in the book. I used a food processor rather than a food mixer. By doubling the butter I have managed to get it to hold together and is in the oven now. I’ve just looked at the video and it certainly has not looked like that. I wonder if my makes of flours are too fine and too dry? The coconut flour is Groovy Food Company Organic coconut flour.
A food processor will not cream the butter and erythitol. Only a mixer will do that.
Bang on, Barbara. When you blend in cold butter, you are going to get sand. Which is fine for a crust you press into a ban, but not for a cookie.
I’m having the same problem as Paul. I’m in the US so using customary measures and ingredients. I did soften the butter before mixing. In this case, what is the best next step? Adding additional butter or some other liquid maybe? I’m so excited about tasting them! I know there’s a fix out there somewhere. 🙂
Add a few tbsp water until the dough holds together. Could be a difference in brand of coconut flour. But for the most part, they should be made as written, in a mixer.
Did you happen to weigh the almond flour and coconut flour?
Here’s a thought: In watching a couple different British baking shows, the size of the Brit tablespoon is much larger than the American. I wonder if that’s what has happened to you as well. I just googled it, and there is a difference between the two, so you’re effectively adding more coconut flour than called for, which would definitely make the dough too dry.
I used softened butter as well, but got bread crumbs. I increased the butter by half, but they don’t look much like the dough or cookies pictured here. Am I missing an egg or something?
Nope, no missing egg. Something went wrong on your end because as you can see from the comments, these work for most people. Any chance you mismeasured the coconut flour?
Ditto to Paul’s experience ^
But I’m also starting to think I just don’t love almond flour in general…which will be a bummer as I’m diabetic & want to love low carb baking – so missing lovely cake, pastries & breads ????
Texture always seems too grainy for me & the nut flavor seems to overwhelm no matter what I’m making (not using meal & made sure to purchase super fine, blanched) ????????♀️
I’d like to make a bunch of these cookies for Christmas. Can I make the dough ahead of time and put it in the freezer? I’m going to be so busy and want to be able to bake them as needed.
Yes, I did that same thing. I went ahead and rolled it into balls and froze those on a cookie sheet and then put them in a bag for future baking.