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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Can we use coconut sugar or Monk fruit or Stevia liquid instead of Swerve?
Any adjustment in amount?
You can try but they may not crisp up as much.
These are the best Low carb cookie thus far. I have been trying out many recipes lately and this is so good! I added two tablespoons of flax meal to the vanilla and let it sit while I was getting everything else ready. It even lowered the carb count more! Thank you! Also, they freeze well.
For the record, adding flax meal (or other fiber sources) to something does not lower the carb count. This is logically and scientifically impossible. Fiber is a carbohydrate. If you’re adding fiber grams, you’re also adding total carb grams. According to a nutrition label I found online, 2 T flax is 4 total carbs and 3 fiber; therefore this adds 1 net carb to the whole recipe.
These are NOT low carb!!! Delicious, but misleading therefore I am rating this as the lowest rating so people may be warned. I should have plugged into Carb Manager before spending money on ingredients before making them. My bad for not doing so.. your bad for advertising as LOw carb.
Excuse me but you are incorrect. Erythritol has carbs but they should be entirely subtracted as they do not affect blood sugar. I test my blood sugar every day it absolutely holds true for me. I also test my ketones and eating treats like this does not kick me out of ketosis.
Your bad, indeed… for not realizing that “Carb Manager” is not a good way to calculate carbs and for not checking to see if you made an error.
By the way, I also have a very clear nutritional disclaimer which states this at the end of every blog post. Therefore I am not at all being misleading as I disclose ALL of this information up front every time.
Can I make this without coconut flour?
Yes but you need to add about another 6 tbsp of almond flour.
Thank you
These were the best cookies ever..was wondering if I could add cranberries or chocolate chips to make two more varieties of this amazing cookie?if so how much not each and any other ingredient change? Thanks so much
Yep! Try adding a bit of orange zest too. Totally delicious!
Oh wow! These are SO GOOD! They’re really a treat with tea. Thank you! =)
These were delicious. They taste like shortbread. I didn’t use unsalted butter so there was just a faint hint of saltiness, but definitely not off-putting. The next time – and there will definitely be a next time – I will use unsalted. Then I think they will taste more like pecan candies. I did take one procedural liberty partly because I am impatient and have lazy tendencies, but it didn’t matter to the end result as far as I can tell. I took my batter directly from bowl to oven without rolling it into a log or chilling. Instead of baking for 5 minutes, mashing them, baking and mashing again, I placed them on the baking sheet, pressed them down and baked for 11 minutes. They turned out just like the photo. Thanks Carolyn. Love your recipes!
Just made these scrumptious cookies, put my macros in, according to carb manager 2 cookies are 14 total/8 net carbs!!
Now I over!!
No you’re not. Are you counting the erythritol? You shouldn’t as it has zero impact on most people’s blood sugar. As someone who tests her sugar daily, I can assure you that it’s correct.
These are delicious! I added just a smidge of ground cinnamon. A very yummy fall treat.
These were easy to make and turned out perfectly. I used Xylitol as this was what I had on hand….found the cookies to be on the sweeter side. Next time I will reduce the sweetener to 1/3 cup. I let the cookies cool before moving them off the baking tray and they did not crumble. These cookies are perfect for when a sweet treat is needed!
Glad you like them!
The cookies look great! I also love the blue and white “Woodland” cup and saucer. I have a huge set of that Wood & Sons English underglazed dishes, which I bought in the 1970s. It has teapots, serving trays, etc. We are still using the dishes.
It was a surprise to see the cup with a recipe.
Cheers, Barb
I purchased that at a local antique store. I love it too!
Thanks for this amazing recipe. The best keto cookie I have tried. Unfortunately, it did not last 4 days. My family loved it.
These def did not turn out like the picture. Followed the recipe exactly and the “dough” was like dust. When I tried flattening after 5 min it all crumbled apart.
Well something went wrong on your end, then, because as you can see, this is a much loved recipe and turns out well for most people. Is there any chance you used coconut flour instead of almond flour? Or perhaps you used almond meal?
I Love this cookie , such a buttery melt in your mouth heaven !
Hands down the Best cookie. So easy and quick to make. I have the recipe memorized.
My favorite LC cookie, and have made them many times and they freeze very well. I have even used the crumbs as base for a cheesecake. Yummy!