These Keto Ginger Molasses Cookies are a dream come true for cookie lovers. Thick, chewy, and with the perfect balance of sweet and spice, they always hit the spot. And they have only 2.3g net carbs per serving!
If you love gingery sweets, then these Keto Ginger Cookies are going to blow your mind. They blew my mind when I created them, and clearly others felt the same way. They continue to be a fan favorite, year after year.
They are everything you want in a ginger cookie. Soft and chewy, with a nice gingery kick and a hint of molasses. And when I say a hint, I really mean just a hint.
I put these on my platter of Keto Christmas Cookies every year and they are often the first to disappear!
Why you will love this recipe
This recipe was the first in which I added gelatin for a chewier consistency. And I was surprised and impressed at the difference it made. I use the same trick in other recipes, like keto brownies.
Keep in mind that these are not meant to be crisp like Keto Gingerbread Cookies. Gelatin works best in recipes that have a soft texture. It helps mimic the characteristics of a classic ginger molasses cookie.
One thing I love about this cookie recipe is how easy it is to make. I can whip up a big batch that serves 20 people in less than 40 minutes. They also store really well so you can make them ahead and freeze until needed.
Reader Testimonials
“Yay!! Ginger snaps/molasses cookies are my absolute favorite and I miss them being on Keto. These are amazing and hit all the notes perfectly!!” — SandyB
“I made a batch of these today for ROAD TRIP SNACKS. I’ve gotta say these are the BEST low carb/keto cookies I have EVER made, and I’ve made many. These are the closest to REAL cookies in taste and texture and I really, really thank you!” — Andrea
“I’m surprised as heck, but these cookies work! I’m so used to almond flour producing a product that crumbles very easily and these have a real chewiness.: — Becky
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: As always, finely ground almond flour will make the best cookies, without a grainy texture.
- Grassfed gelatin: The addition of gelatin is key to a chewy consistency, so I don’t recommend skipping it. You can use Knox gelatin, and about 2 envelopes is sufficient for this recipe. You can also try replacing the gelatin with 1/2 cup of collagen peptides.
- Spices: Ginger cookies always include ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and either nutmeg or cloves. You can increase the ginger as much as you like. Some people like to double it in this recipe!
- Almond butter: I use almond butter in this recipe to increase the moisture and create a good thick cookie dough. You can use other nut butters, but peanut butter has a strong flavor and may overpower the spices.
- Swerve Brown: A brown sugar replacement adds more flavor to the cookies than granular white sweetener. I recommend Swerve Brown.
- Molasses: I add 2 teaspoons of real molasses to my cookies, for added color and flavor. You can omit this if you feel strongly about it, but it only adds about 0.5g of carbs per serving.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, butter, baking soda, vanilla extract.
Step by Step Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, gelatin, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, almond butter and sweetener until smooth. Beat in the eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the almond flour mixture and continue to beat until the dough comes together.
3. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and gently press down a bit (to encourage them to spread). Return to the oven and bake another 7 minutes or so, until just barely golden brown. They will still be very soft. Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
Expert tips
Don’t press the cookies down from the start, when the dough is completely raw. This tends to make the edges crack. Allow the cookies to bake for 5 minutes first, to warm up the dough. Pressing down at this point helps them spread properly without making irregular, cracked edges.
Sweetener options: For best results, I recommend erythritol-based sweeteners. BochaSweet and allulose tend to make cookies more puffy and soft, rather than chewy. Allulose also browns very quickly during baking, which may make the cookies too dark.
Gelatin substitutes: You can omit the gelatin altogether, although the cookies will be less chewy. You can also add some collagen peptides, but you will need about half a cup to get the same chewiness. I am not sure that any vegetarian substitutes, like agar agar, will have the same effect. But you’re certainly welcome to experiment!
Frequently Asked Questions
These keto ginger cookies have 4.2g of carbs and 1.9g of fiber. That comes to 2.3g net carbs per serving of 2 cookies. And yes, that includes the molasses!
Adding gelatin goes along way to making keto cookies chewier. It is hygroscopic, meaning that it attracts and holds onto moisture during baking. This characteristic helps offset the lack of gluten and sugar in keto baked goods so that they don’t dry out as much.
Store the cookies in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 2 months. The raw dough freezes nicely as well. Thaw completely before rolling into balls and baking as directed.
More ginger recipes you will enjoy
- Keto Gingerbread Pound Cake
- Easy Gingerbread Waffles
- Sugar Free Gingerbread Latte
- Mini Keto Gingerbread Cheesecakes
- Keto Gingerbread Biscotti
Keto Ginger Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (224 g) almond flour
- 2 tbsp grassfed gelatin
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) baking soda
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground cloves
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (125 g) almond butter
- 1 cup (182 g) Swerve Brown
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp molasses, (optional)
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, gelatin, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, almond butter and sweetener until smooth. Beat in the eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the almond flour mixture and continue to beat until the dough comes together.
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. You should get about 40 cookies.
- Bake 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and gently press down a bit (to encourage them to spread). Return to the oven and bake another 7 minutes or so, until just barely golden brown. They will still be very soft.
- Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
Notes
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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Have you tried replacing gelatin for collagen?
No.
Made these for the first time yesterday. I just had a hankering for a ginger cookie. I increased the ginger, cloves, and cinnamon because I like a ginger cookie with a bite. They came out perfectly! Very satisfying “chew” and a nice gingery bite to it. Definitely a hit with the hubs.
Any thoughts on a frosting for these cookies?
Hi Carolyn, I’m about to make these a written. (Can’t wait!) I am wondering about the Collagen peptides. You said this could substitute for the gelatin. Well, the Collagen peptide I have is lemon flavored. I’ve been giving my mom lemon ginger tea for nausea, and I was wondering if my lemon flavored peptides would be weird? Lemon and ginger together. What’s your opinion?
These cookies are fantastic! I loved the taste and texture. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Carolyn,
These are my favorite cookies of all your cookie recipes! I make them year round and everyone thinks they are amazing. I always make a double batch and freeze it for later. I do have a question about freezing the cookies if I have made from frozen dough. Would it be ok to freeze the baked cookies that have been baked from frozen dough? I own 3 of your books and they are displayed proudly on my buffet in my eat in kitchen. Thank you for all your fantastic recipes and tips.
Nice and moist! I made the mistake of using extra-large eggs, so I really should’ve added more almond flour, but I just didn’t do the flattening step and they turned out well. I’d use more of the spices next time, and add salt, but will definitely make again!
Best Keto cookie texture ever! Moist and soft love it. I added salt because well that’s how I roll. I had to use peanut butter because my almond butter wasnt going to work lol but these are so great. I will follow this technique and try to change up for other flavors but wow, just wow! Love it!
That’s wonderful to hear!
Of all of the holiday sweets that I miss, gingerbread cookies I miss the most! These cookies are soft and rich, and I actually added a bit more cloves and cinnamon for that festive flavor. Then, I used a simple keto buttercream with cinnamon and made them in to whoopie pies. Chef’s kiss!!
these freeze well, and are easy to make and even when flattened to be thinner are delicious.
Can I use Tahini in place of Almond butter?
You can certainly try.
Texturally, these are the best Keto cookies I have ever made. The gelatine is amazing for making them soft. Only thing is I don’t think they need to be flattened as just leaving them as balls resulted in thicker cookies which is what I was hoping for- I also only made 30 cookies and baked them for 10 minutes and that was good for my oven. The first batch I flattened and they went a bit too flat in my opinion but still delicious. I will definitely be making these again!
These are a wonderful cookie. Soft, chewy and full of flavour. I had the issue of my dough being very soft and cupcake consistency. I read the comments and added 1/2-3/4 cup more almond flour. They turned out perfect. Thank you.
Two Thumbs on the tip as mine was battery too. Also not as gingery/spicy as I would have thought or as sweet, which is probably good. But I had a good idea to look for a gingery/spicy frosting.
Plan on making these…if I want a crispier cookie should I reduce the amount of gelatin? Thanks!
This is not the recipe you want. THIS is what you’re looking for: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/classic-gingerbread-men-low-carb-and-gluten-free/
These are delicious!!!!! They turned out awesome and are not difficult to make at all. I used THM baking blend because that is what I prefer, and Pyure brown because that is what I had on hand. I also included the molasses.
Have you ever tried to make anything with Carbalose flour?
Yes, and I detest the taste. 🙂