[simple-recipe]Starbucks gets a low carb makeover! Grain-free cookies with cranberries, ginger and a white chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Okay, we are down to the wire here. Tomorrow is Christmas and I am throwing one more holiday treat your way. You may have already finalized your menu and finished all of your baking and to that I say good on you mate! But maybe you are the last minute type, a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of gal or guy. I know the type. I know the type very, very well. Because I often am that type; I’m always doing things at the 11th hour. So I feel you. And for the more organized planners among you, I am just hoping to inspire you to whip up yet another goodie to your well-planned holiday spread. Because hey, if you’re that organized, then you should have plenty of time on your hands!
Actually, this year I got much of my holiday baking done on the early side. It rather helps that I’ve moved cross country and know practically no one in my new hometown so I have few people to bake for this year. That cuts down on the baking frenzy like nothing else. I still managed to do enough baking and cooking to have quite a few holiday recipes to share with you. Which is why I am posting this at the 11th hour and throwing your well-planned holiday menu into chaos. Feel free to blame me for the desire to bake cookies at the last minute. I’ve had back to back recipes for the past three days because the holiday season seemed too short this year. But I just couldn’t let you go into your festivities without at least seeing these pretty little Starbucks-inspired cookies. Even if you don’t have time to make them now, they will be just as tasty in January.
My life here in Portland isn’t completely devoid of some social activities, thankfully. Some very kind people, friends of friends, sweetly lent us a number of necessities before our furniture and other belongings arrived on the moving truck. They also invited us over for dinner a few days ago and I couldn’t possibly arrive empty-handed to the house of new friends. I wasn’t sure what would be thought of me and my strange way of baking without sugar or flour, but everyone said the cookies were delicious. Of course, being virtual strangers, they may have just been saying that to be nice. But all the kids (not just mine) loved the cookies and young children are nothing if not brutally honest. So I think it’s safe to say they were a hit.
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter softened
- 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup fresh cranberries chopped
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 ounce cocoa butter melted (or melted coconut oil if you can't get cocoa butter)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened freeze-dried cranberries crushed OR finely chopped fresh cranberries (or if you happen to have some of my sugar-free dried cranberries made up, you could use those)
- 1/2 ounce cocoa butter melted (or coconut oil if you can't get cocoa butter)
- 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
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Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, ginger and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter with sweetener until well combined. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
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Beat in almond flour mixture until well combined, then stir in chopped cranberries. Scoop dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Place a few inches apart on prepared baking sheet and press flat with the palm of your hand to about 1/3 inch thick.
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Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned and and not quite firm to the touch. They will not seem quite cooked through, but they will firm up as they sit. Let cool on pan.
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In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with powdered sweetener until well combined. Slowly beat in melted cocoa butter until combined and smooth. Beat in vanilla extract.
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Spread frosting over cooled cookies. Sprinkle with dried cranberries.
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In a small bowl, whisk melted cocoa butter and powdered sweetener until smooth. Drizzle over cookies and let set, about 30 minutes.
Serves 18. Each serving has 3.59 g of carbs and 1.54 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2.05 g.
Food energy: 145kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 5.03g
Total fat: 13.15g
Calories from fat: 118
Cholesterol: 17mg
Carbohydrate: 3.59g
Total dietary fiber: 1.54g
Protein: 3.30g
Sodium: 120mg
Kim says
I bought a bag of freeze dried cranberries and was wondering what to do with them. Thank you! Do you think I could use the freeze dried instead of fresh cranberries in the dough? I am trying to avoid another trip to the grocery store.
Carolyn says
Yes, I think you can indeed. Sorry for the delay in my reply, we were travelling!
Lynne says
Oh my goodness! I cannot wait to come up with a Monk Fruit version of this! I know that it will be every bit as good as the Monk Fruit version of the best Ginger cookies I have ever made. I promise to share the recipe when I am done. 🙂
Amanda says
These cookies look amazing!!!
Mandy says
I have been following you since August and have tried to make almost every “sweet” recipe that you have. The one thing that I keep running into is some of your cookie dough looks white, but my dough comes out brown, and I dont vear from any recipie. I am trying to figure out what I am doing wrong? Any help wold be appreciated. Thank you
Carolyn says
Okay, tell me a few things…what brand of almond flour? What brand of sweetener? Those are good places to start….
Mandy Ovalle says
Xylitol and or Swerve and NOW almond flour
Carolyn says
I can’t imagine that xylitol or the Now Almond flour would cause things to be more brown but I am not sure. I always use Swerve and I use Honeyville Almond flour. Maybe that would cause it?
Mandy Ovalle says
I will purchase the honeyville brand and try it. Have a hapy New Year and I will let you know how the cranberry bliss cokies turn out! Thank you for the help
Karen says
I made these cookies today and they are wonderful. I am new to low carb cooking and I have a question. What is the purpose of the coconut oil? It doesn’t seem to have any flavor and I had trouble with it separating in the drizzle. I finally threw out the drizzle and made a new one using about a tablespoon or two of half and half. I know that added some carbs, but it mixed we’ll and the cookies came out great. I actually ended up with 23 cookies yeah!!!!
Carolyn says
It’s better with cocoa butter, because it gives it a white chocolate taste, which is traditional in cranberry bliss.
Karen Wood says
Thanks Carolyn. I live in a rural area and the closest whole foods is about 45 min away. Can’t find cocoa butter in my community, so next time I’m near whole foods I’ll look for it. I really love cranberry bliss so it’s worth the effort to stop and get it.
Erica says
So it’s 3G total carb for one cookie? We do total at 30 or less a day so I wanted to be sure the serving was right.
Need to use up some cranberries 🙂
Carolyn says
Yes, a serving size is one cookie.
Ellen K Stehouwer says
Have made these multiple times. They were on the LC menu for our Ribbon Cutting at Kitsap Medical Weight Loss last night. YUM! We also made the “Oatmeal” Chocolate Chip Cookies, and the Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Sausage. Both big hits. Carolyn, I share your recipes and blog multiple times a day with my patients. Thank you for your contribution in improving the health of my patients through your delicious LC recipes.
Carolyn says
I am so delighted you like my recipes so much. Thanks, Ellen.
Connie Wine says
What sweetner can you use besides Swerve? I’m buying too many different things.
Carolyn says
You can try whatever sweetener you wish.
Julie says
Can these be made into bars?
Carolyn says
Probably.
Cheryl Kelly says
How do you like these compared to your recipe for the cranberry Bliss bars? I want to make one or the other for Thanksgiving.
I think that there are white chocolate chips available now from bake believe at Walmart. How would you use those in the recipe?
Carolyn says
That’s a very very old recipe for cranberry bliss bars and to be honest, I don’t recommend it. However, I recently made a new one and plan to post it soon!