Low Carb Shortbread Cookies are a favourite during the holidays. Made with only 4 ingredients, these cookies are rich, buttery, crispy and crumbly with a light sweet taste.
Sugar free shortbread cookies taste like the traditional shortbread cookies but without the carbs and sugar spikes and only 1 gram of carbs per serving.
Buttery keto shortbread cookies are a perfect snack for the holiday season. Unlike sugar cookies these shortbread cookies are less sweet and a little softer with a buttery flavour.
I love this time of year as I enjoy spending time in the kitchen developing new ways to make traditional recipes into low carb recipes. I often will explore the usual holiday cookies and come up with a modified diabetic friendly recipe, along with a few other holiday appetizers and meals. See my Gingerbread Cookies for a chewy and soft holiday inspired treat.
📺 Watch how to make these cookies
🥘 Ingredients Used
Made with only 4 ingredients this shortbread cookie recipe is simple to make and you won't believe they are sugar free and gluten free.
- Blanched Almond Flour: ground blanched almonds were used for this recipe which gives it a slightly nutty flavour. There are shortbread cookies made with coconut flour instead if you have a nut allergy.
- Butter: supporting the flaky and tenderness to these keto christmas cookies
- Erythritol: this is my favourite sweetener as I find it is the closest sweetener to sugar and as a type 2 diabetic it does not seem to spike my blood sugars. You can also use granular monk fruit sweetener instead.
- Vanilla Extract: used to enhance the flavours of all the ingredients
👨🏻🍳 Steps by step instructions
How to make Low Carb Shortbread Cookies
STEP 1: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or you can use a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and erythritol until well combined and fluffy, about a minute. Then mix in a the vanilla extract and then slowly mix in the almond flour a little at a time.
STEP 2: Once mixed, use your hands to knead the dough together and shape the shortbread cookie dough into a ball.
STEP 3: Roll out 12 - 1 inch dough balls and place onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a fork indent a cross hatch into the cookies.
STEP 4: Place in freezer for 10 minutes and then bake in a 350°F preheated oven for 15-18 minutes until they are lightly golden around the edges. Allow to slightly cool on the baking tray until they are firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
👨🏻🍳 Recipe tips
Top Tip: Freeze the raw cookies on the parchment lined cookie sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.
- Serving: enjoy these keto cookies with a nice hot cup of coffee or tea. A cup of low carb or sugar free hot chocolate is also I great way to enjoy these sugar free cookies
- Storage: keep them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
♨️ Recipe variations
These melt in your mouth cookies are great on their own but here are a few variations that you might enjoy for these keto cookies recipe.
- Chocolate - these keto cookies are great dipper in melted low carb chocolate and set to cool on a wire rack to allow the chocolate to harden. You can also use sugar free chocolate chips to make chocolate chip cookies
- Sprinkles - if you have any low carb or sugar free sprinkles they also go well on these low carb cookies.
- Nuts - adding some pecans or walnuts to the cookie dough batter is a nice touch to these cookies
See my Keto Thumbprint Cookies for another holiday recipe.
💭 Frequently asked questions
Good quality butter is what makes these cookies so special.
Although both are delicious, sugar cookies are lighter and shortbread cookies are more dense.
We put them in the freezer to keep the butter in them cool so they don't fall flat while baking.
Each cookie contains only 1g of carbs per serving and are likely to fit into a keto diet. They are also low carb, sugar free and diabetic friendly.
🍽 Other sugar free recipes you might enjoy
Low Carb Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoon softened butter
- ⅓ cup erythritol
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour
Instructions
- Cream together the softened butter and erythritol until well combined and fluffy, about a minute. Then mix in a the vanilla extract and then slowly mix in the almond flour a little at a time.
- Use your hands to knead the dough together and shape into a ball.
- Roll out 12 - 1 inch dough balls and place onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a fork indent a cross hatch into the cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes and then bake in a 350°F preheated oven for 15-18 minutes until they are lightly golden around the edges. Allow to slightly cool on the baking tray and then move to a cooling rack.
Notes
This recipe card provides the basic details to make this recipe. For more information, questions or variations please review the content above the recipe card.
Nutritional Information
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
🌡️ Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more food guidelines
nancy
shortbreads are always so fatty - i love this low cal version!
Jean
These low-carb shortbreads are so delicious, perfect for the occasion.