The holiday season is nothing without cookies. The presents are nice, the family time is priceless, and the week of rest is much-needed—but the cookies? They're pretty much the sole reason we're flitting from party to party for a month straight.
At Delish, we don't play: From classic gingerbread cookies to wacky leg lamp ones, we've make enough to feed a veritable army. Unfortunately, it's come to our attention that not everyone can enjoy our over-the-top cookie bounty. The ketogenic diet had a huge jump in popularity this year, leaving people searching for sugarless, high-fat snacks.
Which brings us to this bit of good news (whether you're keto or you've got friends and family who are): We wrangled three of our favorite keto bloggers and the geniuses in the Delish test kitchen to dream up keto-friendly holiday cookie recipes. They're giving you six incredible treats—one for every kind of cookie lover—for you to swap with your loved ones this season.
We want to know how you think they stack up against one another: There's a spot for you to cast your vote once you've seen all the cookies. And see if you can catch our favorite (we asked some of our team's most strident keto followers to sample the cookies and weigh in!). Without further ado, let the games begin...
If you're a total chocaholic...
"I made these double chocolate chip cookies simply because I love chocolate...and I also love making cookies. I have about 100 cookie recipes on my site, but nothing like these.
In my opinion, the best keto recipes are easy ones. This is a one-bowl recipe, and from start to finish, it only takes 15-20 minutes. I personally love to bake with almond flour for two reasons—it has close to the same properties of wheat flour and it's incredibly low carb—and it worked especially well in this cookie recipe. As for the chocolate chips, Lily's semi-sweet style baking chips have zero net carbs, and they're what I've been using lately.
I'll leave you with a pro tip (let these cookies cool down so they can firm up) and an insider hack: I like making these cookies "giant"—basically double their original size. Each cookie still only has 2.5 grams of net carbs." —Joe Duff, The Diet Chef, @thejoeduff
If you like classics with a twist...
"I’ve always been partial to a good shortbread (minimal ingredients, easily adaptable flavor), so I set out to make the cookie keto. My first order of business: finding a classic all-purpose flour replacement. The more I’ve experimented with keto baking, the more I’ve fallen in love with coconut flour. It is, and I mean this in the most positive way possible, very dry. The best kind of dry, in fact, to make the most tender, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread.
With the base settled, I could focus on my flavor of choice: snickerdoodle. Coconut and cinnamon are the perfect flavor combo, and cream of tartar (which adds that signature snickerdoodle tang) is luckily keto-friendly. And great news: They’re also vegan and gluten-free." —Lena Abraham, Delish
If you eat peanut butter out of the jar...
"In order to make the best keto cookie, we have to be realistic about the ingredients we’re working with. No grain flours, no starches, no cane sugar or any carb-heavy sweetener, and definitely no conventional chocolate chips. The key players we’re left with? Nuts, butter and oils, eggs, aaaaaand that’s about it.
Given these limitations, the first cookie that popped into my head was peanut butter sandies. At their best, they’re rich but tame, very lightly sweetened, and super simple. Because of their classically crumbly character, there’s no need for all-purpose flour here: Almond flour is a perfect substitute and a tablespoon of coconut flour is all you need to kick up the nutty taste. The peanut butter and egg yolks act as the perfect binder, and just half a stick of butter will perfect and round out the flavors while providing a bit of aeration to the cookie. As for sugar, our whole team swears by Swerve—erythritol is hands-down the best keto-friendly sugar substitute we’ve come across." —June Xie, Delish
If you go nuts for nuts...
"These low carb pecan crescents are full of deep and emotional nostalgia for me. They were my father’s favorite Christmas cookie when I was growing up, and I remember him always helping himself to a few as the cookie plate made its way around the holiday table. I was inspired to attempt a low carb version—I was delighted with how they turned out and he was pleased to indulge in something healthier.
They have the same soft and yet slightly crumbly texture of the original, and the same delicious pecan flavor coming through, without an ounce of sugar or gluten. Our traditional family recipe called for brown sugar, so I use Swerve's brown sugar substitute. (Can't find it? Try regular Swerve and 2 teaspoons of yacón or molasses.) This recipe makes a lot of cookies (which freeze well both baked and unbaked) so it’s perfect for holiday parties or gift-giving." —Carolyn Ketchum, All Day I Dream About Food, @fooddreamer
If you're the indecisive type...
A keto cookie that doesn’t feel remotely keto—that was my only goal during this challenge. And these magic keto cookies are just that...magic. I know everyone says it, but truly, no one would know these are keto. Instead of using any alternate flours, I left them out completely and let the ingredients speak for themselves.
You don’t end up with anything dry and crumbly. Just a dang good cookie. Held together by coconut, chocolate chips, and walnuts (you don't have to choose what you're in the mood for—these cookies have it all), they come out light instead of heavy. They have a strong macaroon vibe, but the rich chocolate makes them so much better. The cookies are easy enough to whip together in a moment’s notice and are perfect to keep in the freezer to defrost for a late night snack. Replace the walnuts with pecans, almonds, or even pistachios! It’s the cookie that keeps on giving.
If you're a Christmas cookie purist...
[Matt] "My mom made these cookies every year for Christmas. She'd make eight to 10 different varieties, but the snowballs were always gone first. Her version was the full-carb kind, but the recipe is perfect for adapting to keto because of the nut base—and they're by far the closest we’ve gotten to making an exact replica of a non-keto recipe.
Walnuts are one of the best nuts in our opinion. They have a good macro profile for a low carb diet, and they also make great desserts. Honestly, your non-keto friends probably won't be able to tell the difference, but you could easily make a double batch and roll some in real sugar." —Matt Gaedke and Megha Barot, KetoConnect, @keto.connect
GET THE RECIPES!
Craving even more keto content?
We've got so much more—enough to take you from breakfast to lunch to dinner. If you're new to keto and want a little bit more hand holding, look no further: Our 21-Day Keto For Carb Lovers plan will turn you into a convert in no time. Ready to conquer keto on your own? We've can help, with an explainer of wtf the diet actually is, a chart of the most low-carb flours, and success stories to fuel you.
