If you're on the hunt for a low-carb, keto-friendly Christmas cookie recipe, you’ve found your winner for this year! My ketogenic Christmas cookie recipe combines a traditional-style cookie base with a secret ingredient that, when paired with a sweet glazed topping, makes these cookies truly unforgettable. Read on to discover the secret ingredient… but trust me, you’ll need to taste them to experience the magic of these keto Christmas cookies fully!
This recipe is: Low Carb, Keto-Friendly, Gluten-Free and Vegetarian.
Table of Contents
7 Reasons to Make My Ketogenic Christmas Cookies:
- Enjoy the holiday season without breaking your carb count- totally low carb cookies!
- Incredibly easy to make with straightforward ingredients and instructions.
- The touch of peppermint brings a classic Christmas taste to these yummy cookies.
- Nobody will know that these ketogenic Christmas cookies are low carb!
- Fun for the whole family to make together.
- Bonus: these keto holiday cookies are sugar-free too!
- So yummy that everyone will eat them immediately.
Are Ketogenic Christmas Cookies Truly Low Carb?
A traditional Christmas cookie using similar ingredients (but with flour, refined sugar, etc) has almost 9 net carbs per cookie. My recipe for Ketogenic Christmas Cookies stands up to its name, with LESS THAN 1G NET CARBS per cookie. These are very low carb Christmas Cookies and work as the perfect ketogenic cookie option for the holidays. Yes!
Keto Christmas Cookies Ingredient List
For the Christmas Cookie Dough:
2 cups almond flour
8 tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup erythritol, granulated
2 eggs, large
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Frosting (double for red and green batches)
½ cup erythritol, powdered
2 tablespoons water
6-8 drops food coloring
Ingredient Substitutes
- Granulated Erythritol: as with almost all of my recipes, you can easily substitute granulated allulose, granulated xylitol or granulated monkfruit sweetener blend. Keep in mind that the sweetness varies between these sweeteners, so you may need to adjust.
- Peppermint extract: if you don’t have peppermint extract, you can omit (but this is my secret ingredient for these cookies! It tastes amazing with the sugar glaze!)
- Powdered erythritol: just like with the granulated erythritol, you can substitute powdered allulose, powdered xylitol or powdered monkfruit sweetener blend.
Additional Ingredients
- Extracts: if you’re not a fan of peppermint extract, try some different variations. Try some cinnamon extract, almond extract, maple extract (yum!) or some rum extract. Just remember to start with a small quantity (around ⅛ teaspoon), then taste and adjust the dough.
- Mini-Chocolate Chips: adding in some keto or sugar-free mini chocolate chips takes this recipe away from being Christmas themed, but keeps it squarely in the category of delicious.
- Cinnamon: add in ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon for some nice baking spice flavor.
- Nutmeg: everyone loves the flavor of nutmeg around the holidays. Add in about ⅛ teaspoon of freshly shaved nutmeg. So good.
- Sugar-Free Christmas Toppings: I’ve added some sugar-free Christmas themed cupcake toppers to my cookies. They look so festive and delicious. Use some sugar-free holiday sprinkles too!
NOTE: These ingredients are not part of the original recipe- use them to enhance or customize the recipe to your liking.
Cooking Tools
To make these low carb Christmas cookies, you will need the following kitchen tools:
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Electric Mixer
- Dough Scoops
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Wire Rack
- Cookie Spatula
- Icing bottles
How to Make Christmas Keto Cookies: the Complete Cooking Guide
These sugar free holiday cookies are all the rage at my house this year. That’s mainly because the peppermint extract takes these from normal Christmas cookies to extraordinary holiday cookies. Let’s take a walk through the steps to recreate these Christmas desserts in your kitchen.
Cooking Methods:
- Baking
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sweetener until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30-45 minutes to prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of chilled dough and roll them into balls.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1-2 inches apart, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, mix powdered erythritol with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl until smooth. Add the food coloring of choice. Stir until evenly colored.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, frost them with the red and green frosting. Allow the frosting to set before serving or storing.
Step 1: Combine softened butter and granulated erythritol. Use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sweetener together until smooth and fluffy.
Step 2: Add eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract to the creamed butter and sweetener. Blend the mixture thoroughly with the hand mixer until well combined.
Step 3: Gradually add the dry ingredients (almond flour, baking powder, and kosher salt) to the wet mixture. Stir until a soft dough forms.
Step 4: Prepare the frosting by mixing powdered erythritol with water until smooth. Add a few drops of green food coloring to one portion of the frosting and stir until evenly combined.
Step 5: Ensure the green frosting is evenly mixed and set it aside. Repeat the process with red food coloring for the second batch of frosting if needed.
Step 6: Scoop the cooled dough with a dough scoop.
Step 7: Ensure the cookies are evenly spaced to allow for spreading during baking.
Step 8: Bake the cookies at 350°F (175°C) for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
Step 9: Once the cookies are completely cool, frost them with the prepared green and red frosting.
💡 My Pro Tip
The best tip that I can give for this recipe is to use a portioning dough scoop. Not only does it accurately measure 20 cookies, but it mounds them up slightly. Because these keto cookies are made with almond flour, they act differently than wheat flour based cookies. The almond flour tends to spread out a bit if the cookies are flattened too much. I like to leave mine just as the dough scoop created them: round and perfect. Give the cookies enough room to expand and flatten a bit… and then enjoy them with the sweet icing glaze on top!
⏲️ Time-Saving Tips
- Make the dough and store it in the fridge. The cookie dough for this keto cookie recipe works best when it is chilled... so making the dough ahead of time and storing it in the refrigerator is a great idea.
- Use an electric mixer. You can certainly use a whisk to cream together the butter and the sweetener, but why go to all that hassle? Using an electric mixer not only saves time but a lot of frustration.
- Double the recipe. If you're making cookies for a lot of people, be sure to double up the recipe. When you do, however, leave enough spacing on the cookie sheet.
What to serve with Ketogenic Christmas Cookies:
- Keto hot chocolate: Made in the true European style, this keto hot chocolate is thick, rich and absolutely delicious. Curl up with a mug of this and some ketogenic Christmas cookies... so good.
- Sugar-free egg nog: My sugar-free Egg Nog recipe is ready in under 5 minutes and packs all the flavor of a traditional Christmas Egg Nog... without any of the carbs.
- Keto Butter Coffee (Bulletproof coffee): Love coffee but don't want the caffeine crash? Whip up a cup of this keto coffee and dunk one of the keto Christmas cookies in it... yes!
Storage and Reheating
If you have any leftover ketogenic Christmas cookies, they need to be stored properly otherwise they will go stale quickly. Let’s take a peek at how to store these low sugar holiday cookies.
Storage Tips:
- After you have frosted the cookies (so they are already cooled), you can add one layer into an airtight container, then place some wax paper or parchment paper on top. Gently place the second layer etc until all the leftover Christmas cookies are in the container. I like to store them in the refrigerator so the frosting stays hard, but they can be left on the counter as well for up to three or four days.
Freezing Tips:
- These sugar free holiday cookies freeze well. Just add them to a freezer proof container and store for up to a year. Defrost by leaving on the counter for about an hour, then enjoy!
Recipe Conclusion
For years, I’ve been making Christmas cookies for my family but have not been able to enjoy them… either because they have gluten or refined sugar. Recently, I decided to start working on my keto-friendly desserts and have begun working through my old Christmas recipes… and that’s why I’m sharing this recipe with you today.
The combination of peppermint extract, almond flour, and icing glaze is just about a match made in dessert heaven. They are festive and delicious. Nobody knows these are low-carb holiday cookies… unless you tell them.
Give something different a try this year. I promise that they are the perfect keto holiday treat.
Please write in the comments any questions or suggestions you may have. You can also find us on Facebook or Instagram.
Other Fun Keto Dessert Recipes To Try
People often write to ask for more keto dessert recipes, particularly around the holidays. Here are a few keto dessert holiday recipes you will love:
- Keto Chocolate Mousse: Silky smooth chocolate mousse is so good, and has virtually no carbs!
- Strawberry Shortcake Recipe: Although this is more of a springtime recipe, the festive red strawberries serve as a great break from traditional Christmas desserts!
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: These keto-friendly cookies are the perfect make-ahead dessert recipe this year.
- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies: Add some whimsy to your table with this childhood favorite. It's a non-traditional Christmas dessert recipe that everyone will love.
- Keto No Bake Cheesecake: This is a pure white cheesecake that is the perfect canvas for Christmas confections added to it.
FAQs
A good keto cookie has minimal ingredients and no added fillers or bulking agents. Most good keto cookie recipes use almond or coconut flour. They also use all-natural sweeteners such as allulose, erythritol, or a monk fruit blend.
Doing keto through the Christmas season can sometimes prove difficult. The best way to do Christmas on Keto is through preparation. If you've been invited to a gathering, be sure to communicate your needs clearly and with compassion. Offer to bring a few dishes, even if they are small, that you will be able to eat and share. Dessert is typically the most difficult course at Christmas, so find a good keto Christmas dessert recipe and bring that with you.
Ketogenic Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
For the Christmas Cookies
- 8 tablespoons grass-fed butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup low-carb granular sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Frosting (double for red and green batches)
- ½ cup erythritol powdered
- 2 tablespoon water
- 8 drops food coloring
Instructions
Preparing the Cookie Dough
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sweetener together until creamy and light. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, mixing until fully incorporated.
- In another bowl, combine the almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a dough forms.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 30-45 minutes to help prevent spreading during baking.
- Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them into balls. Otherwise, use a dough scoop to make the process faster and easier.
Cooking the Cookies
- Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1-2 inches between each one. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting the Christmas Cookies:
- For the icing, whisk the powdered erythritol and water in a small bowl until smooth. Add in the food coloring drop by drop until the color you would like to have is created. Stir to combine.
- Once the cookies have cooled, frost them with the colored frosting. Allow the frosting to set before serving or storing.
Notes
Nutrition
“This website provides approximate nutrition data and information for convenience and as a courtesy only.”
