Keto Shortbread Cookies | Low Carb Cookies

Name: Keto Shortbread Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup softened grass-fed butter; ⅓ cup erythritol (or sweetener of choice); salt (to taste (~⅛ tsp)); ½ tsp vanilla; 1⅔ cups almond flour

posted by Alyssia Sheikh on March 15, 2018 (updated June 15, 2023)

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Keto Shortbread Cookies – 5 Ingredient Low Carb Dessert!

Okay, healthy shortbread cookies would be a feat in and of themselves. But, low carb, KETO shortbread cookies? Definitely impossible without some kind of magic! …Or are they?

Of course they’re not! I’m no wizard, but with a few healthy baking substitutions, we CAN make clean, sugar free, low carb shortbread cookies. In fact, it’s not all that hard—and you only need 5 ingredients!

The main carb culprits in traditional shortbread cookies are the refined flour and added sugars. And, those are simple fixes, just by using almond flour and a low carb sweetener instead. But, the other main ingredient—butter—is just what we need to pack the fuel-filled fats into our keto shortbread cookies!

For more paleo & low carb cookie recipes just like this, download my FREE eBook!

Low Carb Cookies Dynamite Duo: Almond Flour & Erythritol

It’s great that these keto shortbread cookies can suit a low carb lifestyle, but they’re also SO much more nutritious than traditional shortbread cookies. Refined grains have been stripped of their nutrients, so they offer our bodies empty calories and carbs that spike our blood sugar and disrupt our metabolism.

But, almond flour is just made from almonds, so it’s totally grain free and full of satiating fiber and protein. And, it packs two grams of protein into each of these keto shortbread cookies—which is pretty impressive for a cookie!

Then, the key to sweetness in low carb cookies and low carb desserts is natural low calorie sweeteners, like stevia and erythritol. You could also use artificial no calorie sweeteners, but I try to avoid or limit my consumption of them and artificial food additives in general.

Both stevia and erythritol come from plant sources, and they contain carbs that don’t affect blood sugar and aren’t digested. Erythritol is actually a natural sugar alcohol, and I prefer to it because I don’t get the same aftertaste that I sometimes do with stevia. But, you can use whichever sweetener you prefer in your keto shortbread cookies!

Soft & Buttery Keto Shortbread Cookies

For a moment, forget about these being keto shortbread cookies. Just think about shortbread cookies in general. A true shortbread cookie should be buttery, soft, and indulgent—NOT dry and dense like a biscuit!

And, even though almond flour has a denser texture than refined flours, these keto shortbread cookies are unbelievably soft and toothsome. And, all of that buttery goodness is thanks to all of the butter! (Naturally.)

The saturated fats in butter make it the perfect baking ingredient, helping to give baked goods volume and texture. But, those fats are also just the kind of FUEL that’s needed on a keto diet! (If you’re curious about ketogenic diets or ketosis, you might like my Keto 101 video!)

And, between the butter and almond flour, you can get six grams of wholesome fat in one of these keto shortbread cookies—for only 64 calories a pop!

None of the Carbs, All of the Deliciousness

To make low carb cookies and low carb desserts, you don’t have to sacrifice flavor, texture, or indulgence. There are so many low carb baking substitution options, and most of them are much cleaner and more nutritious than traditional baking ingredients!

Because indulging shouldn’t have to come with a dose of guilt. Best of all, did I mention that there are ZERO net carbs in each one of these keto shortbread cookies?!