Keto Christmas cookies allow those following a keto diet to indulge in the same holiday treats as their non-dieting friends during the Christmas season.
Making keto-friendly cookies requires making some basic ingredient swaps. But you should still come out with delicious results that will rival the traditional holiday recipes you grew up with.
What Is Keto?
Keto is short for a ketogenic diet. The diet involves eating a low amount of carbohydrates and a high amount of fat.
Ketogenic diets are supposed to encourage the body to burn fat and excess weight.You might not think of Christmas cookies as being a keto-friendly part of your diet. However, there are several types of keto Christmas cookies you can still have on a keto diet.
How It Works
A keto diet works by forcing your body from relying on glucose to relying on fat as an energy source. On a keto diet, your body will burn fat for energy rather than carbohydrates.
The process of swapping your body’s nutrient intake from prioritizing carbohydrates to fat is called ketosis. This is where the keto diet gets its name.
Common Keto Baking Ingredients
If you’re new to keto baking, there are several common keto baking ingredients you’re sure to run into.
Pantry Keto Baking Ingredients
- Almond flour: Almond flour is made from crushed almonds. This flour can be either store-bought or made at home with a blender.
- Coconut flour: Coconut flour is flour made from dried coconut meat. It is naturally gluten-free and nut-free, making it a keto-friendly option for those with nut allergies.
- Chia seeds: Chia seeds are the seeds of a flowering Mexican plant. They are full of essential nutrients and minerals.
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil can be used as a dairy-free alternative to dairy fats used in baking like butter and margarine.
- Xanthan gum: Xanthan gum is a powdered polysaccharide. It is used to improve the texture of keto Christmas cookies and other keto-friendly baked products.
- Sugar replacements: Sugar replacements in keto-friendly recipes include sugars like stevia, monk fruit, and erythritol.
- Baking soda: Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate. It is responsible for introducing carbon dioxide to baked goods, helping to make them light and fluffy.
- Baking powder: Baking powder has a similar function to baking soda in baked goods. It is used as a leavening agent to help baked goods rise.
- Psyllium husk fiber: The texture of psyllium husk fiber helps add realistic texture to keto-friendly baked goods, making them taste more similar to traditional baked goods.
- Heavy cream powder: Heavy cream powder is a useful alternative to fresh heavy cream since it has a much longer shelf-life. This makes it ideal for baking.
- Gelatin: Gelatin is a flavorless, colorless additive made from collagen. It can help improve the texture of keto-friendly baking recipes.
- Avocado oil: Avocado oil is an oil extracted from avocado pulp that can serve as a dairy-free and nut-free alternative to animal-based cooking oils.
Refrigerated Keto Baking Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Unsalted butter is a major component of many keto Christmas cookies. The fat in butter can give cookies a rich flavor and a moist mouthfeel.
- Cultured ghee: Cultured ghee is a ghee made from cultured butter that can help give keto cookies a smooth texture.
- Eggs: Eggs act as a binder in keto Christmas cookie recipes and can help add moisture to the cookies too.
- Cream cheese: Cream cheese can be added to Christmas cookies either as a primary ingredient or as a cheesecake swirl in chocolate or orange cookies.
Spices, Extracts, and Add-ins
- Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder is made from dried cocoa solids left over after cocoa butter is extracted from them. This powder gives baked goods a rich, roasted flavor.
- Almond butter: Almond butter is made by grinding up shelled almonds into nut butter. The butter can act as a substitute for dairy butter in dairy-free keto recipes.
- Peanut butter: Peanut butter is a nut butter that is often paired with chocolate in Christmas desserts. This nut butter can come in smooth and crunchy varieties.
- Walnut butter: Walnut butter makes a good substitute for dairy butter due to its high-fat content. This nut butter also contains a large amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract is derived from orchid pods. The extract gives baked goods a sweet flavor and a delicate floral aroma.
- Ground cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is a spice that is made from grinding up the bark of the cinnamon tree.
- Sugar-free dark chocolate chips: Dark chocolate makes a better choice for keto-friendly baking recipes than milk chocolate since it contains less sugar.
- Berries: While many fruits have too many sugars to be good for keto Christmas cookie recipes, some sugar-free dried fruits like blueberries can be used in keto baking.
Keto Baking Tips
Keto Christmas cookies aren’t much harder to make than traditional gluten-based Christmas cookies. But there are a few tips you can follow to make the process easier.
- Follow the recipe exactly. While it’s possible to improvise in a cooking recipe and still come out fine, baking recipes are dependent on precise chemical reactions.
- Measure ingredients precisely. This is another aspect of maintaining balance in the chemical reactions used to bake cookies. Don’t guess about your ingredients.
- Use fresh dry ingredients. Using stale baking powder and other ingredients can cause Christmas cookies to not come out as well as they would have with fresh ingredients.
- Bring eggs to room temperature. Room-temperature eggs and buttercream are better for baking than cold ingredients. The result will be a better texture for your cookie dough.
- Don’t over-knead dough. Over-kneading your cookie dough can result in cookies that are crumbly and dry. Instead, knead cookie dough just enough to combine it.
Foods to Avoid in Keto Christmas Cookies
Many baking ingredients are gluten-free and can be used in keto Christmas cookies. But other traditional baking ingredients used in Christmas cookies should be avoided in keto cookies.
Avoid these ingredients when baking keto Christmas cookies:
- Grains and cereals
- Most fruits (Note: Berries are acceptable)
- Fat-free or low-fat dairy
- Starchy vegetables like yams, sweet potatoes, and winter squash
- Sugar
- Candies
15 Best Keto Christmas Cookies
1. Keto Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles are a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. These keto snickerdoodles from Fit and Full use almond flour instead of wheat flour and granulated monk fruit as a sweetener.
2. Keto Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies are round butter cookies that are rolled in powdered sugar to make these cookies resemble snowballs.The keto snowball cookies at Low Carb Yum only have one net carb per cookie. However, they have the same texture as traditional snowball cookies.
3. Keto Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread cookies are one of the most famous types of Christmas cookies. These keto gingerbread cookies at Low Carb Yum ensure you won’t miss out on them on a keto diet.
4. Keto Ricotta Cookies
The rich ricotta in ricotta cookies can help balance out the addition of sugar in these creamy Christmas cookies.Get the keto version of ricotta cookies from All Day Long I Dream About Food.
5. Keto Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies are versatile because they can be decorated in all kinds of ways. The adaptability of keto sugar cookies makes them a practical addition to any Christmas cookie-decorating party. Check out this keto sugar cookie recipe at All Day Long I Dream About Food.
6. Keto Cheesecake Cookies
Cheesecake is a popular holiday dessert option. But it can be a little bit of a hassle trying to serve it out to a large crowd.
These keto cheesecake cookies from Tessa the Domestic Diva make it easy to deliver indulgent cheesecake flavor in a bite-sized package perfect for Christmas parties.
7. Low Carb Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate and peanut butter is a classic Christmas dessert flavor combination. Keep your dessert keto-friendly with these low-carb chocolate peanut butter cookies at My Life Cookbook.
Each of these chocolate peanut butter cookies only has 1.5 grams of carbs. They are baked using keto-friendly powdered sugar from either Lakanto or Swerve.
8. No Bake Keto Low Carb Pecan Pie Cookies
Pecan pie is a favored holiday treat. However, many people may be put off by the tedious preparations necessary in baking a traditional pecan pie. These pecan pie cookies from The Big Man’s World require no baking and are chock full of pecan pie flavor.
9. Low Carb Lemon Myrtle Shortbread
If you’re looking for something a little light and citrusy for your Christmas cookie spread, the keto-friendly lemon myrtle shortbread cookies at Keto Diet will fit the bill.
Lemon myrtle has an herby and lemony flavor profile that can stand out against more standard keto Christmas cookies.
10. Keto Glazed Anise Holiday Cookies
Another keto Christmas cookie for cookie lovers who aren’t into the typical super-sweet chocolate, peanut butter, and sugar cookies that can be found on every holiday table are these glazed anise holiday cookies.
The licorice-like flavor of the anise in these keto cookies from Keto Diet is based on the flavor of traditional Italian anisette Christmas cookies.
11. Sugar-Free Coconut Flour Cookies
Coconut flour is a keto-friendly alternative to traditional flour that gives the coconut flour cookies at Sweet as Honey a light tropical flavor.Garnishing these cookies with a drizzle of dark chocolate and crushed pistachios can take these treats to the next level.
12. Keto Crinkle Cookies
Crinkle cookies are soft Christmas cookies with a cracked exterior. For a keto-friendly version, try the keto crinkle cookies from Lemons for Lulu.
Instead of white sugar, these crinkle cookies use erythritol as a sweetener. But they still have the soft center and crispy edges that crinkle cookies are known for.
13. Low-Carb Glazed Glitter Christmas Cookies
Just because you’re on a keto diet doesn’t mean you have to give up indulgences like chocolate.The glazed glitter Christmas cookies from Keto Diet are a tasty keto-friendly way to curb your chocolate cravings during the holiday.
A dash of edible glitter makes them extra fancy, too.
14. Chocolate Coconut Cookies
Chocolate and coconut are a classic Christmas cookie combo. The chocolate coconut cookie recipe at The Big Man’s World is not only keto-friendly and vegan, but it also doesn’t require baking.
Another advantage of these cookies is that they only have four ingredients. In addition, they can be whipped up in less than five minutes, making them a satisfying last-minute snack during the holidays.
15. Butter Cookies with Almond Flour
Almond flour gives the butter shortbread cookies from Savory Tooth a nutty, lightly roasted flavor. Also, the almond flour pairs well with the rich flavor of butter.
While the base recipe of these cookies is tasty on its own, including add-ins like sliced almonds, chocolate, ground pecans, and cinnamon can give them a custom flavor.
Keto Christmas Cookies FAQ
Why Is Keto Baking So Hard?
Keto baking can be hard because many of the ingredients that are traditionally used in baking cannot be consumed on a keto diet.
Likewise, many of the substitute ingredients used in keto cookies may be unfamiliar to bakers. It is the unfamiliarity that leads to an increased chance of mistakes during the baking process.
Do Keto Cookies Need to Be Refrigerated?
Keto cookies do not have to be refrigerated once they’ve been baked but may taste better cold from the refrigerator.
Keto cookie dough usually contains dairy products. Therefore, you should refrigerate the dough. Then, when it is time to bake, get the dough out and prepare as instructed. Uncooked keto cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for two to four days before baking.
What Is the Best Chocolate for a Keto Diet?
Lily’s Original Dark Chocolate is widely regarded as the best chocolate for a keto diet. In addition, these are also good keto-friendly chocolate brands:
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- Kiss My Keto Chocolate Bars
- Hu Dark Chocolate
- Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate
- Lindt Excellence Supreme Dark Chocolate
