I know I say it all the time, but these low carb cream cheese cookies are SO GOOD!!
Soft and pillowy, every bite of these low carb cookies literally melts in your mouth. They’re perfectly sweet and are covered in a creamy frosting that’ll have you licking your fingers AND the bowl.
Oh wait, you couldn’t tell these were low carb desserts?? Me neither. I’ll take another!
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What I Love About This Low Carb Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe
Aside from the creamy, velvety, totally addictive nature of these low carb cream cheese cookies, I really love that they’re:
- EASY to make
- Soft + fluffy
- Everyday ingredients
- Low carb
- Freezer friendly
Ingredient Notes
Baking with low carb ingredients takes some getting used to! Here are a few important tips that’ll make all the taste and textural difference:
Almond flour – You’ll want to use the finest grain available for keto cookies, as this will give you the most “flour-like” texture. My favorite products are Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s brand.
Xanthan gum – This is a unique binder that’s needed when cooking with low carb flour. (Gluten, in wheat flour, acts as a glue to bind everything together, almond flour doesn’t have this). Don’t skip!
Swerve/Lakanto – either of these keto sweeteners are great sugar dupes. Both are a 1:1 swap with traditional sugar. If using plain erythritol or allulose, those are 70% as sweet, so adjust the amount added.
“Sprinkles” – You can skip these, but if you’re feeling festive, or want to decorate some keto Christmas cookies, you have a few options:
- Do as I did and use lime zest, chocolate shavings, and freeze-dried berries broken into small pieces.
- Splurge on some keto sprinkles
- Use traditional sprinkles
Recipe Variations
As most of you know, it’s hard to switch the ingredients and ratios around when baking. BUT! There are a few ways to get creative with your low carb cream cheese cookies. Here are some ideas:
- Mix some low carb chocolate chips into the dough for suuuper creamy almond flour chocolate chip cookies.
- Add cocoa powder to the frosting
- Mix freshly sliced low carb fruits into the frosting, or even the doughhh. Strawberries would for delicious, ala strawberry shortbread cookies.
More Low Carb Cookie Recipes
Wanna make a smorgasbord of low carb cookies? Take a look at this list! There’s a cookie favorite for everyone!
- Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
- Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies
- Coconut Flour Cookies
- Breakfast Cookies
Low Carb Cream Cheese Cookies
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Cookies:
- 7 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter unsalted at room temp
- 5 Ounces Cream cheese 4 ounces at room temperature, 1 ounce frozen
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
- 1 Cup Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below) confectioners
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 3/4 Cups Almond Flour
Frosting (Optional! Tastes just as delicious without them, but it allows you to decorate the cookies):
- 1 Egg White
- 1 Cup Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below) confectioners
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla
- Water as needed
"Sprinkles" (Your options include...):
- Lemon/Lime zest
- Low Carb Chocolate shavings
- Freezer dried berries (raspberries, blueberries, etc.) broken into small pieces
Instructions
- Make the dough. Using an electric mixer in a large bowl, combine the butter, vanilla, 4 ounces of cream cheese, salt, and xanthan gum until creamy (about 1 minute). Add erythritol and flour, and combine until they form a dough. Add egg yolk and combine just until it's mixed in. Remove cream cheese from the freezer and cut into 1/4" cubes. Stir the cubes into the dough using a spatula. Place dough in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Form + bake. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1" balls, and spread out evenly on the baking sheet. Press the tops of the dough to form round discs. Bake in the oven until the tops become lightly golden (but not brown), about 18 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
- Frosting. Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to beat the egg white and vanilla until frothy. Add erythritol and beat for 5-7 minutes -- you'll know it's done once glossy peaks have formed. If the icing seems too "thick" to spread, stir in 1 teaspoon of water at a time until it has reached a spreadable consistency. You don't want to add too much, or the icing won't thicken!
- Decorate. Prep your "sprinkles". Once the cookies have cooled, spread icing over the top. Before it sets, sprinkle any toppings on top of the cookies. Allow icing the harden slightly before serving, and enjoy!
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