Low Carb Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies...who doesn’t love them? On a sugar free, low carb diet, sometimes we may feel deprived because we can’t just go into a bakery or store and buy what’s in the display case or on the shelf. When it comes to cookies, they’re so easy to make and take such minimal effort, you can enjoy them whenever you have the desire! These flavorful cookies can be baked and eaten right away or made into a tube of “slice-and-bake” dough, which can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer so you can bake the cookies one or two at a time. These are just as delicious and much more nutritious than any store-bought cookie, so enjoy!

Low Carb Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 22 cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated erythritol*

1 large egg

1-3/4 cup almond flour

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (optional, see notes)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 drops caramel flavoring, or to taste (I used Capella brand)

1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans

1/3 cup sugar free chocolate chips (I used Lily’s brand)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Whisk with a fork until no lumps remain; set aside.

2. Place the softened butter into a mixing bowl and beat with the erythritol until well combined and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract and caramel flavoring and beat for about 15 seconds.

3. Add the almond flour mixture in three additions, beating briefly between each addition. Beat well on medium speed until the ingredients are well combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped pecans and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

4. With a cookie scoop or with rounded tablespoonfuls, make about 22 balls and place them on a parchment paper or silicone lined cookie sheet. With your fingers or the back of a spatula, flatten each ball to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. (To make “slice-and-bake” cookies, form the dough into a tube shape wrapped with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.To hasten the firming process, place dough into the freezer for about 15 minutes. Slice into disks of even 1/4-inch thickness and place on a prepared cookie sheet.)

5. Bake cookies for about 13-15 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will crisp up as they cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Notes: *You can use classic white granulated erythritol or, even better, use Lakanto Golden Monkfruit sweetener for more of a brown sugar, caramel flavor. The arrowroot starch is optional, but helps to keep the cookies crispy after baking. It adds a very small amount of carb (0.35 g) per cookie.

Nutritional Information per cookie: 118 calories, 6.1 g carbohydrate (2.3 g dietary fiber, 0.5 g sugars, 6.2 g sugar alcohols), 10.9 g total fat (3.1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 24 mg cholesterol, 93 mg sodium, 29 mg calcium, 74 mg potassium, 14 mg Vit A, 2.7 g protein. Net carbs per cookie: 3.8 grams

Recipe and photos by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2018

All rights reserved. Please do not duplicate without the author’s permission.