Keto, Nut Free Cowboy Cookies (Low Oxalate too!)

Cowboy Cookies are a throw-back recipe from the 1950’s that has become popular again. Traditionally, they are big cookies with big flavor and a lot of different textures coming from rolled oats, shredded coconut, nuts and chocolate chips. In this recipe, the delicious flavor and crunchy/chewy texture replicates the original without the sugar and carbs, making this cookie one of my all-time favorites! There may be other low carb Cowboy Cookie recipes out there that call for almond flour, pecans and dark chocolate chips that are so high in oxalates that I feel a kidney stone forming just thinking about them! But with my nut free recipe, you can enjoy the same crispy-on-the-bottom and chewy-in-the-middle decadent cookie you love without worrying about the after-effects of oxalate overload.

Keto, Nut Free Cowboy Cookies (Low Oxalate too!)

Makes 24 generous-sized cookies

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1 cup sunflower seed flour

1 tablespoon unflavored dry gelatin powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1-1/2 sticks)

1/2 cup erythritol brown sweetener (such as Swerve Brown or LaKanto Golden)

1/2 cup granulated erythritol sweetener

2 large eggs, room temperature

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lemon juice (*see note)

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped (you can pulse in a food processor)

1/3 cup + 1/4 cup sugar free milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Set your upper oven rack in the second from the top position and your lower rack in the second from the bottom position. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, flaxseed meal, sunflower seed flour, gelatin powder, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and two sweeteners with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. (It’s important to use erythritol-based sweeteners in this recipe for a crispier cookie. Allulose or xylitol will cause the cookies to be softer and more cake-like.) Add the eggs, vanilla and lemon juice and beat until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium until just combined and a soft dough forms.

4. Using a wooden spoon, fold in the shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds and sugar free milk chocolate chips. (It’s important to use milk chocolate chips, not semi-sweet or dark, for lower oxalate. You can substitute white chocolate chips and reduce the oxalate further by 3 mg per cookie, if you prefer. Personally, I like using the milk chocolate chips for a more authentic taste.)

5. Form the dough into 2-inch round balls and place them about 2-3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Using the palm of your hand, gently flatten each ball until it’s a 1/2 inch thick, round circle. Place your cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Switch the position of each cookie sheet and rotate them around and continue to bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are well browned around the edges and bottom (but not burned). Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pans for at least 10 minutes (they will firm and crisp up as they cool). Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before serving.

*Note: It may seem odd to include lemon juice, but sunflower seed flour tends to turn a slightly green color in baked goods, unless an acid is included in the dough or batter. The lemon juice is important to prevent that from happening.

Nutritional Information per cookie: 121 calories, 3.9 g carbohydrates (1.6 g dietary fiber, 0.3 g sugars), 10.5 g total fat (6 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 31 mg cholesterol, 118 mg sodium, 37 mg calcium, 10 mg potassium, 60 IU Vit A, 4.2 g protein. Net carbs per serving: 2.3 grams

Total Oxalate per cookie: 5.98 mg; Soluble Oxalate: 3.83 mg. This cookie is considered a medium oxalate food.

Photo and recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2020

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