These Keto Sugar Cookies have a soft and chewy center, a slightly crisp edge, hold their shape well, and have a choice of a sweet buttercream frosting or an icing that sets. No one would ever guess they’re Keto, Paleo, Gluten-Free, And Dairy-Free!

I am in LOVE with these keto sugar cookies!!! Here’s why I love them so much:

• they are not bland in any way! Even though I love them with frosting, you can totally eat them without and still thoroughly enjoy them
• they are soft, tender, and buttery with a slight crunch on the edge
• and lastly, they can be made ahead of time

2 keto sugar cookie versions

I have 2 versions for these cookies.

VERSION ONE: The first version is similar to the beautiful soft Lofthouse sugar cookies sold at most grocery stores with the colorful frosting, sprinkles, and sold in a clear plastic container.

They are big, soft and tender, but also have a slight crunch on the edge. They can be rolled into shapes, however, they do slightly spread.

If you stick to basic shapes, though, such as a circle, heart, star, candy cane, etc… they’ll be fine.

VERSION TWO: The second version is more of a typical cut-out sugar cookie. They hold their shape well while having a soft and chewy center and a slightly crisp edge.

What’s the difference in the 2 cookies? 3/4 tsp. xanthan gum, that’s it!

It’s only one small ingredient but it drastically changes the texture of cookies from a big, soft and tender cookie to one that holds its shape with crispy edges and a soft and chewy center.

💭 Top tips

I do have a few tricks to get a perfect sugar cookie:

• Don’t over bake them! If you over bake them they will be crunchy and not soft and tender in the middle. You want to pull them out of the oven when the edges are just barely starting to brown and the center looks under baked. They will seem very soft when you first pull them out of the oven, but they will set up nicely once they cool.
• Allow the dough to rest in the fridge or freezer until thoroughly chilled. If the dough isn’t chilled, it will be very hard to roll out and work with. Chilling also keeps the butter cold and prevents the cookies from spreading. If your dough starts to warm after you’ve rolled it a time or two, you can pop it in the freezer for just a bit to get it cold again.
• Don’t roll them out too thin. If you roll them out too thin they will easily over-bake and become crunchy. They need to be around 1/4 inch thick, or even just a tad thicker when you roll them out to get a nice, soft, tender center.
• Don’t frost them until they’ve completely cooled. If you frost them too soon the frosting will melt off!

The sweetener

For the sweetener, you need to use an erythritol-based sweetener for the cookies to have their crunch and hold together well.

However, I’ve noticed that the cooling-like aftertaste erythritol sometimes lends is more noticeable in these cookies. This why I recommend a Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend.

The erythritol will cause them to bake up perfectly, while the monk fruit drastically reduces the aftertaste – it’s a win-win!

For the frosting and glaze, any keto powdered sweetener will work. Again, however, erythritol-based sweeteners will leave a cooling-like aftertaste.

Because of this, I recommend powdered allulose or a powdered monk fruit allulose blend. 

Both of these are keto-friendly, taste like sugar with NO aftertaste, and create beautiful, smooth frostings and glazes.

Allulose is 70% as sweet as sugar, though, so for every 1 cup of sugar, you’ll need 1 1/3 cups of allulose. The monk fruit allulose blend replaces the sugar cup for cup.

*NOTE-As a special gift to my readers, I’ve teamed up with BESTI SWEETENERS to give you guys 10% off!!! Simply enter the code “CRAVEABLE” at checkout.

If you’re Paleo, blonde coconut palm sugar works well for the cookies and blonde powdered coconut palm sugar works well for the frosting. 

Simply place the coconut palm sugar in a dry blender, and blend until powdered.

How to make low-carb keto sugar cookies

Start by creaming together slightly softened (not melted!) butter and Sweetener of choice. Non-dairy butter, such as Earth Balance, will work fine if you’re dairy-free.

Beat in some vanilla, an egg, almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, xanthan gum (if using), and salt until the dough comes together.

Then, place it in a baggie or wrap it in plastic wrap and let chill in the freezer around an hour or the fridge at least 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.

If the dough isn’t chilled, it will be very hard to roll out and work with.

Chilling also keeps the butter cold and prevents the cookies from spreading. If your dough starts to warm after you’ve rolled it a time or two, you can pop it in the freezer for just a bit to get it cold again.

Rolling Out The Dough

Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap, and roll out until about 1/4 inch thick or slightly thicker. Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes.

Be careful not to roll them too thin! If you roll them out too thin they will easily over-bake and become crunchy.

They need to be around 1/4 inch thick, or even just a tad thicker when you roll them out to get a nice, soft, tender center.

Remove the excess dough from around the shapes and very carefully transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches space between each cookie. 

Repeat with remaining dough until all cookies are cut-out.

How to bake sugar cookies

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-11 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to brown.

If you over bake them they will be crunchy and not soft and tender in the middle.

You want to pull them out of the oven when the edges are just barely starting to brown and the center looks under baked.

They will seem very soft when you first pull them out of the oven, but they will set up nicely once they cool.

Once cooled, eat as as-is or frost and decorate as desired.

Looking for more dessert recipes? You may like my Keto Snickerdoodles, Keto Fudge, Keto Cinnamon Rolls, or Gluten-Free Palate’s Gluten-Free Pie Crust Recipe!

If you’ve tried these Cut-Out Keto Sugar Cookies or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!

Craving more? FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, or E-Mail to see more delicious food and find out what I’ve been up to! And as a bonus, if you sign up to follow me by E-Mail you’ll receive 2 FREE recipes from my Keto Breads Cookbook!

📖 Recipe

Keto Sugar Cookies {Paleo & Gluten-Free}

These Keto Sugar Cookies have a soft and chewy center, a slightly crisp edge, hold their shape well, and have a choice of a sweet buttercream frosting or an icing that sets. No one would ever guess they're Keto, Paleo, Gluten-Free, And Dairy-Free!

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dairy free, Dessert, keto, paleo

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Resting Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 4 minutes

Servings: 18 depending on cookie cutters

Calories: 145kcal

Author: Cassidy Stauffer

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 Cup Blanched Almond Flour very finely ground
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
• 1/8 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum optional, see notes below
• 1/4 Cup Butter (can use non-dairy) slightly softened but not melted
• 3/4 Cup Monk Fruit Erythritol Blended Keto Sweetener see notes below
• 1 Large Egg room temperature
• 1 tsp. Pure Vanilla

Buttercream Frosting:

• 3/4 Cup Butter (can use non-dairy) slightly softened but not melted
• 3/4 Cup Keto Powdered Sweetener see notes below
• 1-2 Tbsp. non-dairy milk, heavy cream, or coconut cream optional, as needed to thin
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Sprinkles, Food Coloring (natural of course!), and decorations as desired

Icing That Sets And Can Be Used To Decorate With:

• 1 1/4 Cup Powdered Allulose see notes below
• 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla
• 1 Tbsp. Room Temperature Water plus more as needed
• Sprinkles, Food Coloring (natural of course!), and decorations as desired

Instructions

• Cream together the softened butter and sugar until soft and creamy, around 2 minutes.
• Add the egg and mix well. Then, add in the vanilla.
• Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum (if using). Mix until dough comes together
• Transfer to a plastic baggie or wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer 45 minutes to an hour or the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until dough is thoroughly chilled. 
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the dough on a large piece of parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to roll dough around 1/4 inch thick or slightly thicker. 
• Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes then remove the excess dough. Carefully transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet, placing them about 2 inches apart. 
• Bake 8-11 minutes, or until the edge of the cookies just barely start to brown. 
• Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Frost, if desired.

Buttercream Frosting:

• With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy - around 2 minutes
  
• Add the powdered sweetener, pure vanilla, and non-dairy milk or cream. Beat on low speed until incorporated - around 30 seconds.
• Increase speed to high and beat 3 full minutes, or until ultra-creamy and smooth. Add additional powdered sweetener if too thin or additional cream if too thick. If frosting is too sweet, add a pinch or two of sea salt.

Icing That Sets:

• Whisk together all of the icing ingredients in a medium bowl. It should be thick, but if it's too thick add water as needed to thin. If you get it too thin add more powdered sugar to thicken. If not using right away, cover and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Icing sets and hardens after 12 hours.

Video

Notes

• Nutritional information includes buttercream frosting.
• The Xanthan Gum: If you omit the xanthan gum, the cookies will be big and soft with a slight crunch on the outside and will not hold much of a shape. If you add the xanthan gum the cookies will hold their shape and have a soft and chewy center with a slight crunch on the outside, however, they will not be big and soft.
• Don't overbake! If you over bake them they will be crunchy and not soft and tender in the middle. You want to pull them out of the oven when the edges are just barely starting to brown and the center looks under baked. They will seem very soft when you first pull them out of the oven, but they will set up nicely once they cool.
• Allow the dough to rest in the fridge or freezer until thoroughly chilled. If the dough isn't chilled, it will be very hard to roll out and work with. Chilling also keeps the butter cold and prevents the cookies from spreading. If your dough starts to warm after you've rolled it a time or two, you can pop it in the freezer for just a bit to get it cold again.
• Don't roll them out too thin. If you roll them out too thin they will easily over-bake and become crunchy. They need to be around 1/4 inch thick, or even just a tad thicker when you roll them out to get a nice, soft, tender center.
• Don't frost them until they've completely cooled. If you frost them too soon the frosting will melt off!
• For grain-free baking powder, combine 1 part baking soda with 2 parts cream of tartar and 2 parts potato, arrowroot, or tapioca flour
• Leftover cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days or can be frozen up to 3 months.
• To bring the butter to room temperature, I love this tutorial from Sally’s Baking Addiction on how to soften butter quickly for perfectly softened butter.
• I have also successfully made these using 1 1/4 Cup Blanched Almond Flour, NO coconut flour, 1/3 Cup of Arrowroot Flour, and 3/4 tsp. xanthan gum with the rest of the ingredients the same
• For the sweetener in the cookies, you need to use an erythritol-based sweetener for the cookies to have their crunch and hold together well. However, I've noticed that the cooling-like aftertaste erythritol sometimes lends is more noticeable in these cookies. This why I recommend a Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend. The erythritol will cause them to bake up perfectly, while the monk fruit drastically reduces the aftertaste - it's a win-win!
• For the sweetener in the frosting and glaze, any keto powdered sweetener will work. Again, however, erythritol-based sweeteners will leave a cooling-like aftertaste. Because of this, I recommend powdered allulose or a powdered monk fruit allulose blend. Both of these are keto-friendly, taste like sugar with NO aftertaste, and create beautiful, smooth frostings and glazes. Allulose is 70% as sweet as sugar, though, so for every 1 cup of sugar, you'll need 1 1/3 cups of allulose. The monk fruit allulose blend replaces the sugar cup for cup.
• As a special gift to my readers, I've teamed up with BESTI SWEETENERS to give you guys 10% off!!! Simply enter the code "CRAVEABLE" at checkout.
• If you're Paleo, blonde coconut palm sugar works well for the cookies and blonde powdered coconut palm sugar works well for the frosting. Simply place the coconut palm sugar in a dry blender, and blend until powdered.

Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 17g | Vitamin A: 330IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.

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