One-Bowl Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies with Almond Flour

Nothing quite beats homemade cookies, and these low-carb and keto chocolate chip cookies are our favorite!

We spent weeks testing multiple versions of keto chocolate chip cookies and this recipe is our favorite. That’s because these cookies turn out the most similar to regular chocolate chip cookies in terms of taste and texture. Plus, this recipe is easy to make and can be made with just one bowl.

This chocolate chip cookie recipe is adapted from Erin Jeanne Mcdowell at New York Times Cooking. Her recipe uses almond flour instead of all purpose flour and gets a glowing, five stars from thousands of reviewers. We turned her recipe into a keto-friendly version by using sugar-free sweetener and slightly altering the amounts of a few other ingredients.

The most difficult aspect in adapting the recipe was determining which sugar-free sweetener to use. That's because each sugar-free sweetener produces different results. We tried erythritol, allulose, monkfruit with erythritol and combinations of all of them. In the end, we were happiest when we used a combination of brown and granular Swerve Sweetener (a brand of erythritol). You can read more about the results of our sweetener taste test below.

It takes just 10 minutes to prepare these keto cookies and another 15 minutes to bake. And you only need one bowl to combine all the ingredients. A batch makes about 17 cookies and each cookie is less than 1 gram of net carbs. Enjoy!

Key Ingredients

A few notes on key ingredients:

• Almond Flour: Be sure to use blanched, super-fine almond flour in this recipe. We do not use coconut flour in this recipe.
• Erythritol: We use a combination of Swerve Granular and Swerve Brown Sweetener in this recipe. The Brown Swerve adds a sweet, molasses flavor to the cookies. If you do not like the cooling effect of erythritol, you can alter the recipe to ¼ cup allulose and ⅓ cup brown erythritol, which creates a good, soft cookie with minimal to no cooling effect.
• Melted Butter: We typically buy organic butter since the dairy cows are not exposed to pesticides. For best results, melt the butter in the microwave before combining with the sweetener.
• Sugar-free Semi-Sweet Chips: We recommend Lily's no-sugar, semi-sweet baking chips. You may also use Lily's dark chocolate chips if you like.

Sugar-Free Sweeteners & Taste Test Results

We're glad to see so many different types of sugar-free sweeteners in the market. However, choosing the right one can be tricky since it depends on what you're looking for in a recipe or sweetener.

No sugar-free sweetener is perfect and each has their own pros and cons. When developing this recipe, we tested three different types of sweeteners and a combination of them. Here are our results:

• Erythritol: Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that has 0.24 calories per gram and does not impact insulin or glucose levels. In our taste tests, we used a combination of Swerve Brown and Granular Sweetener (per the original recipe). The combination of Swerve Brown and Swerve Granular Sweetener produced the best results in terms texture and flavor. A downside of erythritol is the "cooling effect," which is similar to what you get when eating mints — just without the minty flavor. Not everyone experiences it, but if you do, it's somewhat noticeable. Some people get used to it, while others may not. It really depends on how sensitive you may be to it. My husband doesn't experience it, while I notice it (and have gotten somewhat used to it).
• Allulose: Allulose is a sweetener derived from fruits and has only .2 to .4 calories per gram. As with erythritol, this sweetener also has no impact on insulin or glucose levels. In our taste tests, allulose produced soft, cake-like cookies. If that's what you're looking for in a cookie, then allulose may be a good option for you. For us, it was a little too cake-like. That said, if you're looking for an option that doesn't produce a "cooling effect," then you should try allulose. Our favorite combination with allulose in this recipe uses ¼ cup allulose and ⅓ cup brown erythritol, which creates a good, soft cookie with minimal to no cooling effect.
• Monkfruit with erythritol: This sweetener is made with a blend of erythritol and monk fruit. It's .24 calories per gram and, like the above sweeteners, has no impact on insulin and glucose levels. In our taste tests, we found that this sweetener produced less of a cooling effect than erythritol, and created a crispier cookie. Since the texture was quite crispy and the cooling effect was still there (although less than erythritol), we choose erythritol as the winner (a combination of Swerve Brown and Swerve Granular).

How to Make

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed, baking sheet the parchment paper or other type of liner. Melt butter in the microwave until just melted. In a large bowl, combine melted butter with Brown and Granular Swerve Sweeteners. Mix until well combined. Add vanilla extract and egg and mix until combined.

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Step 2: Then add almond flour, baking soda and salt to bowl. Mix until combined. Fold in in sugar-free chocolate chips until well dispersed.

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Step 3: Use a tablespoon to scoop a little more than a tablespoon of dough and mold into a ball with your hands. Then, place ball on lined cookie sheet and slightly flatten the top with your hand. Continue the process until all the dough is used. You may need to spread the cookies over two baking sheets if need be.

Step 4: Bake for 14 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool to room temperature. After serving, store in a closed container for up to 4 days.

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