Quick and easy coconut flour chocolate chip cookies - only 2g net carbs!
These are the best homemade keto cookies. But watch out, make sure you make enough for the whole family to enjoy.
Jump to:
These are the best keto cookies and perfect little treats when a sweet craving strikes. They are a delicious healthy snack for school lunch boxes and work.
Are choc chip cookies keto?
No, regular cookies are not keto. Traditional chocolate chip cookies are high in sugar, flour, gluten and unhealthy fats. If you want to stay on your keto diet and continue to lose weight, giving in to the temptation of cookies is the downfall of so many.
But if you learn how to make a homemade keto cookie, with low carb and sugar free ingredients instead, you can stay on track. You can even enjoy your keto cookie with a keto coffee!
Why coconut flour?
For those of you who have a nut allergy or other dietary restrictions, using coconut flour is a wonderful alternative to wheat flour or all purpose flour.
100g all purpose white flour = 73.3g net carbs, 1g fat, 10.3g protein
100g coconut flour = 21.4g net carbs, 14.3g fat, 14.3g protein
NOTE: Coconut flour is lower in carbs PLUS you use a much smaller amount. A recipe might only require ¼ to ⅓ cup of coconut flour.
Nutritional values from cronometer.com
Coconut flour is:
- cheaper than almond flour
- high fiber
- extremely low in net carbs
- nut free
- sugar free
- can be used for sweet baking such as cakes and coconut flour pie crusts
- can be used for coconut flour bread and mini cheese loaves
However, this new keto flour can be a little tricky to use. Coconut flour does not behave like any other flour, so let me give you my top tips to using coconut flour to make sure your keto baking is successful. Because no one wants expensive baking mistakes.
How to use coconut flour
If you haven't baked with coconut flour yet, always try using recipes that have been developed using coconut flour already. This new healthy gluten-free flour can be tricky to work with and it behaves completely different to wheat flour and almond flour.
Coconut flour requires much more moisture and generally a lot more eggs. But in a cookie, this is perfect. The cookies are soft, low in carbs and high protein.
Can you substitute coconut flour for almond flour?
No. You cannot simply substitute coconut flour in for almond flour, wheat flour, all purpose flour or regular flour. There are substitution charts available but none of them really explain how many additional wet ingredients you need to add to the dry ingredients.
Coconut flour is the defatted and dehydrated part of the coconut. It swells and absorbs many times its own volume so requires a lot of wet ingredients. It also requires a lot of eggs (which make the baking high protein) to give it structure.
If this is the first time using coconut flour, this is a great recipe, to begin with. It is the perfect combination of simple ingredients to make a healthy cookie.
If you are new here, you may want to read this article where I compare coconut flour vs almond flour.
I have an entire back catalogue of coconut flour recipes. All the recipes are either made with coconut flour, or I have written conversions to swap almond for coconut flour.
More Low-Carb Coconut Flour Recipes ...
Do coconut flour recipes taste of coconut?
A lot of people who are sensitive to the taste of coconut often comment they can taste coconut.
The trick I use every time I bake with coconut flour is to flavour the recipe heavily to overpower any subtle coconut taste some people find.
For a savoury recipe, I would add extra herbs, spices and cheese, for a sweet recipe I would add extra vanilla and sweetener for example.
Which chocolate and sweetener to use
To make sure your cookies are low carb and sugar free, you will need to use a sugar-free sweetener. Don't be fooled by recipes that say they are sugar free but continue to use honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar or agave. They're all sugar. They will all raise your blood glucose and kick you out of ketosis.
The most commonly used keto sweeteners in sweet recipes are stevia, erythritol, xylitol and monk fruit.
Remember to avoid maltitol. Many nutritional panels don't add it to the carbohydrate count, but it does raise your blood sugar. It is often found in sugar-free chocolate which is why I prefer to use cacao nibs in my coconut flour chocolate chip cookies. 95% dark chocolate chopped finely also works beautifully.
Cacao nibs give a lovely crunch to the cookies because they don't melt when baked, they add a punch of chocolate flavor and taste like traditional choc chips.
How much sweetener to use?
Regular chocolate chip cookies are incredibly sweet and high sugar. To help transition you away from sugar, remember to adjust the sweetener in all my recipes to YOUR taste buds and YOUR sweet tooth.
We are all on different paths to our sugar-free journey, so one person may require double (or half) the sweetener stated. Add a small amount each time, because you can't take it out and don't want an over-sweetened recipe.
If you are using stevia as your sweetener of choice, too much stevia will actually turn bitter - and no one wants a failed cookie. Each time you make low carb recipes, you will probably require less and less as time goes on.
Read more: The Ultimate Guide To Sweeteners
How to bake perfect cookies
First make your cookie dough in one large mixing bowl or a food processor. The recipe calls for softened butter, but I often use melted butter and it works wonderfully. For best results, always allow the cookie dough to sit for a while to absorb all the moisture from the wet ingredients.
Roll small golf ball sized cookie dough balls and place them evenly on a prepared baking sheet (cookie sheet) lined with baking parchment. You can also use a silicone liner.
Coconut flour keto chocolate chip cookies never go completely crispy because they don't contain sugar or gluten.
To make the cookies bake as crispy and hard as you can, make sure you press the dough balls down with the palm of your hand or a fork, to make them thin and cook until golden brown.
Once the cookies are baked, remove from the oven and place them on a wire cooling rack so as much of the moisture escapes.
Serving and storage
When I make these, my kids always prefer them warm, out of the oven. Personally, I prefer them once they have sat on the kitchen bench covered in a tea towel for a day.
I think the cookies absorb some moisture from the air and it makes the cookies light, soft and delicate.
I store any uneaten cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Simply defrost 1 or 2 cookies at a time at room temperature.
More cookie recipes you may like:
- Peanut butter cookies (sugar-free and gluten-free)
- Nut free "peanut butter cookies
Variations & substitutions
These are easily adaptable to your favorite cookie flavor with these simple variations.
- Drizzle with sugar-free chocolate
- Dip in chocolate
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
I am often asked if you can use coconut oil instead of butter to make a dairy free cookie (paleo chocolate chip cookies), and the answer is, maybe. It's not as simple as just swapping the two oils for one another.
Butter gives a lovely flavour that coconut oil doesn't. You would need to add a pinch of salt to taste that the butter would normally provide. You might also want to double the vanilla extract because coconut oil is flavourless.
Can you use a flax egg or chia seed "egg"? Not in this recipe. You need the egg for protein and structure in the cookie recipe.
📖 Recipe
Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe Video (tap to play)
Calculate ingredients
Ingredients
- 113 g (1 stick) butter softened
- 4 tbsp granulated sweetener, of choice or more to taste
- 65 g (⅔ cup) coconut flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs - medium
- 2 tbsp cacao nibs
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Cream the softened butter and sweetener together until light, pale and fluffy.
- Add all the other ingredients and mix well until combined and the mixture begins to thicken.
- Squeeze a small handful into a ball, then press into a cookie shape with your fingers.
- Place the coconut flour chocolate chip cookies on a lined baking tray and bake at 180C/350F for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.
- Allow to cool for a while, then remove and place on a baking wire rack to cool down completely. These cookies are even nicer the next day.
Nutrition
kiti
i wanted a quick easy sweet treat and this is the one! so yummy 🙂 and great for my keto diet
jason nickson
this recipy looks great
Sam Allanigue
Just started baking and I started with this recipe. My kids and my husband loved it! Thank you!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Awesome! Once you master these cookies, you can make variations such as cocoa powder, a little bit of orange zest, almond essence etc. The basic recipe is very versatile.
Jocelyn Jumamoy
I really followed the recipe but my cookie stayed in a ball form, cooked for like 30 mins but not cooked. What could be the problem?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Did you make a cookie shape as shown? You have to flatten them before cooking. 🙂 Mine seem to turn out slightly different each batch, it's because coconut flour and the unprocessed flours are less standardised so have a greater variation between batches and brands.
Tiana
Hi there,
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I have flour, but never knew what to make with it
(12-10 years ago I followed gluten-diary-sugar free diet. The best time of my life. I still have the coconut flour, though. ?)
This is already the 5 or 6 time I make them. And always in double, as my whole family likes them.
What I found is that I can easier shape cookies if my dough was well chilled. So, usually I make the dough on Saturday and bake on Sunday.
Regards from Eindhoven!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
This is awesome, I love your idea of putting the cookie dough in the fridge then shape the cookies the next day. My son loves making these, he often jazzes them up with cocoa powder, orange zest, almond essence ... I totally understand why you make double! He does too.
Sam
These are awsome! I was diagnosed with t1 diabetes 3 weeks ago and have had to really cut down on sweets and sugar. They work really well and I have already memorized the recipe?
Definitely recommend
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Hey Sam, firstly, congratulations on discovering low-carb nutrition so rapidly following your diagnosis. I sadly know of so many T1D who discover low-carb to stabilise their blood sugars after decades of following the standard high-carb guidelines. I'm so glad you enjoyed these cookies. Have fun enjoying all the other recipes here.
Erin
Please amend the 65 g of Coconut flour to equal 1/3 C instead of the written 2/3 C. Thank you kindly
Camilla Wolfson
Is there any possible way to substitute the egg? I’m allergic 🙂
Georgie
Made them, but they turned out dry. I wonder if it was my stevia sweetner or something. I used regular chocolate chips and doubled the recipe.
Ms ELAINE LOWE
Same here Georgie. I halved the sugar,otherwise followed the recipe.
Kimberly Robbins
These cookies are Amazing!
I was exposed to toxic mold because of an unknown water leak in my house. As a result I ‘ve been on an anti fungal diet and had to totally cut out sugar 🙁 I’ve really been missing chocolate chip cookies. I’ve tried lots of recipes that were epic failures. This one is 5 stars all the way!!! I used Truvia as the sugar substitute and Lily’s stevia sweetened baking chips. I will definitely be making these on a regular basis 🙂
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
I'm so sorry to read about your health scare and I am hoping you are on the mend now you are living on a sugar-free diet. I'm so glad these cookies hit the spot! Best of health Kimberly.
Mel
I substituted one tsp of almond extract for one tsp of vanilla and used chopped pecans instead of cacao nibs. I doubled the weight for the pecans so it was more like half a cup. I added a few drops of stevia in addition to the Erythritol I used. These turned out so good! They are like Pecan Sandies but much softer, without the crisp. I prefer soft cookies over crisp any day personally. I made them the original way as well and they are awesome but wanted to share the changes I made as well!
Nicole Pelletier
in other words, you created a new recipe LOL
Jenny
This variation sounds great. Thanks for sharing!
Jaia Sandhu
Thank you so much!
I have had too many failures with coconut flour but this was amazing! They taste delicious, soft but hold their shape very well.
I used 2 tbsp. brown sugar for my sweetner and used dark baking chocolate chunks for the chips. Delicious, I will make again and again, thank you!
Amy
Just started low carb eating. I used coconut palm sugar as the sweetener. Love these cookies! They are soft and cake-like but definitely satisfy my sweet tooth!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Awesome Amy. If you are new to low-carb, you may want to rethink using coconut sugar, it's still sugar, just by another name. This is a great article to read for those who are new here - Ultimate Guide To Low-Carb Sweeteners
Chantel
Hi,
I have used puréed avocado and omitted the butter in chocolate chip cookie recipes, then I have used date paste to substitute for the sugar (a little goes a long way since dates are very sweet). My family has a long history of diabetes and heart disease so cutting carbs where we can is something we try to do. I have been looking for a good substitute for the flour, will coconut flour bake well with puréed avocado and date paste?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
I'm afraid I can't offer advice on these substitutions as that makes another recipe entirely from what I developed here. Dates are very high in sugar and will raise blood sugars accordingly. I wonder if you might consider using a sugar substitute? This is what I use. Sorry, I couldn't have given you a straight answer in this instance.
Crystal
Thank you for this recipe. I recently received a medical which needs me to totally swap my ways of eating, which has resulted in me following a low carb way of life. I definitely have been missing the comforts of sweets, but now, with so many great products readily available (I was surprised to find coconut flour at just the regular grocery store - because it definitely doesn’t have frilly items). These were so simple to whip up and I LOVE that they are cakey. I used some sugar free chocolate chips bc that’s what I had on hand and it worked. Love love love. Thank you again!
KA 26
Thank you. I love the simplicity. Mine don't have a cookie texture, more sponge/ Madeleine-like but delicious. I substitute half the vanilla with almond extract and don't bother with cacao nibs - I like them plain and simple!
New to low carb cooking...so forgive me if I'm missing something..but on my coconut flour pack says 16g carb per 100g. This makes 9 cookies so around 2g carb per cookie rather than 5? Is that right? I use stevia/erythritol too and as this doesn't cause a glucose spike I don't count it in.....?
Crystal
It will vary depending on your brand of flour. The brand I use - for 2/3 cup coconut flour its 16 net carbs, and I turned this recipe into 16 cookies, so effectively making them 1 gram of net carbs per cookie.
Julie
I tried making these this morning exactly as the recipe said. Used Natvia as the sweetener. The dough was the perfect consistency...and they looked great once cooked. But the texture was very weird.. Very dry and cakey... I was hoping for more crunch... Any suggestions? Maybe if I press them down flatter and cook slightly longer? Tastes great tho...
Courtney
Hello there! These cookies are great! I have made them twice! I tried scrolling through the comments, but I couldn't find any answers. Has anyone tried freezing the dough? I'm curious if the cookies still turn out. Great recipe!
Kathryn Morris
I found Lily's sugar free chocolate chips, sweetened with stevia, at our local publix store.
Seen
I was so excited to try and make this tomorrow and then I realised that I only have about 80g of butter left in the fridge. Can I substitute the rest with coconut oil instead?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Absolutely! Go for it!
deb
Hi if you go very flat do the biscuits have much crunch?
Libby Jenkinson, MPS
They do become a little more crunchy, however, because there is no gluten in low carb flours (such as coconut flour), there's more of a tendency for them to become too crumbly to hold together.