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Keto Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

These Keto Peanut Butter Cookies saved my diet this week. Yup, I’m on a diet.  Again.  Winter has melted away, but my ‘winter coat’ has not. 🙂

My husband, Tracy, and I have buddied-up for a healthy lower carb regimen.  All white flour and regular sugars and anything deemed too ‘starchy’ is out of the pantry.

Hubby and I are walking together and I toss in a bit of yoga which I adore.  We have a good many places and people to meet with as we travel for business this coming year and we want to be healthy for it.

 cookies ready for the oven

Being healthy makes travel for business so much easier.  Come to think of it, it makes everything easier.

So I hope you will forgive me if I put my usual baked goodies on hold until I’m back into my summer wardrobe and feeling strong.

stack of cookies

However it doesn’t mean that I’m not in the kitchen.  I’m cooking constantly… from scratch.   I tell Tracy that “I am cooking like a farm-wife”.

So I am going to have a lot of recipes to share.   And of course, I will keep my hands busy, typing, crocheting, knitting, sewing, painting, crafting and sharing all of it with you.

How I did it:

These Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies have made it easier in this first week of my diet to give up the usual baked goodies.  I developed it by reverse engineering a regular recipe and used a bit of coconut flour.

It took some experimentation but this version is the best.  They are lightly crisp on the outside and dense/moist on the inside.

At 69 calories and under 5 carbs each, they have almost 3 grams of fiber.  So If you subtract fiber, it leaves under 2 carbs a cookie. Yay!

My sweet tooth finds them satisfying. Such a relief.  Oh!  Did I mention they are gluten free?   Enjoy! -Laura

 These low carb peanut butter cookies are dense, sweet, crispy outside and moist inside. just 2 carbs each (after fiber). Gluten free.

Update:

Some of the comments have mentioned that the cookies are heavy. I confess this is one of the first low carb recipes I developed.  They are heavier than a regular peanut butter cookie.  However they are still a low carb staple at our house.

1- One commenter suggested only using 1/3 of a cup of coconut flour and this may help lighten up the cookie.  You might have to refrigerate the dough for an hour to make it hold it’s shape while baking if you do this.

2- You could also try adding 1/2-1 tsp. of baking powder to the dough to lighten up the cookies.

3- To make them crisper, you may wish to cut the peanut butter back to 3/4 cup and add a 1/4 cup of softened butter. But honestly, coconut flour does not crisp up as well as regular flour and you lose the peanut flavor.

4- Please note that only coconut flour works with this recipe!  It holds up to at least 3 times it’s weight in liquid and is what will turn these ingredients into a cookie dough.  All other flours will not work.

Carb Facts worth Repeating:

4.6 total carbs – 2.8 grams of fiber = 1.8 net carbs!

Nice, right? 🙂

If you like this recipe you might enjoy my Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, click here.

Peanut butter fans might enjoy this Peanut butter apple dip as a snack.

Best Keto Peanut Butter Cookie

Laura
Crispy, dense and satisfying, a low carb peanut butter cookie. Subtract the fiber and they are just 2 carbs each.
4.50 from 2 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 69 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • 1 cup granulated 0 calorie sweetener (monk fruit, erythritol, Splenda / not alulose)
  • 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, you choose)
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees
  • Prepare baking sheet with baking parchment or cooking spray.
  • Mix all ingredient in mixer until well combined and dough has formed.
  • Using a tablespoon measure, make balls of dough and place balls on pan. (They don’t need to be far apart, they don’t puff up.)
  • Flatten cookies slightly making a crisscross mark on cookie with a fork.
  • Bake for 15-17 minutes till edges are golden brown.

Notes

Serving size: 1 cookie 
Calories: 69 Fat: 5.0 Carbohydrates: 4.6 Sodium: 60 Fiber: 2.8 Protein: 2.9
Please note:  Do not use Alulose  as a sweetener in this recipe unless you want them super soft and slightly rubbery.  If using, reduce baking time to 10-12 mins.  Allow to cool completely before moving from pan.
Keyword low carb peanut butter cookies

Explore more low Carb Cookie Recipes:

Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies

Low Carb Sugar Cookies

 

51 Comments

  1. E Z September 12, 2014 at 2:42 AM

    How much coconut flavor do these have? (I don’t like coconut). What could I substitute and still keep it gluten free?

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman September 12, 2014 at 6:36 AM

      I feel that the peanut butter convers up the coconut flavor quite well. That said, You might try replacing the coconut flour with chick pea flour, though you would have to experiment with the amount as I’ve found that it thickens up a lot. There you might try almond flour too or a combo of these ingredients.

      Reply
  2. Rebecca_Harford September 14, 2014 at 3:39 AM

    In relation to lauras response about replacing with chickpea flour I just want to point out that the carb count per cookie would considerably raise by using that as a replacement. There shouldn’t be a massive coconut taste anyway but u could try subbing in almond flour. Of course if carbs aren’t an issue for you then ordinary cream flour can be used too.

    Reply
  3. Catherine September 14, 2014 at 6:45 AM

    I would like to substitute stevia for Splenda.
    Do you know how much I should use instead?

    Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman September 14, 2014 at 1:53 PM

      I apologize, I don’t have a box of Truvia handy. I would experiment with the amount using the directions on the box.

      Reply
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  5. teresa Willey September 21, 2014 at 2:14 PM

    Try Peanut flour. No coconut taste!!! This is what I use for peanut butter cookies

    Reply
  6. Jeffrey September 21, 2014 at 7:17 PM

    Thanks for the recipe Laura. I tried the recipe and the cookies came out very dry. I was thinking of adding in some butter the next time around. Any suggestions on how to make the cookies more moist?

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman September 23, 2014 at 8:39 AM

      The recipe is for a dense, crisp cookie. If you would like them a bit more moist, replacing 1 or two tablespoons of peanut butter with butter or cream may be a solution for you. Let me know if you try it! (I just might try it too!)

      Reply
  7. Mary Lynch September 28, 2014 at 4:25 PM

    I have cookies in the oven right now! Can’t wait! Thank you so much.

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman September 28, 2014 at 7:07 PM

      I truly hope you enjoy them. Thanks so much!

      Reply
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  9. Christy Swearingen December 22, 2014 at 5:46 PM

    For a Primalfied version:
    ½ cup coconut flour + 1/3 cup ( a little more than 3/4 ( like 3/4 +1/8)
    1 cup Honey
    1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, you choose)- Natural Peanut butter for those who can tolerate it. I am sure Almond butter would be fine for Paleo.
    3 eggs
    ¼ tsp salt
    2 tsp. vanilla extract
    The only other changes are 8 and 1/2 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. I also dipped my fork in coconut flour before crisscrossing. We eat more primal than paleo, so I used butter to grease the cookie sheets.
    This is also not really not Low Low carb, due to the honey but it works for those on the paleo/primal lifesyle.

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman December 22, 2014 at 10:56 PM

      Thanks so much for adding your recipe here. It looks like a nice variation and sounds delicious.

      Reply
  10. DebbieLB January 8, 2015 at 3:32 PM

    I love that you said you cook like a “farm wife!” I am a farm wife, but one who will be an empty-nester soon. So my way of cooking will dramatically change in just a couple of weeks. It will be just me and the Hubs soon and I plan to focus on healthy eating, and that means low-carb for me. How did your low carb effort go? I found this post on pinterest while searching for Low Carb Desserts!

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman January 8, 2015 at 3:41 PM

      I do well on lower carb menus. When I stay on a lower carb regimen I lose weight. When I’m off it (as over the holidays) I gain weight. I wish I could find a balance, but I’m still searching. I tend to like the ‘South Beach’ method as it isn’t painfully strict, just healthy. We are empty nesters now since just before the holidays. I wish you all the best in your new life and healthy eating!

      Reply
  11. Beth McIntire January 8, 2015 at 6:24 PM

    Wow, who’d have thought you could make low-carb peanut butter cookies.

    Reply
  12. cindy January 31, 2015 at 12:29 AM

    So I tried this recipe with stevia for baking 1 cup and they are so not sweet at all and very dry blech… 🙁 ugh….

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman February 1, 2015 at 9:59 PM

      Thanks for letting us know that stevia won’t work.

      Reply
  13. Trinity March 8, 2015 at 2:29 PM

    just made these and I only had stevia on hand but still delish! They are a litle dryer than traditional
    Cookies but I haven’t had many carbs in a month and no desserts so this was perfect!!! Keeping for sure!

    Reply
  14. Tina Matney March 11, 2015 at 7:16 AM

    I consider splenda toxic. But local sourced honey…that I can do. And I like using almond flour, the peanut taste shines through!

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman March 11, 2015 at 2:14 PM

      Thank you! I’m glad the honey works for you. Sounds delicious.

      Reply
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  16. Kelly April 19, 2015 at 7:23 PM

    I just made these and they are so tasty! My 10 year old daughter approves of them too! Hope it’s ok that I shared the link on Facebook.thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman April 20, 2015 at 9:41 AM

      So glad you like them. And thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  17. Lia Trocano May 1, 2015 at 8:19 PM

    Haven’t tried these yet but they are coming soon! Mostly I’m writing to thank all the people who took the time to comment. I’ve tried a few things off the internet that were such a waste of time and ingredients. So, this is a blessing. Thanks again all!

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman May 1, 2015 at 9:59 PM

      Thanks, your’re so right, Lia. I genuinely appreciate not only hearing from the readers who tried this recipe, but also what they did to make it their own.

      Reply
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  19. shinycrazy November 2, 2015 at 7:23 PM

    I just made these with pb with 2/3 less sodium. Do you think that has anything to do with them being dry? And suggestions for adding moisture? I baked 350 for 12 minutes.

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman November 3, 2015 at 10:31 AM

      Thanks for your question. You could cut a minute or two off the cooking time and see if it helps as everyone’s oven heat is slightly different. This is a crispy / dry type of peanut butter cookie. I am about to try an updated recipe that is more moist as I sometimes get requests. I will post it if I succeed.

      Reply
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  21. Tatianna June 11, 2016 at 8:52 PM

    Made these last night and they came out PERFECT and oh so delicious. I just switched up the Splenda for Truvia. (Not the biggest fan of Splenda) Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  22. Ashley June 15, 2016 at 8:58 AM

    Laura, this recipe was the BEST! I just now made it, and I’m planning on making a blog post inspired by it!

    Reply
  23. Rebecca Colon November 23, 2016 at 1:02 PM

    Really looking forward to trying these :-). Thank you for making a pretty simple and straightforward recipe. Just a though as I get more and more into lc baking. If the cookies turned out to dry for your taste (or you found too much of the coconut taste), try taking the coconut flour down to 1/3 cup instead of half since it is very thirsty and can make baked goods dense.

    Reply
  24. Carol December 10, 2016 at 11:07 PM

    I have a batch in the oven now!Can’t wait to try them!

    Reply
  25. Amie December 17, 2016 at 5:34 PM

    I am so looking forward to trying this!!! My 10 yr old daughter was diagnosed as prediabetic right before thanksgiving and put on a very strict low carb diet!! She has been such a good sport about it but here at the holidays it’s been hard on her watching everyone with the holiday candy and not being allowed hardly any sweets…she started doing a happy dance when I told her we may have a peanut butter cookie (her favorite) recipe that she can have more than half a cookie of!!! May try to add butter to help make it more moist based on what I’ve been reading…Any other recipe suggestions for her would be greatly appreciated…we are very new to this lifestyle!!

    Reply
  26. Cynthia Henson March 19, 2017 at 7:47 AM

    I made these and check when timer sounded. Found them swimming in some bubbly liquid, no clue what this is, egg? Something from peanut butter? I certainly couldn’t let them cool in that liquid. But maybe the cookies would absorb and be more moist. Lol

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman March 20, 2017 at 11:27 AM

      Hi Cynthia, I always wish I was my reader’s neighbor and we were just hanging out in my kitchen and cooking together! 🙂 I’ve never heard this particular thing with this recipe. Most folks claim they are a tad dry. So I admit to being just as puzzled as you are. I’m working on a new and improved version. Thanks for mentioning it, though.

      Reply
  27. Brittanie April 30, 2017 at 7:31 PM

    Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!! My family just started a low carb better eating lifestyle which has been an interesting adjustment, and these cookies just hit the sweet spot that was needed! I used erythritol in place of the Splenda, and they were so delicious!!

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman May 1, 2017 at 8:46 AM

      So glad you enjoyed it! I recently tried it with Swerve myself and thought it improved the texture. Best of luck in your health journey.

      Reply
  28. Gizelle August 22, 2017 at 5:49 PM

    5 stars
    Made these tonight and they are delicious. The only change was that I added sugar free chocolate chips.
    I have tried other low carb peanut butter cookie recipes in the past and they were crumby and fell apart. These held together really well. Thank you so much!

    Reply
  29. Dona Simms September 17, 2017 at 5:08 PM

    4 stars
    Thank you for this delicious, easy recipe! I did reduce the coconut flour to 1/4 cup, added 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and I put 1 60% covoa, chocolate chip ontop of each cookie.
    They are cake like inside with crispy edges! Thanks again

    Reply
  30. Amanda October 9, 2017 at 11:19 AM

    I just made these and they are great! I did cut the peanut butter back to 3/4 cup and added 1/4 cup of softened butter, I also added a teaspoon of baking powder. They were not too dense. They came out fluffy and moist. I was wondering how I should store the left over cookies?

    Reply
    1. Laura_Hickman October 9, 2017 at 12:50 PM

      So glad you’re enjoying them. I store them in an air-tight container. They also freeze well.

      Reply
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