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Thank you to Driscoll's Raspberries for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.Today’s recipe is the most amazing fusion of the two most popular desserts on the blog – low carb cheesecake and gluten-free shortbread cookies – along with my favorite summer fruit, Driscoll’s Raspberries. Are you intrigued yet? What could this mystery dessert be? It’s a Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies recipe. And I’m telling you, if you like cheesecake, cookies, and raspberries (who doesn’t?), you’re going to love these low carb cheesecake cookies.
Raspberry cheesecake cookies are just the thing to make your ordinary moments even more special. Since they are a combination of popular desserts and favorite berries for so many people, they are perfect for sharing with family and friends. Passing special cookies like this around the table feels so good! Best of all, no one will be able to tell they are low carb, sugar-free and gluten-free.
So you may be wondering, what on earth are these delectable sounding raspberry cheesecake cookies? Well, they are basically low carb shortbread cream cheese cookies on the outside. Then, they have a thumbprint center filled with raspberry swirl cheesecake.
You may have heard of raspberry thumbprint cookies. They are kind of like that, except the middle is a cheesecake filling swirled with fresh raspberry sauce. Yes, that is as insanely good as it sounds!
Baking low carb desserts like cheesecake and cookies as healthier versions is always so much fun for me! And, I buy raspberries for our family literally every week. When Driscoll’s asked me to make these low carb raspberry cheesecake cookies featuring their berries, it was like a match made in heaven.
There’s something about healthy sugar-free desserts that makes ordinary family moments that much more special. It brings me so much satisfaction to share a big batch of cookies, bars, cake, brownies, or pie with my family and friends. When I get to combine multiple desserts into one, all the better! Especially if it involves seasonal produce.
Raspberry cheesecake cookies do involve a few steps to make, but they’re all very easy. Besides, they are so worth it. You won’t be disappointed!
The raspberry filling is just a raspberry sauce, reduced on the stove. You’ll swirl that together with a cream cheese (cheesecake) mixture. Together, these two parts make the heavenly filling for these easy cheesecake cookies.
The cream cheese shortbread cookie base is adapted from my 4-ingredient gluten-free shortbread cookies recipe from last year. I just replaced some of the butter with cream cheese, and added a little egg. This makes it easier to create the wells in the center for the filling.
I like to use the back of a measuring spoon to make the wells. That way, they turn out a little bigger than a thumbprint and have a uniform, round shape. You can easily use your thumb instead, if you’d like.
After you mix up the low carb cream cheese cookie dough, scoop it onto a lined pan, add the filling, and swirl it together. Baking is all that’s left. Pop them in the oven for just about 10 to 12 minutes. These little beauties are the result!
Do you know what else is cool? I just found out that Twin Cities residents (that’s me!) consume 132 percent more raspberries than the national average! I guess it’s no surprise. We do have a lot of health conscious people living around here. And, everyone I know loves raspberries!
To celebrate raspberries this summer, I’m partnering with Driscoll’s to share their Minnesota Exclusive Berry Together Getaway sweepstakes with you! It runs through the end of August.
The grand prize winner will get a trip for four to Madden’s Resort & Spa in Brainerd, MN, including a Berry Bonanza Day featuring Driscoll’s berry treats and exclusive prizes. There will also be four other winners that will get free Driscoll’s berries for a whole year. If you’re a Minnesota resident, all you have to do is fill out this online form to enter!
Cheesecake Cookies Recipe (Low Carb Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies):
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Video Showing How To Make Cheesecake Cookies:
- 1/2 package Driscoll's Raspberries (3 ounces or ~2/3 cup)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Powdered erythritol
- 4 oz Plain cream cheese (softened)
- 2 tbsp Powdered erythritol
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/2 large Eggs (whisk a whole egg and use 1/2 of that, or about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup Butter (softened)
- 1 oz Plain cream cheese (softened)
- 1/2 cup Erythritol
- 1/2 large Eggs (use remaining whisked egg from filling)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cup Almond flour
- Puree the raspberries and powdered erythritol in a blender. Press liquid through a fine mesh sieve over a small saucepan. Discard seeds caught in the sieve.
- Bring the raspberry sauce to a gentle simmer. Simmer the raspberry sauce gently over low heat for about 3-5 minutes, until volume is reduced by about 1/3. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, make the cream cheese mixture. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, powdered erythritol, and egg together, until smooth. Beat in vanilla.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat together the butter, cream cheese, and erythritol, until it's fluffy and light in color.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and remaining egg.
- Beat in the almond flour, 1/2 cup at a time. (The dough will be dense and a little crumbly, but should stick when pressed together.)
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tbsp volume) to scoop balls of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. (When scooping, level the dough flat against the scoop.) Use the back of a round teaspoon-size measuring spoon to press on the center of each dough ball and create a large well in the center of each cookie, flattening in the process. If any large cracks form on the sides, press them back together (some smaller cracks are fine to leave as is).
- Use a small spoon to dollop the cream cheese mixture into each well, filling almost but not quite full.
- Use a small spoon to dollop smaller amounts of the reduced raspberry puree onto the center of each cookie. Use a toothpick to swirl into the cream cheese. (You may have a little raspberry puree left over - save it for another use.)
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden and filling is barely set. Allow to cool completely in the pan before handling (cookies will harden as they cool).
Net carbs per serving (1 cookie): 3g
*Time saving tip: For the prettiest and most uniform results, use the method above. However, if you'd like to make these more quickly, you can swirl the cream cheese mixture and raspberry puree prior to adding to the cookies. Just be careful not to overmix - you want them swirled, not fully incorporated.
You'll love my low carb cookbook & meal plans!
- LOW CARB MEAL PLANNING STARTER KIT: 7-day low carb meal plan, printable templates, shopping list, recipes, and more!
- 30 DINNERS IN 30 MINUTES COOKBOOK: 30 easy low carb recipes, all under 30 minutes to make and 10 ingredients or less!
Want to use a different sweetener? Check the natural low carb sweeteners guide & conversion chart!
Want more low carb, gluten-free recipes for raspberries? Try these:
Alexa says
It’s not everyday I come across a recipe that makes me want to sprint to the kitchen and immediately make. But this one does. I have been playing more with erythritol … this recipe gives me the courage to do so because the cookies look so so good! Loving ALL the ingredients!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Alexa! Enjoy the cookies!
Alisa Fleming says
I love Driscoll’s berries! We buy them often and can always count on the quality. Love this recipe idea – such a delicious way to use them!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Alisa! I love them, too!
Sharon @ What The Fork says
These cheesecake cookies sound amazing! I love Driscoll’s raspberries, so good!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Sharon! Me, too!
Sarah Newman says
These are so gorgeous and look like the perfect summer cookie! Love that they are gluten and sugar free, yum!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Sarah!
Hadia says
Here I am in the right place! Following a low carb diet these days, and these are just beautiful! Pinning to try later
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Hadia!
Rebecca says
Any thoughts on a gluten free, nut free sub for the almond flour? Maybe sunflower seed flour? Assuming cassava flour is too high in carbs.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Rebecca, Sunflower seed flour should work! That is usually what I recommend for a nut free substitute for almond flour. It might turn green as it tends to do when baking, but taste should be fine. I’ve heard people have had success with sesame seed flour also, but haven’t tried it. Yes, cassava flour would be high in carbs. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try a substitution!
Cindy says
Can we use Swerve? And if so, do you recommend granules or powder? Thank you for this delicious looking recipe.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Cindy, Yes, you can! Use powdered for the fillings and granulated for the cookies. The amount will be about the same. Just use a tiny bit less (a slightly scant measuring cup) for the sweetener in the cookie part.
Benjamin says
Made these last night and they are the best tasting treat I’ve made while on my keto diet. I would eat these regardless if I were dieting or not, they are that good.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Benjamin! That’s so great to hear!
Lesley Moore says
Just made these. Delicious! Next time I will form the cookies with less than 2 tablespoons of cookie dough. With 2 tablespoons each, I only made 13 cookies instead of 18, and I had a lot of both fillings left over. Don’t expect sieving the seeds out of the raspberries to be easy. I made a big mess and ended up with not enough raspberry puree. I ended up using strawberries instead — no sieving necessary. Sorry, Driscoll’s.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Lesley! I’m glad you liked the cookies. Were your tablespoons rounded when scooping the dough? I used a 2-tbsp cookie scoop, leveled flat, and got 18 cookies consistently. (I’ve made them 3 times already.) The leftover fillings were likely due to the number of cookies you had. Sorry to hear you had issues with the sieving. I just kept pressing with a spatula until it all went through, as shown in the video above the recipe card. It wasn’t messy at all. You could skip sieving if you don’t mind the seeds, though. Strawberries will also have seeds, though smaller, and I’m going to try making the cookies with them as well. Raspberries are my favorite, but the best berries in my area are all from Driscoll’s, even strawberries and blueberries. 🙂
Chelsi says
Could I use sugar/powdered sugar instead of the erythritol? thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Chelsi, Yes, you can! It would be close to the same amount, maybe just use a scant measuring cup for the cookie dough part.
Jennifer Deppe says
Could I substitute coconut flour for the almond flour? What would the ratio be? Thanks so much! I can’t wait to make these.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Jennifer, I haven’t tried these with coconut flour but you can’t make a 1:1 substitution since coconut flour absorbs a lot more moisture. If using coconut flour, you’d need about 1/4 to 1/3 of the almond flour amount (so about 2/3 cup to a generous 3/4 cup coconut flour) to maintain the same moisture ratio/consistency, but you’d end up with fewer cookies. If you wanted the same number of cookies, you’d use more coconut flour than that, but you’d also need to increase the wet ingredients (cream cheese, butter, egg). Let me know how it goes if you try a coconut flour variation.
Melissa says
Hey! Have you been successful in storing these? What do you recommend? Refrigerated? Do they freeze well? Thank you! Very delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Melissa, Yes, I stored them in the fridge for about a week. I also froze some and that worked well, too. The bright red raspberry color does become less bright as time passes, but they still taste great.
Keri says
I made these tonight for the first time and they are amazing! The only question I have is, how should they be stored? Do they need refrigerated because of the cream cheese?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Keri! Yes, store them in the fridge. They can also be frozen.
Katie says
What about Truvia as a substitute?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Katie, Truvia should work fine. For best results, grind it in a food processor to a finer consistency for the filling part.