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Are you following along with me? Today is the final day of Keto Cookie Week at Wholesome Yum. I’m finishing it off with a quick and easy keto cream cheese cookies recipe. These low carb keto cookies are one of my favorite keto cream cheese desserts… and let’s be real, probably one of my fave keto desserts in general. I hope you’ll give them a try!
Before you do, make sure you go back to check out the other low carb Christmas cookies I shared this week:
- Chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies
- Lemon meringue cookies
- 4-ingredient low carb peanut butter cookies
- Turtle cookies
It’s hard for me to choose a favorite. What’s yours?
Inspiration for Keto Cookies with Cream Cheese
Ultimately, if I had to pick just one keto cookies recipe from this week, it would have to be this one. Cream cheese makes great desserts (low carb cheesecake, to name another) and adds delicious tang to breakfasts, like cream cheese pancakes.
Cream cheese cookies are quick and easy, and just perfect for dipping in hot tea or even coffee. They also happen to be a classic kind of cookie that people like to make around the holidays.
The inspiration for these low carb cream cheese cookies started with the 4-ingredient gluten-free shortbread cookies I posted last year. In fact, that recipe went live almost exactly a year ago today.
And, it was the most popular recipe on Wholesome Yum’s Facebook page during the last holiday season. (Be sure to follow along on there if you aren’t already! I share exclusives and other low carb recipes there.)
The shortbread cookies were delicious, and I’ve been using them as a launchpad for other recipes ever since. Recently, I wondered if I could adapt them to make cream cheese sugar cookies – without the sugar, of course.
I started by adding cream cheese to the original recipe and playing with the ingredient amounts. I also added an egg for more structure. After several experiments, this was the final result.
Just like the original version, these are low carb, gluten-free and sugar-free. They are crispy, with a very muted cream cheese flavor and a delicate crumb. My new favorite keto cookies, for sure!
How To Make Cream Cheese Cookies
Are you ready to learn how to make cream cheese cookies the easy way? All you need is a hand mixer, a single bowl, and a baking sheet. Yay for not having too many dishes to wash!
The whole recipe needs just six ingredients, plus salt. It doesn’t get much simpler than this.
Here’s how to make keto cookies with cream cheese:
- Use the hand mixer to beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sweetener. It’s important for the butter and cream cheese to be soft before you begin, so just let them soften at room temperature first. Otherwise, they’ll be too hard to mix together. You’ll know this step is done when the mixture is very pale yellow and fluffy.
- Beat in remaining ingredients. First add the vanilla, salt, and egg, then a dollop of sour cream if you want softer cream cheese cookies, and finally the almond flour, adding gradually and beating in between. You’ll end up with a dense, crumbly dough.
- Scoop the cream cheese cookie dough onto a lined cookie sheet, and flatten each ball with the palm of your hand.
- Bake until golden, then cool completely.
Tips For The Best Keto Cookies
You can see that this keto cookies recipe is pretty straightforward, but here are a few tips for a great result:
Add sour cream for softer cookies.
A reader suggested this to me, I tested it, and decided to incorporate it into the recipe as an optional ingredient. (Thank you, Marie!)
It’s just a tablespoon of sour cream for the entire batch of keto cream cheese cookies, but somehow makes a big difference.
Use monk fruit allulose blend.
Originally I made this keto cookie recipe with erythritol, which you can still use if you like, but now I much prefer them with monk fruit allulose blend. It makes softer cookies that are less dry.
(If you still prefer erythritol, be sure to convert the sweetener amount on the recipe card using my keto sweetener calculator.)
Use a cookie scoop.
Even though you could use a spoon or your hands to make these low carb cream cheese cookies, I highly recommend a cookie scoop. It ensures that the cookies are uniform in size, so that they’ll cook evenly.
Press the cookie dough into the scoop.
Because the dough for these cookies is fairly dense, it can fall apart if it’s too loosely packed. Just press with your fingers after scooping to ensure that it stays together upon release.
Flatten the cookies appropriately.
Keto cookies do not flatten or spread very much the way regular cookies with wheat flour would. So, make sure you flatten them to the right thickness before baking.
Also, since they don’t spread a lot, having the cookies about 1 to 1.5 inches apart is sufficient.
Bake until golden on the edges.
The baking time will vary depending on your oven, the pan you use, and how thinly you flatten the cookies. You’ll know they are done when the edges are golden.
Let the low carb cookies cool.
The cream cheese cookies will get nice and crisp as they reach room temperature. Don’t handle them right away while they are hot, because they will be too soft and probably fall apart.
They’ll get perfectly crunchy as they cool, so be patient. These keto cookies are worth the wait! 😉
Decorate the cookies if you like.
Keto cream cheese cookies are delicious as is! But if you want to, you could drizzle some glaze or chocolate on top.
Personally, I’m usually too pressed for time to decorate my cookies. Besides, I’m not very good at it. If you are, go for it!
Otherwise, another option is to dip half of the cookie in chocolate.
Tools To Make Keto Cookies
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Hand mixer – This one is really powerful and I love the convenient storage. A hand mixer is a must for the best texture in these keto cookies!
- Stand mixer – Another great option for making keto cream cheese cookies.
- Medium cookie scoop – A cookie scoop ensures that the cookies bake evenly.
- Sheet pan – This one is sturdy and will last a long time.
Low Carb Keto Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe - Quick & Easy
Reader Favorite Recipes
The recipe card is below! Readers that made this also viewed these recipes:
Low Carb Keto Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe - Quick & Easy
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Ingredients
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Get Keto Sweetener For This Recipe
GET BESTIInstructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
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Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sweetener, until it's fluffy and light in color.
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Beat in the vanilla extract, salt and egg. Beat in sour cream, if using (optional).
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Beat in the almond flour, 1/2 cup (64 g) at a time. (The dough will be dense and a little crumbly, but should stick when pressed together.)
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Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tbsp, 22 mL volume) to scoop balls of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Flatten with your palm.
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Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Allow to cool completely in the pan before handling (cookies will harden as they cool).
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 2-inch cookie
Nutrition info does not include optional sour cream.
If you prefer to buy pre-made cookies, these are delicious!
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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648 Comments
Sharon
I don’t have almond flour. I’m using coconut… its all I have… for sweetener I’m using Stevia in the raw.. we shall see.
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Sharon, Coconut flour is usually not a suitable substitute for almond flour.
Christine
Great recipe. I make Italian Ricciarelli cookies at Christmas and these are so close. I use 2 tsp of orange zest and pure almond extract instead. They are amazing.
Cindy
These turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica
This did not cook at all lol
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Jessica, I would love to help you troubleshoot the issues that you had if you can be a little more specific on what you mean by did not cook at all.
Doug
You show servings as a gauge on how much to make. What is a serving?
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Doug, The serving size is 1 cookie and the recipe makes 24 servings.
Karen
Allergic to almond flour what can I substitute?
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Karen, They might work with sunflower seed flour but I have not personally tried that.
Shad Chancey
YUM!! These turned out FANTASTIC! Thanks for the recipe! Any other good Keto dessert recipes I should try?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
So glad you liked them, Shad! I have lots of other keto dessert recipes here.
Madison Lyn Burchett
I don’t want to be rude, but I made this recipe to the t, other than using stevia instead of allulose, and they were absolutely awful… i’m trying again and using less vanilla because all I could taste was straight nasty vanilla extract.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Madison, Sorry to hear your cookies didn’t turn out. Unfortunately, swapping out the sweetener is not following the recipe to the T. 😉 The sweetener makes a big difference in both flavor and texture, and stevia would definitely have an aftertaste, that is likely what you are tasting. It could also be, if you used a low quality vanilla, that the flavor of that was not the best. I link the ingredients I use and recommend on the recipe card, and hope you’ll have the chance to try the recipe as written.
Pippy
I really don’t mean to be rude, but these are absolutely disgusting! I have tried so many different low carb cookie recipes that everyone swears by and they are all disgusting. I’m trying to figure out how anyone finds these recipes appetizing in any way.
Mrs. Valerie
Thank you for the recipe! If I want to use honey, how much should I use? Would I need to make any other adjustments since I’d be using a liquid sweetener? Gracias~
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Valerie, I do not test any recipes using honey so I can’t speak to the adjustments that would be needed.
Rose
I used marscapone for the cream cheese and added extra marscapone in place of sour cream. Used 2.5 tbls stevia for the sweetener, so a bit less than stated. Added 1 tsp almond extract along with the stated vanilla. I also added 1/2 tsp baking powder. The mix was soft and pliable, so not as dry and dense as expected. I baked at 177C in my Vortex Airfryer, directly on the lift out tray, for 10 mins, turning half way through. They are quite golden brown and definitely cooked through. Taste good warm so I’m looking forward to tasting the cold version to see the texture.
Karen
I like the cookies but am having an issue with the bottoms getting too dark. I’ve tried shortening the cooking time to 12 mins, lowering the temp to 325 but had the same result. They look perfect from the top, the edges are just starting to get golden but the bottoms are burned and don’t taste good. I have to cut the bottoms off to enjoy the cookie.
Deb Giesler
I cooked mine for 8 min. They were great.
KDawn
I used snøfrisk cream cheese and duck eggs for these and they are beyond delicious 🙂 Thanks for the recipe, SO GOOD!
Marjorie Heard
Can I use mascarpone for the cream cheese?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Marjorie, The flavors will be more subtle, but the recipe will still work. Enjoy!
Darci
My husband and I really enjoyed these. The recipe was very easy and the instructions were clear. We did find the first batch good but a little plain. On the second batch, I rolled the dough balls in a mix of cinnamon and erythritol before flattening them out. Kind of like when you make Snickerdoodles. They turned out great! I also made a few with sprinkles. Sprinkles are for winners. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely make these again!
Jewel Marcuerquiaga
Love your cookies…a bit of cinnamon was nice. I also had a strip of parchment paper about 4 inches wide and I could lay that on top of a roll of cookies and flatten them with my hands no sticky mess. I was wondering what sugar substitute you like that doesn’t leave that nasty aftertaste? Thanks Jewel
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Jewel, I have my own line of keto-friendly sweeteners! They don’t have any aftertaste, and several options to suit your needs. Check out Wholesome Yum Foods to see the full lineup of sweeteners!
Cornflakes
Loved these. Added a little lemon extract to everything else and they are so tasty!