These Keto Shortbread Cookies have a hint of lemon and are made with a shortbread dough that makes beautiful keto shortbread cookies, or the perfect low carb shortbread crust for a summer fruit tart or lemon meringue pie!
These Keto Shortbread cookies are my new easy, “go to” keto cookie recipe – and once you try them you’ll understand why!
I wasn’t always a fan of lemon flavored desserts – in fact, as a kid I wouldn’t even eat them. In my adulthood though, I’ve come to appreciate the brightness that lemon imparts to a dessert, especially in keto recipes – and now I can’t get enough of it.
I would even go so far as to say that when given the choice of lemon over chocolate, 75% of the time the lemon flavored dessert would win out. Crazy, I know – sometimes I can’t believe it either!
So maybe it’s due to all of the pastel colored foodie magazines showing up in my mailbox, and the promise of Spring and warmer weather just around the corner, but I’ve had lemons on the brain for weeks now.
Anyway, during my crazed obsession with all things lemon last week, I also made these awesome keto shortbread cookies with lemon zest, and they did NOT disappoint!
These keto shortbread cookies require just four ingredients and have an addicting but subtle lemon flavor and crusty shortbread texture that I absolutely love!
Be sure to use a sweetener that is advertised to bake like sugar in these keto shortbread cookies (I prefer granulated erythritol like Swerve, or a monk fruit and erythritol blend like Lakanto) and not a liquid sugar free sweetener or they may not hold together properly.
Also important is that you chill this keto shortbread dough before you cut them into cookies, otherwise they will crumble apart and be impossible to work with.
This versatile keto shortbread dough also makes a lovely low carb tart base or keto pie crust, which does not require pre-chilling. You simply press it into your pan and bake it for 15 minutes.
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Keto Shortbread Cookies
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 large tart or 16 cookies (about 2 inches in diameter) 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
Keto shortbread cookies – but the dough also makes the perfect low carb shortbread crust for a summer fruit tart or lemon meringue pie!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sweetener (Swerve & Lakanto are my favorites)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Melt the butter in the microwave or a small saucepan.
- Add the almond flour, sweetener, and lemon zest, stirring until fully combined.
To make cookies:
- Gather dough into a ball (it will be crumbly at first, this is normal)
- Then form into a cylinder shape about 10 inches long and 1.5 inches in diameter ( and wrap tightly with plastic wrap to compress.
- Chill in freezer for 30 minutes or until firm, or in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- With a sharp knife, slice into 1/2 inch thick cookies (if they crumble apart your dough isn’t cold enough) and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.
- Allow to cool before removing.
To make a tart or pie crust:
- No need to pre-chill, just press dough into tart or pie tins.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees (F) for 15 mins, or until firm and golden brown.
Notes
Approx nutrition info per 1/8th tart crust: 238 calories, 23g fat, 3g net carbs, 6g protein
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Keto desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 119
- Fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 2g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
Can’t get enough keto lemon dessert recipes? Me either! Check out this amazing collection of delicious low carb lemon recipes from some of our favorite bloggers!
karen says
Could I use powdered monkfruit without the erythitol? I can’t wait to try these!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes!
Liz Martin says
I added dried chopped blueberries ( just a few to make specks) to them. Lemon blueberry – they smelled like a bakery! Thank you for all your work!
Joyce K says
I absolutely ADORE shortbread cookies. These are so easy to throw together and taste amazing! This also makes a great pie crust, I just bake it for about 10-12 minutes. So rich and flavorful. Next I’m going to add some dried cranberries and make cookies dipped in chocolate. Can’t wait!!! Lovely recipe, great flavor.
Mellissa Sevigny says
All great ideas Joyce, so happy you are finding creative ways to use this recipe!
l p says
thanks for the reminder. these cookies are wonderful – no egg, added a touch of lemon juice and a bit more butter as the humidity is quite low here.
Sandra Dufoe says
So easy to make and tasted amazing going to use them in our cookie exchange this year should be a hit.
Sam says
Hi!
Can I use regular sugar in this recipe instead?
Thank you!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes!
Robin says
Thank you! Yum! I LOVE 💕 LEMON!
Laura says
I really like your recipes, but finding the correct amounts is a bit tricky for European bakers. The conversion tables and calculators differentiate quite a bit. For example 1 cup almond flour can be anything between 90 and 125 grams (sometimes even more), depending on the calculator you use. It would help tremendously if you could measure the amount yourself and add your own metric amounts to the recipes.
Kathleen says
I made these cookies but added a cup of chopped pecans. It made delicious pecan sandies! I will cut them a little thinner next time. Bravo to Mellissa! I need to feed my sweet tooth sometimes and this really does it.
Lovie says
Need to try these for my Christmas cookies this year. Will be great to have a safe option to eat.