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!
Marcelle says
Oops…I meant to say I had NO problems with the dough crumbling!
Marcelle says
I just made these and they are to die for! I had absolutely problems with the dough crumbling after 30 minutes in the freezer. They sliced beautifully. The only thing I did different was to add a 1/2 tsp pure lemon extract to punch up the lemon flavor (I’m a lemo-holic!) Thank you SOOO much for this awesome and super easy recipe!
Jodie says
Hi Melissa, I am wanting to make these for a birthday party, but with 100 (not quite) other things to make beforehand as well, I was wondering how long these will keep please? Thanks
Mellissa Sevigny says
These freeze well so feel free to make them ahead of time!
Erika says
This recipe makes the perfect cheesecake crust. I simply patted the dough out into a pie tin and baked it for 15 minutes. Then I let the crust cool completely and then made a no-bake cheesecake filling. After the crust was cooled completely, I poured the cheesecake filling, topped with fresh blueberries, piped a whipped cream border around the whole thing and chilled it in the fridge for a few hours. SO good. My cheesecake is a big hit in my household.
Dorene Amos says
Just prepared your Pecan Shortbread Cookies from your I Breathe I’m Hungry
July/August 2013
It’s Summertime
…and the low-carb livin’s easy.
Deliciously Low Carb & Gluten Free
25 Recipes that Celebrate Summer http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com
Mellissa your recipes have inspired me to make low carb a life-style. I’ve lost 40 pounds so far on my journey. When I look up recipes I often land on one that you are the author of. So glad I purchased your cookbooks.
You are the best!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Dorene! I love those cookies still – glad you enjoyed them too! And congrats on 40 pounds lost – that’s fantastic!!
G says
Wii,
I would like to know if the cookies get crunchy? I have tried a lot of different recipes of low carb cookies, but they never get the “crunch crunch” when eating.. and i miss this..
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes! They get very crunchy and I love that about them!
G says
Thank you, dear! I’ll absolutely try this! :D
Amy says
Hey! Can I use coconut oil instead of butter? Also can I use liquid stevia instead of granulated? Looking forward!
Mim Hughes says
Amy I use granulated xylitol and for baking I just grind it in my magic bullet to a powder. It incorporates really well into the other ingredients. Coconut oil would set really well in the fridge but you won’t have that signature buttery shortbread taste…worth a crack I reckon!
Mim Hughes says
sorry what I meant was you can grind Stevia the same way as I do my xylitol…
Michelle says
Love love love it! You are amazing making life so much easier! Thank you, I put some ekstra butter and one cup coconut meal and halfed the sweetner, but after I took them out of the oven I sprinkeled some sweetner on top.
adrienne says
thanks so much. I’m allergic to coconut so it’s fantastic to see paleo recipes with alternatives. If you have any other non-coconut paleo recipes I’d be delighted to see them.
I made these cookies. AWESOME.
ps – I used maple syrup rather than splenda, they came out great.
Nira says
for the maple syrup did you use the same amount it called for Splenda?
Jeannie says
These were lovely. Didn’t need to chill them first because they held together beautifully. I didn’t fully melt the butter just microwaved it until it was soft.
Leanna Miller says
These are absolutely delicious! I tried the recipe as-is the first time and tasted too buttery for me. The second time I made a few tweaks after reading the comments and they were even better… total hit with all of my non-keto friends!
I added:
1 tbsp of Almond Butter or Peanut Butter
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
3-5 squirts of Lemon Juice (or 1/4-1/2 of a lemon)
1 egg if it isn’t sticking together