For those following a ketogenic or low-carb lifestyle, finding satisfying desserts can be a challenge. But fear not, cookie lovers! This recipe for Keto Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies delivers the classic flavors and textures you crave, without the sugar and carbs. These cookies boast a rich, nutty flavor from browned butter, a soft and chewy interior, and lightly crisp edges.
The Magic of Brown Butter
What sets these cookies apart is the use of brown butter. By cooking butter over low-medium heat, the milk solids caramelize, creating a nutty aroma and golden-brown flecks. This process intensifies the butter's natural richness and gives the cookies a unique, sophisticated flavor. If you've never tried brown butter before, prepare to be amazed. The caramel hues that emerge during the browning process add depth and complexity to the cookies.
Key Ingredients and Their Roles
Each ingredient in this recipe plays a crucial role in achieving the perfect keto cookie:
- Almond Flour: The foundation of these cookies, providing a soft, tender texture ideal for baked goods. Almond flour is also packed with healthy fats and naturally low in carbs. Different brands of almond flour vary in terms of total carb count. The Kirkland brand from Costco, which has only 2g net carbs per serving, is a good option. Anthony’s Almond Flour is very similar, carb-wise.
- Coconut Flour: A small amount of coconut flour helps balance the texture, complementing the almond flour. For best taste and texture, Anthony's is recommended.
- Xanthan Gum: This is SO important for this recipe.
- Granulated Sweetener: To keep these cookies low-carb and keto-friendly, a granulated sweetener like a monk fruit-erythritol blend is used. The granulated texture helps create those slightly crispy edges.
- Sugar-Free Brown Sugar: Adds richness to the cookies and works with the butter to create that scintillating goo. If you don’t have a brown sugar substitute on hand, no sweat! You can easily replace it with any granulated sugar-free sugar substitutes.
- Egg & Egg Yolk: The combination of a whole egg and an extra egg yolk gives these cookies their perfect texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Crucial for rounding out the flavor of these cookies, adding warmth and richness.
- Baking Soda: The leavening agent that gives these cookies just the right amount of lift.
- Sea Salt: A touch of salt is essential in any cookie recipe, enhancing the flavors. Fine sea salt works best because it blends evenly into the dough.
- Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips: Providing those irresistible pockets of gooey chocolate in every bite, without the sugar. Lily's chocolate chips or a chopped sugar-free chocolate bar sweetened with sugar alcohols are good choices.
- Unsalted Butter: The ingredient that makes a cookie utterly irresistible 😉 Butter serves as the fat, flavor, and goo portion of the recipe. It can easily be replaced with softened coconut oil for those who are dairy-free.
A Note on Sweeteners
Xylitol is as sweet as real sugar. Xylitol also helps the cookies maintain their gooey soft texture - especially paired with Swerve Brown Sugar sweetener. Xylitol basically erases that weird aftertaste some erythritol-based sweeteners can impart.
Important Considerations Regarding Xylitol and Sugar Alcohols
- Xylitol Toxicity: Xylitol is HIGHLY toxic to pets! Do not feed your pets anything containing xylitol, and use caution eating xylitol-based treats around them.
- Gastrointestinal Issues: Not everyone can digest certain sugar alcohols the same way, so use caution when eating them in massive quantities because you may (or may not) experience gastrointestinal issues. Remember, just because it’s keto-friendly doesn’t mean you can eat all you want. To avoid or decrease any potential stomach issues, it is highly recommended to purchase the xylitol that isn’t made from corn.
- Stevia: DO NOT USE STEVIA FOR THIS RECIPE.
Step-by-Step Recipe
Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), divided
- ¾ cup granulated sweetener (such as monk fruit-erythritol blend)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 2 teaspoons coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup sugar-free chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Brown the Butter: Place 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small stainless steel saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly as the butter melts, then watch closely as it starts to foam. After 2-3 minutes, you’ll notice a nutty aroma and brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan. The butter should be a toasty brown and smell like toffee. Immediately turn off the heat and add in the 4 tablespoons of the cold butter to stop the butter from cooking and eventually burning. Pour the brown butter into a medium-sized bowl or large measuring cup and let it cool to room temperature. Make sure to include all those toasty bits at the bottom.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Pour in the xylitol, monk fruit, and brown sugar Swerve sweeteners. Fold the sweeteners and brown butter together just to combine. Pour in the vanilla extract, along with one large egg. Whisk thoroughly and vigorously to cream those ingredients together for about a minute.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and sea salt. Whisk together to combine and break up any lumps.
- Make the Dough: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and gently fold until a smooth dough forms. Just a heads up: the brown butter mixture will thicken and stiffen up on you after a couple minutes if you don’t immediately add it to the dry mixture, but that’s fine so don’t panic. Just continue as you normally would. Fold in the chocolate chips. If the dough seems soft and greasy, refrigerate the dough for 1 hour before baking. If the dough doesn't seem greasy and presses together easily, you can bake the cookies right away.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat.
- Shape the Cookies: Use a large cookie scoop to place your cookies on your prepared baking sheet, making sure there’s at least 2 to 3 inches of space in between each cookie. Using a rubber spatula or spoon, press the cookie dough down just slightly because they won’t flatten too much on their own. Don’t flatten them too much, just a small nudge will do the trick.If you have the time, chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking.
- Bake: Place inside of your preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown. This shouldn’t take more than 12 minutes, and you do not want to overtake these!
- Cool: Remove from oven and allow them to cool COMPLETELY before eating. Keto sweeteners taste better once cooled, and because there’s no gluten, these cookies are far too fragile to handle while warm.
Tips for Success
- Browning the Butter: Don't walk away from the butter while it's browning! Stir constantly and watch closely to prevent burning. If you use a dark-coated saucepan, it can be difficult to see how brown it’s getting.
- Measuring Ingredients: Use a kitchen-scale so that you end up with perfect cookies every time.
- Cooling Completely: Be patient and let the cookies cool completely before eating. This allows the flavors to develop and the cookies to firm up. Erythritol in particular can take a few hours to crisp up, so don't despair!
- Optional additions: An (optional!) teaspoon of blackstrap molasses for that extra brown sugar kick. 1 teaspoon (7g) adds 5g net carbs to the entire batch (just 0.3g net a cookie!). But carbs aside, blackstrap molasses is a nutritional powerhouse rich in vital vitamins and minerals, such as iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and selenium. Or may I suggest chocolate chunks?! I mean, don’t know if I’ve been off sugar for too long, but I absolutely adore adding 100% unsweetened chocolate to my cookies. But Paola, isn’t it too bitter?! Again, have I been off sugar for too long guys?
Serving and Storage
These cookies are best enjoyed once they have cooled completely. Store them in a sealed airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. After that, transfer them to the refrigerator or the freezer. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Macros and Nutritional Information
Xanthan gum is SO important for this recipe. Macros for this recipe cannot be provided because there are too many varying factors. You will have to make this recipe and figure out the macros for the ingredients you end up using.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto