For those embracing a ketogenic lifestyle, finding satisfying and compliant treats can sometimes be a challenge. Look no further than these keto pistachio cookies. These cookies offer a delightful combination of flavor and texture while adhering to low-carb principles. With a pale green hue, they make a festive addition to any holiday spread, perfect for Christmas, Easter, or St. Patrick's Day.
Inspiration and Adaptation
Inspired by a previous keto lemon cookie recipe, this low-carb pistachio cookie recipe delivers a similar level of satisfaction. The original recipe has undergone a transformation to create a cookie that aligns with a ketogenic way of eating (WOE), ensuring you can indulge without feeling like you've cheated.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to create these keto-friendly pistachio cookies:
- Almond flour: This ensures that these cookies are both grain-free and keto-friendly.
- Sugar-free sweetener: Several options work well, including Lakanto Monk Fruit, Swerve sweetener, or Pyure. When making keto vanilla icing for this recipe, you will have to use a confectioner sugar substitute.
- Pistachios: These provide the signature nutty flavor and a delightful crunch.
- Other ingredients: The recipe may also call for butter, egg, vanilla extract, and baking powder.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature unless otherwise specified.
- Combine Ingredients: In a stand mixer, blend the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on slow to incorporate.
- Add Pistachios: On low speed stir in pistachios.
- Shape the Cookies: Roll batter into balls. Place each on a silpat lined or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Flatten each ball slightly onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake: Bake cookies in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool and Glaze (Optional): Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. For an extra touch, prepare a keto vanilla glaze and drizzle it over the cooled cookies. Sprinkle with additional crushed pistachios.
Tips and Considerations
- Sweetener Selection: If you don’t like Swerve sweetener you can use another sugar free granulated sweetener, but you should remove the lemon stevia. If you don’t have lemon stevia, vanilla liquid stevia would be my next choice. You could also use low carb powdered sweetener. Best way to work with low carb sweeteners is to always use less than recipe calls for, taste batter, and decide if it’s right for you and your tastebuds. Everyone will feel differently about sweeteners, but there are so many on the market today. If you prefer to use another sweetener of choice like Monk Fruit or Allulose, no problem!
- Nut Allergies: If you do have a child with a nut allergy, then skip the pistachios, or replace with chopped pumpkin seeds instead.
- Texture: Erythritol is renowned for giving a little crunch to recipes such as cookies which is why I use it when to make cookies. If you want to switch sweeteners, remember that stevia/monk fruit blends are generally more concentrated than erythritol or xylitol on their own so you don’t need as much in recipes. I would suggest trying to add 2-4 tablespoons of a stevia/monkfruit blend but taste the dough as well to make sure it is sweet enough. If you want to use any other form of sugar such as coconut sugar, try using equal amounts to what is specified in the recipe for erythritol.
- Cookie Dough Consistency: Notes- make sure that you chop your pistachio reasonably small so it makes it easier to cut your cookies out of the dough or slice them. If your mixture is a little crumbly when you slice cookie rounds, simply use your hands to compress the mixture back into shape. and place on the baking tray.
- Storage: Place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months or refrigerate for 7 days.
Variations and Adaptations
- Nut-Free Option: For those with nut allergies, consider using chopped pumpkin seeds instead of pistachios.
- Cranberry Pistachio Cookies: You need some fresh cranberries, and the following dry ingredients; your favorite low carb sweetener, Swerve sweetener, lemon juice, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, coconut flour, and pistachios or pumpkin seeds could also be used instead for nut free. Yes if you’d like to swap the pistachios with walnuts they would be delicious sugar free cranberry walnut cookies! Yes you could swap out the fresh cranberries and use an unsweetened dried cranberry recipe.
- Lemon Pistachio Cookies: Delicious and easy to make Keto Lemon Pistachio Cookies are a fabulous low carb sugar free version that tastes as good as the original recipe. This is another adaption of the tried and tested fabulous recipe for Low Carb Shortbread Cookies. The addition of pistachio and fresh lemon juice and zest goes wonderfully with the buttery shortbread texture of these cookies. While they taste amazing as they are, you also have the option to top them with a little lemon or vanilla glaze.
Serving and Enjoying
These keto pistachio cookies are best eaten fresh although I find that these tend to be eaten very quickly in our house so there’s generally no need to store them longer term. When you bake without using preservatives and additives, foods don’t tend to last as long as processed foods. That’s a good thing though, as it means you aren’t eating foods full of additives and preservatives. If you don’t think you can eat these cookies within 3-5 days, you can just bake half a batch and freeze the remaining cookie dough. Just defrost overnight in the fridge to use at another time. The dough defrosts really well, bakes up well and means you can have fresh cookies on tap. While these cookies taste divine simply on their own, you can be a little adventurous with decorating them. Try sifting a tiny amount of low carb icing sugar mix/confectioners sweetener or powdered sweetener on top for a simple finish. You could also dip part of the cookie in melted dark or white chocolate or drizzle the chocolate on the tops for variation. Another great way to decorate them is to make some low carb icing by blending a couple of tablespoons of confectioners sweetener with a tiny amount of water or lemon juice to get a pipeable consistency.
Keto Pistachio and Cranberry Cookies
These easy Keto Pistachio and Cranberry Cookies are made with cashew butter and filled with pistachios, white chocolate chips, and dried cranberries. They are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth without all of the carbs.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Ingredients
- Natural cashew butter - It’s very important that you read the label and make sure there is no added salt, sugar, or palm oil. You want natural cashew butter, the kind that will separate a little in the jar (because there is no palm oil).
- Swerve granulated sweetener - You can substitute with your favorite keto sweetener this is just our favorite brand.
- Egg - This binds everything together and helps it to rise a little.
- Baking soda - This in combination with the egg gives the cookie a very slight rise so that it is nice and soft.
- Vanilla extract
- Lily’s white chocolate chips - You are welcome to use another keto white chocolate chip but this is my favorite brand and they are getting easier and easier to find! I bought these at target but you can find them on Amazon if your local grocery stores don’t carry it.
- Pistachios - Make sure you get unsalted pistachios for this recipe so your cookies don’t taste salty 🙂 . I bought a big bag of unsalted, shelled pistachios here. They cost a little more but it saves you so much time when you don’t have to shell them yourself!
- Dried cranberries - Cranberries have a decent amount of natural carbs so I wouldn’t call them keto BUT we are using a very small amount for this recipe and we made sure to purchase unsweetened dried cranberries so there are no added sugars. You’ll use just enough to give you that tart cranberry flavor.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine ingredients. In a bowl combine the cashew butter, Swerve sweetener, egg, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Stir together until well mixed.
- Stir in white chocolate chips, pistachios, and dried cranberries.
- Chill dough. Place in refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
- Bake. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and roll it into 1.5 ounce balls. Place balls on the prepared baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. Then gently press down on the balls to flatten them. I use the back of my ¼ cup measuring cup.
- Cool. You can store these cookies in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 1 week. They stay nice and soft and are the perfect little indulgence to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Keto Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Rich and buttery shortbread, studded with sweet, nutty pistachios, these easy keto Pistachio Shortbread Cookies are coffee’s new BFF! Low carb and gluten free too - but nobody has to know these keto shortbread cookies aren’t loaded with sugar and carbs!
Match them up with an afternoon espresso (my other current obsession) and I. JUST. CAN’T. EVEN.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto