Indulge in the delightful flavors of fall with these Low-Carb Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! These keto-friendly and gluten-free treats combine the warm spices of pumpkin with rich chocolate chips. Made with wholesome ingredients, these cookies offer a satisfying sweet treat that aligns perfectly with your low-carb lifestyle.
Why You'll Love These Cookies
These cookies are not only low in carbs but also gluten-free, allowing you to indulge your sweet tooth without the guilt. They are easy and quick to make with simple, wholesome ingredients and straightforward instructions. Each cookie boasts a soft, chewy texture and rich pumpkin flavor, enhanced by the addition of dark chocolate chips.
Key Ingredients
- Large Egg: Make sure the egg is at room temperature for better mixing and texture.
- Butter (or coconut oil): Use unsalted butter for a rich flavor. If you prefer coconut oil, make sure it’s melted and cooled before mixing.
- Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie filling): Homemade pumpkin puree is a great way to save money while ensuring you're using pure pumpkin. Be cautious with store-bought options, as they can often contain winter squash, like butternut squash, which is higher in carbs.
- Almond Butter: You can substitute any smooth nut butter of your choice, such as peanut butter or cashew butter.
- Xanthan Gum: This ingredient acts as a binding and thickening agent in low-carb and gluten-free recipes.
- Brown Sweetener: This sugar substitute provides a taste and texture similar to brown sugar without the carbs.
- Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract in your recipes for the best flavor. It adds a warm, sweet aroma and enhances the overall taste of your cookies.
- Superfine Almond Flour: Be sure to use superfine almond flour, not almond meal or coarser ground almond flour, as the texture can significantly affect the outcome of your cookies.
- Coconut Flour: Coconut flour produces that soft muffin top texture that is so inviting in these cookies.
- Baking Soda: This ingredient acts as a leavening agent in the recipe, helping your cookies rise and achieve a lighter texture. When combined with acidic ingredients like pumpkin puree, baking soda produces carbon dioxide, which creates air pockets in the dough.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is another leavening agent used in this recipe to help your cookies rise. Unlike baking soda, which requires an acid to activate, baking powder contains both an acid and a base, allowing it to work in various recipes.
- Pumpkin Spice Blend: This typically includes a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, providing a warm and aromatic flavor that perfectly complements the pumpkin in these cookies.
- Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate Chips: Pumpkin and dark chocolate work wonderfully together, creating a rich and delightful flavor combination in these cookies. However, feel free to use whatever sugar-free chocolate you prefer, including semi-sweet or white chocolate chips.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare the Pumpkin: While the oven preheats to 350 degrees F, measure out the pumpkin and place it in a paper towel lined bowl, cover with extra paper towels, pressing down lightly. Allow the pumpkin to sit for 10-15 minutes to remove excess moisture. Discard the paper towels when moisture has been absorbed.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolk then whisk in melted, and cooled, butter or softened ghee with pure pumpkin puree and almond butter. Add brown sugar sweetener and vanilla extract.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Mix Wet and Dry: Mix the wet and dry ingredients together thoroughly.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Chill the Dough: For even better texture and flavor, consider chilling the cookie dough for about 10 minutes before baking.
- Shape the Cookies: Use a small cookie scoop to drop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently flatten dough with a spatula or the bottom of a small glass.
- Bake: Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
- Cool: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet before removing. They may look slightly underbaked when you take them out, but they will continue to firm up as they cool.
Tips for the Perfect Cookies
- Drying the Pumpkin: The most important step is to dry the pumpkin before you begin baking. When ready to use, the paper towels will be soaked through with moisture from the pumpkin.
- Chilling the Dough: For even better texture and flavor, consider chilling the cookie dough for about 30 minutes before baking.
- Don't Overbake: For a soft cookie, don't over bake these cookies as the bottoms will burn if left too long in the oven.
- Cooling: Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for about 10 minutes before gently moving them to a cooling rack.
Variations and Substitutions
- Nut Butter: You can substitute any smooth nut butter of your choice, such as peanut butter or cashew butter. Just be aware that the carb count will change based on the amount of nut butter you use.
- Chocolate Chips: Feel free to use whatever sugar-free chocolate you prefer, including semi-sweet or white chocolate chips. You can also use butterscotch chips.
- Nuts: Add nuts to the batter. They feature a pumpkin dough with pumpkin spice and sprinkled with chopped pecans and low-carb dark chocolate chips.
- Sweetener: For a more lighter cookie you can use regular erythritol, monk fruit or allulose.
Storage Instructions
- Room Temperature: Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezing: To freeze, allow the cookies to cool completely. Place them in a single layer in an airtight container or a ziplock bag with parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Common Questions
- Can I use a different nut butter (cashew, peanut, sunflower)? Yes, you can use any nut butter you prefer; just be aware that the carb count will change based on the amount of nut butter you use.
- Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree? No, it's best to use pure pumpkin puree for this recipe. Pumpkin pie filling contains added sugars and spices that will affect your cookies' carb count and flavor.
- Do I have to use pumpkin pie spice? No, you do not have to use any spices but you may not enjoy the pumpkin flavour on it's own. A touch of cinnamon is suggested.
- Why did my cookies turn out flat? If you did scoop enough dough into each cookie ball they may come out flat. Each cookie dough ball should be roughly 1.5 to 2" in diameter. You can also add more almond flour to ensure they stay firm while baking.
- Why are my cookies raw in the middle? You might not have cooked them long enough or the dough was too warm before placing them in the oven. Work quickly when making these cookies so they do not get too warm before baking.
- Are these cookies good for diabetics? These cookies are made sugar free and only contain 2g of carbohydrates per cookies. 1g net carbs if you subtract the fiber in them. Therefore, they can be diabetic friendly. However, everyone reacts differently to different foods and you should monitor your blood sugars after consuming a cookie to see how it affects you. The same would be for people following a ketogenic or low carb diet.
Nutritional Information
For just 1 cookie it only has 2.3 NET CARBS and is only 98 CALORIES. If you make 10 cookies out of this recipe, each cookie contains 167 calories, 7 grams of total carbohydrate, 8 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto