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.
Print
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!
Nicole says
I stumbled upon this blog about a month ago and couldn’t be happier! I made these cookies last night and everyone at my job LOVES them (so do I!) I am looking forward to making a pie with this recipe! I have PCOS and my body does not process carbs properly and it is very difficult for me to lose weight without watching my carb count. I started lowering my carb count to 20g or less a day about 3 months ago and have since lost 36 pounds (with exercise added in). Your recipes have made me super excited about eating healthy! I don’t feel like I am on a diet. I am just eating right now! I purchased all 3 cookbooks so far and can’t wait to try them.
Thank you so much for all your amazing recipes! Please keep them coming :)
Jennifer Stock says
These were wonderful! I have been making cookies every night for months now trying to come up with a low carb almond flour cookie with Truvia that doesn’t turn out like a cute little pancake, in terms of texture. I was about to start adding in starches to get the crunchy dense-ness that I associate with a cookie and then poof! I find your recipe. It’s perfect! I kept my first batch refrigerated and they got much harder by the next day. Thank you so much–I am very grateful for your talent and generosity.
Now I can move on to something different! You don’t have a fool-proof brownie recipe by any chance, do you? :)
Steph says
These turned out PERFECTLY. I didn’t need to add an egg or anything, I just followed the recipe. Maybe next time I’ll add a bit more zest, just for extra yummy lemon! I also left the dough in the freezer for 45 minutes, just to make sure it held together. Which it did fantastically. Thank you! :D
Very difficult not to eat them all at once!!
Christine Castaneda says
Made these again tonight. SOOOO YUMMY!
Stephanie Wagner says
Can I just say making these cookies comes at the perfect time with all of the Girl Scout cookies coming out now. I’ll also have to hunt down some low carb recipes for Samoas, Thin Mints and Tagalongs!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I think Carolyn at All Day I Dream About Food has some copycat girlscout cookies on her site – if not a Pinterest search should turn some up!
Stephanie Wagner says
That is so funny you just now said that! I JUST finished pinning all three of her recipes! haha! Baking day for me!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yay! Me too! I’m busy baking 5 different cupcake recipes for the Spring issue of the ezine today! Be sure to box some of your cookies up and send them over here to me – I LOVE all of Carolyn’s cookie recipes! :)
heather says
I’m not sure what I did wrong but these didn’t turn out for me. :(
Jill says
I made these tonight with a few changes. I had no lemon so used 2 teaspoons lime juice. Based on some of the other posts, I added 1 egg and since coconut goes so well with lime, I added 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut. They were delicious!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Jill – I haven’t tried the egg but I’m wondering if it makes them easier to work with? Will have to experiment! Thanks!
jill says
T they were actually very easy to work with and I had no problem with them crumbling. I brought some to work today and they were a big hit!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Glad they were a hit Jill, I’m definitely going to try an egg in my next batch!
maria loukakos says
Great recipe.. Worked well and biscuites held together beautifully. Thank you
Shel says
Late to the party, just wanted to say these were a fabulous Christmas cookie, too. I grabbed the wrong fruit off the tree and our first batch was orange flavored. I sweetened with the recommended amount of erythritol and added some liquid sucralose.. After 30 minutes in the freezer, the dough was firm, but would crack or break. By holding a finger on the front edge of the dough, I was able to easily slice into nice looking cookies. We all know how tasty these are warm, but they just get better and more short-bready if given the opportunity. Some of them made it almost 24 hours and they were the best!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for letting me know Shel! I like the orange idea – maybe dipped in chocolate afterwards since I love orange and chocolate together! I’ll get to work on that one soon – thanks for the inspiration! So glad you enjoyed them and thanks for taking the time to comment!
Josephine says
Hi Mellissa. I just discovered your blog the other night when browsing around collecting low carb meal inspiration – and wow! I really think your recipes are creative and very inviting. I am definitely gonna cook up a few of them! So cool with a new source of food inspiration!
All the best from Josephine (from Atastylovestory.com)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Josephine and welcome to IBIH!!