These keto cream cheese cookies are soft, buttery, and seriously delicious. If you’ve been missing cookies on a low carb diet, this one is for you.
The cream cheese in the dough gives them this amazing pillowy texture that regular keto cookies don’t always have. They come out golden on the edges and perfectly soft in the middle.
They’re also super simple to make. No complicated steps, no weird techniques. Just mix, roll, bake, and enjoy.
Each cookie is low carb and keto friendly, so you can actually have a treat without worrying about it. Sometimes that’s all you really need.
This recipe makes 12 cookies and they disappear fast. Fair warning.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Soft and Pillowy Texture – The cream cheese makes these cookies incredibly soft and pillowy in a way most keto cookies never achieve.
Only 8 Simple Ingredients – You need just 8 basic ingredients and most of them are probably already sitting in your kitchen right now.
No Coconut Flour Needed – These use only almond flour so you avoid that dry crumbly texture coconut flour sometimes gives keto baked goods.
They Actually Taste Like Real Cookies – The butter and cream cheese combo creates a rich buttery flavor that rivals traditional sugar cookies.
Recipe Ingredients
- 2 oz Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup Butter, softened
- 1/3 cup Granulated Erythritol
- 1 Large Egg Yolk
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/4 cups Almond Flour
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- Pinch of Salt
How To Make
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the erythritol and beat until fluffy.
Step 3
Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
Step 4
Add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a spatula until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. If the dough feels very soft, refrigerate for 15 minutes to make it easier to handle.
Step 5
Scoop the dough into 12 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Gently press each ball down slightly with the back of a fork.
Step 6
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look just barely set. They will seem underdone but will firm up as they cool.
Step 7
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They become perfectly soft and pillowy once cooled.
Tips
Make Sure the Cream Cheese and Butter Are Actually Soft
Don’t just pull them out of the fridge and start mixing. They need to sit on the counter for at least 30-45 minutes before you use them.
If they’re still cold, you’ll get lumps in your dough that won’t go away no matter how long you mix. The dough needs to be completely smooth for the cookies to bake evenly.
If you forgot to take them out ahead of time, cut the butter into small cubes and the cream cheese into chunks. They’ll soften in about 15 minutes that way.
Chill the Dough if It’s Hard to Roll
Almond flour dough with butter and cream cheese can get pretty soft and sticky, especially if your kitchen is warm. If the dough sticks to your hands when you try to roll it into balls, pop it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
You can also lightly wet your hands before rolling each ball. This keeps the dough from sticking to your palms and makes shaping way easier.
Don’t Overbake Them
These cookies will look like they’re not done when you pull them out, and that’s exactly what you want. As soon as the edges start turning golden, take them out even if the center looks soft and puffy.
Almond flour cookies firm up a lot as they cool. If you wait until they look fully done in the oven, they’ll end up dry and crumbly once they cool down.
Start checking at the 12-minute mark. Every oven is different, and even one extra minute can push these from perfect to overdone.
More Recipes
- Low Carb 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Low Carb Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Low Carb White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
- Low Carb Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different sweetener instead of erythritol?
Yes, you can use other keto-friendly sweeteners like monk fruit sweetener or allulose. If you go with allulose, keep in mind the cookies may brown a bit faster, so check them a minute or two earlier than the recipe says.
Avoid using liquid sweeteners like stevia drops because they won’t give you the same texture. You really need a granulated sweetener here to keep the dough right.
Keto Cream Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the erythritol and beat until fluffy.
- Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a spatula until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. If the dough feels very soft, refrigerate for 15 minutes to make it easier to handle.
- Scoop the dough into 12 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Gently press each ball down slightly with the back of a fork.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look just barely set. They will seem underdone but will firm up as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They become perfectly soft and pillowy once cooled.