Sugar-Free Almond Cookies
Sugar-Free Almond Cookies are also gluten-free, and these cookies will be a hit with people who love almonds. And these small cookies with a triple dose of almond flavor have only about 2 net carbs per cookie!
PIN Sugar-Free Almond Cookies to make them later!
I’m definitely not a baker, but when I shared the improved version of Chocolate Shortbread Cookies, I talked about how Kara and I have a project going to update some of the cookie recipes on the blog. Mostly we are switching out the sweeteners to use Monkfruit Sweetener or sometimes Golden Monkfruit Sweetener in a lot of older cookie recipes that had a bit of brown sugar.
And that change will make the cookies sugar-free and lower in carbs, which I bet most of my readers will like. We made these Sugar-Free Almond Cookies a few times and settled on a recipe with a little added almond extract as the one we liked best, but if you don’t want to buy that the cookies will still be tasty without it.
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- eggs
- Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or sweetener of your choice
- baking powder
- Vanilla (affiliate link)
- Kosher Salt (affiliate link)
- Almond Extract (affiliate link)
- Almond Flour (affiliate link)
- Almond Butter (affililate link)
- chopped almonds, plus 20 whole almonds for cookie tops
What gives these Almond Cookies the almond flavor?
I’m calling these Triple Almond Cookies because the recipe has blanched almond flour, almond butter, and chopped almonds (and if you use the almond extract, you could call them quadruple almond cookies, but that seems a bit like overkill.)
Should you use Monkfruit Sweetener or Golden Monkfruit Sweetener?
I’m a fan of Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) and I like the classic white Monkfruit Sweetener or the Golden Monkfruit sweetener that has more of a brown sugar taste. But now that I’ve used Monkfruit Sweetener a bit more I’ve decided Classic Monkfruit dissolves better in recipes where there isn’t much liquid. So for this recipe for Almond Cookies I’d probably use the Classic Monkfruit, but either type will work. You can read more about Monkfruit Sweetener and why I like it if you’re not familiar with it.
How many carbs are in the Sugar-Free Almond Cookies?
These tasty sugar-free and gluten-free cookies have only about 2 net carbs per cookie!
Want more Sugar-Free Holiday Cookies?
Check out My Favorite Flourless Sugar-Free Cookies to see all the cookie recipes I’ve been working on!
How to Make Sugar-Free Almond Cookies:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Preheat the oven to 350F/170C. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- We used the KitchenAid Stand Mixer (affiliate link) for these cookies, but you can use a hand mixer if that’s what you have.
- In the mixer bowl, beat together eggs, Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of your choice, baking powder, vanilla, salt, and almond extract if using.
- Then add almond flour and beat until it’s well combined.
- Add almond butter and beat to combine. (The mixture will be stiff.)
- We used whole almonds with skins for texture; chop up enough almonds to make 3/4 cup chopped almonds and gently mix those into the dough.
- Scoop out one tablespoon of dough at a time, roll into a ball, and place on parchment paper on the baking sheet.
- Press cookies down so they’re flat and press one whole almond into the center of each cookie.
- Bake cookies about 16 minutes, or until they’re barely starting to brown and still feel slightly soft.
- Let them cool at least 20 minutes or longer; they will harden more as they cool.
More Sugar-Free or Low-Sugar Cookies:
- Almond Flour Flaxseed Cookies (Sugar-Free)
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies (Flourless Sugar-Free)
- Flourless Sugar-Free Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Sugar-Free Almond Cookies
These Sugar-Free Almond Cookies are also gluten-free, and these cookies will be a hit with people who like almonds!
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup + 2 T Monkfruit Sweetener (or sweetener of your choice)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. almond extract (probably optional, but use it if you prefer a stronger almond flavor)
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 cup almond butter
- 3/4 cup chopped almonds, plus 20 whole almonds for the tops of the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/170C. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- We used the KitchenAid Stand Mixer (affiliate link) for these cookies, but you can use a hand mixer if that's what you have. In the mixer bowl, beat together the eggs, Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of your choice, baking powder, vanilla, salt, and almond extract if using.
- Then add the almond flour and beat until it's well combined.
- Then add the almond butter and beat to combine. (The mixture will be stiff.)
- Chop up enough whole almonds with skins to make 3/4 cup chopped almonds and gently mix those into the dough.
- Scoop out one tablespoon of dough at a time, roll into a ball, and place on parchment paper on the baking sheet.
- Press cookies down so they're flat and press one whole almond into the center of each cookie.
- Bake cookies about 16 minutes, or until they're barely starting to brown and still feel slightly soft. Let them cool at least 20 minutes or longer; they will harden more as they cool.
Notes
You can use Classic Monkfruit or Golden Monkfruit for the cookies, but I am finding that Classic Monkfruit dissolves better in recipes that don't have much liquid.
This recipe originally created by Kalyn with inspiration from several recipes. The improved version was tested several times with Kara.
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 120Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat .9gUnsaturated Fat 8.7gCholesterol 19mgSodium 77mgCarbohydrates 3.8gFiber 1.9gSugar 1gProtein 4.5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
When made with low-calorie sweeteners like the one I used, these Sugar-Free Almond Cookies should be approved for any low-glycemic or low-carb diet. Almond flour is limited to phase two or three for the original South Beach Diet, but if you’re looking for a healthier holiday treat, these are pretty SBD friendly.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check out Desserts and Baking for more cookie options!Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
These Almond Cookies that are sugar-free and gluten-free were first posted in 2008, and there’s a fun historical note about this recipe. Kalyn’s Kitchen was part of Holiday 2009 at Oprah.com, and this was one of the recipes featured there! Now my little moment of fame is buried back in the archives on Oprah’s site, but it’s still a fun memory! The recipe was updated with Monkfruit Sweetener in 2018 and last updated with more information in 2024.
24 Comments on “Sugar-Free Almond Cookies”
So I made the dough ahead of time to make for my fiance’s grandma. It was a 10 minute commute. When we arrived, I placed the dough in her fridge to help her around the kitchen first. That was about 45 minutes.
When we were ready to bake, the dough was super oily, but they formed fine and baked good too, but with a lot of oil secretion. Was I not suppose to chill it or make ahead? Or is this suppose to happen lol? I bake, but NEVER cookies so I don’t know the dos and donts in it. Especially since this is a gluten and sugar free friendly recipe.
I don’t think making the dough ahead or chilling it would cause the dough to be extra oily. The only variable I can think of is if the almond butter wasn’t well mixed, or if some brands of almond butter are more oily than others. If you try the recipe again, maybe try using just slightly less almond butter.
I just love this recipe. So many variations possible. Today I made a vegan version subbing the eggs for flax eggs and used hazelnut butter and chopped hazelnuts and dark chocolate. Really delicious!
So glad you are enjoying it!
I think I better delete some of those old comments so it’s not confusing. I had a few older cookies recipes that used agave nectar, but it added quite a bit of sugar. So my niece and I worked on the cookies to make them with sugar-free sweeteners, sometimes changing the recipe quite a bit to get an improved version with good flavor. You wouldn’t be able to use agave to replace the sweeteners we used, but you can use any kind of dry granulated sweetener of your choice. We got best flavor with a combination of sweeteners, but you can use only one if you prefer.
Could you post the nutritional breakdown?
Thank you, these look delicious!
M
Nutritional info has now been added!
I’ve never used monkfruit sweetener, and now that you’re updating your cookie recipes, I’m curious to try it. I don’t use white sugar much, but I use brown sugar to make sauces, so I think I’ll try it there first.
Hi Lydia, I think Ted liked the sweetener packets with it when I had them in D.C., but not 100% sure. Of course nothing tastes as good as sugar (especially brown sugar) but I do like the Monkfruit Sweetener quite well.
Love this recipe so much. The don’t have splenda here but I have made them using coconut palm sugar (same amounts) or substituting the splenda for half a cup of honey. Love the amount of variations that work like dark chocolate or dried berries. Keep posting the lovely recipes!
So glad you have enjoyed! Funny you just commented because we are making these today to get better pictures!
Sweet and savory, I love it when things work out like that. Hope you like the cookies.
This is a gluten free dieter's delight, meaning my husband. What is curious is, that for the first time, I bought almond butter, last Thurday, with no idea what to do with it. It just sounded like the right time to do, and indeed, it seems it was.
If I make these soon, Kalyn, I will let you know how they came out. I am baking for Chanukah so the time is now.
Valerie, I think a lot of us eat things during the holidays that we would normally avoid! That’s why going back to phase one is so great. Very interesting about the anise. Will have to try that myself.
Yum! My fiance and I made this as a transition treat (we fell off the South Beach wagon hard for the holidays), and they were the perfect little dessert.
I had a happy accident when making these – I grabbed anise extract instead of vanilla extract and dumped the full teaspoonful in before I noticed. When I realized it, I added the vanilla extract also and kept on going – but the final product was still yummy! The anise extract made the cookies taste like biscotti, without the tooth-breaking crunchiness!
I also want to make cookies.
I look at this picture and I feel hungry.
I want to eat something early.
Triple almond??? This sounds even more delicious than traditional sugar-and-gluten-loaded cookies!
RecipeGirl, I only make this kind of thing occasionally myself. Glad you like it.
Maria, thanks. I’m not the cookie expert as you know, but these are very good cookies! Susan, Happy Holidays to you. And just think, you got me to enter a baking event!
Arfi, the almond butter was so delicious! My first time trying it too.
Jude, loved the almond butter!
Yum- a triple almond treat. And gluten-free to boot. What’s not to love?
Kalyn, everytime I come here, I will find something new. This time is almond butter. What an idea!
Oh! Almond butter. I was wondering what the third type of almond is.
Any cookie with the words “Triple Almond” would go to the top of my cookie list, sugar or no sugar. Thanks for the sweet words too. Happy Holidays, my dear. 🙂
Triple Almond? Triple YUM!! These look wonderful!
I love that you’re including some sugar free options for us over the holidays. My FIL has to remain on a low-sugar diet so I occasionally make these sorts of treats for him. Thanks for the new idea!