Keto Chocolate & Pecan Cookies

4.8 stars, average of 41 ratings

By Martina Slajerova, updated February 22 202020

Cookies don't have to be full of sugar and other unhealthy ingredients — these cookies are perfect holiday treats!

I had a checklist when creating this recipe; it had to be low in carbs & paleo-friendly, include coconut flour and coconut oil, and taste as good as my mom's cookies. The last one was quite challenging but I've been told they are delicious!

Note: For a nut-free alternative, use toasted unsweetened coconut chips instead of the pecans.

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Should I be Using Activated Nuts?

Some people have digestive issues when eating nuts. It's actually not that rare. However, it's not always caused by an allergy and they don't have to stop eating them.

There are "anti-nutrients" such as lectins, phytates and enzyme inhibitors that seem to be the reason for many people having digestive issues when eating raw nuts. While roasting helps to reduce the "anti-nutrients", soaking the nuts first is even more effective.

Soaking and dehydrating (i.e. activating) nuts and seeds not only makes nuts deliciously crispy, but their nutrients are better digested and absorbed by your body.

Pecan nuts need to soak for at least 6-8 hours, cashew nuts 6 hours and hard nuts like hazelnuts or almonds 8-12 hours.

Simply place them in a bowl, cover with water and leave them to soak overnight. Drain and spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and dehydrate at 55-65 °C/ 150 °F for 12-24 hours, turning them occasionally, until completely dry. When done, store in an airtight container.

0 days, 1 hours, 30 minutes

Hands-on 30 minutes Overall 2 hours

Nutritional values (per cookie)

Net carbs0.9 grams

Protein1.2 grams

Fat6.2 grams

Calories66 kcal

Calories from carbs 6%, protein 8%, fat 86%

Total carbs1.8 gramsFiber1 gramsSugars0.5 gramsSaturated fat4 gramsSodium6 mg(0% RDA)Magnesium11 mg(3% RDA)Potassium42 mg(2% EMR)

Ingredients (makes 60 cookies)

Cookies:

4 large eggs
³/₄ cup virgin coconut oil (160 g/ 5.8 oz), add ¹/₄ cup more if the dough is too dry (total 220 g/ 7.7 oz), or add water
¹/₂ cup Erythritol or other healthy low-carb sweetener from this list (80 g/ 2.8 oz)
15-20 drops liquid Stevia extract
¹/₂ cup raw cacao powder (40 g/ 1.5 oz)
1 cup fine coconut flour (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
1 tbsp cinnamon

Topping:

1 bar dark 85% chocolate (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
60 halves pecan nuts (90 g/ 3.2 oz)

Instructions

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with melted coconut oil. Add Erythritol and stevia and mix in well. Erythritol doesn't dissolve unless heated. For best results, powder it first.
Add cinnamon and cocoa powder.
Mix in well using a whisk.
Add the coconut flour and process well. Sifting the coconut flour through a strainer will help you avoid hard lumps from getting into the pastry.
Place the dough into a plastic foil and in the fridge to harden for at least 1 hour.
After 1 hour, preheat the oven to 175 °C/ 350 °F (fan assisted), or 195 °C/ 380 °F (conventional). Using the foil or two sheets of parchment paper, roll the dough out until it's about ¹/₄ inch/ ¹/₂ cm thick.
Use a cookie cutter to create your shapes. I used a 2 inch / 5 cm cookie cutter.
Place the cookies on a baking dish lined with parchment paper leaving little gaps between each cookie. Roll the remaining dough and repeat until all the dough is used up.
Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. When done, remove from the oven and let them cool down. Make sure that the they are completely cool before you add the chocolate topping. (Coconut flour tends to burn faster than regular wheat four. Keep an eye on the cookies to prevent burning!)
Melt the chocolate in a water bath. Using a small ¹/₄ tsp measuring spoon, pour the chocolate on top and press the pecan halve in. If you have any chocolate left, just spoon it on top of the pecan halves.
Transfer to a serving plate when the chocolate is completely solid.

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per cookie)

Net carbs	Protein	Fat	Calories
Eggs, free-range or organic
0 g	0.4 g	0.3 g	5 kcal
Coconut oil, extra virgin
0 g	0 g	3.6 g	32 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Stevia extract (SweetLeaf or NuNaturals, natural low-carb sweetener)
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Cocoa powder, raw (cacao)
0.1 g	0.1 g	0.1 g	2 kcal
Coconut flour, organic
0.2 g	0.3 g	0.3 g	7 kcal
Cinnamon, spices
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Dark chocolate, 85% cocoa (cacao)
0.3 g	0.2 g	0.8 g	9 kcal
Pecans, nuts
0.1 g	0.1 g	1.1 g	10 kcal
Total per cookie
0.9 g	1.2 g	6.2 g	66 kcal

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Christina one year ago #

What can you do with the water after soaking? I Feel like it is a waste just throwing it away.

Martina @ KetoDiet one year ago #

You should throw it away because it's not good for you. You can read more here: Nuts & Seeds on a Ketogenic Diet: Eat or Avoid?

Robin Rodgers 3 years ago #

Can I flavor the soaking water, like with Swerve or a spice?

Martina @ KetoDiet 2 years ago #

I haven't thought of that but yes, you could do that! Cinnamon sounds great 😊

Adrian 3 years ago #

How do you keep the coconut oil from solidifying again when you mix it with the eggs?

Martina @ KetoDiet 3 years ago #

I used room temperature eggs (I don't store mine in the fridge) - that will prevent the oil from solidifying.

Ava 3 years ago #

I've been soaking and drying nuts.
With macadamias and pistachios, both of them had cloudy and bubbly water after soaking - about the color of the water around canned garbanzo beans. Is this normal? The bubbles made me wonder if it was fermenting.

It happens with other nuts too when you leave them for too long. When I soak delicate types of nuts such as macadamia nuts, pistachios or cashews, I only soak them for 2-4 hours, then dehydrate. Soaking is the first step for fermentation so if you leave them soak for longer, the process will be more obvious.

hangga 4 years ago #

Can i substitute coconut oil to melted butter?

Martina @ KetoDiet 4 years ago #

Yes you can 😊

eastiemama 6 years ago #

These turned out super dry for me. Followed the recipe exactly. The coconut flour seems like a lot, don't you use about 1/3 less than regular flour? I like the idea...but would try again with less coconut flour, or maybe add some almond flour to help keep the moisture.

Martina @ KetoDiet 6 years ago #

Thank you for your feedback! I'll put that in a note in the ingredients list. Mine were fine but if they are a bit too dry, I suggest you add 1/4 cup coconut oil or remove some coconut flour. Although I usually use just 1/3, in this recipe I used 1/2 of the amount of regular flour. It may also be dry if cooked for longer - first time I made them, I baked them for 15 minutes and they lost a lot of the moisture. I think the time also depends on the oven.

John 6 years ago #

You should consider making the app for the App Store for Macs. I would definately buy it.

Thank you John! We've been working on a universal app for the iPhone and iPad for the last few weeks. It will take some time but we definitely have plans for more platforms.

Jeanette 6 years ago #

So sating! I didn't eat as many as I would of regular cookies. I think it's the coconut flour. Delicious!

Thank you Jeanette! They are very sating. It's the amount of fat, protein and fibre 😊

Carolyn 6 years ago #

Hi, it's Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food. Would you mind if I included these on a round up on A Sweet Life magazine? It will just be the photo and link back to your recipe.
Thanks!

Of course, thank you!

Lilly 6 years ago #

Now, my Xmas will be a lot "sweeter"! Thanks

You're welcome! 😊