3 Ingredient Keto Pecan Thumbprint Cookies
These pecan thumbprint cookies are low sugar, low carb and keto-friendly. They need just 3 ingredients and don't require any flour substitutes, eggs, dairy or butter.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (215g) raw pecan halves , see note before starting
- 4 tbsp (60ml) sugar-free maple flavored syrup
- 1 cup (150g) sugar-free dark chocolate chips, see note
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add pecans to a food processor and pulse until they become the consistency of small crumbs or coarse flour. Be careful not to overpulse the pecans because you do not want to release their oils which will result in an oily dough. See note for more details.
- Transfer pecan crumbs to a mixing bowl. Drizzle syrup on top. Mix with a spatula until the crumbs are evenly coated in the syrup. When you pinch some of the mixture together, it should stick. If the mixture is too dry, you can add a little more syrup.
- Use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Release on the prepared baking sheet, spacing each portion about 2 inches apart.
- Lightly wet the back of a teaspoon and press a deep well into the center of each cookie (the hole should be the size of the full back of the teaspoon). Lightly wet your fingers or the back of a metal spoon and smooth, shape and round the edges of the cookies to form a classic thumbprint shape.
- Bake for about 12-16 minutes, or until the edges and surface look set and are lightly golden.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheet and set. When cookies are almost finished cooling, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second bursts, stirring in between with a silicone spatula, until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. If you prefer a softer chocolate center, you can add 2 tsp of melted coconut oil to the melted chocolate.
- After cookies are set, spoon chocolate filling into each indent. You do not need to use the full amount of chocolate. You can also transfer the chocolate to a piping bag and pipe the filling in.
- Let the chocolate cool and firm up. You can do this at room temperature or briefly put them into the fridge to help speed up the process. The cookies are then ready to eat. Store any uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- Pecan note: You can use a food processor or blender to pulse the pecans. If using food processor, you will end up with small crumbs. If you use a blender, your crumbs will be finer. I generally recommend a food processor because you're less likely to overpulse the nuts. If you use a blender, you need to work in small batches and pulse less time. You want to be careful not to overpulse the nuts because this will cause them to release their oils, making the mixture dough oily. This recipe uses raw pecan halves or pieces that have not been salted or roasted.
- Syrup note: I used ChocZero brand maple flavored syrup.* You can use other brands, but we recommend a thick syrup, which usually is found with monkfruit sweetened syrups. Allulose based syrups tend to be too thin and will brown the cookies too quickly.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Chocolate note: You can use whatever your favorite keto-friendly brand of chocolate chips is. The chocolate center will be more firm if you use just melted chocolate to fill the center of the cookies. If you want the cookies to have a softer chocolate center, mix 2 tsp coconut oil into the melted chocolate to keep the chocolate softer. If you need the cookies to be dairy-free, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Estimated nutrition assumes 3/4 cup chocolate used because not all of it ends up in the cookies.
- If you are on a keto diet, please remember to look at net carbs and not just total carbs in the estimated nutrition. The net carbs count excludes fiber and carbs from sugar alcohols.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 168kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 2mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 1g, sugar alcohol: 2g, NET CARBS: 2
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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