Just in time for the holidays, here are some low carb spritz cookies to decorate for nibbling, gifting to others, or for entertaining. I use an OXO Good Grips cookie press with stainless steel disks, available on Amazon.
At the end of this post are cookie variations for almond, lemon, orange, chocolate, anise, coconut, chocolate-dipped, and decorated versions.
Spritz Cookies (low carb)
Yield: about 45 cookies // 92 calories, 2g net carbs each
4-1/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill super-fine almond flour
1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Kerrygold butter, softened
1/2 cup Horizon organic cream cheese
1 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
1/4 teaspoon NOW liquid stevia glycerite
2 large organic eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line several large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
MIX
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with sweeteners until well-creamed, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in almond flour mixture until dough comes together. (I’ve used a food processor, stand mixer, and hand mixer—they all work fine.)
Fill the canister of a cookie press with dough and insert a disk. Follow your manufacturer’s directions on how to press out the cookies. Press out on the parchment-lined cookie sheets, holding down the edge of the paper, if it slides. If you make a mistake, just push the mistakes back into the press and try again!
BAKE
Bake cookies 12 to 14 minutes—until set and just barely browning on the edges. They will still be quite soft but will firm up as they cool.
DECORATE
Add any decorations immediately upon removing from oven. Let cool on pans 20 minutes—test first to make sure they’re firm—before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
COOL
For subsequent batches, make sure your baking sheets are cool before piping new cookies to bake.
CHOCOLATE-DIPPED
Microwave 3 ounces of chopped, unsweetened chocolate on 50% power for 10 seconds. Stop. Stir. Repeat until chocolate is melted. If chocolate is too thick, add butter a teaspoon at a time until it’s the right consistency. Dip each cookie’s bottom (alternate: half the cookie) in the chocolate. Remove with a fork and tap fork against the side of the bowl to gently remove excess chocolate.
Add the zest of one large orange (or 2-3 drops orange flavoring oil) and two teaspoons orange juice. Decorate with orange-colored orange-flavored icing.
Replace 2 tablespoons almond flour with 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Increase stevia by 2-3 drops. Decorate with dark brown chocolate-flavored icing…or dust with keto chocolate-almond “sugar” sprinkles….or pipe a dot of chocolate ganache.
ALMOND
Substitute pure almond extract for the vanilla. Press a small almond (or thin slice of almond) into the cookie…or decorate with white almond-flavored icing…or pipe a dot of almond/marzipan paste.
LEMON
Add zest of 2-3 large lemons (or 2-3 drops lemon flavoring oil) and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Decorate with yellow lemon-flavored icing…or dust with keto lemon “sugar” sprinkles…or pipe a dot of lemon frosting.
ANISE
Add 1 teaspoon pure anise extract to the vanilla. Decorate with white anise-flavored icing…dust with keto anise “sugar” sprinkles.
COCONUT
Substitute pure coconut extract for the vanilla. Sprinkle with unsweetened coconut, or decorate with white coconut-flavored icing…dust with keto coconut “sugar” sprinkles.
—Pipe a tiny dot of raspberry jam in the center of each cookie
—Pipe a tiny dot of chocolate ganache in the center of each cookie
—Pipe designs on the cookies, using sugar-free icing
—Sprinkle with sugar-free “sugar” sprinkles, sesame seeds or poppy seeds
—Color the cookies with food coloring
Add just a little color to the dough with a toothpick. Gently blend color into dough using stand mixer paddle attachment, or knead in by hand.
Stop to check the color. If it is too light, add a little more color and continue mixing until desired shade is reached.
Tint dough a little darker than you would tint icing; cookies will bake lighter than dough appears.