Low-Carb Keto Cinnamon Cookies
Easy keto cookies with apple-cinnamon flavor? Yes, please. These are simple to make and seriously tasty.
I can feel summer right around the corner. Never mind that I'm writing this with the heat on while it's raining outside.
Which means my summer cutting phase has officially begun.
For me, that means cutting way back on calories and weighing everything before I eat it. (Yes, I know. I'm being that guy.)
Along with reducing calories, I'm also cutting back on carbs to help me feel full.
Wait, wait, wait.
Fewer carbs, more fullness?
That's been my experience! Let me explain.
When we eat digestible carbohydrates, they're broken down and absorbed, raising blood sugar.
In response, the pancreas releases insulin, which helps move that sugar into cells and brings blood sugar back down.
As the stomach empties, cells in the stomach release ghrelin, a hormone involved in hunger. It travels through the bloodstream to the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that helps regulate eating, drinking, sleep, and reproduction. Those signals contribute to the feeling of hunger, though the process isn't simply triggered by blood sugar dropping below a particular threshold.
When carbohydrate intake is low, the body makes the glucose it needs from other available materials, including parts of protein and the glycerol portion of fat.
Making glucose this way takes energy; breaking down starch into glucose is a more direct route. With fewer carbohydrates available, the body also relies more heavily on fatty acids for fuel.
The liver can turn that fat into water-soluble molecules called ketone bodies. That's where the ketogenic diet gets its name. The diet was originally developed to treat epilepsy in children.
Some people find that this way of eating helps them feel full and maintain steady energy longer, with less urge to snack between meals. That response isn't the same for everyone.
A ketogenic diet may offer benefits for managing obesity, type 2 diabetes, and blood pressure, but it also has drawbacks. Potential concerns include bone health, including osteoporosis risk in some settings, nausea, headaches, and bad breath. Restricting fruit and vegetables because of their carbohydrate content can also leave the diet short on fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
My advice: If you want to venture into vegan keto, do it with guidance from a qualified nutrition professional rather than going it alone.
A Few Things About These Low-Carb Keto Cinnamon Cookies
Let me start here: These cookies aren't sweet-sweet.
They're lightly sweet.
If you want more sweetness while keeping the carbs low, add a sugar substitute such as stevia.
I made these with finely ground blanched almond flour. You can make your own, too: Just grind blanched almonds in a spice grinder.
Coconut flour is another option, but it isn't a reliable one-for-one swap for almond flour because it absorbs much more moisture. It will also give the cookies a strong coconut flavor. Your call!
I added ground cinnamon for flavor and a little personality. If you're not a fan, leave it out, but you'll lose some of that impression of sweetness along with it.
Unsweetened applesauce adds moisture and gentle sweetness. You can replace it with the same amount of mashed banana, but that will change the carbohydrate content considerably.
Maple almond butter brings another layer of flavor and makes these cookies feel a little more special.
Nutrition Facts
One cookie from a batch of 20, weighing 22 g (0.8 oz), contains:
- 110 calories
- 1.5 g protein
- 3 g carbohydrates
- 9 g fat
Looking for another low-carb recipe? How about flaxseed crackers?
Keto Cinnamon Cookies
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) almond flour Use the weight for accuracy; the original 1-cup measure does not match 200 g (7.1 oz).
- 150 g (5.3 oz) Rusty's (an Israeli nut butter brand) maple almond butter
- 50 g (1.8 oz) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
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In a deep mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, almond butter, applesauce, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until evenly combined.
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Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
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Using your hands, roll the dough into balls about the size of a ping-pong ball and place them on a baking sheet.
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Wet the bottom of a drinking glass and use it to flatten each ball into a disk.
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Press a fork into each cookie in two directions to make a crisscross pattern.
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Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and coconut sugar, then bake for about 15 minutes.
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Let cool completely before digging in. Yes, you have to wait.
Recipe Video
