Keto Molasses Cookies? Absolutely! These cute little low carb molasses cookies have only 1 net carb each despite being flavored with real molasses. Go ahead and treat yourself to a few! This easy ginger cookies recipe is low carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
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I couldn't let Christmas come this year without adding at least one new cookie recipe to the blog. This past month has been a little crazy (I've had bronchitis twice among other things) and I just haven't gotten a chance to bake as much as usual. It doesn't help that the kitchen in my new house is too dark for food photography and it's been too dark and dreary to do pictures in my sunroom as well.
Until yesterday! It was bright and sunny and my mother-in-law came over to play with my toddler. So, I decided it was finally Christmas cookie day and I got to work! I made these chewy spice cookies and have new recipes for Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies and Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies now too. These cookies are similar to gingersnaps but with a milder flavor. It's on my to-do list to play around with this and turn this into shaped keto Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies with cookie cutters too.
Keto Cookie Dough Hack
If you've made any of the cookies here at Joy Filled Eats you'll probably recognize the ingredients and technique for my base cookie dough. A couple of years ago I developed the absolute best sugar-free cookie dough and I've tweaked it into over 10 different recipes.
What this means is that you too can make a bunch of different flavors of cookies from the same base dough, including these keto molasses cookies. When November and December roll around and life gets busy this is a great way to simplify your holiday baking.
Joy Filled Eats Cookies from the Base Dough:
- Butter Pecan Cookies
- Jam Thumbprints
- Cranberry Cookies
- Iced Vanilla Cookies
- Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
- Iced Lemon Cookies
- Fruit Pizza Cookies
- Crunchy Peanut Cookies
- Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Did you know you can get a free one-page printable with a bunch of these recipes on it? Check out my Keto Cookie Cheat Sheet! Or take a look at my Keto Christmas Cookies Cookbook which is only $4.99 for 25 recipes.
Ingredients
Almond Flour - I use blanched almond flour in my baking recipes. It worked well in everything from bread to cookies and cakes.
Coconut Flour - Coconut flour is quite a bit drier than almond flour and can balance the natural oiliness of the almonds.
Sweetener - I use a blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia in my recipes. I do offer suggestions for alternatives in the recipe card.
Gelatin - Using gelatin in place of the eggs in keto molasses cookies helps them to be chewy instead of cakey.
Butter - In my house, we only buy salted butter. I have no issues using it when baking. If you use unsalted butter add a pinch of salt.
Molasses - what are molasses cookies without a little molasses? I talk about molasses on keto extensively a little further down. But you really can get a true molasses flavor from using a hint of the real stuff while on keto.
Ginger - Ginger is a great complement to molasses but you can omit it if you want.
How to make Keto Molasses Cookies
These keto chewy molasses cookies are SO easy to make.
Step One: Process the ingredients in a food processor until the dough comes together in a ball.
Expert Tip: I prefer to use a food processor because it breaks down the almond flour releasing the natural oils of the almonds. However, a hand mixer or stand mixer and a medium bowl should work if you don't own a food processor. No need to separate dry ingredients from the wet ingredients. Just toss them all in and mix.
Step Two: Scoop with a small cookie scoop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Press flat and flip them over (optional: but this way you don't see the finger indents).
Step Three: Bake. Transfer to a cooling rack or racks and cool until room temp. After that, you can store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freeze for 2-3 months. This keto cookie recipe really takes less than ten minutes to prep and pop into the oven.
Common Questions
What is molasses?
Molasses is a traditional sweetener produced from sugar cane. The liquid byproduct of the sugar refining process, it's also used as an ingredient in many other foods and beverages. I love molasses. A tiny amount really adds a great flavor to the recipes you're making.
Is molasses keto-friendly? Is molasses low carb?
Yes and no.
Molasses has a high amount of nutrients and a low amount of sugar compared to other sweeteners. Molasses also packs A LOT of flavor into each drop.
Should you drink a jar of molasses? Of course not.
Can you use a drop or two to flavor a cookie? I think so.
Molasses has 5 grams of net carbs per teaspoon. Whenever I use molasses in a recipe I only use a teaspoon or two, often less. Most dessert recipes have 12 or more servings. Can you see the math in this? Each cookie in this keto molasses cookies recipe has 0.25 net carbs from the molasses.
Many cookie recipes use brown sugar. The best way to mimic that brown sugar taste to add a little bit of molasses to your favorite low-calorie natural sweetener.
What is brown sugar sweetener?
You can buy brown sugar type sweeteners like Brown Swerve, Golden Lakanto, and Sukrin Gold but all of those measure 1:1 for sugar. The sweetener blend I make and use in all my recipes measures 2:1 for sugar so you use half the amount. I prefer to use the least amount of sweetener possible. These types of sweeteners get expensive.
By making your own 2:1 blend you can make it for under $6 a pound (the above sweeteners are all $8 a pound or more AND you need twice the amount. That makes a big difference in the cost of a recipe.
I hope these Keto Molasses Cookies are the tastiest thing on your cookie tray!
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Ingredients
- 4 oz cold salted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cup almond flour
- â…“ cup coconut flour
- â…“ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 2 teaspoon gelatin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoon molasses ***
- 1 tsp fresh ginger finely grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine the dough ingredients in the food processor and process until the dough comes together in a ball. This takes about a minute.
- Divide into 25 balls and put on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press down with your fingers. Flip them over so the flat side is up.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published December 18, 2018. Revised and Republished November 30, 2021.
Tina says
10 grams of carbs for 25 cookies would be .40 carbs, wouldn't it? Anyway, they look and sound delicious, but I can't have molasses, so may try them with Swerve brown. Thank you SO much for sharing these. I can't wait to try them, and several of your other cookies, too. I tried the Magic Cookies and they were VERY delicious! Thanks so much!!! Love your recipes!!!
Taryn says
Where are you getting the calculation for 10 grams of carbs? Different nutrition calculators can vary.
Theresa C says
Thank you! I love the fact that you explain the molasses across x number of cookies! May seem like a small thing but shows me your fantastic attention to even the smallest detail. Trying to guess what I could do/USE to get that "I'm a molasses cookie" color... Any suggestions?
Taryn says
A tiny bit of brown food coloring? If you buy the ones for cake icing they are very concentrated. You only need a tiny bit.
Theresa C says
Thanks! I will experiment to find that perfect molasses color 😉
Wren says
These are absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Noelle says
These are my favorite, can't wait to make them for Christmas!
Jennifer Farley says
These are so yummy! I'm saving this recipe and making them again soon.
Vickie Stevens says
can you use THM baking blend instead of almond and coconut flours? If so, how much?
Taryn says
Yes, but the cookies will be softer and cakey, not crisp. Try 1 1/4 cups.