Low-Carb Cookie Recipes

All that's required to make fresh-from-the-oven cookies is five ingredients, a single bowl and 35 minutes. "These cookies are a staple in our house," says Top Chef 's Season 14 champ Brooke Williamson. "The almond butter they call for is loaded with healthy fats and adds protein. My son Hudson is a big fan of them too!" If you use roasted almond butter, your cookies will have a darker hue.

Magical aquafaba—the liquid from canned chickpeas that often gets poured down the drain—mimics egg whites in these airy vegan meringue cookies. The other magical thing? These cookies require just three ingredients!

These not-too-sweet mini desserts combine the flavors of peanut butter cups and chocolate cake. Quinoa flour adds protein and makes these gluten-free, but feel free to substitute white whole-wheat flour instead.

These citrus-flavored sugar cookies are a lovely addition to any holiday cookie platter.

These small-batch chocolate chip cookies are thin, crispy and will satisfy any craving for something sweet.

We like to use chocolate with 60-72% cacao content in these rich, fudgelike brownies, as it imparts a deeper, fuller flavor than less-chocolaty choices. Dip these bite-size pieces of brownie into melted chocolate for an easy treat to satisfy your chocolate craving.

These melt-in-your-mouth polvorones (Mexican wedding cookies) get a chocolate makeover by replacing all the nuts in the traditional version with ground chocolate. Delicious just as they are, you can also grate a little cinnamon stick over them before serving.

This healthy cinnamon-sugar snickerdoodle thumbprint cookie recipe has an added bonus: chocolate filling! With slightly crispy edges and a chewy, chocolaty center, these snickerdoodle cookies are the ultimate crowd pleaser.

This healthy shortbread cookie recipe uses white whole-wheat flour instead of white flour. The light-colored flour is mild in flavor, adding nutrients without overpowering the classic shortbread taste. These cookies are easy to make, so they're perfect for a holiday cookie swap or afternoon tea. These cookies are also wonderful to bake with small kids because they'll love poking the buttonholes in the shortbread dough.

Look to these meringue cookies if you want a new, simple, no-fuss holiday cookie recipe. They're ready to eat after drying in the oven for an hour, but you can leave them in there longer–even overnight.

It's quick and easy to mix together these slice-and-bake chocolate-chocolate chip cookies whenever you need something sweet. The recipe makes enough dough so you can bake half and put the other half in the freezer--ready to pull out and bake up a few fresh cookies anytime.

The intense blend of spices in these cookies is a tip of the hat to Venice's history as a conduit for the spice trade between Europe and the Far East.

Store-bought decorative sugars just add color and sweetness to baked goods. But when you make your own, like the blueberry sugar here, you add flavor and antioxidants as well.

These flourless chocolate treats look like tiny snow-capped mountains. Made with a blend of almonds, coconut and chocolate, they are gluten-free and have a rich, decadent flavor.

These soft and moist cookies are spiked with ginger, cinnamon and a hint of clove and they crackle on top when they bake. Rolling them in powdered sugar gives them a lightly sweet coating on the outside that looks like a dusting of fresh fallen snow.

Garri is made from dried, fermented cassava, a tuber native to South America and introduced to Africa by Portuguese traders from Brazil in the 16th century. San Francisco chef Simileoluwa Adebajo says her family, like many in Nigeria, often eat garri mixed with ground nuts, sugar and milk, like a cereal. These subtly sweet cookies are crisp and delicious.

It's quick and easy to mix together these slice-and-bake peanut butter cookies whenever you need something sweet. The recipe makes enough dough so you can bake half and put the other half in the freezer--ready to pull out and bake up a few fresh cookies anytime.

These double-chocolate thumbprints are filled with chocolate ganache and topped with toasted coconut. The ganache will set as it sits, but won't harden completely, so if you're going to pack the cookies up, layer them between pieces of wax paper to prevent them from sticking.

You can fill these thumbprint cookies with jam or ruby chocolate, a naturally pink chocolate that has a tart, fruity flavor. You can find ruby chocolate (also called ruby cacao or ruby couverture) at some specialty grocery stores, including Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, and online.

Slice-and-bake icebox cookies are the ultimate make-ahead treat. You can make a batch and bake as many as you like, saving the rest of the dough in the freezer. These simple swirled cookies are rolled in finely chopped pecans. They're mildly sweet—perfect for after dinner or paired with coffee.

In France these are called merveilles, which means miracles. As the dough is fried in oil, it puffs up slightly, transforming into a delicate, airy confection. Here, we have cut the dough into triangles, but you can cut it into any shape you please.

Spelt flour's earthy flavor is a good companion to the warm spices and molasses in these cheerful cookies. Play around with the glaze and decorations to vary the look of the batch.

Patti Anderson, a professional quilter, had never entered a cooking contest before she took our challenge. This quick, no-fuss, chewy chocolate cookie is made on your waffle iron. No need to haul out the big mixer, you can mix the batter with a small hand mixer or even by hand. Kids love these!