Phil’s Cookies (Diabetic and Keto Friendly!)

These are Phil’s favorite cookies! It’s taken years of trial and error to get them to be the best they can be. The recipe will yield approximately 36 cookies. Each cookie is ~150 calories, 8.5 of carbs, 1.3g of sugar, and 2g fiber. If you’re following the keto diet, that would put these cookies at approximately 6.5 net carbs.

Ingredients:

• 1 cups (2 sticks) MELTED butter
• 1/2 cup sugar substitute (I use Stevia so if you use a different sweetener such as monk fruit your nutritional value may vary)
• 1/2 cup Truvia Brown Sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (imitation works as well if you aren’t picky)
• 3 cups of finely ground almond flour
• 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 – 2 packages of sugar free chocolate chips and/or sugar free peanut butter chips (I typically do a 2:1 ratio of Sugar Free Hershey Chocolate Chips and Sugar Free Reece’s Peanut Butter Chips). I also tend to make these en masse and freeze them so using 1/2 of a package is no big deal as I’ll just roll it into the next batch.

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl or on the stovetop. It is crucial that the butter is FULLY MELTED–otherwise you’ll end up with mostly nice and uniform cookies and a few that just… can’t. They’re a melty, buttery disaster.
2. Mix the fake sugar and fake brown sugar with the melted butter. I do this on my stand mixer on the 2-4 setting and generally measure all the other ingredients while it’s mixing. Definitely give it time to mix well.
3. At this point, measure out the dry ingredients–the almond flour, unflavored gelatin, baking soda, and baking powder. I measure everything into one 4 cup measuring cup so I can dump them in at once. In a separate container, measure out the chocolate chips and/or peanut butter chips. I recommend saving just a few if you’re using the whole package because the last few cookies can end up without any chips in them.
4. Once you’ve prepared the other ingredients (or just waited a few minutes) add the vanilla extract and the egg into the mixing bowl.
5. Add the dry ingredients just after the egg and vanilla are incorporated. Allow this to mix for a minute or two.
6. Turn the mixer down to “stir” or whatever your lowest setting is and fold in the chocolate/peanut butter chips.
7. I use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, but you can use whatever you have on hand, scoop out the cookies. You should yield about 36. Remember those few chips I told you to save? If you end up with the last scooped cookies missing the chips, just add them now. Nobody will ever know!
8. At this point, you can preheat the oven to 350F. Put the cookies in the freezer FIRST. These cookies are extremely finicky. I freeze them and pop them into the oven as I need them so the recipe is designed for that. Because your fresh mixed cookies won’t be totally frozen, I’d set a timer for about 12 minutes and check on them. It takes my oven (which is, 100% not great with temperature regulation) 15 minutes from frozen on a middle rack to become justttt golden brown. These cookies also don’t tend to spread despite the baking soda, if you want them to look flatter like in the picture, I literally just drop the baking sheet down on the counter from probably 8 inches. It’ll flatten them out. Or you can use the back of a spoon/spatula.
9. IMPORTANT: YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THEM TO SET. Like I said, these cookies are EXTREMELY finicky. They absolutely need to cool before you can even attempt to eat them. They disintegrate when they’re hot. But they generally don’t become “good” for a few hours/over night. You can expedite this process by putting them in the fridge but the best bet is just waiting (I know, I know).

If you’re like me and like to make these en masse so future you can be lazy, I highly recommend scooping them onto a cookie sheet and well separated before you put them into the freezer. I give them about a day before I take them off the cookie sheet and put them into a reusable freezer bag. I’ve definitely said “oh it’ll be fine if I just pop them into the bag without freezing them first!” Dear reader, do not be me. I had to chisel these cookies apart like a caveman and was doing my best not to destroy them in the process. Even the doggos didn’t benefit from this crazed act as they can’t have the fake sugar so as I’m trying to break these cookies apart, they’re flying everywhere and I’m trying to make sure that Linda and Ellie don’t eat anything. It was terrible and I do not recommend.

To bake from frozen, just pre-heat the oven to 350F. Wait until the oven is pre-heated before placing the cookies on the cookie sheet, pop ’em in for 15 minutes. Easy peasy.

Love them? Hate them? Let me know!