Name: Keto Raspberry Lemon Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 24 min
Yield: 18
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 ounces cream cheese, softened; 1 teaspoon dried raspberries; 2 teaspoons powdered sweetener; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened; 4 ounces cream cheese, softened; 2/3 cup keto-friendly sweetener; 1 large egg; zest from 1 lemon; 1 teaspoon lemon extract; 3 cups almond flour

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Naturally flavored, these keto raspberry lemon cookies are a great way to enjoy a beautiful treat while sticking to your goals!

I’m so excited to be sharing this keto cookie recipe with you today! I’ve gotten a few requests from friends for a keto dessert recipe, and these keto lemon cookies are delicious! You know a recipe is good when people who eat “regular dessert” think it tastes good. Let’s be real, it’s hard enough to commit to a new eating plan and stick to it… finding a good treat to enjoy should be easy! So let’s talk cookies…

The cookie recipe uses an almond meal and cream cheese base. I stuck to easy to find ingredients for this recipe. That way, you have a higher likelihood of already having the items on hand. And if you aren’t following the keto diet, but want to make a treat for your keto friends, you don’t need to buy a lot of specialty ingredients.

What special ingredients will I need for these keto raspberry lemon cookies?

There are only two ingredients in this recipe I’d consider to be “specialty”. The first is a calorie-free sweetener. There’s a lot of research out there on which sweeteners are appropriate for the keto diet. I chose to use Swerve (erythritol) in the cookie because it’s not supposed to cause tummy trouble. My people are pretty sensitive to artificial stuff here. Another good option is monkfruit. Powdered monkfruit is great for making keto-friendly frostings, including the icing on these cookies.

close up of the frosted cookies on a white platter

The second ingredient that I’d consider a specialty ingredient is freeze-dried fruit. Freeze-dried fruit is different than what we normally think of when we hear “dried fruit”. Instead of being chewy, freeze-dried fruit is pretty fragile and easily grinds down into a powder. Depending on the grocery store, you’ll either find it near the dried fruit or more likely in the health food section.

If you can’t find the freeze dried fruit, you can skip it. Then you’ll just have a lovely iced lemon cream cookie, which also sounds delicious. Play with the flavors in this recipe, darlings. It’s your baking adventure!

I opted to use almond meal (also called almond flour) instead of any other keto-approved flour because it’s easier to find. And if it’s something you have to purchase, extra can be used for macarons, breading for fish or chicken, or a number of other recipes.

Can I add more color to the frosting?

The color in the photos for the frosting is very light. I just let the subtle pink of the dried fruit powder come through. It’s totally okay to add a drop or two of food coloring if you’d like to make them more festive. If I post another flavor version of these in the future, expect some color. With the bright punch of lemon and raspberry flavor though, naturally colored felt right here.

You also don’t even have to frost these cookies at all! A good metric for any recipe is for each component to taste good on its own. This lemon cookie recipe is delicious even without frosting. The cookies aren’t as pretty, but can you really go wrong with a cream cheese-based cookie?

What’s the texture of these cookies?

This cookie recipe is definitely chewy and soft. You just won’t get crispy cookies between the fat content in the almond meal and the cream cheese. But the soft texture is really satisfying.

picture of a bitten cookie to show texture

Once baked, the completely cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week and a half, or frozen for a month or two. Just place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between each layer to keep them from sticking. The lemon flavor really shines through after the cookies have had a chance to rest a day, so while you will definitely enjoy them the day they’re baked, know the next day will be even better!

I hope you love this recipe, darlings. Happy baking!