These Keto & Paleo Valentine’s Day Cookies are absolutely delicious, perfect for giving to your loved ones, and they won’t derail you from your still-fresh New Year’s health promises!
It seems like we’ve just finished with Christmas, and already we’re seeing Valentine’s Day candy all over grocery stores. Just a month ago, we set goals to be more committed, eat healthier, and make better choices all around… but if we don’t participate in holiday festivities, we feel like we are missing out.
Don’t sweat it- I have a solution! These Paleo Valentine’s Day Cookies are perfect for giving to your Valentine (or eating yourself, I’m not here to judge), bringing to a party, and they won’t derail you from your still-fresh New Year’s promises. What can beat that?
What makes this recipe special?
- The almond flour makes them Paleo compliant and Keto compliant as well, since the almond flour is very low in net carbs.
- They are sweetened with erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol that has no net carbs, but also has a wonderful, sweet flavor.
- You can easily roll them out and use cookie cutters of any shape on them, so don’t stop at Valentine’s Day! You can use this recipe for Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and more.
- These cookies also have a delicious pop of lemon in them that will get you excited for Spring!
There are a lot of people who are Valentine’s Day haters, but I honestly just think the holiday gets misunderstood. It’s a sweet holiday, and I think the appeal of it comes from showing someone how much you care for them by doing something simple, yet thoughtful for them. There’s no need to go all out and spend a whole bunch of money.
The whole point is doing something that you wouldn’t normally do, something just a little extra special. We all say that “you should show your significant other that you love them every day”, and we mostly do, to an extent. But the reminder to do something just a little extra special is definitely appreciated by me, and it helps me to break out of the survival-mode mom mindset that I can get caught in!
A batch of these cookies, maybe even combined with a delicious dinner of Paleo meatballs and spaghetti squash or portobello stuffed acorn squash would be a wonderful way to do a little something extra.
Notes from the cook:
- When the dough is prepared, give it time to chill first if you can. It rolls and cuts better when it’s cold.
- The dough can be fragile because of the almond flour, so rolling it out between two sheets of parchment paper helps it to not stick to anything.
- After you bake them in the oven, let them sit on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. If they’re too hot, they will crumble.
- If you want to make these cookie vegan, you can substitute the butter for palm shortening, though I haven’t tried that recipe yet so I can’t guarantee how it’ll turn out.
- These Paleo Valentine’s Day cookies would also be delicious with coconut whipped cream instead of frosting, but I personally love this glazed frosting on cookies.
- For the frosting, powdered erythritol can be made very easily with granulated erythritol that you have on hand!
- They can also be made with all purpose gluten free flour (same measurements), it will just not be Paleo and will be higher net carb.
- These cookies can easily be artificial color free using this natural food dye. We always make our foods artificial dye-free because my oldest has a severe food dye allergy. The taste is the same, and they still look pretty!
FAQ’s
- Can the dough be frozen? I have never frozen this cookie dough, though I’m sure this will keep just fine in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or longer in the freezer. However, the final outcome of the cookie may be a little chewier, so be mindful of that.
- What if I don’t have parchment paper? You don’t need parchment paper to roll the dough, but you should either use that or a really fine flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Tapioca or cassava flours work well.
- Can I use anything in place of the powdered erythritol for the frosting? You can use any fine, powdered type of sugar. If you don’t have Swerve on hand, try making your own! It’s super easy.
Here are some other dessert recipes that you’ll love!
- Frosted Keto Christmas Cookies
- Paleo Breakfast Pumpkin Cookies
- Healthy Holiday Berry Trifle
- Sugar Free No-Bake Cookies
Paleo Valentine's Day Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated erythritol or your sweetener of choice
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour for low carb/paleo or gluten free all-purpose flour
- ***FROSTING INGREDIENTS***
- 6 tbsp butter for frosting
- 4 cups powdered erythritol For frosting, can use powdered sugar if you don't need low carb
- 1/4 cup coconut milk or milk of choice for frosting
- 1 tsp lemon extract for frosting
Instructions
- Cream together granulated erythritol and butter.
- Beat in vanilla, eggs, baking powder, salt, and flour.
- Chill for 20-30 minutes, then roll out to 1/8" to 1/4" thick.
- Use cookie cutters to cut your shapes.
- Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
- For the frosting, combine 6 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup coconut milk, lemon extract, and powdered erythritol.
- Add dye and frost cookies once they're cooled.
Notes
- When the dough is prepared, give it time to chill first if you can. It rolls and cuts better when it's cold.
- The dough can be fragile because of the almond flour, so rolling it out between two sheets of parchment paper helps it to not stick to anything.
- After you bake them in the oven, let them sit on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. If they're too hot, they will crumble.
- If you want to make these cookie vegan, you can substitute the butter for palm shortening, though I haven't tried that recipe yet so I can't guarantee how it'll turn out.
- These Paleo Valentine's Day cookies would also be delicious with coconut whipped cream instead of frosting, but I personally love this glazed frosting on cookies.
- They can also be made with all purpose gluten free flour (same measurements), it will just not be Paleo and will be higher net carb.
- These cookies can easily be dye-free using this natural food dye. We always make our foods dye-free because my oldest has a severe food dye allergy. The taste is the same, and they still look pretty!
Nutrition
Update Notes:
This post was originally written in February 2018. It was updated in January 2019 with new photos & instructions.
These looks so yummy and I love the Valentine’s Day theme!
They are delicious! My boys keep asking for more 🙂
This comes at a PERFECT time as I am attempting to eat as clean as possible! So thank you! These look amazing!
Thanks girl! It’s always a good time to start eating cleaner! I’ve got loads of recipes to help with that 😉
These are adorable. It’s amazing what a heart shape and pink icing can do. The recipe looks delicious. I’m sure no one will even care that they are Paleo.
Thank you!
I have not tried Paleo cookies before. These look like a great alternative to traditional wheat cookies, which many people have issues with these days. Thanks for sharing!
They are a great alternative for us, because we have many food allergies to avoid!
I have a small bag of almond flour to use up and can’t wait to try these! Do you ever use coconut flour in your recipes? I’ve got some and I’m not sure what kind of recipes it would be good to make good use out of it.
I do use coconut flour, but not too often because it’s difficult to cook with. It absorbs so much of the liquid! Pinterest has some good ideas, but you usually need other flours with it.
These will really help make Monday bearable!
They sure will!