As much as I love baking with low-carb flours (usually almond or coconut), sometimes you can get away without using any flour at all.
This recipe for low-carb, gluten-free chocolate biscuits is completely flourless – basically you just use cocoa powder instead. You can’t go wrong with that much cocoa!
It takes about 20-25 minutes total to prepare and bake. Carb count is less than 1g net carbs per biscuit.
Sugar-free cocoa powder – safe brands
I use Green & Black unsweetened cocoa powder in my recipes – I think it’s the best option if you are in the UK.
In the USA, good brands for high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder are Valrhona and Ghirardelli.
If you use a different brand, just make sure it doesn’t have any added sugar.
Toppings
One good suggestion from Reddit was to put some ganache or cream topping on the biscuits.
Have a look at this keto mousse or mascarpone mousse – both could make a great topping.
WARNING – before you start
Most of the feedback I got for this recipe is very positive.
But for some people, it turned out a bit tricky. Please watch the video below, or read the comments at the end of this post to see the sort of issues people came up against.
Please note:
- Use the exact ingredients listed in the recipe. If you make any substitutions, there is no guarantee it will work.
- Definitely don’t use sweetener drops instead of granulated sweetener. That doesn’t work – you need the bulk of the granulated sweetener for texture.
- Ingredient quantities are included by weight in grams rather than cups/tbsp – this is deliberate, to keep the recipe more precise. If you try to estimate quantities in tbsp instead, you might get it wrong and the recipe won’t work.
- If the mixture turns out too runny to lay out on a tray, try adding 1 more tbsp each of sweetener and cocoa. It’s important to add both at the same time, as the flavours balance each other out.
Video of this recipe
Lovely Manda Panda made a video of this recipe – check it out on YouTube.
Low-carb flourless chocolate biscuits
Prep time:10 min | Cook time:15 min | Total time:25 min
Yield: 12 biscuits
Ingredients
For the biscuits
- 45g (1.5oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 50g (2 oz) Truvia
- 60g (2oz) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 60g (2oz) cream cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5
- Mix cream cheese with Truvia and blend until smooth
- Lightly beat the eggs and mix with softened butter and vanilla extract
- Add the egg mixture to cream cheese and mix well until no lumps
- Gently fold in cocoa powder
- Line a baking tray with baking paper
- Spoon out the mixture into round mounds – they will flatten in the oven
- Bake for 10-15 minutes (some people reported overbaking, so please keep checking them frequently)
- Let cool completely, biscuits will get more crispy when cool
Nutritional information
Per biscuit: 75 calories, 0.8g net carbs, 7g fat, 3g protein
Recipe by , published on
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Great recipe! My wife’s favorite keto snack and I have it down to memory at this point. Weight measurements are a must for this to work, and I’ve had no issues. A few modifications I’ve made that have not changed the consistency of the cookie: Swapped granulated swerve for truvia (same weight), melted the butter (the softened would often cause globs of butter when the cookies baked), and used varieties of extracts such as 1/2 tsp orange and 1/2 vanilla or 1/2 almond and 1/2 vanilla. This allows for nice flavor options that pair well with chocolate.
As I said, big fan of this recipe and make them about once a week!
Has anyone thought that perhaps the eggs cause different consistency. No exact measurement there. Besides checking for cracked eggs, I also look at size and frequently find eggs that look more like extra large when the carton says large. Just a thought…
Made these yesterday, the batter came out just fine and the biscuits were really good! Bear in mind the cream cheese I used was homemade (used this to make it: https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/how-to-make-cream-cheese/)
My family loved them too so I’ll probably make another batch today. Thank you for this recipe!
Fantastic – thank you for your feedback! Good to know it worked with homemade cream cheese. Making your own does sound interesting, I must try it too!
http://www.lowcarbsosimple.com/buttery-vanilla-cream-cheese-icing/ my daughter made these and made this icing to make cookie sandwiches…delicious
Looks great, thanks for sharing the recipe!
These may be gluten free but they have MORE carbs than Famous Wafers. Net carbs is a value made up by food companies without any scientific evidence. These cookies have about 6 grams of carbs (mostly from the cocoa) each (and 1.25 g fiber) vs Famous Wafers which have 4 grams of carbs. Yah these cookies turned out fine but to call them low-carb is not truthful.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for your comment – but I strongly disagree.
It’s true that food companies often manipulate their net carbs claims. However, the net carbs concept in itself is not a myth.
Some substances that are technically carbohydrates are not digestible – that’s a fact. Fibre and certain polyols (though not all of them) are not digestible, so subtracting them from your total carbs count is perfectly reasonable. When you are on a ketogenic low-carb diet, with only 20g carbs a day, every single extra gram matters.
Now let’s have a look at the carb count in this recipe:
45g sugar-free cocoa (I use Green & Black) – 8g carbs
60g cream cheese – 2g carbs
60g butter: zero carbs
1 tsp sugar-free vanilla: zero carbs
50g Truvia: zero carbs
Truvia is made from erythritol and Stevia extract and has zero digestible carbs. They are permitted to label their sweetener as zero-calorie – as there are no digestible macronutrients in it.
This works out as total 10g carbs per recipe, and about 0.8g net carbs per cookie (assuming 12 are made from these quantities).
If you use different brands of cocoa and cream cheese, you may end up with a slightly different carb count – perhaps go as high as 1g net carb per cookie.
But it definitely won’t be anywhere near 6g carbs, as you claim. I am really not sure how you arrived at this figure – perhaps you would like to share your calculations?
Where can I get the Famous Wafers? 🙂
There’s this thing called the Internet. One uses a browser to browse and search the Internet. Google is a famous search engine. Use a browser and go to Google.com and then search for Famous Wafers.
oh, look! a low-carb troll! lol Do yourself a favour, Janet, and go eat some sugar – you’re way too bitter!
OMG!! I JUST MADE THESE AND THEY CAME OUT AMAZING!!! I made sure to use separate bowls as directed THEN combine ingredients. I did use a little more cocoa and I used a sugarfree substitute called Swerve its made fo baking and cooking. The consistencyis that of a cross between powdered sugar and flour. It was awesome! They came out perfect like a soft brownie cookie!!
Thank you Bonnie! I am so glad they came out well.
I tried these and cant figure out exactly where I went wrong. I followed directions, but my mixture came out far too runny. Searching through this blog, I found the answer (so obviously, it’s happened before) and added more Truvia and Cocoa Powder to thicken. After this, they baked up nicely, but eh….Not the best taste, super sweet, a tad bitter. They will get eaten (perhaps with some whipped cream) and I may try again, but my experience is that it’s a lot of work for mediocre results. Caveat: I am not a normally a baker, I’ve never had much luck…so I’m willing to take 100% responsibility for my disappointment 🙂
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Billie.
I am sorry they did not turn out well. The recipe is unfortunately not 100% reliable – it comes out really well for some people, and not so well for others.
I have a vague suspicion it could be to do with different brands of cocoa (taste intensity can vary) and sweeteners (degree of sweetness and density can vary).
What I need to do is try it out with a batch of different products, and see if I can detect a pattern.
It always turns out way too funny for me. However, I simply throw it all in a foil 8x 8 and bake it like brownies. Turns out delicious!
SO YUMMMMMMY!!!!!! I followed the ingredients exactly. However, I baked them in lined muffin tins. Baked at 180C (350F) for only 8-9 min. They tasted like gooey brownies.
Thank you for sharing this tip 🙂 Gooey brownies sound great 🙂 Sorry they didn’t quite turn out like cookies.
What about the alcohol in the vanilla extract? My understanding is we can’t have any alcohol in phase1.
Hi Karyn – it’s a really tiny amount of alcohol – not anywhere near like having a glass of wine or another alcoholic drink.
Love your recipes, just tried these and they are amazing. Only about 2 weeks into a keto diet so really enjoying being able to have more fat in my diet after years of being scared of it.
Thank you Nicki! Best of luck with your diet 🙂
Can this recipe be doubled? I know some recipes can and some can’t. I’ve made it twice in one week and really love them. Making a double batch would save a lot of time. Thanks!
Hi Eden, yes, doubling quantities shouldn’t be a problem. If you had no problems with texture, then it’s all working as it’s supposed to. Thanks for your feedback, I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I have just made a batch of these.. followed the recipe exactly but the mix was to runny… Used a electric wisk and the batter was a much better texture and they are delicious.
Great, many thanks for sharing this tip!
Just made these as I was really missing something to pick at that wasn’t cheese or ham!! Really hit the spot but definitely came out more as a brownie texture than a biscuit, not that I’m complaining as they still tasted great
I used xylitol as it’s my sweetener of preference and and it worked fine (used the same quantity as per the recipe).
I did struggle with blending the butter in and that may have affected the texture. Would probably beat the butter and sugar together and then gradually beat in the eggs and cream cheese.
Thank you for all these fab recipes. Think I’ll try the chocolate mousse next.
Thank you Janine! I am glad the recipe worked out, even if it wasn’t 100% like biscuit texture. I hope you enjoy the chocolate mousse too!
Xylitol often gives a cakier texture. Erythritol will give a crisper result, although it takes longer to crisp up than sugar, maybe 12-24 hrs.
Wow! This is a fantastic recipe! My turned out like brownie cookies. Thank you for such a good chocolate low carb treat that can be enjoyed in a low carb diet.
Thank you Jennifer 🙂 I am so glad it turned out well!
love them! having a little trouble with the measurements ,though. in the U.S.
Thanks Sue! I know most people in the USA prefer volume measurements, but this recipe is very precise – quantities must be exact, otherwise it might not work. Sorry!
You realize that American recipes have to be precise too, right?
Here’s the conversion:
5 3/4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar substitute
4 tablespoons butter
2 oz cream cheese (pre-marked on foil packaging)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
5 3/4 tablespoons is not precise! 45g is exactly precise.
Thank you 🙂 That’s what I mean too.
I’m enjoying the conversation! I’m not sure what is not precise about 5 3/4 tbsp however. Are you saying you like it better when it lands on a whole number? (having nothing to do w/ precision BTW). Anyway, mildly confused but grateful for the conversions- THANKS!
Dear Quinn and all other devotees of volume-based measurements
Measuring in grams is more precise because it does not involve estimating 1/2 or 3/4 of something by eye. The scales tell you exactly how much an ingredient weighs, with no room for error.
However, far be it from me to impose my metric worldlview upon your time-honoured traditions! By all means, use whichever method you prefer.
The recipe not exactly infallible either way – as you can see from the comments – it comes out well for most people, but desintegrates into cocoa soup for some (still not sure why).
Best of luck to us all!
Weight measurements are more precise. It has nothing to do with using a whole number or anything like that. The main discrepency with dry ingredients comes from how packed it is in the measuring device. Scooping flour with the measuring cup will yield a different amount of flour than it would if you scooped it out of the bag with a spoon and filled up the measuring cup.
With weight, it doesnt matter how much it is packed, it will be the same amount. 45g = 45g, no matter if it takes up a cup or 1/2 cup of space.
With liquids, you dont have to worry about it being packed, but densities of different liquids change the weight. A 1/2 C of molasses is not the same weight as 1/2 C of water. Also, the liquid may appear to be at the 1/2 C line but maybe it is a little above or below or maybe the measuring glass isn’t level, using the weight will be more precise.
No one was saying that it is because you are from the USA, I’m from Texas, and I like to be precise so I use weights when I can.
I just made these biscuits and they are amazing! Very much like chocolate brownies ☺. The batter was perfect and the biscuits came out nice and soft. I used Stevia granules and I melted the butter like I saw it in the YouTube video. It all worked. Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
Thank you Sittah! I am so glad they turned out well. Thank you for sharing your feedback!
I just made these and they are SO good! They actually taste like brownies.
Thank you for the recipe! I’ll be making these a lot more.
Thank you so much Brianna! I am very glad the recipe worked out so well for you.
Hi! I followed this recipe exactly, including weighing all ingredients. My batter was so runny – it completely spread in the whole tray and was like one big misshapen flat cookie!
I used xylitol as the sweetener. Didn’t do anything differently!
I even added a little almond flour to try to thicken the batter as it was so runny. But still didn’t make a difference 🙁
My cream cheese and butter were both room temp, not melted.
So sorry to hear that! How much xylitol did you use?
I just made these and they turned out great! Just one little thing to make them less strong (cocoa wise) should i add less cocoa or add more sweetner? Don’t get me wrong i love my chocolate and they haven’t completely cooled yet but i just had to take one bite! any ideas? also my consistency came out great! i even put the butter in the microwave for a few seconds to get to room temperature. I’m also in America and i went to bing.com to get the conversions and it worked out well!
Hi Heather, thank you for sharing, I am so glad they turned out well! To make the flavour less strong, I would try adding a little bit more sweetener. I think it’s best to keep cocoa as is, in case it affects the texture.
I followed this recipe to a T but my batter came out runny. Prob wrong cream cheese so I just divided it into soufflé cups and upped the min to 25 or until fork came out clean and there I had it! 4 mini super low carb chocolate cakes! So much awesomeness topped with whipped cream! Thanks for the recipe!
Oh dear, sorry your batter came out runny! I am so glad it came out well in the end. Thanks for sharing your experience!
and how do you not eat the whole batch?
🙂
I made these last night with high hopes. They came out like extra airy versions of meringues. Is this the way they should be?
I wonder if adding some coconut flour would make a difference?
Thanks, Anne
Hi Anne, this is quite puzzling, they definitely shouldn’t be like meringues – and in fact it’s extremely difficult to get meringue-like texture without sugar. I have tried that but never succeeded. Which sweetener did you use?
What are the US measurements in tsp/tbsp instead of ounces?
Joni, this recipe is a bit tricky, so I would rather keep the measurements in grams/ounces, as that’s more precise.
Get a kitchen scale, place your bowl on top and then make sure it reads zero before you begin to add the ingredients. It’s not a very common way to bake in the US, we like our measuring cups and spoons, but you will find in Europe they do most of their baking this way. Its strange at first, but I must say it is much better. (American in London)
Thank you Artsyone76! I do usually provide US measurements in cups/spoons for most of my recipes, but this one is the exception. Precise amounts are really important, otherwise the texture doesn’t come out right. So I decided to keep in in grams for this one.
You can always google the conversion but Mrs Henry provided them:
You realize that American recipes have to be precise too, right?
Here’s the conversion:
5 3/4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar substitute
4 tablespoons butter
2 oz cream cheese (pre-marked on foil packaging)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Hi! can I substitute truvia for stevia packets, and if so, how many do I need?? sorry where I live we don’t have truvia
Hi Natalia, which brand of stevia are you using? Does it have added erythritol or another filler?
it’s a mexican brand, it says: Dextrose, stevia reb-a and silicon dioxide
I haven’t found one with erythritol, but I’m still looking
Dextrose is actually sugar, so I would definitely recommend a different brand. Are Truvia or Swerve brands available in Mexico?
I went to like 10 different stores, and I finally found truvia!! thank you!! I got it in packets
Well done for persevering Natalia! Truvia is a much better sugar substitute than anything with dextrose in it (dextrose is basically sugar also).
Now I got another question.. I haven’t made them yet, because I wanted to test this truvia, but I don’t think is sweet enough, I had to use 2 packets in a cup of coffee, compared to 1 packet stevia I normally use..
Is this normal? should I use more truvia in this biscuits? since I’m not used to this new flavor…
Thanks again!
Hi Natalia, the recipe was created using Truvia, so I would just keep quantities as is.
This is a lovely recipe! They came out so soft, springy and chewy! I’m beginning Atkins, and my boyfriend has type 2 diabetes. What a wonderful treat for us!!! I have no idea why anyone had trouble with the consistency, save that the cream cheese and/or butter could have been too soft. Thank you!!!
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Heads up that someone might be stealing your recipe: http://bit.do/bBGLg It just got shared on a group I am in and it leads to a different website.
Thanks for the heads-up Carolyn! The link seems to be correct though and goes straight through to this page. Did you mean to include a link to your group instead? Many thanks.
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These as cupcakes have a delicious flavor, however I’m confused as to how you get them into “mounds” when the batter is so soupy. If you put the batter on a flat sheet, it tends to run and fuse. So, how did you get them like the ones in the picture? I gave up and used muffin tins. Great, but confusing to the reader. Thanks
I want to know the same thing!!
Hi, the batter shouldn’t be soupy and runny. Have a look at this video – Manda Panda made these cookies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEBpXRYkM7w
I had the same consistency as the the video all the way up to the cocoa. When the time lapses and she added her cocoa it was very thick. Can’t see how that is possible as mine was very soupy. Unless it HAS to be weighed and not measured by tablespoons.
Hi Steve, yes, it is important to use the exact weight specified.
Delicious! I added some sugar free canned whip cream between 2 biscuits then placed in the freezer. Totally a 3 carb “ice cream” sammy.
I made these last night and in the ingredients it did not say to melt the butter but in the instructions it said to add melted butter. I melted it and the batter was like pancake batter. Since there was no turning back, I put it in an 8″ cake pan and baked it till it was set. It was okay but not what I wanted. Should I not have melted the buter?
I also saw somewhere (I thought on this website) a recipe for cauliflower egg muffins but can’t find it now. Can anyone tell me where it is?
Hi Lynn
Sorry, you are right. The butter should be soft but not completely melted. I have now amended this in the recipe.
We don’t have any recipes for cauliflower egg muffins, sorry. It must have been another website. Sounds good though – I might give it a go to make some!
Hi
I have struggled with baked goods on the Keto diet, but your recipes are the best that I have tried and my non-keto family love them.
I followed the advice of someone on here and made the flourless chocolate biscuits into mini cakes, and at 1 carb per a cake. It has made a keto diet very manageable and tasty, and I love that it requires no almond flour or extensive ingredients.
So thank you so much and please continue to post recipes. As a UK ketoer, the gram measurements are so helpful.
Thanks
Thanks so much for your feedback and encouragement Nat! Best of luck with your diet.
Can you convert these into US measurements?
1. 5 U.S. ounces = 3 Tablespoons
2.0 U.S. ounces = 4 Tablespoons
any other conversions can be found here!
http://www.asknumbers.com/CookingConversion.aspx
Thank you, Joyce. But please note I strongly recommend weighing ingredients for this recipe, to ensure they are very precise. Otherwise, it might not work.
When you say blend, beat, and mix – is that with a blender or by hand?
By hand is fine, it’s quite easy to mix.
LOVE this recipe!!! I also baked mine in mini muffin tins and they turned out fabulously. SO CHOCOLATEY!!! I discovered the joy of eating them with a little of Adam’s natural PB on top… Just like a dark chocolate Reese’s. Plus, the batter for this is like brownie batter… Pure decadence. Thanks for sharing!!!
Thanks so much for your positive comment! As you can see, some people struggled to make this recipe work in the past, so I had to adjust quantities and cooking times several times. Hopefully it’s all as it should be now!
I made these in cupcake form and took them out at like 5-7 minutes (they were mini cupcakes and a toothpick came out clean around then) and they are soooo good. I think I like them better as cupcakes than I did biscuits, but I love this recipe. I’ve made it a few times now. Thank you for sharing!
Many thanks for feedback Ady, this recipe turned out to be a bit tricky so I am very glad it works for you 🙂
I loved this cookie and so did my 23 year old Son who does not like any artificial sugar.He scarfed 2 of them on his way out the door.I have to admit my tongue did somersaults of happiness.I cooked them 20 minutes at 375*
I too was a little confused by the measurements for cocoa and sweetener. I used 4 tbsp Splenda and 4 tbsp cocoa and upped the cream cheese and butter to 3 oz. this made the batter less soupy. I cooked them for 12 minutes at 375. Pretty good!
Many thanks for feedback everyone, I have now re-adjusted the quantities and baking times.
I made these today- followed the recipe exactly and at 18 minutes in the oven they were horribly burnt. I kept wondering if something was left out of the ingredient list, read it 10 times. I wonder what the people who like them are doing differently
Mine did the same thing. I took them out at like 12 minutes the second time and they turned out better.
Many thanks for feedback – I have now re-adjusted baking times.
The recipe says 2 oz of Truvia. Is that by weight? How much is that in Tbsp?
yaay!! i just made them for tomorrow’s breakfast and they look and tastes verrrrrry yummey #happiness
Hi Debi, thanks for the feedback. So if I understand correctly, the only problem is that they came out flat? They do actually come out pretty flat anyway (as on the picture in this post) – were yours even flatter than that? I quite like them flat because they get a bit crunchy when cooled.
I tried this rexipe last night but the batter was a bit soupy. I melted the butter, was that my mistake? Also I used 3 TBS of granular splenda. I tried to harden it up in fridg but then it softened up again. I then thickened it with a tbs honey. They came out delectable but pretty darn flat. What did I do wrong? Help please!
Debi
Hey, how come a COOKIE contains 1 g of carbs when we pt in 4 grams of carb with cream cheese + 20 grams of or more with the sweetener ? ………. I don’t get the math here. I found mine MORE SWEETER than actually having some TASTE of its own ? You know ? and I cooked it for a lesser time and i didnt put it on a tray. I put it into a cupcake cups instead about 2 tbsps. it turned out nicer. Soft, tasty. Please explain the carb count
Hi, my recipe is using Truvia sweetener which has zero net carbs (http://truvia.com/carbohydrates). So the carbs in this recipe come mainly from unsweetened cocoa powder (13g net carbs per 100g) and cream cheese (4-5g net carbs per 100g).
If you are using sweetener that has 20g net carbs, then obviously you would need to recalculate the carb count accordingly.
I made these tonight with sweetleaf drops instead of truvia, and they came out super dry and very, very crumbly. Do you have any ideas on how to fix that so they hold together better? Would adding almond milk help? Thanks so much! They were delicious otherwise!
Hi Trish, sorry to hear they didn’t turn out well. Unfortunately, I think in this recipe, substituting Truvia with drops wouldn’t work. Truvia contains a lot of erythritol in addition to Stevia, which contributes to the texture. You could try another granular sugar substitute instead, for example, xylitol.
I made this tonight. I got about 24 biscuits out of the recipe. They are absolutely delicious, but somewhat puffier and more cake-like that the pictures led me to expect. I weighed all the ingredients as instructed. Only differences: I used swerve instead of truvia and jumbo eggs.
Thanks for your feedback Luisa. I am glad they turned out ok, even if not exactly as expected. The recipe is a bit tricky so even small changes can lead to different results. I find that the biscuits get more crispy after they cool down completely, and even more so the next day, once they dry out a bit. I hope you enjoyed them anyway.