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Keto Halloween Cookies

Melted chocolate sandwiched between low carb Jack O' Lantern cookies — 2.8g net carbs each. I bake these keto Halloween cookies every October, and the dough holds its shape without egg or xanthan gum.
  • 2.8gnet carbs
  • 4.6gprotein
  • 47minutes
  • 9servings

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Halloween is one big sugar fest, and staying low carb through it takes some planning. These are my answer: Jack O' Lantern sandwich cookies with a creamy chocolate center, about 2g net carbs per cookie. I've been making them every October since 2019, and they're the one Halloween treat I never skip.

What makes these keto Halloween cookies different from most cutout cookie recipes is the base. It's a shortbread dough, no egg, no xanthan gum. The structure comes entirely from cold butter and the right ratio of almond flour to coconut flour. I tested a lot of combinations before landing on this one, and the result is a buttery, delicate cookie that holds its shape through rolling, cutting, chilling, and baking.

six jack o lantern shaped cookies in a row filled with melted dark chocolate and white chocolate

The technique that makes these work is two-stage refrigeration. You chill the rolled dough before cutting shapes, then chill the cut shapes again before baking. That second chill is why these hold their pumpkin shape without any egg or binders. I skipped it once early on and the Jack O' Lantern faces melted into shapeless blobs. Never again.

These are great as a weekend bake or a Halloween party project with kids. I roll and cut the shapes, then let my kids handle the assembly part with melted chocolate. They love watching the Jack O' Lantern faces fill in with dark chocolate. If you're building a full spread, pair them with ghost bundt cakes, Halloween peanut butter cup cookies, or sugar free candy corn for a full Halloween dessert table.

Cookie shapes and cutters

These don’t have to be pumpkins. I’ve used skeletons, ghosts, black cats, and even a witch hat cutter. Any shape punches out of this dough easily because the shortbread is firm from chilling.

The best cookie cutters for this dough are the open-back kind where you can press the shape out with your fingers. If your cutter sticks, dip it in a little almond flour between cuts. I also keep the dough cold while I’m working. If it starts getting soft and the shapes aren’t cutting clean, just slide the whole sheet back into the fridge for 10 minutes. For a totally different Halloween look, try ghost meringue cookies alongside these.

Filling ideas

Melted chocolate is my go-to because it sets firm and shows off the Jack O’ Lantern face through the cutout. But I’ve tried a bunch of other fillings and they all work with this shortbread base.

If you use a softer filling like cream cheese, keep the assembled cookies in the fridge so the filling stays put.

two chocolate filled sandwich cookies in the shape of pumpkins on a baking tray

Make-ahead and storage

You can bake the cookies ahead and assemble them the day you need them, which makes this a great decorating project for kids at a Halloween party. Set out the baked shapes and bowls of melted chocolate and let them build their own Jack O’ Lanterns.

Store assembled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I usually have them out on the counter and they stay crisp the whole time as long as the container is sealed.

The cookie dough freezes well too. I wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, put it in a freezer bag, and it keeps for 1-2 months. When I’m ready to use it, I thaw it overnight in the fridge and it rolls out just as well as fresh.

How to make Halloween cookies

  1. Make the shortbread dough by combining almond flour, coconut flour, and salt, then creaming that into softened butter, sweetener, and vanilla.
  2. Roll out between parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thick and refrigerate 20-30 minutes. This first chill firms everything up for clean cuts.
  3. Cut pumpkin shapes with a cookie cutter. Carve Jack O' Lantern faces into half the cookies with a knife. Refrigerate again 15-20 minutes (this second chill prevents spreading).
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes until edges turn golden. Let them cool completely before handling.
  5. Melt chocolate and spread on a solid pumpkin cookie, then press a face cookie on top.

a chocolate faced jack o lantern cookie next to another cookie with dried leaves around

Key ingredients and substitutions

  • Almond flour + coconut flour: This combo gives you a buttery shortbread that tastes like a traditional cookie. I get asked about the coconut flour a lot, and no, these do not taste like coconut. I've made them for people who hate coconut and they had no idea.
  • Butter: Softened, not melted. Creaming it with the sweetener builds the structure since there's no egg in this dough.
  • Sweetener: Any sugar-free sweetener that measures 1:1 with sugar works. I use a monkfruit erythritol blend. If you go with allulose, add about 2 tablespoons extra since it's less sweet. My sugar cookies use the same shortbread base if you want to practice with a simpler shape first.
  • Chocolate: Sugar free chocolate chips melt fast and spread easily. You can also use a hazelnut spread like ChocZero's.
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The recipe

Keto Halloween Cookies

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Prep 40 min Cook 7 min Total 47 min Serves 9

Ingredients

Servings 9

Keto Jack O' Lantern Cookies Ingredients

Step by Step Instructions

  1. Mix dry ingredients

    In a medium bowl, sift together almond flour, coconut flour, and salt. Set aside.

    For this step

    • Almond flour
    • Coconut flour
    • Salt
    a bowl with dry ingredients inside next to a spatula and yellow leaves
  2. Cream butter and sweetener

    In a separate bowl, cream together butter, sugar free sweetener and vanilla extract.

    For this step

    • Unsalted butter (softened)
    • Sugar-free sweetener
    • Vanilla extract
    a bowl with one and a half sticks of butter and sugar inside with vanilla splashed on
  3. Finish the cookie dough

    Using an electric mixer, slowly mix in dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Mix until smooth and combined.

    cookie dough in a bowl next to dried leaves and a cookie cutter
  4. Roll out dough

    Place dough in between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out using a rolling pin until dough is ⅛ – ¼ inch thick. Place dough in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

    rolling cookie dough with a wooden rolling pin
  5. Pumpkins & jack o' lanterns

    Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and punch out pumpkin shapes using a pumpkin cookie cutter. Place each pumpkin onto a parchment lined baking tray. Using a knife, cut out a jack o lantern face in half of the cookies. Refrigerate again for 15-20 minutes.

    cutting a jack o lantern face out of a cookie with a knife
  6. Bake

    Bake at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely. DO NOT try to handle the cookies before you have let them cool completely on the baking tray or else they will crumble and break. They are very soft after baking but will harden once they cool.

    a baking tray with three cookies with a jack o lantern face and three whole pumpkin cookies on it
  7. Chocolate face

    In a small bowl, add chocolate chips and coconut oil. Melt by microwaving at 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Spread melted chocolate on the pumpkin cookie that is whole (no face) and place the jack o lantern cookie on top. Repeat with remaining cookies.

    For this step

    • Chocolate Chips (sugar free)
    • Coconut oil
    melted chocolate topped on a cookie next to a jack o lantern faced cookie

Nutrition

Per serving: 1 sandwich cookie

Calories
280
Fat
27.3g
Protein
4.6g
Total carbs
8.5g
Net carbs
2.8g

Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many net carbs are in each cookie?

Each sandwich cookie (two shortbread halves plus the chocolate filling) comes out to about 3g net carbs. I calculated this using a monkfruit erythritol blend as the sweetener. If you use allulose or a different brand, the count may shift slightly, but with this dough and filling ratio you're staying well under 3g per cookie.

Can I freeze the assembled sandwich cookies?

I've frozen these with the chocolate filling and they hold up fine. I lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan, freeze for about an hour, then transfer to a freezer bag with parchment between layers. They keep for about a month. When I thaw them, I leave them on the counter for 15-20 minutes. The shortbread texture stays intact, though the chocolate center gets a little softer than fresh.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

I make the dough a day or two ahead all the time. It actually rolls out cleaner after an overnight chill because the butter firms up completely. I wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Just let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before rolling so it doesn't crack on you.

Can I use allulose instead of erythritol?

I've made these with allulose and they work, but you need about 2 tablespoons more than the recipe calls for since allulose is less sweet than erythritol blends. The one thing I noticed is that allulose browns a little faster, so I pull mine at closer to 6 minutes instead of 7. Keep an eye on the edges.

Why did my cookies spread?

The most common reason I see is skipping the second refrigeration step. This recipe has you chill twice: once after rolling and once after cutting shapes. That second chill is critical. When I've put warm, freshly cut cookies straight into the oven, they spread every time. I also make sure my butter is softened but not melted when I cream it. Melted butter makes the dough too loose to hold a shape.

Why did my cookies crumble when I picked them up?

I had this happen the first couple times I made these. The fix is patience. These cookies come out of the oven very soft and they feel like they'll never firm up. But if you leave them on the baking tray for a full 10-15 minutes, they harden as they cool and you can pick them up without any crumbling. I don't try to move them until they feel firm to the touch.

Can I make smaller or bigger cookies?

I've made these in three different sizes and they all work. Just adjust your bake time: smaller cookies need about 5 minutes, larger ones closer to 8-9 minutes. Watch the edges for that golden color. The net carbs per cookie will change with size, so keep that in mind if you're tracking closely.

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Reviews

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4.8 from 14 ratings, 11 written

Made this recipe?

Replying to Vanessa

Your rating

Olivia

Wow, these actually came out looking like pumpkins!! The chocolate in the middle set up firm and they held together when I moved them off the pan. Really happy with them! 😂

Reply

Annie Lampella

Ha, that firm set is exactly what the almond flour and chilling do. So glad they held together!

Reply

Vanessa

Brown the butter before you cream it with the sweetener. It’s maybe two extra minutes and honestly the dough smells so good at that point I almost ate it raw, this caramel-y toasty thing I wasn’t expecting. When I bit into the finished cookie the chocolate filling tasted richer too. Only heads-up is the dough gets stickier after browning so I added about 10 extra minutes in the fridge before rolling and that fixed it.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Thanks Vanessa! I’ve never browned the butter for these, but the extra fridge time makes sense if the dough firms up. I’m trying it this October.

Reply

Katie

This site has gotten me through so many keto holidays and these cookies are exactly why.

Reply

Annie Lampella

That makes my day! These are my October staple, so I’m glad they’re yours too.

Reply

Paige

Real butter flavor, real crunch. Keto cookies rarely do both.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Paige, I never cut the butter back, that’s where that flavor comes from. So glad both landed for you!

Reply

Amber

Held their shapes well and the filling was easy. Kids ate them before I could get a photo.

Reply

Taylor W.

I wasn’t sure the chocolate filling would set firm enough to hold the sandwich shape. My daughter, who doesn’t eat keto and has opinions about dessert, bit into one and said the inside was better than the outside. Okay, noted. The coconut oil gives it this firm snap I wasn’t expecting, and honestly I’m just making these again because the cookie is good.

Reply

Annie Lampella

The non-keto kid approving is the bar I actually care about. Taylor, that snap is exactly what I was going for. The coconut oil firms it like a thin chocolate bar, not just melted chips smooshed between two cookies.

Reply

Mike

Skipping eggs in a cutout dough didn’t make sense to me, figured I’d end up with something closer to crumble topping than a cookie. Rolled out, held the shape, chocolate filling went smooth. Four stars because I slightly overdid the bake time, but that’s on me not the recipe.

Reply

Annie Lampella

The no-egg thing surprised me too when I was developing it. For the bake time, I pull mine when the edges just barely turn golden and the centers still look a little underdone. They firm up completely on the pan.

Reply

Mike

Good to know! I’ll pull them earlier next time.

Reply

Jason

Pure almond flour cutouts spread on me no matter how long I chill them. The coconut flour here absorbs differently, and the shapes actually hold their edges through the bake. Single-flour doughs never manage that for me. Way cleaner.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Way cleaner is the right word. That ratio took me a few batches. Too much coconut flour and they go chalky, too little and you’re back to spreading.

Reply

Melissa

Fourth time making these this year. Dough rolls out at 1/4 inch clean, holds shape through baking, no cracking or spreading. I’ve chilled it anywhere from 20 minutes to overnight and it behaves the same either way. Rare for a grain-free dough.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Coconut flour is why it holds. Pure almond-flour doughs dry out and crack after an overnight chill, this one doesn’t care. Four batches this year, that’s saying something.

Reply

Denise

Not much of a baker, especially with keto stuff. Almost talked myself out of these because rolling and cutting felt like a disaster waiting to happen. But the dough came together fast and rolled out between the parchment sheets without cracking. I used pumpkin cutters just because I had them (works for a spring party too, honestly), and they came off the pan clean. That small amount of coconut oil in the chocolate filling makes it set really glossy. Didn’t see that coming from such a small thing. Made a second batch the same afternoon because the first was mostly gone before I finished cleaning up. Still surprised cookies with no egg hold together this well.

Reply

Annie Lampella

One teaspoon and the filling goes from flat to glossy. Skipped it once by accident, could tell immediately. Second batch same afternoon tracks.

Reply

Sarah Wilson

If you freeze the dough for 10 minutes instead of just refrigerating it, the pumpkin shapes cut way cleaner. I kept losing the face details peeling them off the parchment, and that one change fixed it. Also swapped the coconut oil in the chocolate filling for a small knob of Kerrygold. Sets up firmer, no sliding when you stack them.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Ten minutes in the freezer for the face details, yeah. Coconut oil in the filling gets greasy if the kitchen’s warm, so the Kerrygold thing makes sense.

Reply

Tasha

Made these three times now, and the dough is the part I keep coming back for. No eggs, no xanthan gum, and it still rolls out clean and holds the cutter shapes without cracking. I use Lily’s chips for the filling and the coconut oil keeps it smooth enough to spread. Fourth batch is already planned.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Getting that dough to hold shapes without xanthan gum took embarrassingly long to figure out. Lily’s with coconut oil is exactly right for the filling.

Reply

Priya Y.

Added a teaspoon of orange zest because I had half an orange sitting there and figured why not (home cook brain). Chocolate filling plus citrus is just a different cookie. Better. I keep using the pumpkin cutters because that’s all I own, but these are year-round now. Also the dough rolled out so cleanly between the parchment sheets I was genuinely shocked. I was bracing for a crumbly mess.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Orange zest in these and I have no idea why I never thought of that. Chocolate and citrus with the shortbread base – obvious in hindsight. Going in October’s batch.

Reply

Mei

This is my fourth or fifth time making these and I still can’t get over how clean the shapes come out without any egg or xanthan gum. I roll the dough a little thinner than the recipe now, closer to 1/8 inch, and the edges get this almost snap to them after they cool. The Lily’s chips melt down really smooth with the coconut oil for the filling. Not a special occasion cookie for me anymore.

Reply

Annie Lampella

1/8 inch, I haven’t gone that thin but now I want to try it. The snap after cooling is what shortbread should do and I rarely get that at 1/4 inch. Not a special occasion cookie is the highest compliment.

Reply

Paul

Third batch this spring and I finally cracked the filling. Swapped the coconut oil for a teaspoon of coconut cream and it goes from hard chocolate to something closer to ganache (sets firm but doesn’t shatter when you bite in). SO much better. The dough already had me at no egg, no xanthan gum, and actually holds its shape.

Reply

Annie Lampella

One teaspoon and it stops shattering. I’ve been using coconut oil every October and just living with the snap. Trying coconut cream on the next batch.

Reply

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