Snow-kissed, gooey, and chewy Keto chocolate crinkle cookies flavored with orange and coffee!! These gluten-free cookies are perfect for Christmas and the holidays and will definitely blow you away! Actually, they taste SO GOOD, you will be making them all year round! This recipe is also adaptable so you can easily make it dairy-free and paleo-compliant.
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I got the inspiration to make them after making my Keto and gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Let's just say, it was love at first sight! Oh, and If you are like my husband and love your sweet treats but do not care whether they are compliant with a specific diet, then try this vegetarian Biscoff cheesecake. It is so good!!
This recipe was modified in December 2021 with new process shots.
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Why you will love these Cookies:
- Quick and easy - this is an easy one-bowl recipe, you may not even need to use your electric mixer. This means less cleaning, so a big YES!!
- Simple - these orange flavored crinkles only call for a few basic ingredients, which you most likely have in your pantry (if not, then you will definitely find them in your local supermarket).
- Homemade - nothing beats homemade cookies! You get to keep an eye on the ingredients plus, you absolutely do not have to worry about preservatives.
- Chewy - Decadent, chewy and, fudgy chocolatey goodness that you will love!
- Healthy - they are sugar-free, making them way better than the conventional sugar-loaded chocolate crinkle cookies. This recipe is also keto-friendly and can easily be adapted to make it dairy-free and paleo.
Ingredients Notes:
You will need the following ingredients to make gluten-free orange chocolate crinkle cookies (small note: a printable recipe card with measurements has been provided at the bottom of this page).
- sugar-free chocolate chips (or baking chunks); half a cup will be melted and the remaining stirred in the dough later - to keep this recipe keto and low-carb, I used sugar-free chocolate chips but feel free to use regular bittersweet chocolate chips if not following any special diet.
- instant coffee combined with five tablespoons hot water. Feel free to substitute this for decaf instant coffee, if making it for kids or if you simply like it that way.
- grated peel or rind of one orange.
- almond flour and unsweetened sifted cocoa powder.
- sugar-free confectioners sweetener (use paleo powdered sugar if on the paleo diet) - I used a mix of sugar-free erythritol and xylitol in a 50:50 ratio. Reserve half a cup to use as a topping (for the snowy tops).
- eggs at room temperature.
- melted butter - use coconut oil or ghee if on a paleo or dairy-free diet.
- baking powder - do not use baking soda as baking soda works better with cookies that need to flatten out, such as chocolate chip cookies.
- pinch of salt - to balance out the sweetness.
- vanilla extract - or even better, scrape out the paste from one or two vanilla pods. The vanilla gives these gluten-free orange chocolate crinkle cookies so much flavor!!
How to make Keto Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These sugar-free and gluten-free cookies only require a few steps to make:-
- Preheat your oven to 350° F (approximately 177 ° C or gas number 4). Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Microwave ¾ of a cup of chocolate chips (or chunks) at 600 watts for 30 seconds, stirring at each 10-second interval. You can microwave them for a further 10-20 seconds if still solid. Allow to cool slightly, if hot (it should feel slightly warm to the touch but not hot). Reserve ½ a cup of chocolate chips to be stirred into the dough before baking.
- In a bowl, mix unsweetened cocoa powder, almond flour, baking powder, grated orange peel (rind), a pinch of salt, and the sugar-free confectioner's sweetener (the remaining powdered sweetener will be used in coating the chocolate crinkle cookies).
- Break two eggs to a bowl and use an electric hand whisk to beat at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract and melted butter or coconut oil then whisk. Next, carefully combine the dry and wet ingredients and add the sugar-free melted chocolate chunks or chips.
- To the bowl, stir in the instant coffee, and the reserved chocolate chips. The dough should feel firm to the touch. You can stir in one or two tablespoons of cocoa powder if the dough feels too sticky and one or two tablespoons of melted butter or coconut oil if it feels too firm.
- Wrap the bowl in saran wrap and allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Use a spoon or an ice-cream scoop to scoop out balls of dough. Proceed to roll each scoop of dough into balls using the palms of your hands. Place the rolled pieces of dough on the lined baking tray leaving about 2 inches (or 5 cm between each cookie). Repeat until all the dough has been rolled. Bake for about 10-15 minutes at 350° F (approximately 177 ° C or gas number 4) until slightly cracked peaks form.
- Once baked, remove the chocolate crinkles from the oven, allow them to cool on the baking rack for about 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Feel free to use a spatula to slightly press the cookies while they are still warm if they did not form properly (*see useful tips below). Roll the cookies in the reserved confectioner's sweetener (you can also simply sprinkle it on top) while they are still warm . Allow the keto chocolate crinkles to cool completely before serving.
Can I roll the cookie dough in sugar-free powdered sugar before baking?
The answer is no. As you can see in the picture above, the sweetener simply melted into the cookies, forming a hard crust (and no snowy tops)! You do not want to do this as the sugar-free powder sugar has a different chemical reaction to regular powdered sugar. I tested this recipe with various low-carb powder sugar alternatives (xylitol, erythritol, monk fruit, and various combinations of the same). The dough was properly chilled in all the test instances.
Useful Tips
Here are some good-to-know points related to this cookie recipe:
- Baking - we want to keep these cookies goey, fudgy and chewy. This means keeping an eye on the baking time and temperature. Do not over-bake them. Otherwise, the cookies will lose their chewy texture and turn hard.
- Snowy tops - the traditional orange chocolate crinkle cookies are first dipped in granulated sweetener then dipped in powdered or confectioner's sweetener. When baking with regular sugar, the granulated sweetener forms a coating which prevents the powdered sugar (or sweetener) from seeping into the cookies too quickly, hence giving the chocolate crinkle cookies the snowy look that we all know. This, however, does not work when baking using keto sweeteners. This is because low-carb sweeteners such as erythritol do not react in the same way as regular sugar does with wheat flour. We, therefore, have to top the cookies with powdered sugar once baked.
- For an extra flavor boost- use a vanilla pod for the coating. Slice one vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape out the inner contents and mix this up with the powdered sweetener then sprinkle on top of the chocolate crinkle cookies. You can also make them extra Christmasy by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon.
Other Useful Frequently Asked Questions
These cookies can perfectly be made ahead. Store them in the following ways:-
Freezing the dough:- the dough can be frozen in a suitable freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. To use, simply thaw the frozen dough on the countertop for a couple of hours then bake as instructed in this recipe.
To make paleo chocolate crinkle cookies, use coconut oil or ghee in place of the butter and substitute the low-carb confectioner's sugar for paleo-friendly powdered sugar.
The answer is, it depends. Coffee is naturally gluten-free. Having said this, it is always good to keep an eye on the ingredient list for possible contamination, including contamination from packaging.
Also, make sure to buy your Instant coffee from reputable suppliers, such as your local supermarket to avoid buying counterfeited products marked as gluten-free, that may not necessarily meet this criterion. This is what Nescafe had to say when I contacted them with the question, of whether their brands of Instant Coffee are gluten-free:-
“We do not have a complete list of which Nescafe products are Gluten Free. At the moment we see that Nescafè Clasico Decaf and Nescafe Clasico are in fact Gluten Free. As for the other flavors we recommend checking the label for nutrition and allergen information.”Nestle Consumer Services - US.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes!!
- Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Keto Snickerdoodles
- Keto Almond Flour Linzer Cookies
- Vanilla Almond Crescent Cookies Recipe
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📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Keto Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sugar-free dark chocolate chips (or chunks) (to be melted).
- ½ cup sugar-free dark chocolate chips (to be stirred into the dough).
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee mixed into 5 tablespoons of hot water. Feel free to substitute this for decaf instant coffee, if making it for kids or if you simply like it that way.
- grated orange peel or rind (from 1 orange).
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted).
- ⅔ cup almond flour
- ¾ cup sifted sugar-free powdered sweetener (or paleo confectioners sugar for paleo).
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- ⅓ cup melted butter (ghee or coconut oil for a dairy-free option).
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or the seeds of one vanilla pod
TOPPING
- ½ cup sugar-free confectioners sweetener for topping (or paleo powdered sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F (approximately 177 ° C or gas number 4). Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Microwave ¾ cup of chocolate chips (or chunks) at 600 watts for 30 seconds, stirring at each 10-second interval. You can microwave the chocolate chips for 10-20 seconds more if still solid. Allow the microwaved chocolate chips to cool slightly, if hot - it should feel slightly warm to the touch but not hot. Reserve ½ a cup of chocolate chips to be stirred into the dough before baking.
- In a bowl, mix unsweetened cocoa powder, almond flour, baking powder, grated orange peel (rind), pinch of salt, and ¾ cups of the sugar-free confectioner's sweetener (the remaining ½ cup powdered sweetener will be used in coating the chocolate crinkle cookies).grated orange peel or rind, ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ⅔ cup almond flour, ¾ cup sifted sugar-free powdered sweetener, ½ teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt
- Break two eggs to a bowl and use an electric hand whisk to beat the eggs at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract and melted butter or coconut oil then whisk to combine.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅓ cup melted butter
- Carefully combine the dry and wet ingredients then add the melted chocolate chips.¾ cup sugar-free dark chocolate chips (or chunks)
- To the bowl, stir in the instant coffee and the previously-reserved chocolate chips. The dough should feel firm to the touch. You can stir in one or two tablespoons of cocoa powder if the dough feels too sticky and one or two tablespoons of melted butter or coconut oil if it feels too firm.1 teaspoon instant coffee, ½ cup sugar-free dark chocolate chips
- Wrap the bowl in saran wrap and allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Use a spoon or an ice-cream scoop to scoop out balls of dough. Proceed to roll each scoop of dough into balls using the palms of your hands. Place the rolled pieces of dough on the previously lined baking trays leaving about 2 inches (or 5 cm between each cookie). Repeat until all the dough has been rolled.
- Bake for about 10-15 minutes at 350° F (approximately 177 ° C or gas number 4) until slightly cracked peaks form.
- Once baked, remove the keto chocolate crinkle cookies from the oven, allow them to cool on the baking rack for about 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Feel free to use a spatula to slightly press the cookies while they are still warm if they did not form properly (*see notes below).
- Roll the cookies in the reserved confectioner's sweetener while they are still warm (you can also simply sprinkle it on top). Allow the cookies to cool completely before serving.½ cup sugar-free confectioners sweetener for topping
Video
Notes
- Paleo and dairy-free option - make these orange-flavored gluten-free chocolate crinkle cookies paleo and dairy-free by using coconut oil or ghee, instead of melted butter and using paleo powdered sugar instead.
- For an extra flavor boost, slice one vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape out the inner contents, mix this up with the powdered sweetener then sprinkle this on top of the keto chocolate crinkle cookies. You can also make them extra special for the holidays by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon.
Nutrition
“Nutrition information on the site is an estimate calculated using a third-party source and is provided for informational purposes only. It is highly recommended that you make your own calculations. If you have any specific dietary concerns, kindly consult with your healthcare practitioner. Variations may occur for many reasons, such as ingredients used and food preparation. We make no representation or warranty of the accuracy of this information.”
Let's keep the conversation going, let me know how your cookies were in the comment section below, by leaving a star rating.
Iryna Bychkiv
Sign me up! These cookies look so good! I love everything with chocolate. And the fact that there's no sugar makes them especially appealing!