Published: by Carolyn
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Tender cookie cups filled with creamy keto lemon curd! These keto lemon bar cookies are a sweet and tangy treat that’s sure to please.
Spring is here and lemon desserts are popping up everywhere! Especially here on this keto recipe website, because I can’t help myself. I have so many delicious ideas for lemon treats and not nearly enough time to make them all.
And I already have such a large archive of sweet lemony recipes, like keto lemon cheesecake bars and lemon sour cream pie. But what’s one more? Or five more? Or 10 more?
Because as far as I am concerned, there are never enough lemon desserts in the world. It’s a brighter, happier place when that sweet-tart flavor is in abundance.
So let’s make some keto lemon bar cookies!
Recipe inspiration
You know I am always poking around the food blogging world, looking for recipes to ketofy. I enjoy this recipe research so much and I discover so many great ideas.
This particular idea came from Six Sisters Stuff. I spotted it a few weeks ago and thought it was ripe for a keto makeover. And I knew just how to do it, using the cookie cups from my Keto Boston Cream Pie Bites, as well as my ever-popular keto lemon curd.
One great tip I borrowed from their recipe was to form the wells in the cookies AFTER they’ve been baking for a bit. This keeps the edges from cracking as you press it into the muffin cups.
It all tastes the same in the end, but the keto lemon bar cookies look better when they are finished. And appearances matter!
Ingredients
No crazy products needed here! Just basic keto baking ingredients.
- Almond flour
- Keto sweetener (granular and powdered)
- Baking powder
- Butter,
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon (juice and zest)
- Salt
How to make keto lemon bar cookies
These adorable lemon treats are essentially keto sugar cookies made into tiny tart shells and then filled with sugar-free lemon curd. Dusted with a little keto sweetener, they taste just like lemon bars!
The cookie cups
- Prepare the pan: I highly recommend a silicone mini muffin pan or some silicone muffin liners for this recipe. Parchment liners work too but the cookie cups brown more quickly.
- Make the cookie dough: This is an almond flour recipe, although you could use other nut flours or seed meals. However, the cookies won’t be as fine or as light in color if you switch out the flour.
- Roll into balls: Try to get 24 balls, which means making them just barely 1-inch in diameter. Leave them as balls at this point and bake for 5 minutes. Allowing the cookies to bake for a bit softens the dough so that it cracks less as you press it into the pan.
- Press wells into the center: Use a blunt, rounded instrument like teaspoon or the end of a wooden spoon, or even your thumb. I use the end of my stone pestle, as it’s the perfect thickness.
- Bake until just barely golden: To mimic lemon bars, you want the cookie cups to be quite light in color. Don’t let them get too browned!
- Remove and let cool: If the wells in your cookies have puffed up a bit, reshape them when the cookies are still warm.
The lemon filling
- Prepare a half recipe of keto lemon curd: This is a very simple recipe and results in deliciously tangy-sweet curd.
- Whisk nearly constantly: The trick to a smooth and creamy curd it stand there, whisking the whole time, so that your eggs don’t curdle.
- Spoon into the cookies: Let the curd cool for a few minutes and then spoon it directly into the cookie cups. Chill for at least one hour to help set the filling.
- Dust with powdered sweetener: To get that classic lemon bar look, dust the cookies lightly with powdered sweetener before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
I am allergic to almonds, can I use coconut flour?
No, coconut flour will not work in this recipe. You can try using sunflower seed flour, but be sure to add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to offset the green reaction.
Can I use a different sweetener?
If you want crisp cookies, you must use an eyrthritol-based sweetener in that part of the recipe. Swerve or Lakanto both work very well. For the filling, you want to use a powdered sweetener to avoid any grittiness. I do find that allulose requires more time to set properly in a custard or curd like this.
Can you make these keto lemon bar cookies in advance?
Lemon curd is best fresh and should be eaten within 4 days. So if you want to prep these cookies in advance, I recommend making the cookie cups and storing those. Then make the curd on the day you plan to serve them.
I only have a metal mini muffin pan, what do I do?
As long as your pan is a really good non-stick, you can still make the cookie cups. Grease it very well. The cups will likely get much darker in colour because they are right against the metal.
I only have a regular muffin pan, can I make these bigger?
Certainly! You should be able to get 12 larger cookies in a regular pan. Don’t try to press the cookie crust all the way up the sides of the pan, as it will make them too thin and fragile. About halfway up is right.
Storage information
Lemon curd is a custard-style dessert and is thus best served within a few days. Store the completed lemon bar cookies in the fridge in a covered container for up to 4 days.
More bite-sized keto desserts!
- Easy Keto Ice Cream Truffles
- Keto Cheesecake Bites
- Strawberry Shortcake Cups
- Keto Peanut Butter Cups
- Raspberry Cheesecake Bites
- Churro Fat Bombs
- Chocolate Fat Bomb Bites
Keto Lemon Bar Cookies
Tender cookie cups filled withcreamy keto lemon curd! These keto lemon bar cookies are a sweet and tangy treat that's sure to please.
4.93 from 26 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: keto lemon bars, keto lemon cookie cups
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Chill time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 157kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie Cups
- 1 ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup Swerve Granular
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 large egg white
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Curd Filling
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ⅓ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon butter cut into four pieces
- Additional powdered sweetener for garnish
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Cookie Cups
Preheat the oven to 325F and line a mini muffin pan with 24 silicone liners (or use a silicone mini muffin pan).
In a large bowl, whisk togehter the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter, egg white, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together.
Roll the dough into scant 1 inch balls and place in the prepared muffin cups. Bake 5 minutes in ball form, then remove from the oven and use your thumb, a rounded teaspoon, or another blunt rounded instrument to press a deep well into the center of each ball.
Bake another 10 to 12 minutes, until just browning lightly on the edges. Remove and let cool completely in the pan. If the wells in your cookies have puffed up a bit, reshape them when the cookies are still warm. Once cool, pop the cookie cups out of the silicone molds.
Lemon Curd Filling
In a glass or ceramic bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, sweetener, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully as it will thicken all of a sudden.
Immediately remove from heat and add the butter. Let sit a few minutes to melt and then whisk until smooth and creamy. Let cool 15 minutes.
Spoon the curd into the cookie cups, filling all the way to the top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to firm up, then dust lightly with powdered sweetener. Serve cold or room temperature.
Nutrition Facts
Keto Lemon Bar Cookies
Amount Per Serving (2 cookie cups)
Calories 157Calories from Fat 129
% Daily Value*
Fat 14.3g22%
Carbohydrates 3.9g1%
Fiber 1.8g7%
Protein 4.6g9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Secrets to Keto Baking
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them.I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Reader Interactions
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.Comments
Barb says
I do not have a silicone mini muffin tin – only an aluminum non-stick one. Do I need to make any changes to baking times?
Reply
Melissa says
How thick is it supposed to be off the stove? Custard thick or will it thicken as it cools? I just put them in the fridge but I’m worried I may have messed up the curd part 😬
Reply
Carolyn says
It’s supposed to be like custard as it comes off the heat.
Reply
Melissa says
Well crap lol
Reply
linda hahn says
When you say “In a glass or ceramic bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water,”, do you mean like how a double boiler works, only a glass bowl that fits the top of a metal pan???
Reply
Carolyn says
Double boiler style, but with glass or ceramic so the lemon juice doesn’t react with metal.
Reply
Amy N says
These were easy to make and taste delicious. The only change I made was to swap out the vanilla for lemon extract for an extra kick of lemon.Reply
Jenn in GA says
My husband asked for keto lemon bars for his 60th birthday treat. These are so good! The curd particularly does not have that cooling effect that most erythritol desserts possess. Such a great adaptation of a classic!Reply
TIFFANY says
Perfect. Really. Perfect. I used one small backyard hen egg(1.7 oz) instead of one regular sized egg yolk because I hate figuring out what to do with the yolks. Aside from that I made no changes and this recipe is absolutely amazing.Reply
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