Enjoy all the flavors of your favorite French treat without going outside your keto goals! These keto mint chocolate French macarons are light on the outside, with a soft, gooey inside!
If you have read this blog at any length, you know I live with a Frenchman with an overpowering sweettooth. He loves his sweets, and any type of cookie can be his favorite. Of course, keeping with keto goals isn’t always easy when you live with a family of sweet lovers.
Until I discovered how to make French macarons. The light texture on the outside, with a slightly gooey center. And a creamy filling. Don’t forget the creamy filling.
Did you know that macarons are traditionally gluten free? Traditional macarons are made with powdered sugar, almond flour, and egg whites. Add in some food coloring, a creamy filling and you have a delicate treat that can take on nearly any flavor you can dream up!
Now, you can have your cookie AND eat it too! How, with all that sugar? Well, let’s switch up the regular powdered sugar for some powdered erythritol and cut way back on the amount of food coloring and you have a keto friendly, low carb macaron recipe!
I give you Keto Mint Chocolate French Macarons.
Tips for making Keto French Macarons:
- The trick in these cookies is the technique in blending the batter, really. It’s truly an art form that takes a bit of practice to master. The first time I tried these, the cookies didn’t develop quite right, and they were rather nasty to eat. Too soft and gooey, and it’s because the batter was not whipped enough.
- You will also want to make sure the almond flour and the powdered erythritol are VERY well blended and there is no chunks whatsoever to overpower the whipped egg whites. That is the hardest part, the patience to sift the almond flour mixture 2 times with a fine mesh sieve to get all the chunks out, but it’s very worth while.
- Gently fold the beaten egg whites with the almond flour mixture. I also found best success with a rubber spatula, not a wooden spoon.
- Some also believe that the egg whites won’t whip up as well if they are not room temperature. However, I have had equal success in both room temperature and cold egg whites, so just go for it.
Tips for Keto Macaron baking success:
- Letting the cookies dry out on the baking sheet is vital to getting them to set properly. If they are not dry enough, they will become a soggy mess. You know they are ready when you lightly touch the cookie and it doesn’t stick to your finger. The cookies themselves will not be as crispy as a common French macaron, due to the sugar replacement, however.
- Using silicone mats is actually preferable to parchment paper, as they do not stick at all. Parchment paper will work, but you may still have some stick. Letting them dry all the way before baking will help that.
- For best success, measure your ingredients by weight, not volume. This will give you far more consistent results in your baking. Especially with French keto macarons.
Other Keto Cookies To Try
Keto Almond Cookies
Light, crispy and a perfect afternoon treat, these keto almond cookies will satisfy your sweet tooth cravings without the guilt!
Will these keto macarons form proper feet?
Well, not like a regular French macaron. Since they don’t use regular confectioners sugar, the feet don’t seem to form the same way. They will look very similar, but the classic macaron “feet” will be different.
Ingredients:
- 50 grams blanched almond flour
- 125 grams powdered erythritol
- 2 large egg whites (keep the egg yolks for buttercream)
- 75 grams granulated erythritol
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter (helps stabilize the egg whites)
- 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
- 5 drops green gel food coloring
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup erythritol
- 4 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
Instructions:
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place almond flour and powdered erythritol in a blender or food processor. Blend together for 2-3 minutes to remove any chunks and make sure they are super fine. Sift through sifter 2 times, removing any leftover chunks and reblending. After the second time, toss any leftover chunks that remain. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add egg whites and cream of tarter. Slowly add the 1/4 cup of powdered erythritol, 1 Tablespoon at a time while mixing on medium high speed. Continue to mix egg whites and sugar until fluffy and stiff peaks form. Add in food coloring and mint extract and whip again for 30 seconds.
- Pour the almond flour and sugar mixture in the egg whites all at once and fold until batter is well combined. This is the technique that makes French macaroons “French”, to be honest. Take 1/2 the batter each time, and fold it clockwise in one smooth motion. Fold until the batter is almost pancake batter consistency, about 50 strokes.
- Place the batter into a pastry bag with a small round tip. Make 1 1/2 inch rounds on the parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Carefully tap the sheets on the counter to remove any air bubbles, and allow the cookies to dry.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, and place an empty baking sheet on the top rack. This will keep the cookies from overbrowning. Set the baking sheet with the cookies, working with one sheet at a time, on the middle rack.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes. They are done when they lift easily from the baking sheet without tearing. Remove the baking sheet and allow cookies to cool fully while still on the baking sheet.
- To make the buttercream, in a small sauce pan, beat the yolks and erythritol until smooth and erythritol is dissolved. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently. Add heavy cream an cocoa powder and continue to stir frequently while heating for 5 minutes. Mixture will become thick like pudding. Allow to cool, the place in pastry bag with round tip.
- Fill with buttercream on one cookie, the top with another to make a sandwich.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
What is your favorite treat? Will you try these keto mint chocolate French macarons? Be sure to let me know if you try and love them!
**update-the recipe originally called for erythritol in volume measurement. I have updated it to show the weight to make the recipe more cohesive and to help with possible issues**
Keto Mint Chocolate French Macaroons
Ingredients
- 50 grams almond flour (about 1 cup)
- 125 grams powdered erythritol
- 2 large egg whites (keep the egg yolks for buttercream)
- 75 grams granulated erythritol
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter (helps stabilize the egg whites)
- 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
- 5 drops green gel food coloring
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup erythritol
- 4 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place almond flour and powdered erythritol in a blender or food processor. Blend together for 2-3 minutes to remove any chunks and make sure they are super fine. Sift through sifter 2 times, removing any leftover chunks and reblending. After the second time, toss any leftover chunks that remain. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add egg whites and cream of tarter. Slowly add the 1/4 cup of powdered erythritol, 1 Tablespoon at a time while mixing on medium high speed. Continue to mix egg whites and sugar until fluffy and stiff peaks form. Add in food coloring and mint extract and whip again for 30 seconds.
- Pour the almond flour and sugar mixture in the egg whites all at once and fold until batter is well combined. This is the technique that makes French macaroons "French", to be honest. Take 1/2 the batter each time, and fold it clockwise in one smooth motion. Fold until the batter is almost pancake batter consistency, about 50 strokes.
- Place the batter into a pastry bag with a small round tip. Make 1 1/2 inch rounds on the parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Carefully tap the sheets on the counter to remove any air bubbles, and allow the cookies to dry.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, and place an empty baking sheet on the top rack. This will keep the cookies from overbrowning. Set the baking sheet with the cookies, working with one sheet at a time, on the middle rack.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes. They are done when they lift easily from the baking sheet without tearing. Remove the baking sheet and allow cookies to cool fully while still on the baking sheet.
- To make the buttercream, in a small sauce pan, beat the yolks and erythritol until smooth and erythritol is dissolved. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently. Add heavy cream an cocoa powder and continue to stir frequently while heating for 5 minutes. Mixture will become thick like pudding. Allow to cool, the place in pastry bag with round tip.
- Fill with buttercream on one cookie, the top with another to make a sandwich.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
NOW Foods Organic Confectioner's Erythritol Powder,1 Pound -
REDMOND Real Sea Salt - Natural Unrefined Organic Gluten Free Fine, 26 ounce pouch (1 Pack) -
NOW Foods Almond Flour, 2 pk -
Watkins Pure Mint Extract, 2 fl oz -
NOW Foods Erythritol Natural Sweetener, 1 lb -
OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk -
McCormick Gourmet Cream Of Tartar, 2.62 oz -
KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 macaronAmount Per Serving: Calories: 105 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 67mg Sodium: 32mg Carbohydrates: 6g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g Protein: 4g
Although I do my best to make sure these numbers are accurate, please be your own best advocate and double check.
Zach
Zach is the author behind Easy Keto Dishes, a site that shares easy-to-make keto-friendly recipes and dishes.
Some of Zach's favorite keto resources include:
Perfect Keto: For those who are looking for easy supplements that support a Keto diet, Perfect Keto offers a variety of products that make it easy to stay in ketosis including keto bars, whey protein, and keto nootropics.
KetoLogic: For those who have a sweet tooth, KetoLogic sells keto-friendly chocolate candies with only 1g of net carbs & zero added sugars.
Some of Zach's favorite keto resources include:
Perfect Keto: For those who are looking for easy supplements that support a Keto diet, Perfect Keto offers a variety of products that make it easy to stay in ketosis including keto bars, whey protein, and keto nootropics.
KetoLogic: For those who have a sweet tooth, KetoLogic sells keto-friendly chocolate candies with only 1g of net carbs & zero added sugars.
Latest posts by Zach (see all)
- 20 Delicious Keto Mushroom Recipes - December 17, 2019
- Stuffed Peppers Without Rice (Keto-Friendly) - December 10, 2019
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Those look gorgeous! I’ve never tried making macarons before, they’ve always been intimidating to me.
Gonna try out your recipe, they look amazing. But by the way, these are macarons, not macaroons, which are a different type of cookie 🙂
thanks! I was taught that these were called “macaroons” by the Frenchman, but even HE can be wrong at times! 🙂 thanks for being here!
She’s right, these are macarons. macaroons are also a French cookie but they are a different cookie make with coconut flakes. Must have been the french accent throwing you off 😉
Probably! LOL 😉
They are so cute! I love all the yummy flavors in there and it’s Keto friendly!
I like to use Lakanto sweetener, which is a blend of erythritol and monk fruit extract; 1:1 sweetener. I just don’t like the taste of all erythritol. Thoughts?
I tried this recipe twice and didn’t manage them. The first time I had trouble with the extract deflating the meringue. The second time I tried without the extract and the batter seemed just right. Both times they looked right going in the oven, but the batter spread out and flattened while baking. I wish you had a video of making these! They look so good, and I would love to get them right!
Cassie- if you didn’t allow the macarons to dry out, then they spread like crazy. The drying allows them to get a dry exterior that will prevent spreading! Usually 30 minutes should do the trick. if you touch the macarons they won’t stick to your fingers immediately and thats when you know they’re dry 🙂
can you please be more specific about what amounts of sugar substitute you are putting in at which time? I followed the directions down the line for the macarons and hope this was the correct way. Thanks.
I, too, have tried these twice and cannot get them to turn out. They deflate & don’t turn out at all like your picture 🙁 I let them dry for over an hour the second time, still made no difference in the outcome. I find that the meringue doesn’t get to stiff peak form like macarons with sugar. I’m sure this is the problem, but not sure how to fix it.
This was my first time trying to make macarons. I made an unfortunate discovery. Not all flavorings are created equal. I only had an oil based mint flavoring and, as it turns out, it made the flavor too strong and my cookies flat. I will try it again soon with actual extract.
I have been trying to perfect a sugar free version for about a year and have found it difficult to produce a macaron closlely aligned with the full traditional cookie. I have been able to create a low carb/low sugar version. The problem I find is that the sugar substitues draw and maintain moisture and these cookies need to be as dry as possible. I use the Italian method and not the French method.
So I was hoping you could share the trick you used to get your recipe to produce feet.
Thank you
These sound great, can’t wait to try this recipe. But, I must say, that what makes them a French macaron, isn’t the macronage process, its the type of meringue used, French meringue. Just like an Italian meringue, makes Italian method macarons, and a swiss meringue makes swiss method. Just a friendly tip.
thank you for this!!
I’m going to try the recipe this weekend. I recently went to a class at a pastry shop to learn the standard process. All the touchy things, no lumps, stiff peaks, ribbon batter drying time were all stressed. Other points made were to use gel based food coloring not water based and put a thermometer in the oven — that’s the one that should read 300.
Question, we used granular sugar for the meringue, not powdered. I tried making meringue with liquid sweet drops but the texture and taste were off. Is powdered sugar substitute necessary for a workable Keto meringue?
I used granulated in the meringue batter.