Low Carb Cookies with a Middle Eastern Twist
Gluten-free, High Fiber, Keto, Low Carb, No refined sugar
A cross between a cookie and a bread! If you have 20 minutes to spare, make these soft cookies, they can be whipped up and baked directly!! They are low carb, sugar free, flourless and your appetite stays in control, suitable also for diabetics and won’t raise your blood sugar level!!
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Low Carb Cookies with a Middle Eastern Twist
These are not your regular cookies, but lovely soft with a Middle Eastern twist! The star of the show here is the unique blend of the Middle Eastern spices: anise seeds, kaak spice and turmeric! Indeed the cookies are a reminiscent of Kaak Al Abbas. A bread like cookie that I grew up eating, and a fantastic recipe that appears in my book, it features the mentioned spices, but made with flour, so let’s say that the low carb cookie in this post is the distant relative of kaak Al Abbas – really satisfied my kaak Al Abbas craving while still kept me on keto.
What makes these bread like cookies special?
- They are chock-full of lovely spices and flavors.
- They are easy and fast to make, and the dough doesn’t require either proof or fermentation.
- They are great to have on hand for breakfast. They can be served with labneh, cheese , or they can be served as snack or even perfect for an after dinner dessert, you won’t even feel bloated!
- You can substitute sugar free peanut butter for tahini, though, here, my personal preference is tahini.
- It is a guilt-free recipe, yes it is low carb, sugar free, flourless and your appetite stays in control.
Kaak al Abbas cookies have a special carved wooden mold to make them!
The dough is made of almond meal, egg, coconut oil, tahini, sesame seeds, anise seeds, baking soda, almond extract, vanilla extract, sugar free sweetener and turmeric powder. Adding turmeric to sweets and desserts may sound odd to some cultures, but in Lebanon, turmeric is added to sweets as well, jus like the Moufataka dessert.
The cookies are super easy to make, just fold up all the ingredients in a bowl and you will end up with a sticky dough!
What does tahini add to these cookies?
- You may think that the mellow tahini flavor here is strange, yes, originally kaak Al Abbas cookies feature no tahini, but here, it is part of balancing the low carb cookies, the tahini tastes good in these cookies as long as you use a quality tahini – the bitter ones won’t do these cookies justice.
How to shape the sticky dough?
- Keep a bowl of water nearby while you shape the cookies; wet your hands with water, shake off the water, but don’t dry your hands, and shape the dough into equal balls. Wet the wooden mold a bit, place a round cookie dough over the wooden mold, and flatten with your hand to 1 1/4cm /1/2 inch thick.
Transfer the engraved cookies to the prepared oven sheet, leaving a little space between the cookies.
Rest assured, these are still doable without a mold, dip the tines of the fork with water, and press into each cookie creating the grid-like cross hatches. For a crispy thin crust and a bit more crunchy, stretch out each dough with your wet hands to a thickness, 1/8 inch thick, I personally prefer the thin version more.
Here the dough is hand stretched to a thickness of 1/8 inch. The result is a crispier and crunchier cookies.
Here the cookies are stretched pretty thick, resulting in a cake-like texture.
The recipe makes 10 medium-sized cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup erythritol, if you are using stevia 3 tablespoons would be enough
- 2 cups almond meal, ground almonds
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup tahini, use a good Lebanese tahini brand
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 tablespoons anise seeds
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon Daet kaak/ kaak spice, usually ready bought from spice stores in Lebanon, but you can make your blend at home, check the note below
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/3 cup of water
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/380°F.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, tahini, erythritol, egg, coconut oil, baking soda, almond extract, anise seeds, sesame seeds, kaak spice, baking soda, water and turmeric powder.
- With a spatula stir the ingredients together, scrape the sides of the bowl, and mix just to combine, don’t overwork the dough you, you will end up with a sticky dough.
- Form 10 mounds of the dough, keep a bowl of water nearby so you can wet your hands while you shape the cookies.
- Wet your hands with water, shake off the water, but don’t dry your hands. Shape up each mound of the dough to a ball.
- Wet the wooden mold a bit, place a round cookie dough over the wooden mold, flatten with your hand to 1 1/4cm/1/2 inch thick. Transfer the engraved cookies to the prepared oven sheet, leaving a little space between the cookies.
- Rest assured, these are still doable without a mold; with your hands, shape up each mound of the dough to a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Press a criss-cross onto each ball with a fork to flatten it a bit.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly brown, be careful not to burn; remove from the oven, savor it warm straight out of the oven, or at room temperature.
- Place leftovers in a zip top bag, and keep in the fridge. They last for two weeks.
Note: You can make your own daet kaak by mixing up the following: 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder, 1 teaspoon ginger powder and half teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg. Use the desired amount and save the rest for another use.
The soft cookies make an excellent breakfast treat served along side labneh or any spreadable cheese.
So soft and satisfying!
If you make this recipe, share your pictures on Facebook! I would love to see your creations!Hashtag them #Hadia's Lebanese Cuisine
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Instructions
No Steps Found !
- Course : APPETIZERS, BREAKFAST, DESSERTS, Snacks
- Ingredient : Almond, Almond flour, Tahini
13 Responses to Low Carb Cookies with a Middle Eastern Twist
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About Chef
Hadia Zebib
I am Hadia, the face behind Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine. I grew up in Beirut Lebanon and I currently reside in Kinshasa, Congo with my husband and my three adorable sons, ...
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I love this healthier way to soothe my sweet tooth! I may have to purchase that cool mold, but thanks for the alternative until I do!
Thank you, Liz. I am glad you liked. One of the best things about these cookies is that they are not too sweet. When I am on keto, or low carb the most thing I miss most is the bread for breakfast. These cookies will ease the serious craving for bread. They are great with a cup of tea and any spreadble cheese. Xo xo!
What a perfect treat to curb my cookie cravings! I can’t wait to try them.
There just isn’t a cookie more delicious that this one! It has all healthy ingredients, it’s perfect for having with afternoon tea or coffee AND it is beautiful!
This is really adorable and looks so good!
Dear Hadia, what a wonderful recipe full of spices, I will try it for sure. 3 tablespoons of stevia is not too much? not too sweet to eat with salty labneh?
Thanks.
Carole
Hi Carole! The cookies are a copycat of Kaak Al Abbas, a cross between a cookie and a bread and they are meant to be a bit sweet; but definitely you can reduce the stevia to your taste preference. Welcome!!
Hello from Toronto🇨🇦Canada🇨🇦
I am searching the globe for interesting egg recipes for my keto breakfasts and whilst doing so….how could I not look for keto desserts and cookies!🍪
I read this recipe…I went out and….
I purchased a wooden mould…that is how much I want to bake these.
I know how strong anise seeds are….. I must ask….
Are you sure it is three tablespoons anise seeds to only 2 cups of almond flour? Oh, I ordered the anise from Amazon.ca🇨🇦
I am ready to go! Ready to bake!
RSVP I would like a confirmation please!
By the way…. Do you have more keto cookie and cake recipes?
And Egg recipes that are not Shakshuka….the web offers at least one thousand shakshuka recipes from every country!
There has to be more to breakfast in the Middle Eastern World than that one recipe!
Regards,
Gladys🇨🇦
Hi Gladys, of course you can reduce anise seeds to 2 or even 1tablespoon, I love strong flavors, especially for a low carb recipe, Will soon be posting more low carb recipes, because I am with you in the same boat, today is my fourth day low carb diet. Keep it up, and I hope you reach your goals.
Here are few low carb recipes to check them out. Happy eating.
Garlic and Sumac Fried
Eggs:https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/newsite/recipe-items/__trashed-3/
Eggs and Meat:
https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/newsite/recipe-items/eggs-and-meat/
Zucchini Scrambled Eggs:
https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/newsite/recipe-items/zucchini-scrambled-eggs-kousa-wbeid/
Low carb chicken salad with avocado vinaigrette:
https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/newsite/recipe-items/keto-low-carb-chicken-salad-with-avocado-vinaigrette/
Grilled Kafta Kebabs: https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/newsite/recipe-items/grilled-kafta-kebabs/
Lebanese Cauliflower Stew, servee it with cauliflower rice to keep it low carb: https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/newsite/recipe-items/lebanese-cauliflower-stew-yakhnet-arnabeet/
Serve this Lebanese (taratour) tahini sauce with you grilled or roasted fish, shawarma or baked cauliflower florets, a great flavor enhancer: https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/newsite/recipe-items/taratour-lemon-tahini-sauce/
Creamy mushroom Sauce, to serve with steak and baked chicken: https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/newsite/recipe-items/creamy-mushroom-sauce/
Baked Sole with brown butter sauce: https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/newsite/recipe-items/baked-sole-beurre-noisette-brown-butter-sauce/
If you are missing bread for breakfast , I advice you to make Dr Bergs keto bread, when I am following a low carb diet, I make it, check it out if you are interested, here is the link :https://www.drberg.com/blog/the-healthiest-bread-in-the-world
Hello Hadia,
I just wrote you a very long letter….then poof, it vanished!
Welcome to the world of keto. A movement going around the world and changing the way we eat…for the better.
May I be so bold to ask you for an email address where I can write to you directly and share vital keto info with you!?
Please and thank you.
I also offer to be your keto support, should you require it from time to time.
You will not be sorry, what I know will amaze you!
Regards from Toronto🇨🇦
Gladys
More…
I want to share BREAD INFO.🍞
YOGURT INFO you need to learn!
FLAT BREAD FOR FATTOUSH.🌮
RICE🍚
PASTA🍝
PIZZA DOUGH🍕or FOR ZATA’AR etc…
all the food items that right now you believe you will never enjoy again! Not true.
MY ICE CREAM recipes smoother and richer than Haagen Dazs …zero carb!
RICE for GRAPE LEAVES lower in carbs than CABBAGE ROLLS due to the cabbage!
Also…
I have a theory about preparing KIBBEE
I have not tried it, yet. The idea came to me yesterday.
I find Dr. Berg’s bread too high in carbs.
The bread I bake contains about 5 carbs for 5he entire loaf.
Tastes exactly like wheat bread. Bakes, rises, browns, too.
Talk to you soon!
Glad
I do not lean towards Dr. Berg bread due to the fact he adds 1 cup of arrowroot… 16 grams of carbs….and arrowroot is a starch…which is another word for sugar. No thanks.
So, if you really want to stay ultra low carb…this is not the brad for you! Plus, I am also suspicious of it because he does not list the macros of this bread…no carb count per slice.
Some low carb dieters can tolerate added carbs…he and his wife are not obese wanting to lose weight. Being thin…they can eat this bread and not gain weight.
I have better breads for you…if you are really watching your carbs and your weight.
No low carb follower needs that added sugar in their diet.
Naturally, this is my opinion. I know I could never handle that added sugar….it would open my sugar craving each and every day to begin to eat sugars and gain all my lost weight immediately.
If you are having a hard time with cravings…or not losing like you feel you ought to be….
I guarantee it is the added sugar in the bread!
As for the EGG-centric bread recipe….that is so ….yesterday. Those recipes have come and gone. Too egg-y!
Please
RSVP
I have figured out …tabbouleh… no bulgur…. But delicious!
Regards,
Gladys