Sugar-Free Chocolate Pecan Cookies are delicious for a healthier chocolate cookie that’s made with whole wheat flour! These are amazingly low in carbs if you make small cookies like we did, but see suggestions in the post if you prefer a flourless sugar-free cookie recipe!

PIN Sugar-Free Chocolate Pecan Cookies to try some later!

Sugar-Free Chocolate Cookies with Pecans shown on serving plate

When Suzanne Lenzer wrote about whole-grain cookies for Mark Bittman’s column in the New York Times, I was intrigued with her idea of trying to make a chocolate cookie using whole wheat flour and oatmeal. I saved the recipe to my “recipes to try” folder for months and months, so you can tell there isn’t a lot of cookie-baking going on around here.

But eventually I experimented to come up with a version of Sugar-Free Chocolate Pecan Cookies that I liked. I did make quite a few changes to Suzanne’s recipe, substituting Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for the sugar, switching pecans for the chocolate chips for a fewer carbs, and doubling the oatmeal for an even more whole-grain cookie.

And I know this cookie with oatmeal and whole wheat flour won’t work for some readers (even though there are only 4 net carbs in a small cookie) and of course these are not gluten-free. But check below if you want to see some flourless cookies with chocolate.

What ingredients do you need? 

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

Is this a low-carb cookie?

These are very small cookies that have 4 net carbs per cookie, which is pretty low for a cookie with flour. If you prefer a flourless sugar-free chocolate cookie check out Flourless Sugar-Free Chocolate Shortbread Cookies.

What if you don’t have pecans?

If you don’t have pecans you can make these sugar-free chocolate cookies with chopped almonds, walnuts, or even peanuts.

More Tasty Sugar-Free Cookies to try:

Check out My Favorite Flourless Sugar-Free Cookies for cookies ideas that are sugar-free and gluten-free.

Whole Grain Sugar-Free Chocolate Cookies with Pecans process shots collage

How to make Sugar-Free Chocolate Pecan Cookies:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Combine whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
  2. In a smaller bowl mix the softened butter, Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), and vanilla.
  3. Stir the butter mixture into the dry ingredients.
  4. Mix the oatmeal into the dough. 
  5. Then mix the finely chopped pecans into the dough.
  6. I used parchment paper, but I don’t know if it’s essential. I used a heaping tablespoon of dough, rolled into a small ball.
  7. Use a spoon or turner to smash down the cookies. 
  8. Bake cookies about 15-16 minutes at 350F/175C.
  9. The cookies were slightly crumbly when hot, so let them cool a while before you eat them.

Square image for Sugar-Free Chocolate Pecan Cookies shown on white plate.

More sugar-free cookies you might like to try:

Whole Grain Sugar-Free Chocolate Cookies on plate
Yield: 20 cookies

Sugar-Free Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

If you want a whole grain chocolate cookie without sugar, these Sugar-Free Chocolate Pecan Cookies cookies are a winner!

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup whole wheat flour (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup + 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup butter (softened at room temperature or melted on lowest setting in microwave, see notes)
  • 1/2 cup + 1 T Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
  • 1 T vanilla
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Combine whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients.
  2. In a smaller bowl mix the softened or melted butter, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, and vanilla.
  3. Stir the butter mixture into the dry ingredients (and try to resist the temptation to just start eating the dough immediately!)
  4. Mix the oatmeal into the dough, which will be stiff.
  5. Then mix the finely chopped pecans into the dough mixture.
  6. I used parchment paper to bake these, but I don't know if it's essential. I used a heaping tablespoon of dough, and then rolled it into a small ball.
  7. Then use a flat spoon or turner to smash down the cookies slightly. They don't spread out too much, so you can put them pretty close together.
  8. Bake cookies about 15-16 minutes at 350F/175C.
  9. The cookies were slightly crumbly when they're hot, so let them cool a while before you eat them.

Notes

Next time I might use White Whole Wheat Flour (affiliate link) but regular whole wheat flour turned out fine. You could make the cookies with trans-fat free margarine if you want a vegan option. I would use Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for these cookies, but use whatever sweetener you prefer.

Suzanne Lenzer wrote about these cookies for Mark Bittman's column in the New York Times; recipe adapted by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

20

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 75Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 97mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
These Sugar-Free Chocolate Pecan Cookies are very small cookies that have 4 net carbs per cookie, so you decide if that’s too much of splurge if you’re following a low-carb diet. If you want to make these cookies suitable for the original South Beach Diet, use an approved sweetener and switch butter for margarine. (Be sure to choose a margarine that doesn’t have water listed as the first ingredient if you choose that option.) They would still be limited to phase 2 or 3 for South Beach because of the whole wheat flour.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Dessert Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Sugar-Free Chocolate Pecan Cookies was first posted in 2009. It was updated with the option to use Monkfruit Sweetener and more information in 2023.

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