Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies (3 ingredients)
These almond flour shortbread cookies are delightfully crispy and easy to make! They’re made with 3 healthier ingredients and taste rich and ‘buttery’ just like traditional shortbread cookies, but have a slightly nutty flavor profile. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, paleo, keto and can be made oil-free.
Simple ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Almond flour (US) or blanched almond meal (Australia/UK) as the base of your cookies. It is high in natural fat which the shortbread taste rich and ‘buttery’.
Pure maple syrup binds the ingredients and sweetens this healthier shortbread! It also gives the cookies a beautiful golden hue.
Melted coconut butter (coconut manna), which is ground-up dried coconut. This is different from coconut oil, which is pure fat and transparent when melted. You can buy coconut butter from health food shops, South Asian shops or online. Alternatively, you can use coconut oil, cacao butter or dairy-free butter, but a smaller quantity because they’re runnier than coconut butter. These cookies have a subtle coconut flavor, but if you want no coconut flavor, use one of the alternatives.
For more ingredient alternatives, check out the ‘Ingredient Substitutions’ section further down in this post. Even though these cookies are vegan and gluten-free, you don’t need any wheat flour, egg replacers, or even baking soda!
Preparing the cookie dough
One of the best parts of this recipe is how easy it is to make. Simply add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix! You don’t even need an electric mixer!
If you use coconut butter, your cookie dough should be a little crumbly but hold together when pinched between your fingers. If you use melted butter (or one of the alternatives), your dough will be softer and stickier but easy to handle with your hands.
And yes, you can eat the dough straight from the bowl! If you love healthy cookie dough, check out my chickpea cookie dough recipe.
Shaping the shortbread cookies
To assemble the cookies, roll your dough on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat. If your dough is sticking to your work surface or rolling pin, sprinkle a little water or almond flour. If you used melted vegan butter, coconut oil or cocoa butter, your dough will be stickier but still manageable. Use a cookie cutter to cut circles from your dough, and repeat with the remaining dough!
If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can slice and bake your cookies. Shape your dough into a tight log, and use a sharp knife to slice the log into cookies. If your dough is too soft, chill the dough for around 1 hour or until its firmer.
Alternatively, you can roll the dough into balls and flatten them with your hands!
Tips for baking
These almond flour shortbread cookies don’t spread much in the oven, which means you can bake more cookies on your baking sheet at once!
The cookies are usually ready at the 12-minute mark, but this will depend on how hot your oven runs. If you bake them for less time, they’ll have crispy edges and a slightly soft and chewy center. If you bake them for longer, they’ll be crispier throughout.
Please keep an eye on your cookies while they’re baking. The almond flour causes these cookies to brown more quickly than regular cookies!
Customizing the shortbread
These almond flour shortbread cookies are a delicious everyday snack. But they’re also perfect for special occasions and the holiday season! Here are some ways you can elevate them:
- Add a pinch of salt, vanilla extract, almond extract or even lemon zest for depth of flavor
- Dip half of each shortbread in dark chocolate or white chocolate
- Cut the cookies into hearts and dip them in chocolate for some adorable Valentine’s Day cookies!
- For a festive touch, add chopped pistachios and dried cranberries to the dough like my Pistachio and Cranberry Vegan Christmas Cookies. Enjoy them as is or make Linzer cookies out of them!
These cookies are also a healthier alternative to sugar cookies! Make a frosting out of coconut butter (like Natalie’s recipe here) and decorate the cookies as desired.
Ingredient substitutions
Technically, other nut-based flours may work, but I haven’t tested any. I don’t recommend using coconut flour or all-purpose flour, as they will give you very dry cookies. Almond flour contains a lot of natural fat that can’t easily be replicated without drastically changing the recipe.
I’ve only tried these cookies with rice malt syrup and don’t recommend it as it makes the cookies VERY chewy!
Granulated sugars won’t work in this recipe, as these cookies rely on the sticky texture of a liquid sweetener to help bind the dough together.
Many readers have successfully made these cookies with melted coconut oil (unrefined or refined), melted vegan butter and melted cacao butter. Please use only 1 tablespoon of oil or vegan butter and ensure it has cooled down, otherwise your cookie dough will be too soft. Your cookie dough will be stickier but your cookies will still bake wonderfully.
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Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies (3 ingredients)
Ingredients
Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
- 2 cups (200g) almond flour / blanched almond meal
- ¼ cup (85g) maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons (50g) coconut butter, melted and cooled, or 1 tablespoon (15g) vegan butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled (note 1)
To Decorate (optional)
- 1 cup (170g) roughly chopped vegan chocolate or chocolate chips
- Chopped pistachios and freeze dried raspberries
Instructions
- Note: For the best results, I recommend using an electric scale to weigh the ingredients for these cookies. Even 1 tablespoon (15-20g) of extra ingredients will change the texture of the cookies!
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Preparing the almond shortbread cookies:
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. The mixture will be more crumbly than regular cookie dough, but the mixture should 'stick' together if you pinch some between two fingers.
- Press the cookie dough together so it forms a rough ball. (note 2)
- On a sheet of parchment paper or clean work surface, roll out the cookie dough so it's around 8mm (just over 1/4-inch) thick. Use a 5cm (2-inch) cookie cutter to cut circles out of the dough. Collect the remaining dough and repeat. (note 3 for alternative methods)
- Arrange the cookies on your prepared baking sheet with a little space between them. The cookies don't spread much in the oven.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Bake for less time if you prefer chewy cookies with crisp edges. Or bake for longer for cookies that a crisp throughout. Allow the cookies to completely cool on the baking sheet.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days, in the fridge for 2 weeks or up to 2 months in the freezer.
To decorate (optional):
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat then remove.
- Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place on a lined baking sheet. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the pistachios and raspberries on top. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature for 20 minutes. Enjoy or store as above!
Notes
- Melted vegan butter and coconut oil have a different consistency to coconut butter so it’s best to use only 1 tablespoon of it. Readers have also said that melted cacao butter works, though I haven’t tested it myself. For no coconut flavor, you can use refined coconut oil or vegan butter.
- If your kitchen is warm, your cookie dough may be a little soft. If needed, wrap or place it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or until it’s firm enough to handle.
- Alternatively, shape your dough into a tight log about 5cm (2-inch) thick. If the dough is firm enough to slice, use a sharp knife to cut the log into 8mm (just over 1/4-inch) thick pieces. If the dough is very soft, chill it in the fridge for 1 hour or until it’s firmer.
This post was originally published in June 2016 and updated in July 2021 to simplify the recipe.
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hi
what can I use besides coconut oil or butter
Hi! I haven’t tested this recipe with any other fat so I can’t recommend anything else. Coconut butter works best for this recipe, but you can experiment with other types of nut butters to see what works for you!
Can we use regular butter
I haven’t tested it as we don’t cook/eat with dairy, but I imagine it’d work similarly.
Oh these were soooo good. I added a little almond extract and simply took a little mix at a time, flattened it in-between my palms and flattened them a bit more on cookie sheet. I can’t be bothered to roll and cut out cookies! They were gone in 24 hours and there is only 2 of us! As usual our cats had to try whatever we eat but didn’t like almond extract haha. I was amazed how few ingredients could make such yummy cookies.
Adding almond extract to these cookies would be incredible!! I’m so glad the cookies disappeared quickly and you found them easy enough to make. Thanks so much for your lovely feedback!
Hello,
Thank you for the recipe. I didn’t have enough of the maple syrup ( I had to add 1 tbsp of the sugar) – in total I used approx 50ml of the maple syrup, 1 tbsp of the white sugar== it was a bit less sweet that it is in your recipe- but it was fine.
It came up amazing.
Jelena
Hi Jelena, I’m so glad you enjoyed these and they also worked with a little sugar! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
I was excited to try these out, but mine turned out tough rather than either chewy or crispy as I had expected. I used smaller cookie cutters, so shortened my baking time. I took them out when they were golden, expecting them to be crispy when they cooled, but they were not. I am wondering if my issue was that I had to mix the dough a LOT to get the coconut butter to incorporate well, so maybe that made them tough? I think I misinterpreted the instructions. I thought that melting and cooling was just if you used coconut oil, but maybe that note was meant to the coconut butter as well. Was I supposed to melt and cool the coconut butter to help it incorporate evenly with less mixing?
I’m sorry your cookies turned out chewy. By any chance, did you use a different sweetener? From experience, these turn out chewy if there’s any moisture left in the cookies (this can happen due to different sweeteners or how they’re baked). It could be that your oven runs a little hot so while they were golden, they weren’t fully dehydrated/cooked. After baking/cooling, sometimes you can return them to the oven at a much lower heat and ensure they’re fully baked through. For the coconut butter, I would still cool it slightly but not as much as coconut oil. Overmixing isn’t as big of an issue for gluten-free baking as it is for regular baking because mixing strengthens gluten which isn’t present in gf baking. For these cookies, you can definitely overmix them but this just results in an oily seperated dough, rather than tough and chewy cookies. Hope that helps!
Hi
cant I use plain butter.
Thanks
Sas
Hi, you can use vegan butter if that’s what you mean, or even coconut oil – just make sure it’s cooled before using! If you mean dairy butter, we haven’t tested it but imagine it would work similarly x
Thanks so much for sharing this! Do you know if this would work with almond pulp and have any recommendations for any adjustments to the recipe for success? I have a lot of pulp leftover from making almond milk and wonder if I can use it as is without baking it to dry it out first.
Hi Maab, I haven’t tested this recipe with almond pulp so I’m not 100% sure. When I’ve made this recipe with drier and lower fat flours (such as coconut or oat), the cookies were overly dry so I suspect it won’t work with almond pulp, but I still can’t say for sure. Unfortunately, it won’t work while the pulp is wet as it’ll add too much moisture to the cookies. Hope that helps!
Hi! Do you think it would work to bake this in a pan like regular shortbread?
I haven’t tried it but it might! You might just need to bake it for longer so they’re baked through and not chewy. Let me know how you go!
Hi these look like they won’t spread could they be decorated with fondant and other cookie cutter shoes used ?
Hi Jemma, yes they’ll work well with cookie cutters! The cookies are best kept in a very dry environment as moisture can make them chewy. So, while fondant will work, it might be best to do a test first to see if the cookies’ texture changes. Hope that helps!
This is a very easy and tasty recipe, I was surprised how it turn out. I love it because it is suitable for my son who has diabetes type 1, the single cookie was very low in carbs. Thanks a lit
Thank you so much for leaving a comment! We’re thrilled this recipe turned out well and is suitable for your son’s dietary needs ☺️
I’m wondering if I could use my straight from the farm butter instead of coconut butter.
Hi! We haven’t tested this recipe with dairy butter, but many readers have used dairy-free butter (rather than coconut butter) with good results.
Great recipe! Easy and quick. They came out just as I was hoping for; a light sort of “tea time” cookie. My take was adding snipped fresh rosemary and a sprinkle of course sea salt on top. I can see trying other flavors too; lemon zest, almond extract, etc. I used plant butter for a buttery taste. Thank you for putting this together! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Hi Arvis, I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. Love that you added rosemary and sea salt – I’ll need to try that next time. I hope you enjoy any other flavor combo that you try and any other recipes from my site! Thanks so much 🙂
Very tasty, easy recipe, everyone loves it🙂thank you
Hi Kristina, that’s wonderful to hear!! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Delicious and easy. I used coconut oil and the dough was a little oily but not too bad and could work it. In my oven they were done in 10 mins, quite brown on the outside and chewy within. Maybe I’ll use 170 for electric next time.
Hi Karen, I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies! I agree with you about using a slightly lower oven temperature next time (160 might work too) – it just shows that all ovens work differently! Thanks so much for letting me know and I hope you get to make the cookies again 🙂
Hi ☺️ I was just wondering if I could replace the almond flour with coconut flour ?
Thank you ☺️
Hi Laetitia! Unfortunately coconut flour won’t work as it’s too absorbent. Hope that helps!
How can I replace maple syrup so it can be fit for diabetics?
Hi Vânia, sorry I’m not an expert with food suitable for diabetics! The only other sweetener I’ve used is rice malt syrup, but it doesn’t work well in this cookies.