Easy almond flour shortbread cookies that are delightfully crispy and made with only 3 ingredients! They are healthy, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, keto and can be made oil-free.
Why you'll love these cookies
DIFFICULTY: 3 ingredients, 1 bowl, no-fuss. You don't need an electric mixer!
TEXTURE: Bake them for longer to make crunchier cookies. Or bake them for shorter to get soft and chewy cookies.
TASTE: Rich and 'buttery', just like traditional shortbread cookies. But these have a nutty flavor profile with a hint of coconut. They don't taste 'healthy' at all! Alternatively, check out my more classic vegan almond cookies.
Simple ingredients you'll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients:
Almond flour (US) or blanched almond meal (Australia/UK) is your main flour for this recipe. Its high natural fat content makes the shortbread taste rich and 'buttery'.
Pure maple syrup sweetens the shortbread and binds together the ingredients. It gives the cookies a beautiful golden hue!
Coconut butter (coconut manna), coconut oil, cacao butter or dairy-free butter. Coconut oil is pure fat whereas coconut butter is made from ground-up dried coconut. I usually buy coconut butter from health food shops or South Asian shops. The coconut flavor is mild in these almond flour cookies but if you don't want any coconut flavor, use one of the alternatives.
For more tips, check out the 'Ingredient Substitutions' section above the gray recipe card. And there you go - healthier shortbread cookies with NO wheat flour, baking soda or egg replacers!
Preparing the cookie dough
All you have to do is stir the three ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Since the cookies are gluten-free, you don't have to worry about overmixing the dough!
This cookie dough is a little crumblier than regular cookie dough. In this case, crumbly dough results in crunchier cookies, whereas sticky dough results in chewier cookies.
And yes, you can eat the dough straight from the bowl! Or check out my chickpea cookie dough recipe.
Shaping the shortbread cookies
There are a few ways you can shape your almond shortbread cookies:
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape and cut out cookies with a cookie cutter (my preference and pictured below)
- Roll the dough into balls and flatten with your hands
- Shape the dough into a log then slice and bake
If you want to make cut-out cookies, roll your dough on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat. Unlike regular cookie dough, if your dough is a little sticky, sprinkle some water or almond flour on your work surface or rolling pin. All-purpose flour isn't as effective (and it isn't gluten-free).
To 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.
Tips for baking
These almond flour shortbread cookies don't spread much in the oven. This means you can fit more cookies on a baking sheet in one go!
These 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.
Note: Please keep an eye on your cookies while they're baking. The cookies are high in almond flour so they'll brown quicker than regular cookies.
Customizing the shortbread
I love making these almond flour cookies as a special everyday snack. But they're also great for the holiday season and special occasions! Here are a few ways you can customize the flavor and shape:
- 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 also make a great base for healthier sugar cookies! Make a frosting out of coconut butter (like Natalie's recipe here) and decorate the cookies as desired.
Ingredient substitutions
Another nut-based flour may work, but I haven't tested it.
I've tested these cookies with coconut flour and all-purpose flour and do not recommend them. The natural fats in almond flour gives the shortbread cookies a lovely buttery texture 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!
Any granulated sugar will not work as these cookies need the stickiness of a liquid sweetener to stay together.
Readers have successfully used melted coconut oil (unrefined and refined), melted vegan butter and melted cacao butter for this recipe. Please make sure your oil or butter has cooled down. Your cookie dough will be more oily but your cookies will still bake wonderfully.
More vegan almond flour recipes
Or browse all of my vegan cookie recipes!
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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, or coconut oil, melted and cooled (note 1 for alternatives)
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 coconut butter or maple syrup 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 shortbread cookies:
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. You should be able to pinch the mixture between two fingers without it crumbling. The mixture is generally more crumbly than regular cookie dough.
- Press the cookie dough together so it forms a rough ball. (See Note 2)
- On a clean surface or a sheet of parchment paper, roll out the cookie dough so it's about 8-10mm thick. Use a 5 cm (2 inch) cookie cutter to cut cookies out of the dough. Collect the remaining dough and repeat. (See Note 3 if for the slice-and-bake method)
- Carefully arrange the cookies on your prepared baking sheet with a little space between each cookie. The cookies don't spread much in the oven.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden brown. A shorter baking time will give you chewy and crispy cookies. A longer baking time will give you consistently crispy cookies. 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 arrange them on a lined baking sheet. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the pistachios and raspberries on top. Allow the dipped cookies to set at room temperature for 20 minutes then enjoy or store until needed.
Notes
- Alternatively, you may use melted vegan butter, cacao butter or refined coconut oil for absolutely no coconut flavor!
- If your home is warm, your cookie dough may be a little soft. If so, cover the dough in an airtight container or plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or until it's firm enough to handle.
- Alternatively, shape your dough into a tight log that is about 5 cm (2 inches) thick. If the dough is firm enough to slice, use a sharp knife to cut the log into 8-10mm thick pieces. If the dough is very soft, chill it in the fridge for 1 hour or until it's firmer.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in June 2016 and updated in July 2021 to simplify the recipe.
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Laetitia says
Hi ☺️ I was just wondering if I could replace the almond flour with coconut flour ?
Thank you ☺️
Anthea says
Hi Laetitia! Unfortunately coconut flour won't work as it's too absorbent. Hope that helps!
Vânia says
How can I replace maple syrup so it can be fit for diabetics?
Anthea says
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.