Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies Recipe – easy buttery, crumbly and made with just 5 simple ingredients. A delicious low carb and sugar free cookie recipe.
Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies Recipe
These Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies are buttery, crisp and delicately crumbly, with just a handful of simple ingredients. They’re an easy alternative to traditional shortbread and make a lovely treat with a cup of tea or coffee.
Made without wheat flour or regular sugar, these cookies are naturally low in carbohydrates and are suitable for a keto-friendly diet.
They’re also a great option for Christmas cookie trays, homemade edible gifts or simply keeping a batch in the kitchen for when you fancy something sweet.
Why You’ll Love These Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
- Only 5 simple ingredients
- No wheat flour
- No complicated keto ingredients
- Naturally low in carbohydrates
- Buttery and crumbly
- Easy to make
- Perfect for Christmas baking
- Great with a cup of tea or coffee
The 5 Simple Ingredients For The Easy Recipe
You only need five ingredients to make these simple almond flour shortbread cookies.
Almond Flour
Use fine blanched almond flour for the best texture. Almond flour gives the cookies their delicate, slightly crumbly texture.
Almond flour works particularly well in simple bakes, from these buttery shortbread cookies to my Almond Flour Banana Bread, which has a soft, moist texture and plenty of banana flavour.
Butter
Use softened unsalted butter. Butter provides the rich flavour and traditional shortbread texture.
Powdered Sugar or Sweetener
A powdered sugar, erythritol or monk fruit sweetener works well. Using powdered sugar or sweetener rather than granulated helps prevent a gritty texture.
Vanilla Extract
A little vanilla adds flavour and works particularly well with the buttery almond flour.
Salt
Just a small pinch helps balance the sweetness and brings out the buttery flavour.
How To Make Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 50g/1.76oz Unsalted Butter, softened
- 2-4 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar or Sweetener
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 Cup Almond Flour
Step 1 – Make the dough
Add the softened butter and powdered sugar or sweetener to a mixing bowl.
Beat together until smooth and creamy.
Add the vanilla extract and pinch of salt and mix again.
Step 2 – Add the almond flour
Add the almond flour and mix until everything is combined and a soft dough forms.
The dough should hold together when pressed.
Step 3 – Chill the dough
Cover the dough and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes.
Chilling makes the dough easier to handle and helps the cookies keep their shape during baking.
Step 4 – Shape the cookies
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F and line a baking tray with baking paper.
I like to divide the dough into 4 and then each dough ball into 3 to make 12 cookies. You could also divide the dough into 10 portions for larger cookies.
Roll each portion into a small ball using your hands and place them onto the prepared baking tray, leaving a little space between each one.
Step 5 – Flatten with a fork
Gently flatten each dough ball with a fork.
You can press the fork down once or make a criss-cross pattern for a decorative finish.
Try not to flatten the cookies too thinly, as they will be delicate and can become more fragile after baking.
Step 6 – Bake
Bake the cookies for approximately 10–15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
Keep an eye on them towards the end of the cooking time, as almond flour cookies can brown quickly.
Step 7 – Cool
Leave the cookies on the baking tray for at least 10 minutes after removing them from the oven.
They will be quite delicate while hot but will firm up as they cool.
Once they have firmed up, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Tips For Making Almond Flour Shortbread
Use fine almond flour
Fine blanched almond flour gives these cookies a much smoother and more delicate texture than coarser ground almonds.
Don’t skip chilling
The dough is much easier to handle after chilling, and the cookies are more likely to hold their shape while baking.
Don’t overbake
The cookies should be lightly golden around the edges rather than deeply browned.
They may seem soft when they first come out of the oven, but they’ll become firmer as they cool.
Let them cool completely
This is particularly important with almond flour cookies. Give them plenty of time to cool before moving them from the baking tray.
Almond Flour vs Ground Almonds
For the best shortbread texture, I recommend using fine almond flour rather than coarser ground almonds.
Almond flour is finely ground and usually made from blanched almonds, resulting in a smoother cookie.
If you only have ground almonds available, the recipe may still work, but the finished cookies will have a slightly more textured appearance.
Can I Add Flavours?
Absolutely. The basic shortbread is delicious on its own, but you can experiment with different flavours.
Try adding:
- A little lemon or orange zest
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- A small amount of almond extract
- A little unsweetened cocoa powder
- Finely chopped nuts
For Christmas, a little orange zest and cinnamon would make a lovely festive variation.
How To Store Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing them.
Place them in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature.
They should keep well for several days, although the exact storage time will depend on the ingredients and your kitchen conditions.
Can You Freeze Almond Flour Shortbread?
Yes. Allow the baked cookies to cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe container.
Separate layers with baking paper to prevent the cookies from sticking together.
Thaw at room temperature before serving.
You can also freeze the unbaked dough and thaw it in the refrigerator before rolling and baking.
Are Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies Keto?
These cookies are made without wheat flour or regular sugar and use almond flour instead of traditional flour.
The exact carbohydrate and net carbohydrate amounts will depend on the brands of almond flour and sweetener you use, so check the nutritional information on your ingredients if you’re tracking your macros closely.
Almond Flour Shortbread for Christmas
These cookies are particularly good for Christmas because they’re simple enough to make in batches and can be cut into different festive shapes.
Try using stars, Christmas trees, hearts or snowflake-shaped cookie cutters.
You can also add a little cinnamon or orange zest to the dough for a festive flavour.
For a simple Christmas cookie platter, serve these alongside chocolate cookies, peanut butter cookies or other homemade low-carb treats.
Recipe Video Tutorial
Here’s the video where you can watch the easy almond flour shortbread cookies being prepared, step by step. Hit play below or click here to watch on YouTube.
Recommended Baking Products
If you’re planning to make these cookies or other homemade shortbread, these are a few useful baking supplies to have in your kitchen.
Fine Almond Flour — The main ingredient in these cookies and a useful staple for gluten-free and low-carb baking.
Cookie Cutters — Use different shapes to make these cookies suitable for Christmas, parties or other occasions.
Cookie Scoop — Useful if you prefer to make round cookies rather than rolling and cutting the dough.
Baking Paper — Helps prevent delicate cookies from sticking to the baking tray.
Wire Cooling Rack — Allows the cookies to cool properly after baking.
Airtight Storage Container — Useful for keeping homemade cookies fresh.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
If you enjoy these Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies, you might also like:
More Easy Low Carb Desserts
Looking for more simple desserts? Try these:
Recipe Card
These simple Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies are buttery, crumbly and easy to make with just 5 ingredients. They’re naturally low in carbohydrates and make a delicious everyday or Christmas treat.
Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 20–30 minutes
Cook Time: 10–15 minutes
Total Time: 45–55 minutes
Servings: 10–12 cookies
Ingredients
- 50g / 1.76oz unsalted butter, softened
- 2–4 Tablespoons powdered sugar or sweetener
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup almond flour
Instructions
- Add the softened butter and powdered sugar or sweetener to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Add the almond flour and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Divide the dough into 10–12 portions and roll each portion into a small ball.
- Place the dough balls on the prepared baking tray and gently flatten each one with a fork. Make a criss-cross pattern if desired.
- Bake for 10–15 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges.
- Leave the cookies on the baking tray for at least 10 minutes to cool and firm up before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
- The cookies will be delicate when they first come out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.
- For a sweeter cookie, use 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar or sweetener.
- Do not flatten the cookies too thinly, as this can make them more fragile.
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