These Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies are outrageously good! They are buttery without any butter, crisp yet tender, mildly sweet, and are made with only 3 ingredients.
I wanted to create almond flour shortbread cookies with alluring buttery richness, yet showcase the nutty almond flavor without any bells and whistles.
A good shortbread cookie needs to hold together while still being sandy and delicate, like brown sugar shortbreads or chocolate shortbread cookies.
These almond flour shortbread cookies recipe are the perfect guilt-free treats with healthy fats, ease of preparation, and mildly sweet with a perfect texture like the black sesame seed cookies.
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Why this recipe works?
Mixing the almond flour and sugar first before adding the fat, creates less aeration. Also, I adopt the reverse creaming method of combining the coconut oil and water with the flour mixture, where the liquid coats the flour, resulting in the water evaporating in the oven, producing an amazing crisp texture.
The 3 ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Almond flour - I like to use super fine almond flour in all my baking recipes like in almond flour cake.
- Brown sugar - Adds caramelly flavor, and moisture and promotes browning.
- Coconut oil - Imparts a subtle, pleasant coconut flavor that compliment the nutty almonds like in almond butter balls.
How to make?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
1.Add almond flour, golden brown sugar, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to combine, making sure to break any lumps.
2 & 3. Add liquid coconut oil and water, and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough is thoroughly combined.
Pro tip: The dough should feel wet yet be crumbly. Perform a test - Roll a tablespoon of measured dough into a ball and then flatten. If it breaks apart or feels dry, then stir in 1 or 2 teaspoons of additional water. If it feels too wet or greasy, then mix in 1 or 2 tablespoons of additional almond flour.
4 to 7. Scoop up a tablespoon of measure dough, gently roll it into a smooth ball and flatten them to a ½-inch thickness. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about an inch apart.
8. Optional step - Place one sliced almond on the middle of each cookie, pressing it slightly into the dough (this helps it to stay intact after baking).
Bake cookies for 18 to 21 minutes at 350 degrees (rotating pan halfway through baking), until the almond flour shortbread cookies are deep golden in color. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Tip: To achieve perfect crispiness, it is crucial not to remove the cookies from the oven when they are pale golden or lightly colored. Allowing them to develop a deeper golden color is essential for achieving the desired level of crispness. But, don't make them turn dark brown.
How to store?
Store almond flour shortbread cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. They tend to lose some of the crispness after about a couple of days, but still delicious!
How to freeze?
Place in a ziplock bag, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Leave almond flour shortbread cookies at room temperature for a few hours to thaw completely.
Helpful tips
- Use super fine almond flour and not meal.
- Don't use hot coconut oil. If your coconut oil is solid, then melt it in the microwave and cool it to lukewarm before making almond flour shortbread cookies.
- Bake until it develops a deep golden brown color.
- Flattening them to ½-inch will result in a crispier cookie.
Recipe FAQs
While coconut sugar offers its own unique qualities, such as subtle caramel notes, it does not impart the same level of moisture and rich molasses flavor as brown sugar. Thus resulting color and texture might differ from those achieved with brown sugar.
The pairing of almonds and coconut oil creates a sensational flavor combination that requires no additional flavorings. However, feel free to add vanilla or almond extract to the almond flour shortbread cookies.
Almond flour is made solely from ground almonds, while all-purpose flour is made from wheat grains, often with the bran and germ removed, and has a smooth texture. All-purpose flour, also has gluten, contributing to a more chewy baked product.
Almond flour is typically made from blanched almonds (almonds with the skin removed) and is finely ground into a powdery texture, thus resulting in a light and smooth texture, similar to traditional wheat flour. On the other hand, almond meal is made from almonds that still have their skin intact, resulting in a coarser texture with a natural brown color.
More cookies
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Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups super fine almond flour
- ¼ cup packed golden brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil not hot
- 4 teaspoons water
- 15 sliced almonds for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add almond flour, brown sugar and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to combine, making sure to break any lumps.
- Add coconut oil and water and stir with rubber spatula until the dough is thoroughly combined. Pro tip: The dough should feel wet yet be crumbly. Perform a test - Roll a tablespoon of measured dough into a ball and then flatten. If it breaks apart or feels dry, then stir in 1 or 2 teaspoons of additional water. If it feels too wet or greasy, then mix in 1 or 2 tablespoons of additional almond flour.
- Scoop up a tablespoon measure dough, gently roll into a smooth ball and flatten them into a ½-inch thickness.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about an inch apart.
- Optional step - Place one sliced almond on the middle of each cookie, pressing it slightly into the dough (this helps it to stay intact after baking).
- Bake cookies for 18 to 21 minutes (rotating pan halfway through baking), until the cookies are deep golden in color. Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely.Tip: To achieve perfect crispiness, it is crucial not to remove the cookies from the oven when they are pale golden or lightly colored. Allowing them to develop a deeper golden color is essential for achieving the desired level of crispness. But, don't make them turn dark brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love your feedback! Please let me know by leaving a comment or review below or snap a photo and share on Instagram.
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Carlos
Made a batch yesterday and are gone. Making more today with little bit less sugar and little bit of Bailey’s and cocoa. Let see.
Maria Doss
Hi Carlos, Bailey's and cocoa addition sounds absolutely delicious:)
Sandra R
Found the extra two tbsps of coconut oil unnecessary. Just by removing that it was not as greasy but still moist and flavourful. Very strong coconut flavour.
Maria Doss
Hi Sandra, I'm glad that you were able to modify the recipe to your liking, Maria
Baker
Followed the instructions exactly but turned out too dry. Don’t like it at all.
Maria Doss
Hi Baker, I'm so sorry that it didn't work for you. It could be that the almond flour was a little excess. Our sincere apologies again, Maria
Debbie Kuhn
I was unable to roll into a ball. Shaped it as best I could with my fingertips. Dough felt almost greasy, so I might try leaving the two tablespoons out next time. I like the taste of them. I don't like real sweet things, so these are good.
Maria Doss
Hi Debbie, Just a touch of more water will help with binding the dough, Maria
Ghazal
Love this recipe, would I be able to substitute the sugar with maple syrup?
Maria Doss
Hi Ghazal, Unfortunately the answer is NO! Addition of maple syrup tends to make the cookie batter not as thick, which in turns makes them flat. Sorry, Maria
Gitanjali Ramamurthy
Can I substitute coconut oil for any other oil like vegetable oil?
Maria Doss
Hi Gitanjali,
You could replace coconut oil with melted butter (cooled to lukewarm) and a touch a vanilla extract. Both butter and coconut oil adds flavor and richness to the cookie, that vegetable oil will not! That being said, you could use vegetable oil, however we will suggest adding a touch of vanilla extract and reducing the oil to 1/4 cup and remaining water. Hope it helps, Maria
Bou Baker
Maria,
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it's solid.
*I was looking for something to use CBD infused coconut oil and this did very well.
The dosing seems to work out nicely for a single cookie. 🙂
Almond Milk was substituted for the water (to improve flavor) and, I doubled the salt to mellow the strong "herb" flavor.
I LOVE almond flour brownies and so was eager to see what kind of cookie it would make.
My thought is that the cookies, just like the brownies, will not harden too much when stored for longer periods of time.
So far, so good!
Maria Doss
Glad you liked the cookies, have a wonderful weekend - Maria
Long Live The Princess 39
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