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. It is one of the best ways to use your almond flour!
I wanted to create almond flour shortbread cookies with rich 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 shortbread cookies. These almond flour cookies are the perfect healthy treats with healthy fats, easy to make, and mildly sweet with a perfect crisp texture.
You begin by mixing the almond flour and brown sugar first before adding the fat, which creates less aeration. Also, we 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.
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Why you'll love it?
- Only 3 ingredients
- Vegan, gluten-free, low carb and dairy-free
- Eggless
- No butter
- Easy to make
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 and almond flour dessert recipes.
- Brown sugar - Adds caramel flavor, and moisture and promotes browning.
- Coconut oil - Imparts a subtle, pleasant coconut flavor that compliments the nutty almonds.
How to make almond flour cookies?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
🧑🍳 To test the consistency of the dough, take about a tablespoon and roll it into a ball, then flatten it slightly. If the dough is hard to form into a smooth ball or feels dry, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of water and mix. If it feels too wet or greasy, incorporate 1 or 2 tablespoons of almond flour until the desired consistency is achieved.
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Pro tip: For the perfect crispiness, it’s important not to take the cookies out of the oven when they’re just pale golden or lightly colored. Let them bake until they reach a deeper golden hue, which is key to achieving that desired crisp texture. Just be careful not to let them darken too much!
How to store?
Store crispy almond flour cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. They tend to lose some of the crispness after the first day of baking, but still delicious!
Recipe tips
- Use super fine almond flour and not meal, as in all almond flour recipes.
- Don't use hot coconut oil. If your coconut oil is solid, then melt it in the microwave and cool it to lukewarm before using.
- 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 healthy 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 almond flour cookies
Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups super fine almond flour
- ¼ cup golden brown sugar packed
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil not hot
- 2 tablespoons water
- 15 sliced almonds optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340° 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 the coconut oil and water, then stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is well combined. Next, use your hands to gently knead the dough, applying light pressure to create a smooth, uniform consistency.Perform a test - Roll about a tablespoon of 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 of dough and place it between your palms. Gently roll it into a smooth ball. Then, position the ball in one palm and use the other palm to gently press and flatten it to about 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 14 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.Po tip: For perfect crispiness, don’t remove the cookies when they’re pale golden; let them develop a deeper golden color. Just be careful not to let 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.
All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.
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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Jill
Can brown sugar be substituted with something like monk fruit or coconut sugar? Thank you 🙂
Maria Doss
Hi Jill, You can use coconut sugar, but keep in mind it's drier than brown sugar. To compensate, I recommend adding a splash of milk and gently kneading the dough with your hands until it reaches a smooth, uniform consistency - Maria