Healthy paleo almond flour + coconut flour shortbread, ready to eat in under 30 minutes! These cookies are also vegan-friendly, Paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar free. But they’re also FREAKING delicious.
I can never help myself when it comes to Christmas cookies. I love baking them, eating them, sharing them…all of the things. And this year, these new Paleo Shortbread Cookies, which I proceeded to dip in chocolate and peppermint MIGHT just be my new favorite (and I bet they might become yours too).
Paleo baking + paleo cookies aren’t the easiest things to make taste delicious. When you remove things like flour, dairy and refined sugar, it takes a bit of work to end up with a final product with the same richness, sweetness and texture of a traditional baked good.
But y’all: THESE COOKIES ARE IT.
Ingredients for the Easiest Paleo Shortbread
One of the absolute best things about these cookies is how simple and amendable the ingredient list really is. They are niche flours + I wouldn’t recommend swapping them out since these work best with THESE flours as they’ve been tested, but the other ingredients (sweetener and fat + toppings) can all be swapped to be what you prefer.
Here’s what we need for these paleo shortbread cookies:
- almond flour: as I said, DON’T swap this out for any other flour other than cashew flour. We really need a high fat nut flour to ensure that the texture is crumbly + wonderful like regular shortbread.
- coconut flour: again, I wouldn’t swap this flour out for anything else. Coconut flour is highly absorbent + really helps to hold these cookies together. We only need 3 tablespoons here!
- maple syrup: maple syrup is my preferred sweetener of choice for these cookies, but you can definitely use honey or agave too – just be sure to swap a liquid sweetener for another liquid sweetener.
- coconut oil or ghee: to keep these paleo and dairy-free, be sure to use a melted fat like coconut oil or ghee. But, if you aren’t concerned about dairy, melted butter works SO well here.
- extract: feel free to use vanilla extract here or swap it out for some peppermint or almond for a more seasonal flour.
- salt
- optional toppings
Fast and easy shortbread baking
These paleo shortbread cookies are ridiculously easy to put together. In fact, I’d say that they are almost foolproof! So, even if you aren’t a baker, don’t let this recipe scare you. It’s honestly SO easy!
Here’s what we do:
- Mix together the dry ingredients.
- Add the wet ones.
- Stir together to make a dough.
- Roll out the dough + cut into shapes.
- Bake.
- Decorate + enjoy!
Do I need to chill or rest this dough before baking?
If you’ve ever baked a traditional shortbread or even sugar cookie recipe, there are often requirements to “rest” or chill the dough in the fridge before rolling out + cutting. GOOD NEWS! There is none of that business here, which is why these can be thrown together on short notice + baked to perfection in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
What’s the best way to shape these paleo shortbread cookies?
The dough of these shortbread cookies DOES allow for you to cut them into any shape that you desire – including cute + festive Christmas cookies. However, the dough IS delicate, so be sure to move them carefully from the parchment to the pan with a spatula + also allow them to cool for a few minutes on the pan before moving them to the cooling rack.
Simpler shapes like circles or squares are the easiest to reproduce, but make these cookies any shape that you desire!
Getting the right texture in your shortbread cookies
This Paleo dough can produce either soft or crunchy shortbread cookies. The thickness of your cookies is what will determine the texture of your finished product!
Want crunchier cookies? Roll a little thinner before cutting + bake a little longer to ensure the cookie is crisp.
Want crisp edges, but a softer cookie? Roll the tough a bit thicker and bake a bit shorter to maintain some of the moisture.
Toppings for your paleo shortbread cookies
The flavour and toppings of these paleo shortbread cookies are completely up to you! You really can’t go wrong.
- chocolate: I LOVED these dipped in chocolate – white, dark, milk – whatever you prefer!
- sprinkles
- crushed candy: m+ms or peppermint
- nuts
- sea salt
Honestly, if you can dream it, you can top your cookies with it!
Storing these cookies to keep them fresh
My absolute preferred way to store almost any cookie, but especially these shortbread cookies is actually in the freezer! I adore the crisp, cold texture of a frozen cookie. It also ensures that if you DO pull them out and defrost them, rather than eat them cold, that the texture is more true to fresh baked.
You can also totally store these at room temperature or in the fridge in an airtight container, just be aware, the longer they sit, the more they will soften due to the moisture still in the cookie. They’ll keep at room temperature for a week or so, closer to 2 in the fridge + for up to 6 months in the freezer.
The BEST cookies
These Paleo Shortbread Cookies are honestly some of the best that I’ve made + will be sure to delight your friends and family.They also happen to be:
- gluten free
- grain free
- dairy free
- refined sugar free
- and vegan friendly!
They’re the perfect easy cookie to bake with your kiddos + enjoy all year long!
If you DO make these cookies, be sure to let me know what you think in the comments down below – it really does help my blog so much! And hop over to instagram + show me a picture! It’s so fun to see my recipes in your kitchen.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- soft baked paleo lemon cookies
- paleo peppermint cookies
- paleo no bake chocolate peppermint brownie bites
- paleo no bake birthday cake bites
Paleo Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or ghee (can also use butter if not paleo!)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (can also use almond or peppermint, just decrease to 1/2 tsp)
- 1/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter!)
Optional Toppings
- chocolate
- candies
- sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350f or 175c and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the almond flour, coconut flour and salt and stir to break up any clumps.
- Add the maple syrup, melted butter and extract to the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter comes together in a crumbly ball.
- Pour the cookie mixture onto another piece of parchment paper and bring together with your hands. Press into a rectangle shape and cover with a second piece of parchment paper.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a thin rectangle. Thinner dough will yield crispier shortbread cookies. Thicker dough will produce softer cookies.
- Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters or slice into squares with a knife. Use a spatula to move the cookies to the lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes depending on whether the raw cookies are thick or thin. They will be golden brown when they're done!
- Allow the cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. If you try to move them right away, they may break! They are delicate when hot.
- If desired, melt chocolate with a tiny bit of coconut oil and drizzle or dip the cookies. Sprinkle with crushed peppermints, sprinkles or even sea salt – whatever sounds good + enjoy!
If I don’t have coconut flour will cassava be an acceptable alternative?
Hi Kristen, apologies for the late response! I wouldn’t swap them. Coconut flour is hyper absorbent and will need to be used in different quantities than cassava! Sorry!