Crisp and buttery gluten-free shortbread cookies that melt in your mouth. This recipe is so versatile, you can make it plain as cut-out cookies or slice and bake, or add in your favorite mix-ins like cocoa powder, peppermint, or orange zest and chocolate chunks! Top with chocolate and/or flaky salt or leave them simple.
What if you could make your entire festive holiday cookie platter out of just one cookie dough? This gluten-free shortbread cookie recipe is a classic solid base recipe that is delicious in its simplest buttery form and you can also easily divide and dress it up with flavor add-ins, chocolate dip/drizzle, or even different shapes.
With the same base recipe, swapping out some of the sweet rice flour for cocoa powder, you can make many variations of snappy gluten-free chocolate shortbread, too!
What defines a shortbread cookie?
Shortbread cookies are crisp with a tender buttery crumb that melts in your mouth. Unlike most cookies, they're made without eggs. Instead, the simple dough is made with butter, sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla. The high fat content gives it that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
How to make gluten-free shortbread?
While the steps in the recipe may seem daunting at first glance, that's only because there are so many variation options. These cookies are so simple to make, you can easily make multiple variations at the same time:
- Sift together the dry ingredients.
- Cream the butter and sugar, then add vanilla. Add any optional mix-ins.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough comes together. Fold in the optional chocolate chunks, if using.
- You can either roll the dough out on parchment paper to ⅛ to ¼-inch thick for cut-out shortbread cookies or roll the dough into a log wrapped in plastic wrap for slice-and-bake shortbread cookies. Chill dough until completely firm.
- Cut your cookies: Cut out shortbread cookie rectangles with a knife or shortbread cutter, or slice the cookie dough log into ⅛-1/4-inch slices.
- Bake until the top outside edges are just golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Optional: dip or drizzle melted chocolate over the cookies! Top with any chopped topping, if desired. Let cool until the chocolate firms up.
Important Gluten-Free Flours for this Shortbread Recipe
Especially when baking cookies that heavily rely on flour (ie. one without eggs!), using high-quality flours is important to ensure the best outcome. I have tested this recipe exclusively with Bob's Red Mill flours, which are the most consistent in flavor and grind. Different brands of flour are ground more or less finely, which can greatly affect how crumbly and tender the cookies are, or even how much they spread in the oven. Be sure to measure the flours by weight so you don't end up with too much or too little.
- For these shortbread cookies, I chose a high-fat flour, super-fine blanched almond flour, as the base. It adds the crumbly texture and subtle nuttiness that's reminiscent of traditional shortbread.
- Sweet rice flour is the "binder" that works with the almond flour to hold the dough together so you don't end up with a cookie that crumbles before you can eat it.
- Cornstarch is used to make cake flour, which creates a lighter crumb. In this gluten-free version, cornstarch helps create the crumbly tender texture.
Is powdered sugar or granulated sugar better for shortbread?
There are folks who swear one is better than the other for making shortbread. I tested the recipe with either type of sugar and found that I moderately preferred the texture of the granulated sugar shortbread over the powdered sugar version.
The granulated sugar version was less sandy and had a snappier bite. This is not a hill I'll die on though - they're pretty difficult to tell apart.
Gluten-free shortbread variations
With a solid shortbread cookie base, you can customize add-ins and flavors to your heart's content. The first decision you'll need to make is whether you want cut-out or slice-and-bake cookies.
Cut-out v. Slice-and-Bake
Cut-out cookies
Roll out the dough to ⅛-¼ inch thick, chill it until firm, then cut it into shapes. You can simply cut it into equal squares or rectangles or use cookie cutters. Keep in mind that bigger shapes will require longer baking time. One bonus of cut-out cookies is that you can roll out the dough on parchment paper before chilling it, shortening the chill time significantly. This method tends to create slightly thinner cookies that bake up quicker.
Slice-and-bake cookies:
Roll the dough into a log, with about 1.5-inch diameter, using plastic wrap to guide the dough into an even log. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, until completely firm. When you're ready to bake, slice the cookies into ⅛-¼ inch even slices. Slice-and-bake cookies are perfect for when you want flavor add-ins like chocolate or nuts. Plus, slicing a cookie dough log is a lot less fussy than rolling out and cutting dough. This method tends to create slightly thicker cookies that require extra baking time.
Flavor variations
Plain Shortbread
The base recipe here produces buttery shortbread cookies that can be rolled and cut out or sliced and baked. Dip or drizzle the final cookie in chocolate or leave it be.
Orange chocolate shortbread cookies
Start with the base recipe and mix in zest of an orange and 2 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and use instructions for the slice-and-bake option, rolling the dough into a log.
Chocolate shortbread cookies
For chocolate shortbread, double chocolate shortbread, or peppermint chocolate shortbread, the base recipe is the same, subbing out some of the sweet rice flour for cocoa powder. Get the full recipe and variations for my gluten-free chocolate shortbread cookies here!
Dipping or drizzling in chocolate
Dipping the corner or the shortbread in chocolate or drizzling it with chocolate is an easy way to dress up your shortbread cookies. While the chocolate is still soft, you can even top it with flaky salt, crushed candy canes, or chopped toasted nuts.
Recipe
Crisp & Buttery Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (140 g) super-fine blanched almond flour
- ½ cup (80 g) sweet rice flour, different from white rice flour or brown rice flour
- 3 tablespoons (24 g) cornstarch*
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (78 g) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling (optional)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, for drizzling (optional)
- Zest of 1 orange
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: almond flour, sweet rice flour, cornstarch, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until completely combined, 1-2 minutes.
- Mix in the vanilla extract, scraping down the sides as needed. For the optional chocolate chunk orange variation, mix in the orange zest.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides, mixing until the dough comes together and is pliable. If using, fold in the chocolate chunks.
- You can either roll the dough out for cut-out shortbread cookies (squares or rectangles look nice!) or roll the dough into a log for slice-and-bake shortbread cookies. Decide how you want to make them and see the instructions below.
- For cut-out shortbread cookies, roll the dough out on a sheet of parchment paper into a rectangle about ⅛-inch thick (or a litttttttle more). Place on a baking sheet and chill in the fridge for at least an hour or in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Once chilled, use a ruler to help cut out rectangles or squares that are exactly the same size (I cut 2.5 x 1 -inch rectangles) and place on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, 1-inch apart. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Chill the baking sheet with cookies while you preheat the oven to 325°F.
- When the oven is hot, bake for 13-15 minutes, taking care not to overbake. The top outside edges should be just golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For slice-and-bake shortbread cookies, roll the dough into a log about 1.5 inches in diameter using a piece of plastic wrap to guide the soft dough into shape. Wrap up with the plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, until completely firm. Once chilled, unwrap the log and cut the dough into rounds, ⅛ - ¼ inch thick. and place on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, 1-inch apart. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Chill the baking sheet with cookies while you preheat the oven to 325°F.
- When the oven is hot, bake for 18-22 minutes, taking care not to overbake. (Note: the slice-and-bake cookies take a bit longer as they tend to be cut thicker than the rolled shapes). The top outside edges should be just golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If dipping or drizzling chocolate over the cookies, melt and temper the chocolate as described in the notes below. Once cookies are cool, dip them in or drizzle with chocolate and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until the chocolate is firm (speed this up in the fridge, if needed!).
- Store gluten-free shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. These cookies keep really well, without tasting stale or dry as time goes on. Or store in an airtight bag or container in the freezer for up to several months, bringing them to room temperature on the counter before serving.
Rae -
So I’ve made these more times than I like to count. They are simply heavenly! I’m a huge shortbread fan and these hit all my boxes. (The original and chocolate ones are my faves.) Thanks for sharing this recipe! :)
Kavita -
Can tapioca starch/flour or arrowroot flour be used instead of corn starch
Sarah Menanix -
I have not tried it, but I think it should work. Tapioca flour tends to be a bit less crisp than corn starch when baked, so that would be my only concern!
Jasmine -
I made a batch of the chocolate version but used hazelnut meal instead of almond flour. Will definitely make again