Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies (Vegan, Low-Carb)
By Josefina Pagani – August 23, 2023
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These Almond flour shortbread cookies are a great gluten-free alternative to classic shortbread cookies. They’re made with almond flour as the main ingredient, mixed with buckwheat flour for a finer texture. They are also vegan, as butter is replaced with coconut oil. They are the perfect healthy treat to snack on the go or enjoy as a treat with a cup of coffee or tea.
What I love the most about these almond flour shortbread cookies is that they are really versatile; you can easily customize them to your liking. This time I added sliced almonds, walnuts, and a small amount of raisins (just 1 raisin per cookie to keep the net carb count low) that add some chewiness to the cookies.
What do you need to make Almond flour shortbread cookies?
Equipment and tools:
- Bowl
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper (optional)
Ingredients you will need to make these cookies:
- Almond Flour: I like to use extra-fine almond flour. I don’t recommend using almond meal, as it gives the cookies a grainy texture.
- Buckwheat flour: it enhances the texture of the cookies and gives them a nutty flavor.
- Coconut oil: I use organic coconut oil, which gives the cookies a slight coconut flavor.
- Coconut sugar: I use unrefined coconut sugar, but any sugar would work. I personally like the unrefined ones, like coconut sugar or muscovado sugar. They have a caramel flavor that I think goes really well with these cookies.
- Water: I use room-temperature water. I don’t recommend using cold water, as it will cause the coconut oil to harden.
- Raisins (optional): l love the chewiness, but you can leave them out if you are not a fan.
- Chopped almonds
- Chopped walnuts
- Vanilla extract: I use vanilla extract, I prefer it over vanilla essence.
- Salt
- Sliced almonds for decoration (optional)
Note about ingredients: even though coconut sugar, buckwheat flour, and raisins are not considered low-carb, I think the amount used in the recipe is an important thing to consider. I use really small amounts of these ingredients, so the final carb count per cookie is just 1,9 grams of net carbs (or 1,5 g if you leave the raisins out).
How to make Almond flour Shortbread cookies
- Preheat your oven to 338°F (170°C).
- Grease the baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the coconut oil and coconut sugar until well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to the coconut oil mixture and mix until combined.
- Mix the buckwheat flour with the almond flour.
- Add the flour mixture to the coconut oil mix and stir to form the dough.
- Add chopped almonds, walnuts, and raisins to the dough.
- Take small portions of the dough and roll them into small balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and press them down. I make them about 5 to 6 cm in diameter. Tip: You want them to be thin, around 4 mm thick ideally; this will help the cookies get crispy. This cookie dough won’t expand in the oven, so you don’t have to leave much space between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven at 338°F (170°C) for about 8 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 212 °F (100 °C) and bake for one more minute. This will dehydrate them even further and help the cookies crisp up when they cool. Keep an eye on them this last minute; remember, everyone’s oven is a little different, so baking times can vary slightly depending on your oven.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Now, enjoy your cookies!
Some almond flour shortbread cookie flavor variations:
- Sliced almonds and orange zest
- Mixed nuts
- Dark chocolate and walnuts
- Shredded coconut and lemon zest
- Cardamom and orange zest
- Almond extract
- Vanilla and sea salt dipped in dark chocolate
How to store Almond flour shortbread cookies?
These cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 6 days. Take into account that they tend to get soft over time, so if you like your cookies crispy, I recommend cooking a small batch and eating them within the next 48 hours.
Are these almond flour shortbread cookies Keto?
Even though these almond flour shortbread cookies are made with some coconut sugar, the net carb count is still low. Each cookie has 1.9 grams of net carbs, so you can certainly fit one or two cookies into your daily meal plan.
Net carbs in Almond flour shortbread cookies
Serving size: 1 cookie / Servings Per Recipe: 9 cookies
Net Carbs per serving 1,9 grams (recipe with raisins)
Please note: values are calculated with food package labels and my USDA nutritional values, they may not be 100% accurate.
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Disclaimer: Recipes and articles on this website should not be taken as medical advice. You should talk to your doctor before starting any diet or cutting any food from your diet.
Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies (Vegan, Low-Carb)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 2 Tsp Coconut Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Almond Flour
- 1 Tbsp Buckwheat Flour
- 1 1/2 Tsp Water
- 6 Raisins Optional
- 3 Chopped walnuts
- 3 Chopped Almonds
- 1/8 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt
- Sliced Almonds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 338°F (170°C).
- Grease the baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the coconut oil and coconut sugar until well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to the coconut oil mixture and mix until combined.
- Mix the buckwheat flour with the almond flour.
- Add the flour mixture to the coconut oil mix and stir to form the dough.
- Add chopped almonds, walnuts, and raisins to the dough.
- Take small portions of the dough and roll them into small balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and press them down. I make them about 5 to 6 cm in diameter. TIP! You want them to be thin, around 4 mm thick ideally, this will help the cookies get crispy. This cookie dough won’t expand in the oven, so you don’t have to leave much space between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven at 338°F (170°C) for about 7 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 212 °F (100 °C) and bake for one more minute. This will dehydrate them even further and help the cookies crisp up when cool. Keep an eye on them this last minute, remember, everyone's oven is a little different, so baking times can vary slightly depending on your oven.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Now, enjoy your cookies!