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Can you believe that I’ve NEVER baked with almond flour before?
I went through a serious gluten-free baking phase after receiving the Babycakes cookbook a couple years ago, but that grew old for me pretty quickly. The gluten-free flours simply didn’t taste as good to us, when compared to wheat flour, and since Austin and I both seem to tolerate gluten just fine, there was no need to keep up the (rather expensive) gluten-free habit. While I still love many of the Babycakes recipes, we usually enjoy them with whole-wheat flour, instead.
Almond flour, however, is a whole new adventure. It’s taste is slightly sweet and nutty, and the texture of the Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour (which Elana recommends) is perfect for baked goods. I’ve already had some really great experience with nut-butter-based baked treats— like Elana’s decadent almond butter brownies, and my addictive peanut butter blondies— so I think almond flour sounds very promising! Not to mention, it’s much lower on the Glycemic Index than traditional flours, making it a better option for some of my family members who have to watch their insulin levels.
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To get my feet wet, I decided to start off with a small batch (in case I ruined them) of almond flour cookies. The simplest recipe I could find was for an SCD-approved shortbread cookie, which I modified slightly to suit my tastes.
The result was a tender, slightly sweet, and buttery cookie. My family of taste-testers and I agreed that these are VERY similar to traditional shortbread cookies, and could quickly become a family-favorite.
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Grain-Free Shortbread Cookies
makes 8 cookies
recipe adapted from this book
Ingredients:
1 cup Honeyville blanched almond flour (other brands may affect results)
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
pinch of sea salt
*optional:1/4 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350F. Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until a batter forms, then use a tablespoon to scoop dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet. I gently flattened my cookies using a fork.
Note: For thicker cookies, I recommend chilling the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes before scooping and baking.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, watching closely to ensure they don’t burn. Remove cookies from the oven when they are lightly golden brown, then cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Remove cookies, and let cool completely.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Honeyville blanched almond flour (other brands may affect results)
- 3 Tablespoons butter , softened
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
- pinch of sea salt
- *optional:1/4 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until a batter forms, then use a tablespoon to scoop dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet. I gently flattened my cookies using a fork.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, watching closely to ensure they don't burn.
- Remove cookies from the oven when they are lightly golden brown, then cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 128, Fat: 11g, Carbohydrates: 6g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 3g
These cookies should last for a few days on the counter, but I wouldn’t know for sure. They didn’t last more than 24 hours in our house.
I’d consider that a good sign.
While I didn’t try it this time around, next time I plan to try reducing the butter a bit and adding a touch of almond extract for a sugar-cookie-like flavor. Honestly, I have no problem experimenting with these cookies again and again!
Happy baking!
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever baked with almond-flour before? If so, please share any recipe suggestions!
These cookies were delicious! I did make a few small changes. I doubled the batch to make about 30 smaller cookies. I used 1/2 butter and 1/2 coconut oil, instead of all butter. I used Bob’s Red Mill almond flour mixed with the Aldi’s brand almond flour. I also added 1/4 tsp. of vanilla. I have been making paleo cookies for 10 years now, and these are some of the best I’ve ever tasted!
trying to find recipes to make hubby for a christmas treat.. On mold detox plus no vanilla,cinnamon,or cocoa, dairy. He can have ghee but no other dairy. can I use Ghee for this recipe and can I use a healthy sugar substitute like monkfruit? thank you
I think it’s worth experimenting with! I’ve never worked with monkfruit, so let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
This recipe looks great however with the honey it would not be keto friendly. Could an acceptable keto sweetener be used in place of honey and what would change in the end result? Is the honey just a sweetener or is it a binder as well?
The honey does help with binding, so if you have a keto-friendly sweetener that is liquid that would be ideal. Otherwise maybe try adding an egg as a binder? It will make the cookies a little softer/less dense compared to a normal shortbread cookie, but they’ll hold together well!
Like all your recipes, this one is great. I’m not eating butter right now so I used coconut butter once and palm shortening the next time. I liked both- the palm ones were chewier but the coconut oil ones were maybe more classic shortbread texture. Also I sprinkled sea salt on top before baking- yum. Thank you for these.
I am considering using this recipe for a base for grain free homemade mallomars. Wondering how “crumbly” they are at the finish and how the dough would hold up when spread in a large pan so marshmallow cream can be poured over after baked… any thoughts?
Absolutely delish!! I used vanilla extract for added flavor and it was perfection.❤️