Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies
These Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies are so soft and buttery that they melt in your mouth. They’re simple to make and the result is so delicious!
About This Recipe:
I love shortbread cookies. I have loved them since I was a little kid.
I grew up on the traditional, glutenous varieties of shortbread cookies. While I’m not gluten free myself, I haven’t seen a lot of good, gluten free shortbread recipes out there for our celiac or gluten intolerant/sensitive friends. We can’t let them miss out on the fun!
So, I got a hold of my mom’s famous shortbread recipe and based this gluten free one off of her’s. The result? The buttery, soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that I love, but totally gluten free! Yay!
Ingredients for Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies:
- Unsalted butter – I recommend using real butter (not margarine) for shortbread cookies as this has yielded me the best results in terms of texture, flavour, and that melt-in-your-mouth feeling.
- Fruit sugar – You’re probably wondering what this is. Fruit sugar is
- 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour – I like Bob’s Red Mill.
- Rice flour – Rice flour gives shortbread that special soft yet crisp sandy texture that they’re known for.
How to Make Gluten Free Shortbread:
The process for making these cookies is pretty easy, actually. See the steps below.
Step 1: Cream butter & sugar
Using an electric mixer (stand or hand), cream butter and sugar together until well-combined.
Step 2: Combine flours
In a separate mixing bowl, add both types of flour together and gently stir to combine.
Step 3: Add flours to butter & sugar mixture
Slowly and gradually, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar mixture while mixing on low. The dough should be well-combined but it’s okay if it appears slightly crumbly.
Step 4: Roll into balls, press, and bake!
Roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls. They may seem small, but they will flatten out a little in the oven. Once they are rolled, press each dough ball down gently with the back of a floured fork.
Bake the cookies in the oven at 300F for 20-25 minutes, just until they start to brown on the bottoms. Remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes About This Recipe:
- Be sure to use a 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour blend. This means that you can swap it for the exact measurement of all-purpose flour in essentially any recipe. No calculations or adding extra xanthan gum necessary!
- I tried this recipe with both Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (not sponsored) and the 1:1 flour blend from my local bulk store (Bulk Barn). Both turned out well, but the bulk flour cookies were a little more grainy.
- Make sure you remove the cookies from the oven just as they start to brown! If they brown too much, they won’t be as soft as you may like.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes:
- Gluten Free Salted Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
- Healthy Ginger Molasses Cookies
- The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup fruit sugar
- 1 1/2 cups 1:1 gluten-free baking flour
- 1/2 cup rice flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together.
- In a separate bowl, combine 1:1 gluten-free baking flour and rice flour. Slowly and gradually add flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture with your mixer/beaters on low.
- Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls, place on prepared cookie sheet and lightly press with the back of a floured fork. Repeat for remaining dough.
- Bake at 300F for 20-25 minutes, until just starting to brown. Let cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
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