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These shortbread cookies are simple, not too sweet and great to snack on. Dress them up with frosting of choice or some chocolate for fancier cookies.
These cookies taste somewhat like the bakery biscuits from our local bakery in India.(Cookies are called biscuits). Oddly though they don’t share any main ingredients. These are gluten-free, they don’t use shortening, and have no preservatives and things. Just simple wholesome good stuff. Coconut sugar gives the cookies just the right sweetness.
Lightly crispy and lightly crunchy perfection. No palm oil! For regular vegan Shortbread, see these Coconut Oil Shortbread.
More cookies from the blog.
- Gluten free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies. GF
- Gluten free Ginger Molasses Cookies
Steps:
Make the dough, oat it down, then use cookie cutters of choice.
Bake until just about lightly golden. Cool and store or dress with sugar icing or melted chocolate.
Vegan Gluten free Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Dry
- 1/2 cup white rice flour
- 1/4 cup oat flour, use certified gluten-free if needed or use more rice flour
- 1/4 cup ground pistachio, or other nuts
- 1/4 cup coconut flour, or use cashew flour or oat flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Wet
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 Tbsp chia seed meal , or use golden flax seed meal
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar, or use finely ground raw sugar for whiter cookies
Instructions
- In a bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix well.
- In another bowl, mix the chia seed meal with non dairy milk and let sit for 2 minutes. Add in the vanilla and oil and whisk. Add in the sugar and mix until sugar dissolves in.
- Add to dry and mix. Knead well for 1-2 minutes to form a smooth dough. Spray water on the dough if it does not come together easily (not more than 2-4 sprays). Pat the dough down and use cookie cutters to cut desired shapes. I used 1 inch round cutter. Gather remaining dough, pat down and cut more cookies or shape into balls and flatten. Place the cookies on parchment lined baking sheet, cover with another parchment and refrigerate for 15 minutes(or 10 minutes in the freezer). Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F / 190ºc. Bake for 13-14 minutes(a few minutes longer for larger cookies) until the edges just about start to get golden. Move the cookies around from outside to inside at the 11 minute mark. Let cool completely. Serve as is or dip in melted chocolate or top with favorite frosting.
- Notes: Add mini chocolate chips or sprinkles to the dough. Do not over bake as the cookies can get quite crunchy. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for upto 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe today. Awesome. Thank you.
Thanks for trying it!
Richa, do you have any suggestions for baking vegan cookies with minimal added vegan butter and sugar?
Hi Sara, You can reduce the coconut sugar in this to about 1/4 cup and use 1 Tbsp oil and 3 Tbsp non dairy yogurt.
Made these last night – a hit with the kids!
Awesome!!
Can I use coconut oil?
yes
They’re in the oven!
I Know it changes it a bit but could one put dried cherries and almond extract in perhaps? Or would it change it too much?
you can add in dried cherries or other dried fruit and almond extract would definitely work well. This is a basic shortbread recipe, so you can add flavors and other things. 🙂 add chopped up dried cherries, so they are not too chunky else the cookies will tend to break.
Great cookies! Just finished baking – taste great & house smells so good.
OMG Richa. Shortbread without shortening, awesome :-).
How many baking sheets did you need?
Thanks.
one large sheet.
I don’t cook with oil, what can I substitute that with? can i use applesauce or banana?
yes you can use banana or applesauce. The cookies might be bake to a less crunchy cookie.
Hi, I love shortbread but turning vegan has made me give it up! Any subs for rice flour? I have everything else (cashew flour, coconut flour, Almond meal, oat flour, Ragi flour…). Its snowing heavy outhere and I find comfort in baking & eating cookies. :-))
use half oat and half ragi flour to replace the 1/2 cup rice flour. rice flours does give a nice crunch to the cookies. they might be less crunchy with the subs
Thanks Richa. I like them crunchy so I will just have to wait until tomo then. Will make rice flour a staple as well. Cannot get out today at all due to heavy snow:-((