Easy Gluten-free Shortbread Cookies
These gluten-free shortbread cookies are lightly sweet and crisp yet perfectly melt in your mouth for the ultimate easy gluten-free cookie.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups 1:1 Gluten-free Flour 186 grams
- ¾ Teaspoon Xanthan Gum Omit if your blend already contains it.
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch You can also use arrowroot starch.
- ¾ Cup Gluten-free Powdered Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 12 Tablespoons Butter Softened
Optional
- 2-3 Tablespoons Optional Additions See notes.
Instructions
Make the gluten-free shortbread cookie dough.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. (See notes about shortbread additions.)1 ½ Cups 1:1 Gluten-free Flour, ¾ Teaspoon Xanthan Gum, 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch, ¾ Cup Gluten-free Powdered Sugar, ½ Teaspoon Salt, 2-3 Tablespoons Optional Additions
- To the dry ingredients, add the butter and vanilla.1 Teaspoon Vanilla , 12 Tablespoons Butter
- Mix the shortbread cookie dough on medium just until the dough starts to pull away from the edges of the bowl. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
- Shape the shortbread cookie dough into a log or a disk (if you plan to roll and cut), wrap it in parchment paper or plastic wrap and chill the dough in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
Shape the shortbread cookies.
- If you've made a log with your shortbread cookie dough, simply slice and place the individual cookies on a baking sheet.
- If you want to cut your shortbread cookies into shapes, roll the chilled cookie dough between two pieces of parchment paper to where they are about ⅓ of an inch thick. Then cut the cookies into the desired shapes.
- You can also roll out the cookie dough to about a ⅓ of an inch thick and use either a knife or pizza cutter to cut the shortbread into strips, squares, or even mini shortbread cookies.
- Once you have your shortbread cookies in your desired shapes, place the baking sheet into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes before baking.
Bake the gluten-free shortbread.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit.
- Place the chilled cookies into the oven while they are still cold.
- Bake the shortbread cookies for 8-10 minutes for smaller cookies and up to 12-15 minutes for larger shortbread cookies. You want to pull them out while they are still pale but set.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking pan for about 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Decorate as desired and store in an airtight container at room temperature until you are ready to serve.
Notes
Tips and tricks
- Use the right kind of gluten-free flour. - Shortbread cookies can be crumbly. When making these gluten-free shortbread cookies, you really need to use a lighter gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum. This helps a lot with keeping the cookies together.
- Measure the flour by weight. - Gluten-free flour tends to clump, and traditional spoon and level methods can still yield too much flour. I find I get the most consistent results when I measure it by weight, especially for baking.
- Don't overmix the cookie dough. - You want the dough just to come together and start pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If you overmix the dough, it can make the shortbread cookies more delicate.
- Chill the dough well. - Chilling the dough not only helps shape the shortbread but also helps to keep the cookies from spreading as they bake.
- Poke a few holes - Poking a few holes in your shortbread cookie dough before baking helps excess moisture to escape while the cookies bake, getting them to their perfect texture. Note: you don't want the holes to go all the way through the cookies; just dent the top.
- Bake the dough cold. - I always freeze my cut cookies on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before baking. This helps ensure the cut shapes are there once they are baked.
- Don't overbake the shortbread cookies. - This is important since the baking time will vary depending on the thickness and size of your shortbread cookies. Example: Mini shortbread cookies will need to bake close to the 8-10 minute mark, whereas larger shortbread cookies could take 12-15 minutes. Be sure to watch your cookies and pull them just as the bottoms are starting to get golden.
- Sprinkles. - Sprinkles make everything better. Add in a few tablespoons of your favorite holiday sprinkles to make these extra fun gluten-free cookies.
- Chocolate chip Shortbread - Add 2-3 tablespoons of mini gluten-free chocolate chips.
- Toffee Shortbread - Add ¼ of a cup of gluten-free toffee bits. You can use store-bought, or I like to use the toffee from my gluten-free toffee bark and a bit of extra flaky salt to add in.
- Lemon Shortbread - Swap the vanilla for lemon extract, or about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest.
- Peppermint shortbread. - Swap the vanilla for peppermint extract and add in about ¼ of a cup of crushed peppermint candy.
- Nuts and berries - Adding in a few tablespoons of dried berries or chopped nuts adds both flavor and texture to your shortbread cookies.
- Chocolate shortbread cookies - Add 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients. If you want an extra boost, you can also add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder.
Nutrition
Calories: 93kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 96mgPotassium: 2mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 175IUCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.3mg
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