Shortbread cookies made with almond flour, melted butter, and brown sugar, without wheat flour.
These almond cookies smell of warm butter straight from the oven, with barely golden edges and a melt-in-your-mouth center once cooled. Almond flour replaces wheat flour, making them gluten-free. The recipe makes 6 cookies : 12 to 15 minutes in the oven, followed by at least 1 hour of resting time. With its low-carb option, it joins my collection of keto desserts.
What Are Almond Cookies ?
These are small shortbread cookies made with four ingredients : 100 g almond flour, 50 g melted butter, 30 g brown sugar, and a generous pinch of salt. The dough is rich and crumbly, handled as little as possible, and makes cookies that crumble in your mouth.
Without wheat flour, they are naturally gluten-free. If baking for someone with celiac disease, also check that the almond flour and work surface are free of any traces of gluten.
Origins of This Version
These cookies follow the same principle as butter shortbread, with almond flour as the sole dry base. The almonds provide both structure and flavor, and the melted butter blends in without kneading.
Blanched almond flour keeps the cookies pale ; almond meal made with the skins on gives them a more rustic, lightly speckled appearance.
The Main Ingredients
The almond flour, 100 g, forms the base of the dough ; choose a variety that has not been defatted. The butter, 50 g, ideally from grass-fed cows, is melted to bind everything together and give the cookies their crumbly texture. A generous pinch of sea salt brings out the butter and almond flavors.
The brown sugar, 30 g, sweetens the dough, helps the edges brown, and adds a warm flavor. For a sugar-free version, replace it with the same amount of brown or white erythritol ; the cookies will brown a little less and leave a slight cooling sensation in your mouth. With erythritol, each cookie contains 1 g of net carbs.
Baking Tips and Serving
Preheat the oven to 180 ยฐC and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the almond flour, sugar, and salt, then stir in the melted butter ; if the dough is very soft, let it firm up briefly in the refrigerator. Shape into 6 equal balls and flatten them to just over 1 cm thick and about 5 cm across, leaving space between them as they spread.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Let rest for at least 1 hour : the cookies are soft and fragile while warm and firm up as they cool. Serve them with tea or fresh fruit, and store them in a tightly sealed container in a dry place.
Find more dishes like these in my low-carb recipes.
Ingredients
- 100 g almond flour
- 50 g butter (from grass-fed cows)
- 30 g brown sugar (or brown erythritol for a sugar-free version)
- 30 g white erythritol instead of brown sugar
- Generous pinch Celtic sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the almond flour with the brown sugar (or brown erythritol) and salt.100 g almond flour, 30 g brown sugar, 30 g white erythritol, Generous pinch Celtic sea salt
- Melt the butter and stir it into the almond flour mixture. If the mixture is very soft, refrigerate it briefly to firm up.50 g butter
- Shape into 6 (roughly) equal-sized balls. Place them on the parchment paper.
- Flatten the balls until they are just over a centimeter thick and about 5 cm in diameter. The cookies will spread a little, so leave space between them.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes. The edges may turn lightly golden.
- Let the cookies rest for at least an hour after taking them out of the oven. They really need time to cool and firm up. If you eat them too soon, they will still be very soft and crumbly.
