{"id":166197,"title":"Gluten-Free Ganache-Filled Shortbread Cookies","modified":"2026-08-25T19:15:05+02:00","plain":"Looking for a shortbread cookie that snaps cleanly between your teeth, then gives way to a dark, silky ganache center? This isn\u2019t a cookie hurriedly dipped in melted dark chocolate. Instead, you stack two layers of dough, cut out the top, and pipe in the still-warm ganache. They\u2019re just as good with morning coffee as they are on a tray of petits fours for tea. This recipe joins my other gluten-free cookies.\n\n\n\nThe dark chocolate ganache also makes up one of the layers in the 7-layer vegan opera cake.\n\n\n\nWhat are these gluten-free, lactose-free ganache-filled shortbread cookies?\n\n\n\nThey\u2019re gluten-free, lactose-free sandwich-style shortbread cookies with a cut-out top. The base is a solid round, the top is cut with a hole in the center, and that cavity is filled with dark chocolate ganache. The result is a neat, elegant cookie with a glossy center peeking through.\n\n\n\nThe idea comes from Bakefree: instead of dipping the cookies in chocolate, the filling is a ganache. And because you cut them with cookie cutters, you can play with shapes\u2014rounds, hearts, flowers\u2014as long as you keep the cut-out top.\n\n\n\nThe main ingredients\n\n\n\nThe gluten-free flour matters more than anything else. For a shortbread dough that holds its shape well, start with Sch\u00e4r gluten-free bread flour. Caputo gluten-free bread flour also works, but it contains \u201cgluten-free wheat,\u201d so it isn\u2019t suitable if you can\u2019t eat wheat-based products.\n\n\n\nSalted vegan butter gives the dough its short, crumbly texture and structure. Flora+ is a safe bet, and Violife (the unsalted version) is the other most reliable option. Both are marketed as soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, and lactose-free.\n\n\n\nAs for chocolate, a 70% dark chocolate such as Guanaja is the best choice for a bold, semi-sweet ganache. Pascha is another good option. The ganache itself contains no added sugar in this recipe, so leave it as is if you want something only lightly sweetened.\n\n\n\nIf you want to lean even further into the all-vegan, very low-sugar approach, replace the shortbread dough with a low-sugar vegan pie dough and keep the ganache the same.\n\n\n\nAnother gluten-free dough that needs to stay chilled: the one for the gluten-free citrus flan.\n\n\n\nTechnical notes and pitfalls to avoid\n\n\n\nThis recipe is written by weight, in metric, for consistent results. If you need to adapt it, use a unit converter rather than eyeballing with spoons: with shortbread, even a few grams can quickly change the texture.\n\n\n\nDough: mixing, chilling, thickness\n\n\n\nStart by thoroughly mixing the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vegan butter and eggs, then mix on medium speed just until the dough comes together into a cohesive mass.\n\n\n\nShape into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Once chilled, roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 3 to 4 mm.\n\n\n\nLayered cut-outs and chilling\n\n\n\nThe final shape of the cookies is decided at the cutting stage. Cut out the cookies with a cutter, then punch a hole in the center of half of them using a smaller cutter. Stack them in pairs, with the cut-out cookie on top, to create the cavity that will hold the ganache.\n\n\n\nBefore baking, chill them again: 15 minutes in the freezer or 1 hour in the refrigerator. This helps keep the edges crisp and clean.\n\n\n\nBaking: color cues\n\n\n\nPreheat the oven to 175\u00b0C. Bake the frozen cookies for 14 to 18 minutes, keeping an eye on the color: the edges should turn lightly golden. The exact time will vary with size and thickness, so watch the edges rather than relying solely on the timer.\n\n\n\nLet them cool completely before filling, otherwise the ganache will melt and run.\n\n\n\nGanache: heating the cream and emulsifying\n\n\n\nFor the ganache, heat the cream over low to medium heat. Watch for the first signs of a simmer\u2014the tiny bubbles that appear around the edge of the saucepan\u2014then remove it from the heat immediately to prevent it from boiling.\n\n\n\nPour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for about 1 minute, untouched, so the chocolate can soften. Then blend with an immersion blender until smooth and glossy. If you don\u2019t have one, stir gently with a spatula, starting in the center and working outward, until the ganache is evenly emulsified and shiny.\n\n\n\nKeep the ganache warm so it stays pipeable. Transfer it to a piping bag, fill the cavity of each top cookie, then tap lightly to level the surface. Let it set for 10 minutes before serving.\n\n\n\nServe alongside coffee with 3-ingredient caramelized almonds.\n\n\n\nYou\u2019ll find all my gluten-free recipes in that same section.\n\n\n\nRecipe developed by chef Rommel Reyes. Explore his work on Instagram, his Substack newsletter, and his YouTube channel.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tGluten-Free Ganache-Filled Shortbread Cookies\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t450 g Schar Bread Flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour150 g salted vegan butter (preferably Violife Salted) (cold and cubed)150 g sugar1 g salt180 g eggs (3 large eggs)180 g 70% dark chocolate (preferably Guanaja)250 g full-fat whipping cream (lactose-free and gluten-free)\t\n\t\n\t\tShortbread DoughThoroughly mix the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.Add the vegan butter and eggs.Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together.Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.Roll out the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of about 3-4 mm.Cut out the cookies with a cookie cutter.Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut a hole in half of the cookies.Pair the cookies, placing a holed cookie on top of each solid one.Place the cookies in the freezer for 15 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour.Preheat the oven to 175\u00b0C.Bake the frozen cookies for 14 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are golden.Adjust the baking time as needed, depending on the thickness and size of your cookies.Let the cookies cool completely.Chocolate Ganache Filling and AssemblyHeat the cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat.As soon as it begins to simmer (small bubbles will form around the edges of the pan), remove it from the heat immediately to prevent it from boiling.Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.Let it sit for about 1 minute without stirring, so the chocolate can soften.Blend with an immersion blender until the ganache is smooth and glossy.If you don't have an immersion blender, stir gently from the center outward.Continue mixing until the ganache is smooth and glossy.Keep the ganache warm.Arrange the cookies on a tray.Transfer the warm chocolate ganache to a piping bag.Pipe the chocolate ganache into the cavity of the top cookies.Tap the cookies lightly to level the ganache.Let the ganache set for 10 minutes before serving.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}