Dairy Free Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies

Name: Dairy Free Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 6 tbsp dairy-free butter, softened ((i.e. Country Crock plant butter sticks)); ⅓ cup granulated sugar; ½ tsp vanilla extract; ½ tsp almond extract; 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour; ⅛ tsp table salt; ¾ cup dairy-free chocolate chips ((i.e. Enjoy Life)); ¼ tsp coarse kosher salt or sea salt

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These dairy free almond flour shortbread cookies are such a lovely sweet treat. Made with just a handful of ingredients, these are easy to whip up whenever you have the urge to bake. The cookies are also naturally gluten free, making them a nice option if you or guests have to follow both a gluten free and dairy free diet. Perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea or making for holiday get togethers.

A woman's hand holding a dairy free almond flour shortbread cookie.

Ingredients

Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need (only a handful!) along with selected ingredient notes below:

Sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract, salt, dairy free butter, almond flour, and dairy free chocolate chips.

Dairy free butter – I recommend Country Crock plant butter sticks for this recipe. You can use either the avocado oil sticks or the generic plant butter baking sticks. If you need a soy free option, Earth Balance soy free sticks are a good choice.

Almond flour – Superfine blanched almond flour is best for this recipe. Superfine means that the flour is ground into a fine texture that’s good for baking, and blanched means the skins from the almonds were removed prior to grinding. While you can use a coarser almond flour with the skins, the texture will be slightly different.

Chocolate chips – There are quite a few varieties of dairy free chocolate chips on the market these days. My two favorites are Enjoy Life dark chocolate morsels and Guittard extra dark chocolate chips. Keep in mind that some brands, like Guittard, have other varieties that are *not* dairy free, so be sure to check the labels to ensure you’re choosing the right option.

Instructions

You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.

Start by creaming together the dairy-free butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract.

Dairy free butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract mixed together in a silver bowl.

Add the almond flour and table salt and stir until combined.

Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls, then press them between the palm of your hand into a little disc, about ½-inch thick. These cookies don’t rise or spread, so you want to shape them as you’d hope the final cookie will look.

Unbaked cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Place those on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop ‘em in a 350 degree oven for about 9-12 minutes. You want them to start turning a golden brown around the edges, but you want to avoid cooking them too long that they burn on the bottoms. Keep an eye on ‘em!

Just-baked dairy free almond flour shortbread cookies on a baking sheet.

Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the pan. Once they’re cool, melt the dairy free chocolate chips using the microwave. The key is to do this in short intervals to avoid burning the chocolate. Use 30-second intervals, and stir between each one. It should only take 2-3 intervals to fully melt the chocolate.

Dip each cookie in, coating half the cookie, then place back on the parchment paper. Sprinkle with sea salt.

A woman's hand dipping a cookie in melted dairy free chocolate.

Let the chocolate harden – either at room temperature which will take about 30 minutes, or in the fridge which will take about 10 minutes.

Now dig in and enjoy!

A batch of cookies half dipped in chocolate on a baking sheet.

Recipe FAQ

Here are some common questions that may come up as you’re preparing this recipe:

How should you store dairy free almond flour shortbread cookies?

Store in an airtight container or ziptop bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that almond flour cookies tend to absorb moisture, so they are better stored in the fridge or freezer for longer storage. You can freeze in an airtight bag for up to 3 months for best quality.

Can you use a different type of flour besides almond flour?

This recipe is designed for almond flour. It has a different absorbency and texture than white flour or other flours (like coconut flour), so it’s not recommended to substitute for any other type of flour.

Are these cookies vegan friendly?

Yes, as long as you are using sugar that has not been processed with animal ingredients (i.e. bone char filtering), these cookies are vegan. Organic granulated sugar or beet sugar are both free from bone char filtering.

Allergens in this Recipe

Disclaimer: Always double check ingredients and labels yourself prior to making a recipe. While I try to check all ingredients for allergens, there’s always the chance I may miss something, or manufacturer formulations can change.

As written, this recipe is dairy free, egg free, and wheat/gluten free.

Depending on the choices of dairy free butter and dairy free chocolate chips, this recipe could contain soy or peanuts. Choosing options free from these ingredients will ensure it does not contain those allergens.

This recipe does contain almonds (in the almond flour and almond extract). The almond flour is a key ingredient in this recipe. If you have an allergy to tree nuts, I recommend finding a different shortbread recipe.

An almond flour shortbread cookie on a plate.

More Dairy Free Gluten Free Cookies

If you’re looking for more cookies that are both dairy free and gluten free, try one of these options:

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.