These gluten-free shortbread cookies are awesomely delicious and great for holiday baking! They even melt in your mouth like regular shortbread and are vegan too. I was determined to keep out the unhealthy starches, adding only a little healthy arrowroot and no white sugar.

Gluten-free Shortbread Cookies Recipe Ingredients:

Coconut Oil

One of the binding ingredients for these gluten-free shortbread cookies is coconut oil which is very good for us. In tropical climates like Polynesia, Sri Lanka, and the Yucatan where they have a diet high in coconut oil, the people are healthier and have less heart disease, cancer, and colon problems than unsaturated fat eaters. It is now accepted that there is good cholesterol and there are good saturated fats. Learn the 12 benefits of Coconut Oil, this newly declared Amazing SuperFood.

This is the one I use in my cooking:
Kirkland Signature Cold Pressed Unrefined Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar is made from the sap of coconut flowers by boiling it down to dry sugar blocks a soft paste or granulated form. This sugar contains a higher amount of nutrients compared to brown sugar as it has some amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, chlorine, magnesium, sulfur, and micronutrients. I use a little in this recipe to keep the cookies stuck together.

Stevia

Most of my baking doesn’t use sugar, I often use stevia which is a healthy option. The stevia plant is incredibly sweet and also incredibly good for you. The leaf is 30 times sweeter than sugar while extracts are 300-400 times sweeter. The best stevia will, therefore, be the one that retains some whole-food value and is water-based. Liquid forms will be less processed. Go here to learn How to Get the Best Stevia Without the Bitterness.

Brown Rice Flour

The other thing I like about this shortbread is that they are wheat-free. Brown rice flour is good for us as it has the nutrients you will find in brown rice. This helps these cookies to be wheat-free.
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Brown Rice Flour is:

An absolute staple in gluten-free baking, brown rice flour is incredibly versatile
The 100-stone ground on an excellent setting
It is not gritty to prevent a common complaint about many brown rice flours

White Rice Flour

I use White Rice Flour for shortbread and pastry making as it adds lightness and texture. It works best when combined with high-protein flours to balance texture and build the structure. Caution: Use only small amounts as it has less nutrition than brown and tends to be starchy.

Potato Flour

The potato flour helps hold the gluten-free shortbread cookies together.

Naturevibe Botanicals Potato Flour (1lbs)

It is also a great thickener in gravies, sauces, and even in custards and puddings, which typically use cornflour.

Arrowroot

Arrowroot is well tolerated by food-allergic people, even those with multiple allergies. High nutritional properties that enhance baking performance. It has a chewy texture and increased browning capabilities. It is one of the few healthy starches- read my article Arrowroot Flour for Healthy Gluten-Free Baking

Salt

I use only healthy Himalayan salt in all my recipes. Sherpa Pink Gourmet Himalayan Salt

Pecans

This is a gourmet nut with a delicious buttery taste and not just in a pecan pie. Pecans have many health benefits making them a great superfood addition to our meals and even our snacks!

The research since 2000 clearly indicates that the pecan is a healthy addition to your diet as well as being tasty.

Now time to make my gluten-free shortbread cookies for your holiday baking!

gluten-free shortbread cookies holiday baking

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Gluten-Free Vegan Shortbread Cookies

These gluten-free shortbread cookies are awesomely delicious! They even melt in your mouth like regular shortbread and they are vegan too. I was determined to keep out the unhealthy starches, adding only a little healthy arrowroot and of course no white sugar.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian

Keyword cookies, shortbread

Author Diana Herrington

Ingredients

1 cup virgin Coconut Oil melted on very low heat
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp liquid stevia
1 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup potato flour
1/4 cup arrowroot
pinch Himalayan salt
1/2 cup pecans chopped

Instructions

Chop the pecans.
In a bowl add the coconut oil, coconut sugar, and liquid stevia and mix well.
In another bowl, mix in the flours, arrowroot, and salt.
Add the flour mixture slowly to the coconut oil mixture while beating.
Form the dough into small 1 inch balls.
Roll each ball into the chopped pecans.
Grease a cookie sheet with coconut oil.
Place the balls onto the greased cookie sheet and flatten with the palm of your hand.
Bake them for 15 – 20 minutes at 325º F.
Then carefully remove them from the baking sheet and allow them to cool.
When cool, enjoy your homemade gluten-free shortbread cookies.

Notes

Makes 24 – 26 cookies

I hope you enjoyed making my Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies.

Here are more of my delicious cookie recipes:

Sunflower Seed Cookies - Gluten-free holiday baking — Fancy Sunflower Seed Cookies – Gluten-free and Healthy

Fancy Sunflower Seed Cookies – Gluten Free – These sunflower seed cookies really are fancy, delicious and healthy too! Often cookies are made with lots of butter, white flour and white sugar which are not healthy ingredients. I have developed them with healthy ingredients and no starch.

Delicious Gluten-Free Hermit Cookies – These delicious gluten-free hermit cookies are not overly sweet which is why we like them. The best thing is that they are full of very healthy ingredients and are vegan too. They do have a bit of a drier texture than the ones with wheat in them but don’t be concerned and are still yummy.

Yummy Molasses/Tahini Cookies – These molasses/tahini cookies are Middle Eastern-inspired, delicious, and easy to make! They are very healthy cookies full of nutrients from molasses and tahini. Also, they are vegan, and gluten-free too! And they are so very yummy.

Note: If you are considering going gluten-free

Read: Can a Gluten-Free Diet Help You Lose Weight?
Learn how to make sinfully delicious gluten-free treats and desserts that are still healthy for you. Health GF Baking Training
Read 11 Gluten-Free Grains to learn some of the alternatives and their many benefits.
Check out: Diana’s Gluten-Free Recipes Make sure you are subscribed to the newsletters for the latest recipes.
Consider doing one of my Healthy Online Courses. All of the recipes for the courses are gluten-free.

These gluten-free shortbread cookies are one of the many recipes in my Healthy Holiday Baking Class

healthy baking — Healthy Baking Class Online – Gluten-Free, Vegan, Soy & Sugar-Free

Healthy Holiday Baking Class Online – Gluten-Free, Vegan, Soy & Sugar-Free

Learn to Bake Healthy Sweets
Gluten-Free Healthy Baking that is Soy-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-Free, & Wheat-free
Delicious and Healthy Too!
Wouldn’t it be great to eat cookies and tarts as you did as a child, innocently enjoying the sweetness and textures without worrying about the downside?