Use fine blanched almond flour, not coarse almond meal, for an even crumb.
An all-almond-flour cookie with a tender center and lightly crisp golden edges for gluten-free holiday tins.
The recipe card lists measured ingredients, numbered steps, storage guidance, and a nutrition estimate when available. Total time includes the listed preparation, rest, baking, and cooling periods for this recipe.
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Gluten-Free Almond Christmas Shortbread Recipe
Follow the tray sizes, portions and baking intervals in the instructions below.
Total time includes hands-on preparation, required chilling or resting, whole-batch cooking, cooling and finishing.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- mixing bowl
- mixer
- kitchen scale
- two 13 x 18-inch half sheets
- parchment
- wide spatula
- cooling rack
Ingredients
US measures are approximate. Gram weights help keep portions consistent; spice weights vary with density.
Instructions
Mix the dough
- Mix the dough: Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in fine blanched almond flour and salt until a soft cohesive dough forms. Use verified gluten-free ingredients and clean equipment.
Shape and manage temperature
- Shape and manage temperature: Divide into 18 equal portions, about 13 g. Roll lightly and press with a fork to 1 3/4 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. No chilling is required.
Bake the whole batch
- Bake the whole batch: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C) conventional or 325°F (165°C) fan. Arrange cookies on two parchment-lined 13 x 18-inch half sheets, 9 cookies per tray, with at least 1 inch between edges. Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack, keeping the waiting tray refrigerated for 10–13 minutes, rotating front to back once, until the edges and bases are lightly golden and the centers look dry. Whole-batch cookie baking is 2 trays x up to 13 minutes = 26 minutes.
Cool and finish
- Cool and finish: Cool 20 minutes on each tray before lifting, then 20 minutes on a rack; warm almond cookies are very fragile.
Timing and scaling
- Timing and scaling: Active preparation is 20 minutes; required chill/rest is 0 minutes; whole-batch oven baking is 26 minutes; cooling/setting is 40 minutes. Cooling allowance runs from the final tray; earlier trays may cool during later baking and that overlap is not counted again. Start with butter at the stated consistency; ingredient warm-up and frozen-dough thawing are extra. Oven preheating can overlap shaping or chilling. Scale every ingredient weight but keep piece dimensions, oven temperature and per-tray bake range unchanged; extra trays increase whole-batch time.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Ingredient science
Almond flour supplies its own fat; the formula needs less butter than a wheat-flour cookie.
Technique & texture
Use fine blanched almond flour, not coarse almond meal, for an even crumb.
Finishing & serving
Keep the full 20-minute tray rest so the warm nut-flour cookies do not break.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | 4 days | Up to 4 days. Store completely cooled cookies airtight in a cool, dry room, with parchment between layers. Keep away from moist filled cookies. |
| Refrigeration | up to 7 days | Unnecessary; up to 7 days if needed. Baked refrigeration is unnecessary for these unfilled cookies and may soften the crumb. If the room is warm, seal airtight and bring to room temperature while still covered. |
| Raw freezing | 1 month | Up to 1 month. Freeze wrapped dough or unbaked portions airtight. Thaw covered overnight in the refrigerator; shape as directed, then complete any stated post-shaping chill. Do not add thaw time to the fresh-batch timings. |
| Baked freezing | 2 months | Up to 2 months. Freeze fully cooled cookies airtight with parchment between layers. Thaw in their sealed container at room temperature for about 1–2 hours. |
| Restoring | As described | Serve after thawing; optional 3–5-minute refresh. For plain unfilled cookies only, refresh at 300°F (150°C) conventional or 275°F (135°C) fan for 3–5 minutes, then cool 20 minutes before sealing. This is extra time beyond the fresh recipe. |
Notes
- Scale ingredients, including US measures, without changing cookie size or oven temperature. Extra trays increase whole-batch time.
Nutrition
Approximate values per portion from the listed ingredient weights divided into 18 equal portions. Includes required fillings and finishes. Brands, unused coatings and actual portion size affect the estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the wheat-flour replacement blend?
There is none; this formula uses 144 g almond flour as its only flour.
Can I replace the almond flour with rice flour?
No; rice flour lacks the fat and protein balance of almonds and would need a different formula.
Why do these feel soft when hot?
The almond-fat-rich crumb firms as it cools; bake to lightly golden edges and leave 20 minutes on the tray.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Christmas Shortbread Cookies collection.
