These easy gluten-free shortbread cookies are buttery, lightly sweet and crisp, yet perfectly tender.
They’re made with only FIVE ingredients and are especially delicious dipped in chocolate.
There’s something completely addictive about a lightly sweet, crisp shortbread cookie that melts in your mouth. Like these gluten-free peanut butter cookies, best chocolate chip cookies and gluten-free chocolate cookies, this recipe is a classic you’ll want to have in your recipe collection.
These gluten-free shortbread cookies are easy-to-make and perfect for any time of year. (Though my favorite way is during the holidays with Christmas music on!)
Like classic shortbread, plenty of butter gives these cookies their distinctive crumbly and slightly flaky texture. You may also like this gluten-free millionaire’s shortbread.
For more cookie recipes, you also might like these gluten-free thumbprint cookies, gluten-free Christmas cookies or these gluten-free molasses cookies.
VIDEO: How to Make Them
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- So easy to make!
- Tried-and-true recipe
- 5 simple ingredients
- Just like traditional cookies!
You only need 5 INGREDIENTS to make gluten-free shortbread cookies!
One of the key tricks for gluten-free shortbread cookies is to use powdered sugar (aka confectioners sugar) instead of granulated white sugar. Powdered sugar hydrates more easily in gluten-free dough to create that classic sandy (rather than grainy) shortbread consistency.
I also recommend using a high-quality gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. You want to look for an all-purpose flour that contains xanthan gum as a binder. This will prevent the cookies from being too crumbly. This is my favorite brand.
How to Make Gluten-Free Shortbread
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the gluten-free flour, confectioners sugar and salt. Mix on low withe paddle attachment for 1-2 minutes to combine.
- Add the vanilla extract and butter and mix on medium-low speed. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 3-5 minutes. (The cookie dough will look powdery at first but will start to look more dough-like as it mixes.
- The dough is ready when it is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper with gluten-free flour. Roll the dough out until it is 1/3-inch thick. Cut into squares or rectangles, using a cookie cutter, pizza cutter or knife. I like to make 3 by 1-inch rectangles.
- Transfer to an ungreased baking sheets spacing 1-inch apart. You can dust of excess flour from scrapes, compress together and re-roll.
- Transfer baking sheets to refrigerator and chill 30 minutes. Halfway through preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes until they are just set.
- Let the cookies cool on baking sheet 15 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
To Dip in Chocolate
These cookies are amazing on their own, but even more delicious when dipped in chocolate! I use a high quality chocolate like Guittard baking bars for dipping.
- Finely chop the chocolate if using a chocolate bar. (You can also use chocolate chips.) Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe small bowl. Melt in 20 second increments on 50% power, stirring between intervals until melted and smooth (or melt in a double boiler on the stovetop).
- Dip the cookies in the chocolate and tap off any excess. Place on a lined baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Let cool completely.
You also might like these gluten-free linzer cookies, gluten-free spritz cookies, gluten-free thumbprint cookies or gluten-free snowball cookies.
Recipe FAQ
Using a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum is key to non-crumbly gluten-free cookies. This recipe is specifically designed to use a gluten-free flour blend like this one to create non-crumbly cookies.
These cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
The cookies can be cut-out and placed on a baking sheet (see photo above) then stored in the freezer for 1 day before baking. Unfortunately this dough won’t hold up well with longer-term storage.
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
I hope you love this gluten-free shortbread cookie recipe as much as we do! If you try this recipe be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (262g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 14 tablespoons (200g) butter chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- high-quality semi-sweet chocolate for dipping optional
Instructions
- UPDATE: To prevent these cookies from spreading, I recommend rolling the dough 3/4-inch thick instead of 1/3-inch thick. I also recommend baking the cookies on an unlined baking sheet (no parchment or silcone liner so disregard that in the video) and freezing the cookies for 30 minutes before baking.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the gluten-free flour, powdered sugar and salt. Mix on low for 1-2 minutes to combine.
- Add the vanilla and butter and mix on medium-low speed. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 3-5 minutes. (The dough will look powdery at first but will start to look more dough-like as it mixes. The dough is ready when it is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.)
- Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper with gluten-free flour. Roll the dough out until it is 3/4-inch thick. Cut into squares or rectangles, using a cookie cutter, pizza cutter or knife. I like to make 3 by 1-inch rectangles.
- Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet spacing 1-inch apart. You can dust off excess flour from scrapes, compress together and re-roll.
- Transfer baking sheets to freezer and chill 30 minutes. Halfway through preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for about 16-18 minutes, until set and just beginning to turn golden around the edges.
- Remove from the oven. Right when the cookies come out of the oven, you may want to reshape the edges to be more straight by pressing a small cookie spatula against the edges.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Dip in Chocolate:
- Finely chop the chocolate if using a chocolate bar. (You can also use chocolate chips.) Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe dish. Melt in 20 second increments on 50% power, stirring between intervals until melted and smooth (or melt in a double boiler on the stovetop).
- Dip the cookies in the chocolate and tap off any excess. Place on a lined baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Let cool completely. Enjoy!
I made this recipe last night with a few adjustments and they turned out perfect with no spreading. I reduced the flour to 1.5 cups, the sugar to 1/2 cup, the butter to 3/4 cup and added 1 tbsp of cornstarch. I rolled the dough to 1/4′ thick, cut into rounds, topped with sprinkles/cherries and chilled for 30 min. Baked as directed. They were crisp, buttery and not too sweet. My new go to shortbread recipe 🙂
Hi Wanda, thank you for your feedback! We’re glad you found a method that works for you and that you enjoyed the cookies. Happy baking!
These cookies are delicious (and I’m not GF). I made a batch of them and your GF pound cake recipe as a Christmas gift for my neighbor who is GF. The pound cake is delicious as well. The only thing I added, to the flour, was 1 TBSP of corn starch (to help with the spreading). And I did sift all the dry ingredients. I rolled them to 1/3 of an inch and froze them for at least 30 minutes then baked. The spread was very minimal. I haven’t found one of your recipes that hasn’t tasted delicious.
Wonderful shortbread recipe!! Was wondering if I could freeze the cookies and when I want them for Christmas bring them out of the freezer and dip them in chocolate at that point. Your opinion is appreciated. Thanks
Excellent recipe. To make them like our regular gluten version, I added 1 cup Skor (Heath) bits and 1 cup mini chocolate chips. Instead of rolling I used a 1.5 Tbl scoop and scooped them onto the baking sheet and refrigerated for 0 minutes. They turned out fantastic, exactly how I wanted them.
Hi Kim, we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Happy baking!
I experimented with a half dozen different shortbread cookies and found this to be the easiest and best taste and texture. They freeze very well and are super adaptable. While my household loves the chocolate dipped, I’ve also made several adaptations: 1/3 cup chopped dried cherries and zest of 1 orange, 1/3-1/2 cup chopped pecans, lemon zest and lemon extract to replace vanilla. They always turn out great and so tender.
We love all the creative adaptations, Nancy! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We’re so happy everyone enjoyed the recipe!
I love shortbread and these are perfect. I shared them with friends and they couldn’t even tell they were gluten free.
I’ve made them twice. it definitely takes a bit of patience for them to come together.
We appreciate your kind feedback, Shan. We’re so happy you enjoyed the shortbread cookies!
My new favorite cookie! I learned the hard way not to roll the dough too thin or they’ll spread and look terrible. Rolled dough twice as thick on my second attempt and they turned out picture perfect! The texture changes when rolled thicker and made the cookies just melt in my mouth great! Dipped in melted milk chocolate, which really dressed up the cookies.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Grace! Thank you for taking the time to share your tips!
I plan to make these for a co-worker. Can this dough be used with a spritz cookie press?
Hi Shawnie, we haven’t tried this recipe with a spritz cookie press. We do have a spritz cookie recipe that might be of interest. If you decide to give either a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I’ve made these cookies three times and although they are delicious they spread horribly each time. Ive been baking for quite a while and am trying my hardest to figure out what I’m doing wrong. Im measuring flour correctly (scoop and measure), using cold butter (European butter), mixing just until dough forms. Chilling the cut out dough for 30 min, I’ve tried chilling 12 hrs. I can not figure out what I’m doing wrong. I really love the taste of these cookies but they just don’t retain shape, does anyone have any suggestions?
Hi Lauren, we’re sorry you’ve had this experience. European butter has a higher fat content than American butter which causes it to melt faster and cookies to spread more. Our recipe was written/tested using American butter so that could be part of the issue. We hope this helps! Thank you for your question!
Lauren: I had the same problem with the cookies spreading and looking out of shape. I found that I rolled the dough too thin. I made them again but rolled the dough twice as thick and that solved the problem.
Good luck!
Grace D.
Could the dough be fashioned into a “meat loaf” shape, chilled and then sliced to put on baking sheet?
Hi Theresa, we love the creative thinking! We haven’t tried that method ourselves to know for certain, but if you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Great cookie, comes together exactly as the recipe is written. I rolled the dough out and sliced discs and used a fork to poke holes in the centre, very nice cookie. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
These cookies are delicious (and I’m not GF). I made a batch of them and your GF pound cake recipe as a Christmas gift for my neighbor who is GF. The pound cake is delicious as well. The only thing I added, to the flour, was 1 TBSP of corn starch (to help with the spreading). And I did sift all the dry ingredients. I rolled them to 1/3 of an inch and froze them for at least 30 minutes then baked. The spread was very minimal. I haven’t found one of your recipes that hasn’t tasted delicious.
Can they be frozen?
Yes these cookies freeze great!
Will these freeze well?
Yes these cookies freeze well! Allow them to fully cool then place in an airtight container or ziploc bag to store in the freezer.
My celiac wife was FLOORED when I made this recipe – the cookies are so darn delish! I am a gluten-eater, but I agree – these are the best shortbread cookies I’ve ever made and probably the best I’ve ever eaten. I dipped them in semi-sweet chocolate and did some with sprinkles and some with a little bit of flake sea salt. The sea salt ones were particularly incredible, I wish I had done them all that way!
The dough did take longer than I thought it would to come together – close to 10 minutes, which is a lot when you’re using a hand mixer! But well worth it!
I’m so happy you and your wife enjoyed them! Such a compliment they’re the best you’ve had. Sea salt is always a good idea – I need to add that next time! 🙂
These are phenomenal! Decided to stress bake this afternoon and do something I can actually eat, which I rarely do so I won’t be tempted. I added chopped pecans to the dry ingredients and added an extra teaspoon of vanilla, because we love vanilla at our house. I only chocolate dipped half of the batch because they are so good plain. Thanks for such a great recipe!
I’m so glad they turned out for you! I totally get stress baking 😉 Chopped pecans and extra vanilla sounds delicious!
Wonderful gf shortbread cookies! I added an extra teaspoon of vanilla and the dough came together beautifully. I baked them in an 8×8 pan and dusted them with sugar to make a gf version of Ted Lasso biscuits. So happy you posted this recipe! Thank you!
That is such a fun idea! I’ll have to try them this way myself sometime soon. Thanks for the comment!
So unbelievably delicious as a cookie but spectacular as a gluten free one! It was such a surprise watching the crumbly batter suddenly turn into a smooth and easy to handle dough. It has been a quest for us to find a really good recipe for a basic vanilla dessert and this is it. We just might eat the entire batch tonight. Thank you.