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Gluten Free Shortbread

Tender, buttery gluten free shortbread may become your go-to quick cookie! You’ll need just five simple ingredients, including gluten-free oat flour, to make crisp, endleslly adaptable cookies. Drizzle them with dark chocolate for a decadent finish.

A close up of a dish of gluten free shortbread star cookies drizzled with chocolate.

Why You’ll Love Gluten Free Shortbread

Shortbread is such a lovely, classic cookie. When it’s done right, you’ll sink your teeth into buttery-crisp cookie that melts in your mouth without being too sweet. In this recipe, you’ll rely on good butter and naturally gluten-free oat flour to form a dough that works well to being rolled out and cut into shapes. We’ll use the reverse creaming method, where the butter is slowly beaten into the dry ingredients rather than first being creaming with the sugar, to create a wonderfully tender cookie. You’ll love how simple it is to whip up these cookies and how well they keep! Add them to the holiday cookie tin or enjoy them year-round.

What Is Shortbread?

Shortbread is a cookie (or, biscuit) that originated in Scotland. Traditional recipes call for one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three to four parts plain wheat flour. Shortbread differs from many other cookies because it doesn’t contain any leavening agent, such as baking soda or baking powder, or eggs. In my recipe, I swap the wheat flour for oat flour and the white sugar for powdered sugar so it blends seamlessly into the dough. Shortbread can be baked in bars or in shapes.

What You’ll Need

You only need four ingredients to make gluten free shortbread (five if you decided to add a chocolate drizzle to finish), making these cookies simple as well as tasty. You’ll find the full ingredient amounts plus detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Oat flour – My favorite naturally gluten-free flour to use in baking.
  • Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar is wonderful in shortbread because it easily dissolves into the dough and makes it extra smooth.
  • Salt – I always use fine grain sea salt in my recipes.
  • Butter – Use unsalted butter unless you prefer more of a flavor contrast, in which case you can use salted butter.
  • Chocolate – This is for an optional drizzle. I use semisweet chocolate.
A small bowl of gluten free shortbread star cookies with a cup of tea to its right.

How to Make This Gluten Free Shortbread Recipe

  • Mix dry ingredients: First, whisk together the dry ingredients.
  • Add butter: Beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time until a dough forms.
  • Chill: Form the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic, and chill in the fridge.
  • Bake: Roll out the chilled dough, cut it into shapes, then bake in a 350°F oven for 15-17 minutes.
  • Finish: Cool the cookies completely then drizzle with melted chocolate if using.

A Little Tip

Because there are so few ingredients in these cookies, try to make each one count. Use good-quality butter in this shortbread recipe – you’ll be able to taste the difference.

Gluten free shortbread cookies drizzled with chocolate and cut into the shape of stars.

Substitutions and Variation Suggestions

Take this basic recipe for gluten free shortbread and run with it! I love to make these into lemon shortbread cookies, or you could add little cocoa nibs or whatever you like. Here are a few ways you can easily adapt this solid recipe:

  • Oat flour substitute – Try sorghum flour or your favorite 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend by weight for the oat flour.
  • Make them dairy-free – Swap the butter for a non-dairy butter of choice and the milk for a non-dairy milk of choice.
  • Add citrus – I love to make these into fragrant little lemon shortbread bites! Add the zest of 1 organic lemon to the dry mix. You can use any other citrus fruit you like – orange, clementine, lime, etc.
  • Try other glazes – A simple melted chocolate drizzle is the easiest and quickest way to dress up these cookies. I also like to make a quick lemon juice and powdered sugar glaze, especially if I’m making these as lemon shortbread cookies, to slick on top.
  • Add-ins – You can try other add-ins to these cookies other than citrus zest! Try chopped chocolate or cocoa nibs, finely chopped almonds, chopped shredded coconut, and whatever else you can think of.
  • Colors – If you want to make pretty in pink Valentine cookies, you can add dried strawberries to the dough (make sure to process them to a fine powder in a food processor first) and cut the dough into hearts. You can also add food coloring if you wish to color your dough another shade of the rainbow.
  • Flavors – Easy flavor additions include vanilla, almond, orange, or peppermint extracts.
  • Sprinkle with flaky salt – If you’re a salt-lover like me, you may want to sprinkle your finished shortbread with flaky salt for that elusive sweet-salty combo.
A floral tea pot is shown on a gray table next to a cup of tea with a small dish of shortbread cookie stars below it.

How to Serve Gluten Free Shortbread

Gluten free shortbread absolutely needs to be served with a cup of tea! But you can also nibble on a cookie with your morning coffee. Use gluten free shortbread as a base for other dishes, including in a crust for a gluten-free pie, or use them to make ice cream sandwiches! I love take two plain shortbread cookies and filling them with chocolate or strawberry ice cream for a cold summer treat.

Storage Options

You have a few options when it comes to storing gluten free shortbread which, by the way, keeps well. Here’s what to do with it:

  • Counter – Store your gluten free shortbread in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
  • Fridge – Place gluten free shortbread cookies in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 7 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
  • Freezer – Shortbread freezes well: place cookies in a freezer-safe, sealable bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the cookie in the fridge before eating.

More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes

Gluten Free Shortbread

Nicole Spiridakis
These gluten free shortbread cookies are made with just one gluten-free flour – oat flour – for flavor and ease of prep. They are drizzled with a little melted chocolate to create cookie perfection!
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Servings 20 servings
Calories 71 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¼ cups gluten-free oat flour or sorghum flour , 140 grams
  • cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk
  • 1 ounce chopped bittersweet chocolate

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, powdered sugar, and salt.
  • Using a handheld or in a stand mixer, add in the butter one piece at a time and mix until the dough starts to form a ball. At this point, you may need to add the milk – start with one teaspoon at a time and add more at a time if needed. The dough should form a ball.
  • Place dough on a work surface lightly floured with oat flour and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for at least ½ hour, preferably overnight.
  • Heat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Remove dough from fridge and place on a work surface lightly floured with oat flour. You may need to let it warm up a bit. Roll out into a sheet that is ¼-inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out cookies and gently place on the prepared sheets.
  • Place in the oven, and, baking one sheet at a time, bake for 13-15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
  • Remove from oven and place pan on a rack to cool briefly, then place cookies on the rack to cool completely.
  • Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave if using. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 71kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 60mgPotassium: 28mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 145IUCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.3mg
Did you make this recipe?Let me know in the comments how it went!

4 Comments

  1. Yum! I’m delighted to find you here again! The changes look lovely on my phone. Can’t wait to look from a computer too!

  2. Love the new look…these cookies sound appetizing! Crazy for butter cookies & less sugar is great for me! Thanks for sharing.

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