Shortbread Cookies

December 14, 2014 // 2 Comments »

These low carb, gluten free, and paleo Shortbread Cookies are so delicious! Dip in chocolate or add some sprinkles and you have deliciously festive cookies!

‘Tis the season for cookies! I want to tell you a magical Christmas story about a 9 year old girl and a gingerbread cookie. Every Christmas my mom would make homemade breads for our neighbors. Coffee walnut chocolate chip bread was my favorite. My brother and I were in charge of delivering these breads to our neighbors with a big ol’ smile and an adorable “Merry Christmas!!”

Well, one year we went about our duty and dropped the bread off for the McIntyres. Overcome with the Christmas spirit, they brought out their cookie tray and, as a thank you, let my brother and I take our pick. My brother chose first, as big brothers usually do. I locked eyes with a gingerbread man staring me down from center tray. He was the only gingerbread man on the tray. The crown jewel. I kind of felt like he chose me.

Normally, I would never pick gingerbread. Chocolate. I’m a chocolate kind of girl. But this was different. I had a connection to this cookie I had never felt before. Not to mention, it was at least 3 times bigger than every other cookie on the tray. Of course I wanted it.

So, reached my little fingers onto the tray and seemingly in slow motion I picked up that sucker, grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you,” I said. “I can’t wait to eat it.” As I pattered my little feet down the street back home, I took a bite of that gingerbread man. I almost cracked a tooth. Is this how gingerbread is supposed to be? I finally gnawled off his arm and was crunching it in my mouth. It tasted like rocks. I’ll never choose gingerbread again. I looked over at my brother who was happily eating his perfectly gooey chocolate chip cookie. Crunch. How much longer will I have to chew this until it gets small enough for me to swallow? Bleh. I spit it out.

We heard footsteps behind us. It was Mr. McInyre with a newfound sense of urgency. Turns out it was an ornament doubling as cookie tray decoration. I was eating plaster.

… And that is the story of why I never ate gingerbread again… until I did.

[bctt tweet=”Milk please!! These cookies look insane!!”]

For me, Christmas and cookies kind of go hand in hand. Growing up my mom would make so many different kinds: chocolate chip, sugar cookies, those nutty cookies rolled in powdered sugar, those chocolate cookies rolled in powdered sugar, the list goes on. Batch after batch, my mom would fill up jars of cookies to last anyone months. Heaven.

This year, I’m keeping the tradition alive and making cookies with my boys. Whenever I make a dessert for myself and the kiddos, I always always make a low carb dessert for Jaryd. I mean, it would be cruel not to. To be honest, though, it is really hard to come by a good, low carb treat.

For the past few years, usually around this time, I’ve been on the search for some delicious, low carb cookies. The only acceptable ones thus far have been peanut butter. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good peanut butter cookie. But, peanut butter cookies don’t really scream winter wonderland to me. I want that classic sugar cookie texture and taste but without all the flour and sugar. Ugh, the struggle.

I’m telling you, I cannot rave enough about these. They have that crumble of a shortbread cookie without being dry. I, myself, had three fresh from the oven.

Well folks! Search no more!! Here are perfectly delicious, low carb, gluten free Shortbread Cookies:

Shortbread Cookies

Author: Lindsay// The Toasted Pine Nut
Prep Time: 35 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Yield: 18 1x

Description

These low carb, gluten free, and paleo Shortbread Cookies are so delicious! Dip in chocolate or add some sprinkles and you have deliciously festive cookies!

Scale

Ingredients

6 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
2 cups blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup 60% cacao dark chocolate (melted for drizzling)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, mix together the ghee (butter or coconut oil works), almond flour, agave nectar, and vanilla.
Add the unsweetened vanilla almond milk and continue to mix until well combined.
Place the cookie dough in between two pieces of parchment paper and on top of a cutting board and pop it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and the top layer of parchment paper.
Use cookie cutters to cut into shape.
Place on a lined baking pan.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden.
Allow to cool on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
Dip in melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with additional sea salt or sprinkles.