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    BLANK » Recipe Index » Energy Snacks

    Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies

    Last Updated February 2, 2023. Published August 10, 2022 By Charla 10 Comments

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    Learn how to make these shortbread cookies using plantain and sweet potato flour. They are sweet, buttery, delicious, grain free, vegan friendly and contain no gluten. Perfect to nibble on anytime of day.

    shortbread on a plate with white background

    **Disclaimer - For the sake of search terms, this post will refer to them as shortbread cookies NOT biscuits. The correct teminology is actually "shortbread" or "shortbread biscuits"**

    Although shortbread cookies may look quite complex they are probably the easiest baked goods you will ever make.

    From a gluten free perspective, we often brace ourselves for endless mixing of blends, binders and much more just to get results that are near enough "normal" or "foolproof".

    These cookies require no more than 6 ingredients and the whole process is very easy. Whether you are new to gluten free baking or advanced, this recipe caters to everyone!

    You simply need to cream the butter and sugar, add the flour(s) along with the other ingredients to form the dough, chill the dough, roll it out, shape it and bake it (that rhymes).

    Sounds too good to be true? Yes, it's that simple!

    Did I mention this shortbread is suitable for most dietary requirements? They are paleo friendly, gluten free, grain free, unrefined free, vegan and dairy free!!

    What is shortbread?

    Shortbread is a crumbly type of biscuit (cookie) which originates from Scotland, but you can find it all over the UK.

    For those of you who live in the UK, you most definitely will have tried shortbread or atleast heard of it.

    The ratio to make shortbread is one part sugar, two parts butter and three to four parts in flour.

    No leavening agents such as baking soda or baking powder are used.

    The name comes from the difference in the ratio of sugar and butter to flour. As this results in a soft, buttery crumbly biscuit which is often compared to short crust pastry.

    For my stateside folks, if you haven't tried shortbread, they are very similar to sugar cookies and are traditionally associated with Christmas.

    However, you can eat them any time of the year and often see shortbread in supermarkets throughout the entire year.

    Close up of the shortbread on a plate

    Gluten free shortbread

    Let's discuss the recipe ingredients, or should I say the flour in question. I purposely didn't go for a storebought flour blend. Infact I tested a few but didn't like the consistency.

    In the end, I found that a balance of plantain flour and sweet potato flour worked best. Now I will admit, you don't have to use both flours as plantain flour works great as a standalone flour.

    However, I feel that both combined yields a better taste, but it's not a requirement so don't worry if you don't have sweet potato flour.

    I used my homemade sweet potato flour which I will leave a link to below but used white sweet potatoes not the orange ones.

    What I really LOVE about these cookies is that they are made with flour that is not only gluten free but grain free too.

    No nut, rice flour nor starch which makes a change from what would be normally used in gluten free baked goods.

    Also, let me point out, when shaping the shortbread, there are a few ways you can do this. 

    You can shape them using a cookie cutter as pictured or cut them out into rectanglar shapes though the width of these can vary from slim to wide.

    There really is no wrong or right way in terms of shape.

    The steps

    steps 1-4 creaming butter and sugar then adding the flour
    • Preheat the oven to 160C/320F and line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
    • Place the sugar and butter in a medium sized bowl.
    • Use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy.
    • Add the vanilla, pink salt and mix for about another minute.
    • Add the sweet potato flour along with the plantain flour using your hands to mix the flour(s) with the butter/sugar mixture.
    • Continue to mix until you form a soft pliable doughball.
    steps 5-10 shaping the cookies and rolling them out
    • Wrap the doughball with saran wrap/cling film.
    • Refrigerate the dough for 30-60 minutes or until the dough is firm.
    • Place the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to be about ½ inch.
    • If you are making shortbread slices you need to use the rolling pin to form a rectangle instead and then cut out rectangular slices.
    • To make shortbread cookies, use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies (the amount you get will very depending on the size of the cutter).
    • Use a toothprick or a skewer to make holes (not too deep) in the shortbread (see the pictures).
    • Place each cookie on the lined baking tray and repeat the above step with the remaining few.
    • Bake the shortbread for rough 15 minutes or until the edges are very lightly golden.
    • Allow the shortbread to cool down before consuming.

    Notes and tips

    • Use a fork or a toothpick/skewer to poke holes in the cookies but be sure not to go too deep or to the other side of the cookie or it may break apart/crumble.
    • The amount of shortbread made will vary depening on the size of the cutter and the chosen shape.
    • If you want to make a double batch, do this seperately.
    • These are the recipe links for my Plantain Flour and Sweet Potato Flour.
    • Be sure that your vegan butter is room temperature, you don't want it to be too cold.
    • When adding the flour, it is VERY important to add this by hand, do not use a mixer or you run the risk of turning it into a batter rather then a soft dough.
    • The cookies will be soft when they come straight out of the oven so allow them to cool down first before devouring them.
    • The baking time may vary so use this as a rough guide only.
    • Store any leftovers cookies in an airtight container and consume within 3-4 days.
    • You can use raw cane sugar if you don't want to use powdered sugar.
    • Feel free to shape the shortbread how you wish, you can use a cookie cutter like I did or make the dough rectangular to make slices instead.
    A rack of shortbread with milk

    More festive sweet treats to try

    • Pistachio Cookies
    • Sugar Cookies
    • Sweet Dairy Free Cornbread
    • Sorrel Cookies
    • Gluten Free Gingerbread Muffins
    • Butternut Squash Bread

    Other cake recipes to try

    • Jamaican Ginger Cake 
    • Vegan Cherry Chocolate Cookies
    • Gluten Free Orange and Almond Cake
    • Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake
    • Jamaican Toto

    **Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

    A white plate with a mixture of shortbread

    Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies

    Learn how to make these shortbread cookies using plantain and sweet potato flour. They are sweet, buttery, delicious, grain free, vegan friendly and contain no gluten. Perfect to nibble on anytime of day.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetisers/Snacks
    Cuisine: British, Scottish
    Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 147kcal
    Author: Charla

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup vegan butter (170g)
    • ½ cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoon (can use raw cane sugar too)
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla (2g)
    • ⅛ teaspoon pink salt (0.75g)
    • 1 cup plantain flour (125g)
    • ½ cup sweet potato flour (66g)

    Instructions

    To make the dough

    • Preheat the oven to 160C/320F and line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
    • Place the sugar and butter in a medium sized bowl.
    • Use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy.
    • Add the vanilla and pink salt and mix for about another minute.
    • Add the sweet potato flour along with the plantain flour using your hands to mix the flour(s) with the butter/sugar mixture.
    • Continue to mix until you form a soft pliable doughball.
    • Wrap the doughball with saran wrap/cling film.
    • Refrigerate the dough for 30-60 minutes or until the dough is firm.

    To shape the shortbread

    • Place the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to be about ½ inch.
    • If you are making shortbread slices you need to use the rolling pin to form a rectangle instead and then cut out rectangular slices.
    • To make shortbread cookies, use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies (the amount you get will very depending on the size of the cutter).
    • Use a toothprick or a skewer to make holes (not too deep) in the shortbread (see the pictures).
    • Place each cookie on the lined baking tray and repeat the above step with the remaining few.
    • Bake the shortbread for rough 15 minutes or until the edges are very lightly golden.
    • Allow the shortbread to cool down before consuming.

    Notes

    • Use a fork or a toothpick/skewer to poke holes in the cookies but be sure not to go too deep or to the other side of the cookie or it may break apart/crumble.
    • The amount of shortbread made will vary depening on the size of the cutter and the chosen shape.
    • If you want to make a double batch, do this seperately.
    • These are the recipe links for my Plantain Flour and Sweet Potato Flour.
    • Be sure that your vegan butter is room temperature, you don't want it to be too cold.
    • When adding the flour, it is VERY important to add this by hand, do not use a mixer or you run the risk of turning it into a batter rather then a soft dough.
    • The cookies will be soft when they come straight out of the oven so allow them to cool down first before devouring them.
    • The baking time may vary so use this as a rough guide only.
    • Store any leftovers cookies in an airtight container and consume within 3-4 days.
    • You can use raw cane sugar if you don't want to use powdered sugar.
    • Feel free to shape the shortbread how you wish, you can use a cookie cutter like I did or make the dough rectangular to make slices instead.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 131mg | Potassium: 298mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 2850IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 0.3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ThatGirlCooksHealthy or tag #ThatGirlCooksHealthy!
    « Sopa de Plátano Verde (Vegan Green Plantain Soup)
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    About Charla

    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Claudia Lamascolo

      August 16, 2022 at 1:27 pm

      5 stars
      I love how different this is and I must try it adding to our gluten-free recipes collection

      Reply
      • Charla

        August 16, 2022 at 3:00 pm

        Thanks Claudia

        Reply
    2. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

      August 16, 2022 at 12:32 pm

      5 stars
      I've got so many griends who can't tolerate gluten so this recipe is perfect. The texture of the shortbread looks amazing too.

      Reply
      • Charla

        August 16, 2022 at 1:24 pm

        Thank you so much Amanda

        Reply
    3. Tavo

      August 16, 2022 at 10:59 am

      5 stars
      I love the simple ingredients that go into this recipe! This simply means that I can make them anytime, without having to run to the shop! Really tasty too!

      Reply
      • Charla

        August 16, 2022 at 1:24 pm

        Thanks Tavo, yes it is so simple and easy to make.

        Reply
    4. Mahy

      August 16, 2022 at 10:31 am

      5 stars
      When shortbread cookies are taken to a whole new level... I love this recipe so much!

      Reply
      • Charla

        August 16, 2022 at 10:36 am

        Thank you Mahy

        Reply
    5. Ava M.

      August 16, 2022 at 10:25 am

      5 stars
      Those cookies looks amazing and the step photos makes the recipe easy to follow. Can't wait to try it! I'll come back if I need any help, thanks again for the recipe 🙂

      Reply
      • Charla

        August 16, 2022 at 10:36 am

        Happy to be of assistence Ava

        Reply

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    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes. Learn more about me

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