Grain-Free Almond Flour Espresso Shortbread Cookies, drizzled with chocolate make a beautiful addition to a holiday cookie tray. This is an easy coffee-flavored gluten-free shortbread cookie recipe with a sugar-free option. Download your free printable gift tags and give these as a hostess gift!
This Almond Flour Espresso Shortbread Cookie recipe makes delicious, buttery, gluten-free shortbread cookies with warm coffee flavours. Decorated with either white or dark chocolate, these make a beautiful addition to a holiday cookie tray.
Why you'll love this recipe
- These cookies are sturdy without being crumbly, yet they're tender, just like shortbread should be!
- I've adapted my basic shortbread recipe to make this one with coffee flavor. For example, I make Orange-Cardamom Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies, Almond Flour Earl Gray Shortbread, and Cranberry-Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies with the same basic recipe. It's a reliable recipe that always turns out.
- If you love that chocolate espresso combo, you'll love serving these with an affogato coffee or this Creamy Ricotta Coffee Mousse.
- Are you avoiding sugar? These grain-free espresso shortbread cookies turn out perfectly with 0-calorie monk fruit sweetener with erythritol. To keep them completely sugar-free, use sugar-free chocolate chips, too.
🛒 Ingredients
- almond flour: blanched, finely ground. I've been asked many times what's the best almond flour for baking. While I haven't tried them all, I have consistently had good results with either the Kirkland brand from Costco or Bob's Red Mill Superfine Almond Flour.
- unsalted butter, softened
- confectioner's sugar, or powdered monkfruit sweetener. You can grind regular monkfruit sweetener in your blender to give it the consistency of confectioner's sugar.
- sea salt
- instant espresso powder
- white chocolate: Note that some brands will melt, others will not. Check the label. It must contain cocoa butter or it won't melt. Baker's White Chocolate squares will work; Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips will not.
- dark chocolate: Use your favorite chocolate to melt to drizzle on the shortbread cookies. Use sugar-free chocolate chips if you want to keep these cookies sugar-free. I've found that Lily's Dark Chocolate Baking Chips do not melt well, but Krisda Sugar-Free Chocolatey Chips will.
🔪 How to make gluten-free shortbread cookies
- In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream softened butter and confectioner's sugar (or powdered monkfruit) together.
- Dissolve 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder in two teaspoons of hot water. Add this coffee to the creamed butter and sugar and beat until combined.
- Add almond flour, sal,t and the remaining teaspoon of espresso powder and beat, just until combined.
- Place the dough in a large ziplock bag. Using a rolling pin, roll into a square about ⅜ inches thick. Lay the flat dough in the bag on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. At this point, you could freeze the dough if you like.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the bag open with scissors and peel it away from the dough.
- On a flour-dusted board or countertop, slice the dough into rectangles about 1 ½ by 2 ½ inches. Transfer to the lined baking sheet. Prick with a fork, then place the cookie sheet with the cookies in the fridge until the oven has preheated.
- Bake at 350°F. for 8 - 10 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes until firm, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorating Instructions
- Melt the chocolate over, not in, hot water. To make tempered chocolate, melt 2 of the 3 ounces of the chocolate, then remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ounce.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a narrow tip, drizzle the chocolate over the cookies.
- Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Place a piece of parchment paper between the layers to protect the chocolate drizzle.
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
If you've ever found that shortbread cookies spread too much while baking, here are two tips to prevent ending up with those dreaded flat cookies.
First, make sure the ratio of butter to flour is accurate. Measure both your butter and your flour accurately.
Use the "scoop and level" technique to measure almond flour. Loosely spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it with the back of a knife. If you scoop the flour directly from the bag, you may end up with too much, and your cookies will be dry.
Second, measure the butter accurately and make sure it is softened before combining it with the sugar. Chilling the dough will also help to prevent the shortbread cookies from spreading while baking.
To prevent these espresso shortbread cookies from spreading once baked, chill the baking sheet of unbaked cookies while you preheat the oven.
Chilling the dough also makes it easy to work with. Make sure you chill the dough ahead of time in the refrigerator.
🔁 Possible Variations
Drizzling these espresso cookies with white chocolate makes them taste like a latte! If you prefer dark chocolate, go with that. Both are delicious.
Use a cookie cutter to make round shortbread instead!
Make chocolate-dipped espresso shortbread cookies instead. Dip the cookies into melted chocolate. Garnish with shaved white chocolate or finely chopped pistachios, or other nuts.
🥶 Storage Instructions
These espresso shortbread cookies will stay fresh for a few days at room temperature. For longer storage, refrigerate in a tightly covered container.
These cookies freeze well, too. To keep them from breaking, Store them in a rigid air-tight container with a lid and place sheets of parchment paper between layers to protect the chocolate drizzle from breaking.
You can make this grain-free almond shortbread dough ahead of time and freeze it as described above.
🗒 More gluten-free cookies and bars
Looking for new ideas for holiday cookies? See 20 Gluten-Free Holiday Cookies and Bars.
- Orange Cardamom Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
- Gluten-Free Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
- Gluten-Free Crispy Salted Coconut Cookies
- Canadian Butter Tart Squares - gluten-free
When you make these almond flour espresso shortbread cookies, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing how my recipes turned out for you, or how you adapted them. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
📖 Recipe
Buttery Almond Flour Espresso Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 6 tablespoon confectioner's sugar, or powdered Monkfruit sweetener
- 3 teaspoon instant espresso powder, divided
- 2 cups almond flour, blanched, finely ground
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 oz white chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate use sugar-free chocolate chips, if desired
Instructions
- In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream softened butter and confectioner's sugar (or powdered Monkfruit) together.
- Dissolve 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder in two teaspoons of hot water. Add this coffee to the creamed butter and sugar and beat until combined.
- Add almond flour, salt and the remaining teaspoon of espresso powder and beat, just until combined.
- Place the dough in a large ziplock bag. Using a rolling pin, roll into a square about ⅜ inches thick.
- Lay the flat dough in the bag on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. At this point, you could freeze the dough if you like.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the the bag open with scissors and peel it away from the dough.
- On a flour-dusted board or countertop, slice the dough into rectangles about 1 ½ by 2 ½ inches.
- Transfer to the lined baking sheet. Prick with a fork, then place the cookie sheet with the cookies in the fridge until the oven has preheated.
- Bake at 350°F. for 8 - 10 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes until firm, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt chocolate over, not in, hot water. To make tempered chocolate, melt 2 oz. of the chocolate, then remove from heat and stir in the remaining ounce.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a narrow tip, drizzle the chocolate over the cookies.
- Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Place a piece of parchment paper between the layers to protect the chocolate drizzle.
Ella
Wow! Hard to believe these are gluten-free! Love the flavors in this recipe. Will be making these again, not just for Christmas!
Elaine
That's good to hear! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Mia
These cookies are incredibly good. They have just the right amount of coffee flavor. The kids liked them too. Not just for Christmas--I'll be making these throughout the year.
Flavour & Savour
We love these ones, too!