Cranberry Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies

Name: Cranberry Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups almond flour, (blanched, superfine ground); 6 tbsp unsalted butter, (softened); 6 tbsp confectioner's sugar, (or powdered monkfruit sweetener); 1/4 tsp salt; 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries, (finely chopped); 1 tsp lemon zest; 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, (use sugar-free chocolate chips, if desired)

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Gluten-Free Cranberry Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies drizzled with chocolate make a beautiful addition to a holiday cookie tray. This is an easy slice-and-bake or cut-out almond flour shortbread cookie recipe with a sugar-free option.

drizzled chocolate on shortbread cookies

These Cranberry Almond Shortbread Cookies are delicious, buttery, gluten-free shortbread made with almond flour. With hints of lemon and cranberry and decorated with dark chocolate, these make a beautiful holiday cookie.

And unlike some other gluten-free shortbread cookies, these cookies are tender, without being crumbly!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

Avoiding sugar? Make sugar-free shortbread cookies! These almond flour shortbread cookies turn out perfectly with either confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) or 0-calorie Monkfruit sweetener with erythritol. To keep them completely sugar-free, use sugar-free chocolate chips, too.
Have fun with this recipe! Use it as a basic formula and add your own flavourings. I've made this recipe many times, adding my own flavour variations.
For example, I make these Orange-Cardamom Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies with the same basic recipe. Buttery Almond Flour Espresso Shortbread makes a delicious cookie to serve with an affogato! They're a favourite in my house, too.
For Thanksgiving, I love these Pumpkin Spice Shortbread Cookies. Same recipe: different spices!
You have choices! Make and bake these right away as cut-out cookies, or form into a log, chill and make them as slice-and-bake cookies another day.
These make delicious shortbread cookies, ideal for adding to a holiday cookie tray.

🛒 Ingredients

Before we get to the full recipe for these shortbread cookies below, here are a few notes about some of the 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 good results with either the Kirkland brand from Costco, or Bob's Red Mill Superfine Almond Flour.
unsalted butter: The butter needs to be softened before creaming it with the sugar so you'll have fluffy, light cookies.
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.
dried cranberries
lemon zest: a tiny teaspoon adds a delicate lemon flavour. Don't leave it out.
semi-sweet chocolate: for drizzling on the cookies once they've cooled, (or you can use sugar-free chocolate chips.)

Overhead view of shortbread cookies with plaid ribbon

🔪 Instructions

If you plan to bake the cookies right away, preheat the oven to 350° F. If using the slice-and-bake method, wait until the dough has been chilled to preheat the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, cream softened butter and sugar together.
Add remaining ingredients (except chocolate) and stir until well combined.
At this point, you can roll small balls of dough in the palm of your hand, then flatten slightly on the baking sheet.
To make slice-and-bake cookies, place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap. Form into a log approximately 8 inches long. Roll in the wrap to make it round. Chill for 2 hours or longer. You can freeze the dough at this point if you like, and store it for up to 3 months.
Slice the chilled log into cookies ¼ inch thick OR roll the dough into a disc ¼ inch thick and use cookie cutters to cut holiday shapes.
Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and chill the cookies in the fridge while you preheat the oven.
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.
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.

wrapping slice and bake cookie dough in plastic wrap — 1. For slice and bake cookies, roll into a log, wrap and chill.

Slicing dough for slice and bake cookies — 1. For slice and bake cookies, roll into a log, wrap and chill.

Close up view of Cranberry Lemon Shortbread Cookies on a plate

Why do shortbread cookies spread when baking?

How can I prevent cookies from spreading in the oven?

Have you peered through your oven door and watched a batch of cookies spread into flat discs right before your eyes? Here's a tip to prevent that.

If the ratio of butter to flour is off, your cookies will not turn out as expected. You can prevent your cookies from spreading in two ways.

First, measure the flour accurately. Use the scoop and level technique for measuring almond flour. It is much more accurate to loosely spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it with the back of a knife than to scoop it from the bag with a measuring cup.

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 almond 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. You can make the dough ahead of time and chill it in the refrigerator until you're ready to make the cookies.

🔁 Possible Variations

I like to add finely chopped dried cranberries and lemon zest to these slice-and-bake cookies but you could substitute other add-ins. Here are a few suggestions:

finely chopped dried fruit, like cherries or raisins (about ¼ cup )
chopped pecans or walnuts a(bout ¼ cup)
orange zest, 1 teaspoon
cinnamon, ½ teaspoon
drizzle or dip in white chocolate instead of dark chocolate. *Note that not all brands of white chocolate will melt. Check the label. It must contain cocoa butter or it won't melt. Baker's White Chocolate squares will work; Ghiardelli White Chocolate Chips will not.

🥶 Storage Instructions

These cranberry lemon almond 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. 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 almond flour shortbread dough ahead of time and freeze it! Form it into a log about eight inches long. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then roll out or slice and bake as suggested in the recipe below.

Consider making savoury shortbread cookies, too! These Gluten-free Rosemary Shortbread Cookies are a beautiful blend of sweet and savoury. They make a nice addition to a cookie assortment!

Check this round-up of 12 Gluten-Free Holiday Cookies and Bars for more idea!

🗒 More gluten-free cookies and bars

When you make these cranberry shortbread cookies, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing how my recipes turn out for you, or what adaptations you made. Thanks in advance!