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.
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 might like these Almond Flour Earl Gray Shortbread cookies, too.
- 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.)
🔪 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.
Why do shortbread cookies spread when baking?
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 (about 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!
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!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour, blanched, superfine ground
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 6 tablespoon confectioner's sugar, or powdered monkfruit sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup dried, sweetened cranberries, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, use sugar-free chocolate chips, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. if you plan to bake the cookies right away. 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.
- 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 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.
Janice
I’ve made these cookies a few times now and they are so delicious! This recipe is a no-fail one as long as I follow your recommendation in your notes and measure the flour and butter accurately. I made a larger batch today, doubling each recipe ingredient and the cookies are perfect. They freeze well as you noted and are now in the freezer until Christmas…or until someone sneaks one…Thanks for another great recipe Elaine!
Janice
Danielle
Hard to believe these are gluten-free! I made a batch and froze half for later. So good!
Flavour & Savour
Great idea!
Jan
Hi Elaine, I love that this gluten free recipe doesn’t call for several gluten free flours. This will be easy to make for my gluten free friends. I don’t see cranberry quantity listed in ingredients?
Thanks Jan
Flavour & Savour
Hi Jan, Agreed--this one is easy to make with almond flour! 1/4 cup of dried sweetened cranberries, finely chopped, works well in this recipe.