Gluten free shortbread cookies with almond flour and ghee, sweet and buttery with a melt-in-your-mouth outside and a crumbly crunch inside. You need just five ingredients for my gluten free ghraybeh, the Lebanese and Levantine shortbread you're going to love!
Before You Start
- Weigh everything. The smallest change in flour changes this cookie a lot, so use the gram weights and a kitchen scale. Cups are listed too (switch to US in the card) but everyone fills a cup differently, so weighing gives the most reliable result.
- Do not skip the chill. The dough is very wet, so chill it for at least 45 minutes to bring it together. In hot weather it softens fast and is hard to work with - so work quickly.
- Rough balls are normal. When you roll the dough it will look rough not smooth. See the process photo below.
- Ghee or vegetable ghee. With ghee these taste exactly like ghraybeh. I also like vegetable ghee and when I use it I add the vanilla for a flavor boost. I have only made this recipe with those two fats, so I cannot speak to butter.
- Your flour blend matters. Different gluten free all-purpose flours make slightly different cookies. I cover what I experienced in the ingredients section.
A Quick Note From Janelle
I was baking ghraybeh, the Lebanese and Levantine shortbread, when I realized I was missing out on one of my favorite cookies. I avoid gluten as much as I can and ghraybeh is made with wheat flour. It had been a couple of years, so I made a gluten free version on a whim and the result blew me away.
I nailed it on the first attempt, which is rare in gluten free baking - I feel. I played with the ingredient ratios afterward but kept coming back to this one. I will be bold and say these are close to my traditional ghraybeh. The outside melts in your mouth and the inside is crumbly with a crunch.
The crinkled tops only show up on this gluten free version, not the original. I love them and you can see the difference between the two below. Serve them with a small cup of Lebanese coffee.
Ingredients and Comparisons
The complete list of ingredients with measurements can be found in the full recipe card below.
Ghee is the hero, just as in traditional ghraybeh. It gives the cookie its flavor and its crumble. My ghee, butter and vegetable ghee test was done on the original ghraybeh, not this recipe. Vegetable ghee is the plant-based swap and works here with the vanilla.
Powdered sugar (icing sugar) keeps the texture fine and melting. Use pure powdered sugar and check the label for additives.
Almond flour, corn starch and gluten free all-purpose flour work together. The almond flour and corn starch bring the moisture the dough needs while the gluten free flour gives the crumbly crunch. Check that your corn starch (cornflour in Australia) is labeled gluten free. I have not made this recipe nut free, so I cannot offer an almond flour swap. Because of the different flours these bake pale golden.
I tested the recipe with two gluten free all-purpose (plain) flours and the results were different but manageable. I preferred the supermarket brand (Woolworths) over White Wings. The Woolworths blend contains rice bran and xanthan gum and made a slightly less crumbly cookie with a similar ghraybeh crunch rather than a hard one. In the US, a cup-for-cup blend such as Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 or King Arthur Measure for Measure should work, though I have not tested them. Pick one blend and keep using it.
Vanilla extract is recommended with vegetable ghee and optional with ghee.
Optional topping: one pistachio or a few slivered almonds pressed on top before baking.
What I Use to Make This Recipe
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The full instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Cream the ghee first, then add the powdered sugar and optional vanilla extract, until the mixture is pale.
- The dough is very wet straight from the bowl, which is why it needs the chill.
- Roll into 20 g balls and flatten gently into discs.
- Optionally, press a single pistachio or a few slivered almonds on top.
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Recipe
Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 115 g ghee room temperature (or vegetable ghee)
- 75 g powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional (recommended with vegetable ghee)
- 105 g almond flour
- 70 g corn starch gluten free, (cornflour in Australia)
- 35 g gluten free all-purpose flour blend (plain flour)
- Slivered almonds or pistachios for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Beat the ghee for about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and cream for about 2 minutes more, until pale.
- Add the almond flour, corn starch and gluten free flour and mix until a wet dough forms. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure the ingredients incorporate.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 to 60 minutes.
- Preheat a conventional oven to 320F (160C). Portion the dough into 20 g pieces, roll each into a ball and gently flatten into a disc. Place on a baking pan with space between. If using, press a single pistachio or a few slivered almonds on top.
- Bake for 23 minutes, until pale golden.
- Let the cookies cool to room temperature before handling.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
If you enjoyed this recipe, consider supporting my work for the cost of a cup of coffee.
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