Holiday Spiced Almond Shortbread Cookies

These almond shortbread cookies are buttery, soft, and naturally gluten-free. They’re made with almond flour and real butter and topped with a festive holiday spice mix. It’s a quick and easy recipe that’s perfect for the holiday baking season!

These almond flour shortbread cookies are my twist on a Christmas classic. They have that familiar buttery shortbread flavor that melts in your mouth, but they’re made with less sugar and just happen to be naturally gluten-free.

The recipe couldn’t be simpler, which is why I make it year after year. I stir everything together in one bowl, scoop the dough into evenly sized balls, roll them in powdered sugar, and bake until they’re just set. That’s it—no chilling, no rolling pins, no fuss.

I love packing these cookies into tins or boxes tied with ribbon and sharing them throughout the holidays. They’re perfect for cookie exchanges so I almost always double or triple the batch so we have extras on hand. They’re especially good dunked in hot chocolate or enjoyed with a warm cup of tea, and they’re always a hit with kids, too.

If you’re a big fan of shortbread cookies (like we are), also try our melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies, our Scottish shortbread cookies, and our gluten-free shortbread cookies!

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Almond Shortbread Cookies Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

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These almond shortbread cookies are buttery, soft, and naturally gluten-free. They're made with almond flour, real butter, and topped with a festive holiday spice mix. It's a quick and easy recipe that's perfect for holiday baking season!

12

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ¼ cups almond flour
• ▢ ¼ cup powdered sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup butter (softened)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Holiday Spice Mix (recipe below) (plus a little extra to top the cookies)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (to roll the cookies in)

Holiday Spice Mix

• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or ground cinnamon)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make the Holiday Spice Mix by mixing the ingredients together in a small bowl.
  1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, ½ teaspoon sea salt
  
• Add all the cookie ingredients to a large mixing bowl. (See notes.) Using electric beaters, mix until the dough sticks together. This will take about 6-7 minutes and will look dry and crumbly until the last second when it finally comes together.
  1 ¼ cups almond flour, ¼ cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon Holiday Spice Mix (recipe below)
  
• Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the dough into 12 portions. Roll into balls then dip each ball in powdered sugar.
  2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  
• Place the cookies onto the baking sheet. They don't spread so you can place them quite close together. Bake for 10 minutes, until they have puffed up slightly. Let them cool completely then top them with a little extra holiday spice mix.
  

Notes

We used to make this recipe in our Vitamix. As not everyone has a Vitamix, we’ve adapted the process so that everyone can make it. 

If you have a Vitamix, you can use it to blend the ingredients. As the heat from the blender often melts the butter, you need to put the cookies into the fridge for about a half hour before you bake them. 

You can also use a food processor. Another option, which we’ve done several times, is to use a fork to make the dough. This option takes longer, but it works. 

We used to link to a recipe on Vitamix for the holiday spice mix. Unfortunately, that recipe is no longer available so we have created our own. Our version is easier to make with lots of wonderful holiday flavor. 

We often double this recipe, as you can see in the pictures, because the cookies are so good. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie, Calories: 117kcal (6%), Carbohydrates: 6g (2%), Protein: 3g (6%), Fat: 10g (15%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 10mg (3%), Sodium: 35mg (2%), Potassium: 2mg, Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 4g (4%), Vitamin A: 118IU (2%), Calcium: 26mg (3%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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