Kristine in between

Coconut Flour Shortbread Cookies

Filed Under: Shortbread, Sweets & Dessert

These tasty little whole food coconut flour shortbread cookies are light and crumbly and are both gluten-free and grain-free!

These simple coconut flour shortbread cookies are grain-free, gluten-free, and whole food! Yummy!I’m back at it with the coconut flour! Today, I’m testing my baking skills with these coconut flour shortbread cookies. To see why I’m ‘testing’, keep on reading!

We are getting the house ready to sell finally, so I decided I needed to make an easy recipe that didn’t make a ton of cookies and boom, this coconut flour shortbread recipe is perfect!

These simple coconut flour shortbread cookies are grain-free, gluten-free, and whole food! Yummy!These coconut flour shortbread cookies have just a few ingredients and this recipe only makes 6 or 7 cookies, so that’s totally a win! I won’t have tons-o-cookies laying around to snack on (I admit, I am the one with the cookie problem in this house).

These simple coconut flour shortbread cookies are grain-free, gluten-free, and whole food! Yummy!Let me tell you a few things before we get into the good stuff though, number one – these coconut flour shortbread cookies are not identical to traditional shortbread. They’re lighter, much more dry, and even a little crumbly. I blame the coconut flour for all of it, BUT they are grain-free, gluten-free, and whole food, so you can’t be too upset. Right?

And number two – coconut flour is totally strange and kinda hard to work with. It just is, so don’t fret, you’re not alone. It tested me, big time! In fact, I’m considering trying a similar recipe with almond flour instead to make some almond flour shortbread cookies, so stay tuned!

These simple coconut flour shortbread cookies are grain-free, gluten-free, and whole food! Yummy!These lightly sweet little cookies are ready to eat in less than 20 minutes, so that makes me a very happy girl! And if you’re feeling frisky, you could easily alter the flavor of these coconut flour shortbread cookies by adding almond extract instead of vanilla, a pinch or two of cinnamon, or even the zest of a lemon or orange.  They’re a great addition to any gluten-free, grain-free, whole food cookie lineup!

Simple coconut flour shortbread cookies that are whole food and gluten-free!

Coconut Flour Shortbread Cookies

4.23 from 116 votes
Print Pin
Course: Sweets & Dessert
Servings: 6 cookies
Author: Kristine
Ingredients
  • 8 TBS coconut flour
  • 4 TBS butter, room temperature but still solid
  • 1 TBS maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet.
  • In a small bowl, cream butter and coconut flour.
  • Add maple syrup and vanilla and cream until smooth.
  • Using a 1 TBS cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a lined baking sheet and gently press down on the tops of the cookies with a fork to flatten.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom.
  • Let the cookies cool completely on the pan.
Notes
 
Did you make this recipe? We want to see! Tag @kristineinbetween on Instagram and hashtag it #kinbetween
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!Mention @kristineinbetween or tag #kinbetween!

Like whole food baked goods? Try these whole grain blender muffins or these whole food almond flour shortbread cookies with homemade raspberry jam!

Whole food peanut butter chocolate chip blender muffins! They're perfect for breakfast or snack time and have no refined sugar! The cleanup is a snap!

Gluten-free, grain-free almond flour shortbread cookies with raspberry jam!

*The images in this post were updated in February of 2017. You’re in the right place!

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Reader Interactions

Kind Words...

      • Hi, I just tried these cookies and have an excellent idea. I have been searching for a crust or crumble for fresh cranberries sauce that i made. This works absolutely amazing as a crust/crumble over cranberries. I buy fresh cranberries and boil them and add stevia to them as i do not like sugar. this is an excellent crust over a simple cranberry sauce recipe:) YUM. I cannot thank you enuf as I cannot eat egg or sugar or grains.. nummy!!!

        Reply

        • That sounds delis! I haven’t made these yet, and I’m wondering if they come out crispy and crunchy, since most recipes made with coconut flour seem to be too soft. I’m guessing they came out crunchy since you used it as a crumble?

          Reply

  2. Thanks for the recipe!! They actually turned out way too sweet for me (even after reducing the honey by 25%) and not buttery enough — but they’ll be great with my morning tea!

    Reply

    • Hi Meg, thank you so much for your feedback! I always love to hear from people who try my recipes. I wonder if you increased the butter and decreased the honey even more (by half or more) if they’d be more to your liking? If you decide to make them again, comment back and let me know how they turned out. 🙂

      Reply

  3. Hello Kristine your cookies looks amazing and I love the simply recipe, my were too fragile and crumbly it was hard to get them in one piece of the plate, I put some eggs (first one then two) and now they keep their shape. How did you get such a cookie without using eggs? with love Daisy

    Reply

    • Hi Daisy! Mine were fragile too, though not quite as much as what you’re describing. I didn’t make any other modifications, but I’ve seen some other people try using more butter. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! Have a great day!

      Reply

      • I had the same problem! I did use stick margarine instead of butter to make them dairy-free, but I am surprised that alone would make such a significant difference. They weren’t just fragile—they crumbled to powdery bits when I tried to pick them up. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be for me!

        Reply

  4. Mmmm these were excellent. Surprised they turned out this well with minimal ingredients. I used 5 TBS of kerry gold butter & a dropper of liquid vanilla stevia. I also used a bit (only 1/4 tsp bc unsure) of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Next time I’m going to increase spices to 1/2 tsp. Thinking about using these as a topping on my coconut ice cream. Mmmm!

    Reply

  5. Mine melted on the pan.. Still a yummy thing but just one big pancake. I used coconut oil and only 1tbs honey. I forgot to melt the oil first, would that be why?

    Reply

    • I tried it with the ghee, and being more careful with measurements. Pre melted the ghee. They kept shape this time but I didn’t like them, they squished away and were all oily and the texture was weird, they were hard to swallow and I had to drink water to get them down my throat. I dunno, they didn’t look anything like your ones on that picture, maybe the flour i have is too corse? I might do some experimenting with stuff and other recipes. Maybe our ideas of shortbread are too different, I was thinking of the crummy creamy kind of crisp but melty biscuits.. Maybe that’s just not something to be obtained gluten free? I dunno, we had fun though 😛

      Reply

      • Bummer! Mine were definitely crummy, crunchy, and dry. I just used coconut flour from Sprouts, nothing fancy. There’s also that element of being GF too though, they’re definitely not the same as traditional shortbread. I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you. I hope you find something that works! Feel free to come back and share it with us when you do! 🙂

        Reply

  6. I just made these, followed the directions exactly, and used maple syrup and regular old butter. After I mixed everything together the dough had the consistency of sand, and would not stick together at all. I mixed in an egg to a double batch and was able to form balls, although they were very crumbly. They baked fine, held their shape, and now that they’ve cooled off they hold together alright but are still very, very crumbly. They have a nice buttery taste but otherwise are nothing like shortbread at all. 🙂 Not a bad tasting cookie, but very dry. Definitely need a drink with these.

    Reply

  7. Thanks for this nice easy to follow recipe! As I am trying to avoid using dairy, I used coconut oil (melted). I added only 1 tbs of mapple sirop and also some blueberries and pine nuts. It worked out just fine. In my opinion, these cookies taste rather close to the shortbread with added benefit of high fiber content (6.5 g per cookie!) and sans saturated fat from butter (replaced by healthy saturated medium chain fatty acids from virgin coconut oil). I will definitely make these cookies again 🙂 Thank you 🙂

    Reply

  8. These we’re sooo surprisingly yummy!! I used your exact recipe with coconut oil and extra lemon zest. I think next time I’ll see how it turns out with one egg for binding and moisture. Mine stayed together well. I let them cool for five minutes. Now I have something to make with the extra coconut flour in the pantry! Yaaaay! 🙂 😉

    Reply

  9. I just baked these. I’m not trying to be negative, but honestly they were less than great….. I used coconut four, 2 TBS honey, vanilla, coconut oil. They were really dry and had a strange texture and taste. I followed the recipe.

    Reply

    • Hi S! I appreciate your honesty and I’m sorry you weren’t a huge fan of these cookies. I’m glad you stopped by though and hope you find something you like better next time! Have a great day!

      Reply

  10. I have just made these and the are currently in the oven. Hope the term out right this is my trial run for little Christmas gifts. Thanks so much for the recipe.
    From
    Daisy
    Surrey, United kingdom

    Reply

  11. These are great! I made two batches, one with lemon essence and another with some almond meal and vanilla essence. I found adding extra butter gave them a smoother texture.

    Reply

  12. Made these today with coconut oil (we are dairy free). They tasted lovely but really stuck in our throats and we all had to have a glass of water to get them down. Not sure how to fix that!

    Reply

    • Hi Jessica! Oh my gosh, I know exactly what you mean. I’m not sure what the answer is either, I find that a lot of things I make with coconut flour are this way…maybe it’s the flour? Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! Happy New Year!

      Reply

  14. Hi Kristine! I was so excited to try the recipe that I jumped right in and whipped up a double batch!

    The first batch was, as you mentioned in comments, crumbly and kind of dry so in the second half i mixed in a “flaxseed egg”, and they were amazing!
    The flax held more moisture and helped with the buttery “shortbread” texture.
    Thanks for the inspiration!

    In wellness,

    Nicole

    Reply

    • Hi Nicole! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! Great idea with the flaxseed egg; so glad to hear it improved the texture! Have a wonderful weekend!

      Reply

  15. I made these a few months ago, and they were fabulous! Thank you!

    Tonight, I used them as a base for….something? lol I wanted to make them, but I am watching my calories and macros fairly closely, so I needed more carbs. But, I couldn’t have two because then I’d go over my calories…..I ended up with much less butter, some applesauce, a little more maple syrup, and added some cocoa….it’s a completely different thing! Still good, though, so thanks for that, too!

    Reply

  16. I don’t understand- if you shape them into balls and they don’t spread when they bake, how do they form flat cookies like in your photo?

    I followed all the directions, but they came out as balls, and I’m afraid the insides didn’t get cooked. When do I flatten them?

    Reply

    • Hi Bethers, in step #3 it says to roll the cookies into balls and to gently press down on the tops of them with a fork (like you would for a peanut butter cookie). Hope this helps! 🙂

      Reply

  17. Hey!

    Great recipe, I’ve made these this evening. However, they seemed to be super dry in texture – any ideas how to change this? Tasted great though!!

    Sarah

    Reply

    • Hi Sarah! Yes, several people have said the same thing. Another reader said she used slightly more butter and that improved the texture and someone else suggested adding an egg (but then it really isn’t a shortbread cookie anymore lol). If you find something that works, please write again and tell us! 🙂

      Reply

  18. Just wanted to say thanks for this simple little cookie recipe!!! Hubby and I are on a 21 day detox diet. This is Day 8…wanting something sweet SO badly. Made w/coconut oil, and although a bit dry, you wouldn’t believe how happy these made us 😀 Daughter liked them, too. Thank you! Happy clean cooking!

    Reply

  19. I tried this recipe using 6T coconut flour, 4T melted coconut oil, 2T honey and 1/4t almond extract. The resulting mix was goopy and unshapeable. It took several extra T of coconut flour to get the right consistency. The cookies started to burn before 8 min. The flavor of the cookie is alright, but the consistency was unmanageable without something to wash it down. Please advise.

    Reply

  20. Was excited to try this recipe, but unfortunately when I made it as shown, the cookies were really inedible. Actually, slightly dangerous to eat, as they were so dry they stuck in my throat and made me choke. I think the comments above indicate more butter is required, perhaps thats the secret for these?

    Reply

  21. I attempted to make these cookies but they just fell apart. I don’t know what I did wrong. I used the exact measurements that the recipe called for 🙁 what did I do wrong?

    Reply

    • To substitute eggs try 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed mixed in 3 tablespoons of water for each egg. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. It will gel up a bit.

      Reply

  23. Cononut flour is sooo DRY…how it can soak up a half a stick of butter and still taste like cardboard..the mind, it boggles 🙁

    Reply

  26. These turned out really dry…not sure what I did wrong…followed recipe exact 🙁 I will try again with extra butter and honey.

    Reply

  27. I just made these with butter, one egg, cinnamon, 1/2 tsp vanilla, honey and two drops of maple flavoring. I also added a few chopped almonds! They are still warm and I can’t stay away from them! Would be great crumbled on yogurt or even used as a crust for pie! YUM!!

    Reply

  28. I just made these with some modifications – I used 5 TBS Kerrygold butter, added 1 egg and used 1/2 tsp vanilla and used 3 TBS coconut sugar for it’s low glycemic index. They were still very crumbly but pretty tasty. They were much easier to eat with an ice cold glass of almond milk! Knowing how coconut flour behaves I would use 2 eggs next time and maybe a little more sugar, but that’s just for my taste. Thanks for the recipe! I look forward to playing with it some more to make different flavors

    Reply

  29. I made these a couple of days ago and added an extra tbsp of butter as one of the commenters suggested. These were so dry that my boyfriend and I couldn’t really swallow without water after every bite. They were almost powdery in my mouth. I wonder if the brand of coconut flour matters.

    Reply

  30. I am new to clean eating but I liked the texture of these cookies; it lends to mindful eating, allowing me to slow down and enjoy the cookie! I doubled the recipe but used 4 Tbs of Cocout MANNA and 4 Tbs of butter. I added 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. My tiny chef (daughter) enjoyed shaping the dough.

    I also experimented with a thumbprint and added a tiny spoonful of strawberry preserves in the center of a few of them, which added a little juicy moisture. Yum!

    My tiny chef and I will make these again!

    Reply

  31. I made your recipe exactly except only 1/2 tbsp honey and instead of baking them I rolled them into cookie shapes and refrigerated them 😀

    The are so good, shortbread cookie dough bites anyone? lol 🙂

    Reply

  32. I made these over the weekend and I am addicted. They are wonderful. I also made them with honey. I can not even taste the honey. I also paniced b/c I could not remember where I saved the recipe. Def. a keeper. Thanks for sharing and keep baking healthy paleo treats. I am always willing to try a new recipe. Thanks again!!

    Reply

  34. Awesome recipe! I doubled the recipe since the original only yields 6 cookies. In addition I tweaked a few things per comments left prior: I did 1/2 butter, 1/2 coconut oil (extra virgin)-+ 2 extra TBS. Used Vanilla Bean Paste instead of extract, Honey, and also added 2 eggs. Had to add a little extra coconut flour to form the balls, but turned out great! Will definitely make again, and possibly try adding peanut butter or using almond flour?

    Reply

  35. These look amazing and I can’t wait to try them! One question: I can’t eat honey or syrup because I’m on the candida diet. Stevia is pretty much the only sweet thing I can have right now. Can I use it as a substitute? If so, what measurement should I use?

    Reply

  36. Hello! Thx for posting this recipe- Im excited to try it out.

    Would you happen to know the macros as I log mine in daily?

    Protein/Fat/Carbs- please please!!

    Reply

    • Assuming you use butter and 2 tbsp of honey for this recipe, there are:
      8 g protein
      55 g fat
      34 g carb
      And 700 calories, for 6 cookies.

      Reply

  37. I did it today, it is good to me.
    Although the dough is a bit dry (everyone who has made something with coconut flour knows, this flour is sneaky. You add fluid in, it seems fine. A while after, what is this sand like mixture?) I added a few teaspoon to form a shapable dough (like what you do with pie crust) and it turned out well:)

    Reply

  38. These are really good!!! In my experience coconut flour can be tricky and very dry. I doubled the recipe and added 1/2 cup PB, 2 Tbs maple extract, 1/2 cup almond/cocnut milk and a pinch of salt. Baked for 15 min. Delicious…crispy on the outside and moist in the center. Thank you for the recipe!!!

    Reply

  39. I have been making these cookies for months now and love them. I use coconut oil instead of butter and I add 2 tbsp of unsweetened coconut as well. Yes they are dry but so delicious. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!

    Reply

  41. I’m on an anti-Candida diet and these cookies fit perfectly into my eating plan! I made a double batch of these, and added 2 eggs, 1 tsp. of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and 1/4 tsp. of xantham gum. I combined the dry ingredients first, and then added the wet ingredients. The cookies turned out fine, and didn’t crumble any more than other gluten free cookies. I’m definitely going to keep this as a base recipe and experiment more with it.

    Reply

  42. Thanks so much for this recipe! I wanted a simple & healthy cookie that my daughter and I could make, this was perfect. I added chia seeds and Bob’s Red Mill coconut flakes on the top to give it a little more oomph!

    Reply

  43. I made these. I even baked them past the 10 mins, but they still crumbled when I tried to pick them up. Any ideas?
    Also, I’m not supposed to consume sugar. Is the honey a must? Can I sub anything?

    Reply

  44. These cookies are super yummy! Pretty sweet, but I think they are the perfect snack if you are on a paleo or gluten free diet. Thanks for the recipe! 😉

    Reply

  46. I love this recipe!! With almond extract it reminds me of a bear claw. Yum! I took a batch, and rolled it in some croissant dough. A little dry, but Yum!

    Reply

  47. Pretty good cookie. I used 1 tablespoon honey and mixed it and the almond extract with the 5 tablespoons of butter before adding to the coconut flour. I used my 1/2 tablespoon measure to make each cookie and I got a Baker’s dozen. I put 1/2 tablespoon of flaked coconut into the cup that I had mixed the butter, honey and extract in and mixed until I got some of the leftover mixture onto the coconut and placed a bit on each cookie before I baked them. I am very pleased with the result. They do seem a bit salty so I think next time I will try coconut oil, since I used salted butter this time. I may also try coconut extract instead also. (I figured out there are 2.1 gms carbs in each cookie.) We are counting carbs to keep my husbands diabetes under control.

    Reply

  48. I just made homemade coconut milk today from fresh coconuts (SO GOOD!) and now I have all of this coconut flour to use. These look like such an amazing way to use some of it! I’m really excited to make them 😀

    Reply

  49. I’m sorry, but these are gross cookies. The dough, is very crumbly and doesn’t flatten at all. Then the cookies themselves just taste blah and the coconut flour is so thick in your mouth and throat. Sorry to leave a negative comment but I was very disappointed with this cookie. The only upside is that it used a small amount of ingredients so I didn’t waste time or money really in trying them out. I understand that coconut flour doesn’t have the same qualities as wheat and other flours, but I’ve tasted much better alternative cookies that is for sure.

    Reply

  50. Hi. Are there any other types of “healthy” flour I can use (e.g. gluten free, rice, garbanzo, etc.). I wish I had had this recipe before. I never could find a good use for a significant amount of coconut flour and ended up giving it away (I just moved). Thanks for the option.

    Reply

  52. This popped up on my Pinterest feed this morning. Since I had some time before work and all the ingredients, I headed to the kitchen a threw a batch in the oven right away. They came right together and smell great. Am looking forward to tasting them later!

    Reply

  53. I made them today. After I mixed all the ingredients I felt like they lacked some binding, so I added half of a mashed banana. This was a great idea! Surely they didn’t look or taste like regular cookies, but they were great anyway.

    Reply

  55. I pinned these and was so excited to try them. Simple recipe without a lot of ingredients. I was disappointed at how poorly they turned out. I followed the recipe exactly. They were somehow both really runny (couldn’t form a ball, it was more batter than paste even after giving the coconut flour 5 minutes to absorb the liquid) and extremely dry and crumbly when baked up. I couldn’t breathe for a full minute after eating one of them! No joke. I continued to search and a comment on another post stated that it is extremely important to sift into your measuring cup/spoon and not scoop coconut flour. Every time! I decided to try your recipe again. So glad I did. It was delicious and baked up perfectly. I used coconut oil, maple syrup and almond extract each time. Unfortunately, it is such a simple recipe, I keep coming back to it and now have dessert more often than I should. (I make half a batch at a time so I can have fresh ones often.)

    Reply

  56. Comment on an old article, but had to post about it.

    My wife is on a low carb diet, and I’d made cookies similar to this in the past…but they always came out too crumbly to even get off the cookie sheet…but she still really liked them.

    This time, however, I substituted out 2 tbsp of the coconut flour for 1 tbsp of almond flour and 1 tbsp of tigernut flour.

    They came out beautifully. I used a little over 1 tbsp of syrup for the sweetener, but it didn’t even need that much sweetness. Just came out so tasty and moist.

    So, just a note on a tasty substitution for this!

    Reply

  57. Love this recipe !!! I did make a number of changes to adapt to my diet. I bake low carb, gluten free and with protein powder. I doubled the recipe and added 2 scoops of Nutralean Whey protein to the recipe, I also increased the butter by adding an extra 1/4 cup of butter My choice of Maple syrup was Walden Farms Maple Syrup (sugar free and no Carbs). I also added for the flavoring Lorann Gourmet Butter Vanilla syrup and OMG !!!

    Reply

  59. These look delicious and easy. I’ve just made a batch only I struggled to get six cookies out of the mix. How many is this supposed to make? Thank you! X

    Reply

  60. Hi Kristine,
    I love baking too, but I have to eat low carb goods. I added almond essence to the biscuits and some spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and a pinch of mixed spice. I also made the cookie with 51/2 tablespoons butter and 6 tablespoons coconut flour. I added 2 tablespoons, honey. I baked it in a low oven for a crispier cookie. The flavours were lovely spicy and buttery. The cookie is soft and crumbly but overall not a bad recipe.

    Reply

    • Hi Rehana! Your cookies sound delicious! I love hearing how people modify and change my recipes and make them even better! I’m a HUGE fan of adding spices to cookies, especially this time of year! Thank you so much for taking a few minutes to leave a comment and share your recipe modifications! 🙂

      Reply

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