These shortbread cookies are just 2 ingredients and healthier than traditional shortbread. They don’t contain white flour, butter, eggs or refined sugar. They come out crispy, crumbly and nutty.
overhead shot of chocolate dipped cookies

I’ve been experimenting a lot this month with creating healthier versions of my favorite holiday cookies. I still plan on baking all my favorite holiday cookies to gift to family and friends, but I also wanted to create healthier alternatives at home so we don’t go overboard with the sweets.

This healthier version of shortbread is so quick and easy. The dough takes less than 5 minutes to form!

Ingredients

  • Superfine Almond Flour
  • Maple Syrup

Superfine Almond Flour

Superfine blanched almond flour replaces both the flour and butter that is usually found in shortbread. Because almond flour has a high fat content, the cookies still have a little of the melt-in-your-mouth crumbly sensation when you bite into them.

Maple Syrup

The syrup sweetens the cookies and binds them together. I haven’t tried it with other sweeteners but I think honey should work.

Texture

Without butter and wheat flour, these shortbread cookies don’t taste exactly the same as traditional shortbread, but they do taste like a version of shortbread. The cookies are very crispy on the outside (they remind me of biscuit cookies) and crumble once they hit the inside of your mouth.

Shapes

To keep these simple, I just cut them into rectangles. However, the dough is firm enough that you can use cookie cutters to make other shapes.
cookies lined up.

Decorating

You don’t need to decorate these cookies. They taste delicious without anything added. But they are not the prettiest. They look a bit like pale crackers when they are not decorated.

I dipped mine in melted dark chocolate. I used a dark chocolate low in sugar. If you want to avoid refined sugar, there are brands of dark chocolate sweetened with maple syrup or honey.
a stack of healthy cookies

More Easy Healthy Cookies

5 from 6 votes

2 Ingredient Healthy Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread cookies are made of just 2 ingredients. They don't contain any white flour, butter or refined sugar. They come out crispy and crumbly.
Servings: 18 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup superfine blanched almond flour
  • 2 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add almond flour to a large bowl. Add in maple syrup, one tablespoon at a time. Mix syrup with almond flour using a spoon and stir until the maple syrup is completely incorporated and has moistened all the almond flour before adding in the next tablespoon. After 2 1/2 tbsp, your dough should be clumpy but not one big lump. You will know your dough is ready if when you pinch a clump together, it stays together and doesn't fall apart. If your dough is too dry, you can add a little more maple syrup (about 1/2 tbsp). If your dough is moist enough to fully form a large dough ball, then you've added too much maple syrup and will need to add a little more almond flour.
  • Gather dough together and place between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin on top of parchment paper to roll out dough. You want the dough to be between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.
  • Slice cookie dough into rectangles, approximately 1.5 inch by 2 inch. You can also use a cookie cutter to cut other shapes.
  • Place cookies onto prepared baking sheet. Bake 25-35 minutes (1/8 inch cookies will be done around 25 minutes and 1/4 inch will be done closer to 35 minutes) or until cookies are a light brown and the surface is firm. The cookies will firm up a little more once they are cooled but the surface of the cookies should feel firm rather than soft before you remove them from the oven. Let cookies cool completely before removing from baking sheet and eating.

Notes

  • The cookies must be cooked at a low heat. If cooked at high heat, they will brown and burn around the edges before they firm up in the middle.
  • The cookies should be between 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick. You do not want them thicker than 1/4 inch because the cookies will not completely firm up. I like 1/4 inch cookies as they have more crumbly texture when you bite in. The 1/8 inch ones are super crispy but are so thin that they don't have as much crumble.
  • Make sure to roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper.
  • You can leave the cookies plain or you can dip them in melted chocolate. I used dark chocolate with low sugar. You can also use dark chocolate sweetened with maple syrup or honey. If you are looking for a healthy frosting, I also have this chocolate frosting.
  • If your dough is too crumbly/dry and doesn't roll out well, then add a little more maple syrup to it. If your dough is very sticky and you can't make cut-outs, then add a little more almond flour.
  • Make sure to use superfine blanched almond flour. Regular almond flour will not work the same.
  • I used Kirkland Signature superfine almond flour.*
  • *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no extra charge to you).
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 48kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, NET CARBS: 2
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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