Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies {Gluten Free}

March 7, 2016 22 Comments »

These easy Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies are gluten free and perfect for Spring! These slice and bake cookies have a lovely complement of lemon and almond flavors, and only 3 grams of carbohydrates per cookie!

Can you believe we’re just two weeks away from the first day of Spring?! I’m ready! Bring on the sunny days, warm weather, and longer daylight hours!

With Spring comes Easter, and I can’t believe it’s just three short weeks away. Easter is one of my kids’ favorite holidays. Coloring eggs, searching for their Easter baskets full of goodies, and hunting for eggs in the backyard are all activities that they look forward to.

What do I look forward to when it comes to Easter? Besides the time spent with family, I love the excuse to do some extra baking. In my family we traditionally bake something with lemons every Easter. We have a couple of favorite lemon recipes, and I also love to try something new each year.

This year I’m making these Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies. These cookies have an irresistible combination of lemon and almond flavors. They’re buttery, and a bit more soft and chewy than traditional shortbread cookies. Once you taste one of these cookies, you’ll have a hard time resisting a second!

I bake with Bob’s Red Mill flours because their quality has proven itself time and time again. Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal is ground from whole, blanched sweet almonds. Not only do almonds have a healthy boost of protein, they are also very low in carbohydrates and inherently gluten free. Click here for a coupon for Bob’s Red Mill products that you can use in your Easter baking.

The process of making these Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies is simple. These are slice and bake cookies, so there’s no rolling out of dough for this recipe. You’ll want to plan ahead, as you need to chill the dough for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days before slicing and baking.

To start, you’ll combine some granulated sugar and lemon zest in a bowl, working the zest into the sugar with your fingertips. This infuses the lemon into the sugar, so the cookies have lemon flavor throughout. Next, combine the Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour with a bit of salt to bring out the flavors. Add the lemon zest and sugar mixture, and then some almond extract for even more almond flavor. Finally, you’ll beat in some cold butter until the dough comes together. Be patient, as it will take a few minutes.

Shape the dough into two 1 ½-inch logs and chill in your refrigerator. Once the dough is chilled you’re ready to slice and bake!

You can see pretty flecks of lemon zest in the finished cookies. I used Meyer lemons, which I highly recommend if you can get your hands on some! These Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies are a wonderful addition to an Easter brunch buffet or Easter dessert table. You won’t be able to get enough of the buttery, lemon-almond flavor of these cookies, and I think you’ll want to enjoy them year-round.

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Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies

 

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These easy Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies are gluten free and perfect for Spring! These slice and bake cookies have a lovely complement of lemon and almond flavors.

Recipe type: Dessert, Cookie

Serves: 3 dozen

Ingredients

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from 2 medium lemons)
• 2 ½ cups (280 grams) Bob's Red Mill Finely Ground Almond Meal/Flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Directions

1. Place sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl and use your fingertips to blend the zest into the sugar until fragrant.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you may also use a handheld mixer), combine the almond meal/flour and salt. Add the sugar and zest mixture and beat on medium-low speed until combined. Mix in the almond extract.
3. Add the cold butter cubes and beat on medium-low speed for 4-5 minutes until a dough forms and biggest pieces of butter are no larger than half the size of a small pea.
4. Divide the dough into two equal portions and roll each portion into an even 1 ½-inch diameter log. I rolled my dough into the logs on plastic wrap, using the plastic to help shape the logs as the dough is a bit sticky. Wrap dough logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.
5. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into ¼-inch thick slices. Place cookies on baking sheets, spacing 1 ½-2 inches apart. Bake for 10-11 minutes, until barely golden. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 cookie Calories: 91 Fat: 8 g Saturated fat: 3 g Carbohydrates: 3 g Sugar: 3 g Sodium: 33 mg Fiber: 1 g Protein: 1 g

3.5.3208

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