Healthy Almond Shortbread Heart Cookies {GF, Vegan, Paleo}

These gluten-free Healthy Almond Shortbread Heart Cookies are a simple and elegant cookie recipe made with only 5 simple plant-based ingredients. The combination of almond and coconut flour makes for the best vegan cut out cookies that are perfect for Valentine’s  Day or just because.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• These shortbread cookies are an amazing healthier alternative to regular sugar cookies.
• They are gluten free, dairy free, egg free and refined sugar free.
• Maple syrup is a great natural sweetener that makes these cookies only mildly sweet and a perfect pairing for the dark chocolate coating.
• They look stunning and taste absolutely delicious!
• The dough is pliable, it’s easy to roll and cut out.
• The texture of these cookies is unparalleled – they are tender, crispy and slightly chewy once you bite into them. Dark chocolate coating adds another layer of deliciousness.
• A perfect vegan Valentine’s Day treat that you can make with kids or gift to your special someone.
• Make sure to also check my Avocado Raspberry Brownies and Chocolate Bliss Balls for more healthy chocolate dessert ideas!

INGREDIENT NOTES

• Almond Flour: use blanched almond flour, not almond meal. Super fine almond flour will work beautifully, too.
• Coconut Flour: it is known for absorbing liquid and makes the dough easy to cut out into shapes.
• Coconut Oil: use refined coconut flour which is different from unrefined virgin coconut oil. Refined oil has a more neutral flavor and works best for baking.
• Maple Syrup: 100% pure maple syrup is what you want. Mine is always from Maine.
• Almond Extract: use real natural almond extract.

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY ALMOND SHORTBREAD HEART COOKIES: STEP BY STEP

Step 1: Make cookie dough. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a spatula until thick and smooth dough forms.

Step 2: Roll the dough and cut out cookies. Using two sheets of parchment paper makes this task easy. Don’t roll the dough too thin – I usually roll mine to about ¼ of an inch. Thinner than that will produce cookies that are harder and more crumbly.

Step 3: Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 18 minutes. The edges should barely start browning. Note that cookies made with almond flour tend to be very soft when you first take them out of the oven. Let cool completely on the baking sheet before handling.

Step 4: Dip in chocolate. See my chocolate dipping tips in the next section.

Step 5: Cool in the fridge. The chocolate should set in about 15 minutes.

CHOCOLATE DIPPING TIPS

There are a couple ways you can melt chocolate for dipping the cookies in.

My favorite way is in the microwave using this microwave save bowl that’s actually designed for melting chocolate and candy melts. It is very affordable and it’s super easy to use. A glass or ceramic bowl will also work just fine but the bowl itself gets very hot so use kitchen mitts when handling it.

Put chocolate chips and solid coconut oil in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Then stir with a spoon and put back in the microwave for 15 seconds. Keep stirring and microwaving in 15 second increments until chocolate is fully melted and runny.

You can also use a double boiler or make a DIY double boiler by placing a metal or glass bowl with chocolate chips and coconut oil over a saucepan with 2 inches of gently boiling water (or a pot that fits the bowl). Keep stirring until chocolate is fully melted.

Whichever method you use, work quickly and efficiently. Dip each cookie in melted chocolate and tilt the bowl if needed to cover more or less half of the cookie. Lift the cookie, let the excess chocolate drip back to the bowl and immediately place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all cookies are dipped. You may need to use a spoon towards the end of the process.  

HOW TO STORE VEGAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Because these cookies are dipped in chocolate, it’s best to store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Make sure the chocolate is completely set before transferring them to a container. They will keep in the fridge for a week (or longer) or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you want to freeze these cookies, place parchment or wax paper in-between layers of cookies in the container. Thaw in the fridge for a couple hours or enjoy frozen. 

SUBSTITUTIONS & VARIATIONS

• To make these cookies vegan, make sure to use dairy free chocolate chips. 
• For a fun Valentine's Day twist, dip the cookies in melted white chocolate or adda drop of red food coloring to make the coating pink.
• Hearts are a great option for Valentine's Day but you can cut out any shapes you like, or even just cut the rolled out cookie dough into squares or rectangles. 
• To decorate the cookies I used heart shaped pink sprinkles and pink crystal sugar. This step is completely optional but I think some kind of sprinkles make these sweet hearts super special, especially if you're making them with kids. 
• If you don't like the almond flavor, swap almond extract for vanilla. You can also add lemon zest to the dough for lemon shortbread cookies. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I use almond meal for this recipe?

No. The texture won’t be the same if you use almond meal. You want blanched almond flour (the white kind) or super fine almond flour for best results. Almond meal consists of whole ground almonds with skins which gives it a grittier texture. We want smooth texture for these cookies.

How to prevent almond flour cookies from breaking or crumbling?

Unlike cookies made with regular flour, almond/ coconut flour cookies tend to be very soft and delicate when you first take them out of the oven. Don’t try to remove them from the cookie sheet until they are completely cooled (usually 15-30 minutes on a cooling rack). Once cooled these cookies are hard and won’t crumble easily.

What makes these cookies healthy?

Unlike regular shortbread cookies made with butter, sugar and flour, these vegan almond cookies use only unrefined plant-based ingredients. Moreover, almond flour is essentially ground almonds which are high in protein and healthy fats. 

What is the texture of almond flour shortbread cookies?

These cookies are tender, crispy and slightly chewy when you bite into them. They have a nice snap to them but since they use no butter or flour, the texture is definitely a bit different than “regular” shortbread or sugar cookies.

MORE HEALTHY DESSERT IDEAS

• Avocado Raspberry Brownies
• Banana Nutella Oatmeal Cookies
• Chocolate Bliss Balls (Vegan, Paleo, Gluten Free)
• Peanut Butter Bliss Balls (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
• Chocolate Cherry Nice Cream
• Easy No Bake Cake Pops

If you try these vegan Healthy Almond Shortbread Heart Cookies, be sure to leave me a comment and give this recipe a rating. I would love to hear from you and see how it turned out for you! You can also share and tag me on Instagram!

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Healthy Almond Shortbread Heart Cookies {GF, Vegan, Paleo}

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★★★★★

5 from 13 reviews

• Author: Agnieszka
• Total Time: 22 minutes
• Yield: 16 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

These gluten-free Healthy Almond Shortbread Heart Cookies are a simple and elegant cookie recipe made with only 5 simple plant-based ingredients.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Cookies
1 cup blanched almond flour
½ cup coconut flour
¼ cup refined coconut oil
¼ cup maple syrup
½ - 1 teaspoon pure almond extract* (See note below)

Chocolate Coating
3 oz chocolate chips
1.5 tablespoon coconut oil
sprinkles (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl mix together almond flour, coconut flour, maple syrup and melted coconut oil.
3. Mix with a spatula until smooth dough forms.
4. Transfer to a counter and form a dough ball with your hands.
5. Place the dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to about ¼ inch thick.
6. Cut out cookies using a heart shaped cookie cutter. Take leftover cookie dough, form a new ball, roll between two pieces of parchment paper, cut out more cookies. Repeat until you use up the entire dough.
7. Place the raw cookies on a prepared baking sheet.
8. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-14 minutes, until the edges start turning a very pale brown.
9. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheet on a cooling rack.
10. Prepare the chocolate. Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and place back in the microwave for 15 seconds. Stir again. Keep microwaving and stirring in 15-second increments until completely melted and slightly runny.
11. Immediately dip the cookies in chocolate half way through and place back on parchment lined cookie sheet. Tilt the bowl when you’re dipping the last couple of cookies to make the dipping process easier.
12. Sprinkle with heart sprinkles or pink sugar, if desired and place in the fridge until the chocolate is set, at least 20 minutes.
13. Enjoy right away and store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

I like these cookies to have a distinct almond flavor so I add a full teaspoon of almond extract. However, if you want only a hint of almond flavor, use only ½ teaspoon of the extract. You can also swap it for vanilla if you don’t like almond flavored cookies.

For vegan cookies make sure you are using dairy free chocolate chips.

The dough is easy to cut out but it’s quite soft and may break easily when lifting the raw cookies. I use a butter knife or something similar to lift them off the counter and transfer onto a cookie sheet before baking.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Category: dessert
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: Valentine's Day vegan cookies, dairy free shortbread cookies, healthy shortbread, Valentine's Day healthy desserts