Slice and bake chocolate shortbread is an easy last minute holiday dessert. Buttery, light, and delicious, this is a gluten free and vegan cookie recipe that everyone loves!
Shortbread cookies are one of my favorite holiday treats. They’re easy to make, with just a few ingredients, and it’s relatively easy to make them gluten free and allergy friendly.
You can get a light, buttery cookie with vegan buttery spread and gluten free flour. These chocolate shortbread cookies are proof of that!
This is a great recipe to make for the holidays, because you can make a couple of batches of the dough on a morning when you’re not too busy, and store it in the freezer. When you need cookies for a last minute party or even to give as a gift, you can pull out a roll of cookie dough, slice, and bake! It couldn’t be any easier.
Top Tips
- Allow plenty of time to chill – it’s easier to slice dough that is cold.
- If your dough seems too wet or too dry, add a little more flour or buttery spread. Different gluten free flours will react differently.
- Don’t over bake! It’s easy to over bake because the chocolate cookies are dark in color. Set the timer to avoid baking for too long.
Ingredient Notes
- Sugar – Confectioner’s sugar contributes to the lightness of these cookies, and I don’t recommend using any other sweeteners in its place. If you only have cane sugar on hand, you can make it into confectioner’s sugar with the help of a food processor. You can read this post to find out how to make homemade confectioner’s sugar.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I recommend Namaste Perfect Flour Blend – it works well for this cookie dough – it makes the dough really easy to work with.
- Vegan Buttery Spread – I like to use Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread or Baking Sticks. If you have a brand of dairy free spread or sticks that you prefer, it will probably work fine if that’s what you normally bake with.
Step by Step Instructions
- Make the dough – blend the buttery spread, sugar, gluten free flour, and cocoa powder.
- Roll the dough into two logs and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Slice the logs into rounds that are about ½ inch thick.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes.
FAQs
I don’t recommend it! I have not tried this recipe with coconut oil or any other oil, but I think the cookies would be brittle and burn more easily if you try to use oil.
I don’t recommend those flours as they are heavy and dense. A gluten free blend with rice flours and starches will produce a lighter texture.
These cookies really shouldn’t be crumbly – they are light in texture, and hold together well. But one way to avoid broken cookies is to allow them to fully cool on the baking sheet before moving them. If you try to transfer hot cookies to a tray or plate, there is a good chance they will fall apart.
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Recipe
Slice and Bake Chocolate Shortbread (Gluten Free, Vegan).
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan buttery spread I use Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup gluten free flour
- â…“ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Put the vegan buttery spread, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Add the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix on low speed until combined.
- Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a piece of waxed paper. Shape into logs and wrap in the waxed paper. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the logs of dough into ½ inch slices. Place on the cookie sheets with 1 ½ inches in between them.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 13-16 minutes. Allow to cool fully on the baking sheet before moving.
Molly Kuhl
Delicious, easy recipe! Was looking for a gluten free and vegan chocolate shortbread type recipe to have with espresso, and this is absolutely it. I rolled them so they come out to be just a little bigger than a quarter and 2-3 of them with a little afternoon espresso is delightful and perfect! I’ll be making a bigger batch to keep rolls in the freezer and bake off as needed! Thank you!
Kelly Roenicke
So glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for letting me know!
H
I love these cookies!
Sarah
can you substitute real butter?
Kelly Roenicke
Yes!
Katie
Delicious recipe!!!