Keto Almond-Flour Shortbread
Buttery keto shortbread built on almond flour and a powdered sugar substitute — no wheat, ~1–2g net carb per cookie. Sized to use a full stick of softened butter, which is exactly what creaming needs (don't melt it).
Yield: about 16 cookies
Prep: 15 min
Total: 50 min
Keto
Dessert
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tbsp / 113 g) softened unsalted butter
- 2 cups (200 g) blanched almond flour
- ⅓ cup (~65 g) powdered erythritol or monkfruit-erythritol blend (e.g. Swerve Confectioners), to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt (halve or omit if using salted butter)
- Optional: ½ tsp almond extract or 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Cream the softened butter and powdered sweetener together until light and fluffy — this needs room-temperature butter, so the counter-softened stick is perfect.
- Beat in the vanilla and salt (plus almond extract or lemon zest, if using).
- Add the almond flour and mix to a soft, slightly crumbly dough. Press it together with your hands if needed.
- Shape it one of three ways: press into a parchment-lined 8x8 pan about ½ inch thick and score into fingers; or roll into a log, chill, and slice into rounds; or roll out and cut shapes.
- Chill the shaped dough 20–30 minutes so it holds its shape and doesn't spread.
- Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 12–18 minutes, until the edges are just golden. Almond flour browns and burns fast — watch it near the end.
- Cool COMPLETELY in the pan before cutting or moving. It's fragile while warm and firms up to a proper snap as it cools.
Notes: Almond-flour shortbread is more delicate than wheat; cooling fully is what gives it the snap. For sturdier cookies that hold cut shapes, add 1 tbsp coconut flour (absorbs moisture) or 1 egg yolk (adds bind). Use POWDERED sweetener, not granular — it dissolves smoothly and avoids grittiness; a monkfruit-erythritol blend softens the cooling aftertaste plain erythritol can have. Makes ~16 cookies at roughly 1–2g net carb each. Store airtight about a week, or freeze.
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