I am very happy to participate in the Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange for the sixth time this year. This is a food blogger-lead fundraising event and awareness campaign for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. This organization is a 501(c)3 non-profit with the mission to raise funds for innovative pediatric cancer treatments and research through bake sales and cookie swaps. Supporters (“Good Cookies”) can do this throughout the year, but we are bringing awareness during this time of holiday giving. If you’d like to learn more and/or make a charitable donation to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, click here. Otherwise, scroll on for Almond Flour Sparkling Shortbread!
Every year, I take great pride in having a vegan, gluten-free recipe in my holiday repertoire. Half of everyone I know falls into one of these two categories; it’s kind of a no-brainer to have this as part of my skill set. I love feeding my people.
When writing these sorts of recipes, the only boundaries I give myself are that I won’t work with hard-to-access flours or pre-made blends (they’re inconsistent). As such, it should come as no surprise that I buy almond flour in bulk at Costco, and also that I go through it at the speed of light. I’ve got a lot of gluten-free and/or vegan people to feed, ya know.
This holiday season, I’m keeping it very simple. How simple? Six ingredients-, slice & bake-, stays good for days-simple. But with sparkle, of course, because simple doesn’t mean boring around here. Almond Flour Sparkling Shortbread, y’all.
These cookies are so easy to make. The dough is is a quick one with just five ingredients: almond flour, vegan butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt and vanilla. Once the it’s mixed up, it’s rolled into two logs, coated in your sparkling sugar (or vegan sprinkles), and refrigerated for a few hours or a few days depending on your schedule and needs. When you’re ready for cookies (and who isn’t?) simply slice them thick and bake them just until they look dry.
Almond Flour Sparkling Shortbread have it all. They’re buttery with a pronounced almond flavor, and a tender-crisp bite. The sparkling sugar on the edges adds a little pizzazz and a some extra crunch. And since they’re vegan and gluten-free, they’re one more festive way to feed both my people and yours.
Not vegan and gluten-free? Try my classic Sparkling Shortbread!
Almond Flour Sparkling Shortbread {Vegan, Gluten-Free}
makes about 3 dozen small cookies
6 tablespoons vegan butter, softened to room temperature (or dairy butter if not vegan)
6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
6 tablespoons sparkling sugar, or (vegan) sprinkles of choice
In a medium-large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat vegan butter until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add confectioner’s sugar and beat until fully combined (about 2 minutes). Beat in vanilla.
Add half the almond flour and mix until combined. Beat in remaining almond flour and salt. Dough may look rubbly, but should hold together extremely well when pinched.
Knead dough a couple of times with your hand, then divide it in half.
Place two sheets of plastic wrap on the counter. Place sparkling sugar on a dinner plate.
Working with one half of the dough at a time, form it into a log that is roughly 7 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Place the dough log on the plate of sparkling sugar, then gently roll it around to coat completely. Remove it to one of the sheets of plastic wrap and wrap it up. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and sparkling sugar. When done, place both logs of dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 3 days.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325F. Line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.
Working with one log of dough at a time, slice off any scraggly ends, then slice in increments of 1/4-1/3 inch (I went 1/3 inch because I prefer thick shortbread). Place slices about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared pans.
Bake cookies 14-16 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and back to front at the 8 minute mark. Cookies are done when they look completely dry and are just starting to turn pale golden at the edges. They should not brown.
Let cookies cool completely on their sheet pans. Serve. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for at least a week.
I’ve been thinking about Texas a lot lately, partially because I haven’t been to visit my family in 14 months and also because there was a devastating winter weather/energy crisis all over the state last week. Truly, I was consumed with horror listening to the news and compulsively checking in with friends and family to make sure they were alright.
If you didn’t know, the pecan is the state nut of Texas (though we have a lot of men of note who might give it a run for its money). We call them “puh-cahns” in my neck of the woods and we put them in everything: chocolate chip cookies, sticky buns, Thanksgiving stuffing, you name it. The queen of all pecan desserts is obviously Pecan Pie, which (surprise!) happens to be the Texas state pie. It’s been declared by the Texas House of Representatives, so it’s legit.
My Pecan Pie Bars are thick and buttery, with equal layers of brown sugar shortbread and sweet pecan pie filling. While some pecan pie bar recipes have a single layer of pecans perched on top of approximately 100 feet of sugar goo that goes everywhere the second you take a bite, that’s just not my style. Nope! These babies are packed to the gills with toasted pecans and will not disintegrate before you finish them. Handheld desserts shouldn’t require a fork and three napkins, y’all.
I prefer the pecans in my Pecan Pie (and adjacent desserts) to be chopped pretty thoroughly, but feel free to leave the pieces larger (or even whole) if that’s what makes you happy. You could also tile whole pecans on top of the filling before baking if a pretty topper is important to your Pecan Pie Bar enjoyment. As for me, I think these are pretty perfect as-is. They may not quite be the state pie of Texas, but they sure are delicious.
If you’d like to make a donation to help with hunger, housing or damage from the events in Texas last week, please consider supporting 
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