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Gluten Free Whipped Shortbread

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By 106 Comments


Gluten Free Whipped Shortbread from The Baking Beauties

 

Over the 5 1/2 years of my gluten-free journey, I’ve been able to pretty much re-create all my old holiday favourites. Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies – Check. Cream Cookies – Check. Cinnamon Buns – Double Check. I don’t feel deprived at all, in fact, I’m feeling quite content. I know I can make everything that I enjoyed before going gluten-free, plus more (trust me, I wasn’t this much of a baker before going gluten-free). So I wasn’t really sure what to add to my holiday baking, or what new recipes I could share with you.

But, the plea from a reader for me to help her convert her Mother’s Whipped Shortbread recipe to gluten-free was good enough incentive to get me into the kitchen. Until now, I’ve never been a fan of shortbread. When put on a tray with all the cookies that are covered in chocolate, nuts, caramel, coloured sugar, or icing, they just didn’t appeal to me. That being said, I’ve never had Whipped Shortbread before. This gluten free Whipped Shortbread – Oh my – the texture and buttery flavour of these little cookies is anything but plain & boring. The cookies are very light, and literally melt in your mouth. Although they don’t have to be, they are pretty topped with a sliver of cherry, sprinkles, or coloured sugar, making them a contender on any cookie platter.

 

Yield: 40 cookies

Gluten Free Whipped Shortbread

Gluten Free Whipped Shortbread
Although traditional Whipped Shortbread does not include any vanilla or almond extract, I found that it gave the cookies a really great flavour. If you're a purist, you can omit the flavourings.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 23 minutes
Total Time 43 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' (icing) sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but good)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, but good)
  • 1 cup white rice flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • cherries, coloured sugar or sprinkles for decorating

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Place the butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Starting on slow speed, and slowly increasing, beat the butter & sugar until fully combined, scraping down the bowl in between. Add the extracts if using, and beat until blended.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Slowly add to the butter mixture while the mixer is on low speed. Once the flour has been worked in, slowly increase the speed to medium. Beat on medium speed for 5-6 minutes. This is crucial, as it adds the lightness to the dough, giving you a light, airy cookie.
  4. Scoop 3/4-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet, keeping 2-inches between cookies. I use my small cookie scoop for this, works perfectly.
  5. Use a fork, that has been floured with rice flour, to press the cookies down slightly. Place cherries, sprinkles, or coloured sugar on the top of the cookies, if using.
  6. Bake in preheated oven for 23-25 minutes. You do not want the cookies to brown at all, just for the dough to set. Let cookies remain on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire cooling rack.
  7. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.
© Jeanine Friesen
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies & Bars

 

Looking for more Christmas Cookies?

40+ Gluten Free Cookies for Santa FREE E-book | The Baking Beauties

If you haven’t already done so, be sure to download your FREE copy of Gluten-Free Cookies for Santa,
a compilation of over 40 gluten-free cookie recipes from yours truly. Merry Christmas!

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Comments

  1. was looking at your recipe, I don”t like cornstarch in my shortbread cookies, so the other day I took my regular recipe of shortbread, which is 1 cup butter, 2/3 cup br sugar & 2 cups flour. I replaced the flour with 1 cup sweet rice flour & 1 cup ground almonds, they turned out great

    Reply

  2. I can’t wait to try this, Jeanine. Whipped Shortbread is one of my family’s favorite Christmas cookies. Our recipe actually calls for a cup of cornstarch in addition to quite a bit of all-purpose flour. I have been wondering how I might adapt my recipe to gluten free, and am so pleased that you have done the work for me. It’s like a Christmas gift! Thanks so very much!

    Reply

  3. These look just delightful 🙂 Shortbread are one of my favorites! I am going to try these with Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose flour and see how they come out. My fingers are crossed.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Janet! However, I wouldn’t suggest the Bob’s all purpose flour. If it’s the same one I have (do they have more than 1?), it’s a heavy, bean based flour. I don’t think that would be the best for these. You’re welcome to try though, and if you do, let me know. I just think a lighter flour, without the bean flour, would work better.

      Reply

      • Tried this before I read the comments. Yes, it was too heavy of a flour to use. The cookies ended up being cakey instead if light and fluffy.

        Reply

        • Bobs red mill all purpose also has a terrible taste, I tried it before I found this recipe and my cookies tasted terrible!

          Reply

  6. These sound delicious!
    Since I have a corn allergy, I appreciate hearing the corn starch can be substituted with arrowroot flour. I am wondering if there is a substitute for the butter, yes a dairy allergy. Also, I can’t do any margarine with intolerance to canola, sunflower, safflower oils and soy. I am wondering if another oil, like coconut, can work in place of the butter. The confectioner’s sugar, which is based in corn, can it be replaced with tapioca sugar? I know probably not at all possibly, taste will not be the same, but worth trying. Thanks for any words of wisdom you might share.

    Reply

    • Hi Lorna
      I just made these – without icing sugar or cornstarch. Like someone already said I used used arrowroot in lieu of the cornstarch. To make an icing sugar substitute I blended 1/2 cup white sugar til fine (thus making fruit sugar) and added 1 tbsp arrowroot. They turned about beautifully!
      Finally I can enjoy shortbread again!!
      Kathy

      PS Thanks loads Jeanine! You have added much pleasure to many lives!!

      Reply

  7. Thanks Jeanine for the super handy copy for Christmas Cookies, and all for free! Like another commenter mentioned before: it really is like a Christmas gift!
    I really enjoyed following you on this blog and baking along with you last year and I do hope you’ll continue all this for many, many more years to come. After all, you are a glutenfree guru to me!
    I do hope you and your family will have a very happy and tasty Christmas and the best wishes for 2014 from the other (Dutch) side of the pond!

    Reply

    • Jools, it has been my pleasure! It’s so neat to know that others from around the world are enjoying the recipes, and I still smile when I think of your family saying “that Canadian”. 🙂 I hope you & your family have a wonderful, blessed Christmas as well!

      Reply

      • Hahaha, well I have to confess it has become a bit of a running gag in my family. After I bake something new they say ‘probably Canadian?’
        😉

        Reply

  9. I was all set to make the whipped shortbread I made last Christmas (a conversion from a wheat flour recipe), when I saw this one on FB. Made yours instead – FANTASTIC!!!!

    Reply

  10. I’m bummed about how my cookies turned out. I followed the recipe exactly as stated but none of them set. I even did all 3 batches for slightly different times to see if that was the issue but it didn’t make them any different. Any suggestions?

    Reply

      • These cookies turned out delicious but they did look a little flat. I think maybe i had softened the butter too much. I will try chilling the dough in the refrigerator next time. Aside from that they were airy and light. Thanks for the recipe!

        Reply

    • I had this problem too. They all flattened completely. After I left them to (hopefully) set, I tried lifting them with a thin, flat spatula and they disintegrated. They fell to dust. I saved the delicious crumbs for shortbread crust, but there was no way these could be eaten like cookies!!!

      My question to you Emily: Do you live at high altitude? I do. This is my best guess. I’m going to try other renditions and if you’d like, I’ll post here if something works out.

      Have you had any progress?

      Reply

  11. My Mom & I have made Whipped shortbread cookies for over 20 years using flour icing sugar & butter. 3 2 1 recipe 3 C. Flour 2 C. Icing Sugar 1 pound of butter. Whip for 3-7 minutes with a hand mixer until light & fluffy put dough into Icing bag & pipe dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet bake 7-10 at 325 degrees or until golden brown. The longer you whip the dough the fluffier & lighter the cookies will be. These cookies will literally melt in your mouth.

    Reply

    • I make that recipe as well with the addition of 1 tsp of vanilla. It had been my favourite for years. I am happy to find this gluten free version so I can make them for our friend’s Christmas party. The host has to eat gluten free.

      Reply

  13. Thank you, thank you. These cookies turned out perfectly (no substitutions.) The lighter than air, almost silky texture make them perfect for gifts. I’m thinking orange flavoring with a dark chocolate glaze will be the project for tomorrow.

    Reply

  14. Thank you for sharing this recipe. My son can have nothing that has gluten in it and as this is my first year for this I am still learning. He tells me that they taste great so again thank you for taking the time to share.

    Reply

  16. hi Jeanine

    Just made these whipped shortbread cookies and decorated them with cherries – they were perfect. Your recipes always work so well! Thank you for taking the time to create and share with us.

    Suzy from New Zealand

    Reply

  18. I am new to this gluten free baking but I am getting excited about trying these cookies. I tried a store bought cookie very expensive but very good. I thought I can make these. Tonight I will try. Thank you and I will let you know how they turned out.

    Reply

    • Okay I added pecans and mini chocolate chips to this recipe and the cookies turned out fabulous. About a cup of chopped pecans and 1/2 c of mini chocolate chips. They are light and airy, melt in your mouth yummy. They are fragile, but stay whole while eating them.

      Reply

      • Hi Jeanine
        Good to see your blog!! I was reading the responses to these shortbread cookies and wondered if you had tried using a cookie press? I use the cookie press for the flour type and it works great. Maybe as one reader suggested – cooling the dough? I am going to try and will let you know how they turn out!
        Aunt Karen

        Reply

  19. Admittedly I have little to none experience with being gluten free. I made a decision about two months ago to try a gluten free diet. I has NOT been an easy thing to do. i am an avid cook and do enjoy the baked goods. I have given a number of new and changed recipes a shot with moderate success, that is until this one. This is so close to my Christmas Whipped Shortbread it is difficult to tell the difference. A definite 5 star! I have discovered thou it is VERY important to use the best quality items you can find. White rice flour in particular, you will get a great result from this recipe! Big THANK YOU for developing this one. It has found a place in the recipe box right beside my traditional Whipped Shortbread!!!!!

    Reply

  20. Hi,
    I have two questions on ingredients;
    Is it possible to make white rice flour by just blending white rice? (I have a vitamix blender).
    Also, is there anything else I can substitute for xantham gum? It is SO expensive I really can’t fathom buying it. Could I possibly leave it out? Or do you think I could substitute ground chia seeds or flax seeds and get a decent texture? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Michele – Guar gum can be used 1 for 1 in place of xantham gum.
      Jeanine – I haven’t tried your cookies yet and am getting ready to head south for the winter, but plan on making them down there. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply

  21. Hi,
    I just made my first batch of these cookies and they look so pretty but as soon as I touch them they totally disintegrate into “dust” as another reviewer said. I followed the recipe to the letter; do you have any idea why this would happen? They taste soo good, but obviously I can’t serve crumbs as cookies. Thanks for your help.

    Reply

    • I had the same thing happen to me last night and was incredibly disappointed; so after the first 4 broken ones I decided to just leave the rest of them on the pan and continue with the rest of my baking. I left them for about an hour or so, and when I came back to do something with them, they held together! The resting time on the pan after coming out of the oven is essential to keeping these cookies from completely falling apart. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  22. Just made these and they are lovely. My only problem is that they are extremely fragile. Are there any tweaks to make them hold up a little better? I’ve never made regular whipped shortbread so I have no idea how they should look/feel.

    Reply

    • I found them fragile too but if you keep them refrigerated, they stay together really well. My kids just eat right from fridge!

      Reply

  23. WOW!!!! These are so amazingly good you can’t tell they’re gluten free! My non-gluten free family members can’t tell the difference!
    Thanks!

    Reply

  24. Hi Janine! I just wanted to let you know that I’m featuring this amazing recipe in my post 102 Gluten Free Cookie Recipies. I’m also pinning it to my Gluten Free Cookie Madness Board. 🙂

    You are more than welcome to share this amazing resource with your readers or link to this post if you’d like! Thanks so much for the inspiration! Here’s the url: 102 Gluten Free Cookie Recipies

    Reply

  25. Just wondered if anyone has tried using a spritz cookie press with this recipe. Our family whipped shortbread was always done with a press and I’m missing the pretty little rosettes it made. Anyone?

    Reply

    • I tried using a spritz press… The dough was too soft and got stuck in the press. Maybe if you tried chilling the dough first? I haven’t had the chance to try again.

      Reply

  27. Recipe is OK.. tastes good, but the cookies fall apart instantly when you pick them up. I followed the recipe to a T. My father was a pastry chef, and celiac, so I know how to bake with these ingredients. Won’t use this recipe again.

    Reply

  28. i made these a little bit ago. ive extensive experience baking, both with and without gluten, and these were a mess! im sure it was user error, as others have clearly had a great experience. they taste delightful, but were flat and just fell apart into dust. any ideas on what went wrong?

    Reply

  29. Hi,
    Just made these shortbread cookies — wonderful taste, but “sandy” and not as buttery as I would have liked. They are really delicate. Would adding a bit more butter hurt the balance? What would make them less sandy? I used Bob Mills Rice flour which is nice and fine. I did chill the batter a bit before rolling them into balls. I remember in ATK’s book with muffins, etc. to leave the batter for 30 minutes and that takes away some of unwanted texture (like graininess) — wonder whether that would help?

    Reply

  30. Thank you Thank you. Thankyou! I am 51 years old and just starting to bake..Lol. Your recipe is fabulous. I must say it is better then my mother-inlaws and hers is divine but not gluten-free. I wanted to start a new Christmas tradition this year that my grand children (don have any yet,I am hopeful) will carry on and this recipe will be the first of many.

    Merry Christmas Jeanine.
    Katie in Edmonton.

    Reply

  31. Has anyone ever tried freezing the dough to bake at a later date? I do this all the time with regular cookie dough but have never tried it with a gluten free dough.

    Reply

  32. Hi: This is my first jaunt into the world of gluten-free cooking. I followed the recipe to the ‘T” – cookies looked lovely and the taste was a little grainy but they were so flaky that I could not pick them up. The only think that I can think of is the batter beating time – I did a full 5 minutes on medium speed. Do you have any suggestions?

    Reply

  33. OH MY GOODNESS!!! These are SO GOOD!!! I missed shortbread cookies. Seriously. At first, when I took them out of the oven, waited for them to cool a bit, and transferred them off the baking stone, I was a bit worried since I took a bite and they turned to dust in my mouth (they were still warm). But I put them in the fridge to harden completely, and they were PERFECT. They are fine even if you leave them out on the counter to come to room temperature later. It’s like they need to COMPLETELY cool to “set.” They taste exactly like the shortbread cookies I remember. Thank-you!!!

    Reply

  35. Very good recipe I’m lactose intolerant as well as ceiiac so just replaced butter with margarine and they were great.

    Reply

  36. I just found your recipe for whipped shortbread cookies. They are delicious and so easy. I’m making more tomorrow!

    Reply

  37. Hi there, I would like to try this recipe usin President’s Choice Gluten Free All Purpose Flour but am not sure how much to use. I tried a different recipe last night and although they tasted yummy they can out extremely flat 🙁
    Any help would be greatly appreciated!
    Thanks and Merry Christmas?

    Reply

  38. Awesome recipe. Made it the for Christmas Eve this year and it was fabulous. Light, melt in your mouth, bits of yum!! Couldn’t even tell it was gluten free. I didn’t have white rice flour, so I used 1/2 c brown rice flour, 1/4 cup millet and 1/4 cup coconut flour. Will definitely be making these sweet bites again :))

    Reply

  39. Awesome Recipe! Will be attempting it this weekend. My question to you is that I don’t have a stand mixer, would a regular hand mixer work just as well? Thank you!

    Reply

  40. hello, excited to try these beauties, however, rice flour has a really high GI, I’m ketogenic….any thoughts on if I can use fine almond flour instead of rice flour? open to suggestions. Lisa

    Reply

  41. Followed recipe except extracts,…horrible result. They melted all over and crumble. They were a Christmas surprise for my daughter…not now

    Reply

  42. Jeanne’s other website was the first one I encountered back when I started this new direction in my life, gluten free. I always admired her ‘can-do’ approach, raising a family and doing it so well! Glad to see her on Pinterest. Oh, these cookies are divine.

    Reply

  43. I made these today with my Granddaughter as a surprise for her Mom who has recently gone gluten free. Very disappointed. They are completely flat and disintegrate if you touch them. Followed the recipe to the letter, so not sure what the problem is. Will try to make something with the crumbs as the flavor is really nice, but won’t make again.

    Reply

  44. I’m gluten intolerant ( I don’t know if it’s an allergy. I wanted to hear your opinion on cake and pastry flour ( which is gluten free but the people in marketing haven’t worked on that yet ). Gluten is needed for ” standard doughs like bread and pizza…the stretchiness ). I’m not a fan of the textures of starches. I prefer not to use corn or rice products unless organic and I avoid all soy. Long story short, I haven’t had any problems with cake and pastry flour.

    Reply

    • Cheryl, I am gluten intolerant also not celiac. I am going to try the cake and pastry flour. I hope it works because all the gluten free flours are just to delicate. Thanks, Karen M.

      Reply

  45. I’m sorry, they didn’t work for me. Looked perfect but totally fell apart, you couldn’t even pick them up. I followed the recipe to a tee and not sure what happened. I am a pretty good baker but am getting disappointed with a lot of gluten free baking, including the cost!

    Reply

  46. I just made these and had the same results as some of the other bakers – my cookies were very crumbly and disintegrated as soon as I took them off of the pan (had even left them to cool longer on the pan as a previous commenter suggested). I’m an experienced baker, especially in gluten-free baked goods, so I have absolutely no idea why these did not turn out. Followed the directions to a tee – was so disapppointed in the texture. The flavour was delicious, but I can’t even lift them off of the cooling rack without them crumbling! Sorry, Jeanine, these did not work for me!

    Reply

  47. Same failure as others. Suspect the issue is how tightly flour is packed. Can anybody comment as to the correct consistency of the dough after the 5-6 minute mixing? Mine was the consistency of whipped cream…

    Reply

  49. I made these and they are delicious, I used an Asian brand for the rice flour that is super finely ground, and you would never know they are gluten free!

    Reply

  51. I am using the Robin Hood gluten free all purpose flour blend. Do I still add tapioca starch flour , white rice flour and xanthan gum. My granddaughter is also dairy free so could I use earth balance butter as a substitute.

    Reply

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