Oh my goodness, there the most heavenly aroma is flooding my kitchen right now. Easy-baked gluten-free, vegan shortbread cookies are happening!

I was so thrilled when I developed this recipe. Not only is it de-e-e-elicious, it is also super easy to make. I love that healthy eating can be delectable too.

It’s hard to imagine that something this delectable contains only six ingredients – all available from good health food stores or (in some places) good supermarkets. We’re talking rice flour, tapioca flour, vanilla extract, maple syrup, ground flaxseed, and coconut oil. That’s it! These shortbread cookies feature in my refined sugar free vegan desserts collection – my home to a plethora of naturally sweetened, gluten-free, plant-based recipes.

Gluten-free Vegan Shortbread Cookies With a Rolling Pin (or not)

These biscuits (as we would call them in England) are crunchy! They deliver the perfect snap as you take a bite. They remind me of shortbread too.

I used a rolling pin to roll these out today. However, if I didn’t have a rolling pin to hand (as sometimes happens if I am running a retreat and the kitchen isn’t fully stocked for my exciting baking endeavours) then there are other options. I might use a jar to roll out with. More often than not, I’ll just press the mixture out with my hands, as flat as I can get it (in which case we’ll enjoy gorgeously bumpy biscuits).

I’m staying with my mam at the moment – she was at work today and I couldn’t find the cookie cutters. So I improvised and cut them out with the top of a drinking glass. Worked perfectly. At other times I might not create them in round shapes at all, but might just cut them into squares or triangles with a knife. Where there’s a will, there is always a way. There’s just no stopping you!

Gluten-free Vegan Shortbread Cookies Special Flour Blend

I prefer to use my own blend of rice flour and tapioca flour for this (as you’ll find I do in a lot of my recipes). You can buy ready mixed purpose-made gluten-free flour (although I can’t vouch for exactly what is in each ‘pre-made blend, the ratios, or what the final outcome would be). If you only have a pre-mixed bag of general gluten-free flour available, then it would be worth trying that for sure.

Tapioca flour. The tapioca flour in this recipe can be a little confusing. You can use tapioca flour, tapioca starch, or cassava flour. They’re very similar (and arguably the same thing). I use them interchangeably. Just use whatever you have available.

Ground flaxseed. I love adding a bit of ground flaxseed to this, for a little extra dose of healthy nutrients. We’re talking, pretty healthy shortbreads really.

Decorate your cookies with melted chocolate and healthy sprinkles

The easiest way to decorate your cookies is to melt some chocolate and dip them in. Simply leave them to set!

Add and sprinkles before the chocolate sets.

Some of my fave sprinkles…

• Freeze dried raspberry sprinkles
• Chopped goji berries
• Chopped nuts
• Chopped pumpkin seeds
• Dessicated or shredded coconut

or just have them as they come…

Continue to Content

Easy Gluten-free Vegan Crunch Shortbread Cookies (with only 6 ingredients)

Yield: 10 cookies

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

A delicious gluten-free, vegan crunchy shortbread cookie recipe made with only six ingredients. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup and benefiting from ground flaxseed.

Print

Ingredients

• 100g brown rice flour
• 100g tapioca flour (or tapioca starch or cassava flour)
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• Extra sprinkle of rice flour to roll with

Instructions

1. Add the rice flour, tapioca flour and flaxseed to a mixing bowl and mix together.
2. Melt the coconut oil.
3. Add the coconut oil, vanilla extract, and maple syrup to the bowl and mix in thoroughly with a spoon. I like to get my hands in once it starts bind and then use my hands to bring it together into a dough ball.
4. Squash together and then sprinkle a little rice flour on your work surface.
5. Press the mixture down and then start rolling with a rolling pin. The mixture might start to fall apart (this is normal). Just push back together any parts that fall away.
6. Roll until it becomes about ½ cm ( ¼ inch) thick.
7. Cut out your cookies. You could use a knife to cut into squares or use a cookie cutter (or the top of a drinking glass). Slide a cake slice or a knife under each cookie and pop them onto a baking tray.
8. Pop into a preheated oven at gas mark 4 (350ºF/180ºC) for between 12 and 15 minutes (depending on your oven).
9. They'll stay light in colour (if they tan, then they are probably overcooked). Once baked pop them onto a cooling rack.
10. Serve once cooled.
11. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

This is a recipe from my plant-based cookbook

This recipe features in my book The Kind Earth Cookbook which you can get here for loads more inspiration in the kitchen…

Pin gluten-free vegan cookies for later…