Gluten-Free Citrus-Nut Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from Cannelle et Vanille. The frozen dough stores well and is a good option for a holiday cookie or last-minute party treat.
Adapted from Cannelle et Vanille. The frozen dough stores well and is a good option for a holiday cookie or last-minute party treat.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1 cup butter room temperature is best
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (plus some for dusting)
- 1 medium vanilla bean split lengthwise and scraped
- 1-2 tablespoons citrus juice fresh squeezed: orange is best
- citrus zest from one orange
- 1 cup superfine brown rice flour alternate: combo of white and brown rice flour
- 3/4 cup finely ground pecan alternate: almond meal
- 1/2 cup amaranth flour alternate: white sorghum flour, or quinoa flour, or coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon amaranth flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup fruit jam of your choice i like berry varieties
- Carbohydrate 4.56236676377309 g
- Cholesterol 48.4687452309292 mg
- Fat 10.8760748362909 g
- Fiber 0.161452893528405 g
- Protein 0.5105298152616 g
- Saturated Fat 6.73141930610232 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (22g)
- Sodium 74.9427846747775 mg
- Sugar 4.40091387024468 g
- Trans Fat 0.79418877695445 g
- Calories 116 calories
Step-by-step
- Blend the butter, sugar, and vanilla seeds until light and creamy. Add the citrus juice and zest. Mix well. Add the egg yolks, and mix until incorporated.
- Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until the dough comes together. It will be sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a section of parchment paper, and roll it into a log with a 2-inch diameter. Wrap the dough well and chill in the refrigerator for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the log into 1/4" disks and bake for 10-11 minutes, or until just lightly browned. Remove from the oven and while still warm, gently press an indentation into the each cookie to create a reservoir for your jam of choice.
- Cool the cookies until you can handle them, then gently coat them with powdered sugar. Top with a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of fruit jam in the center of each cookie.
- Optional: After dough has chilled for one hour, slice the log into 1/4" disks and place in a freezer-proof, resealable plastic bag. Freeze until needed. Thaw slightly before baking.
Room-temperature butter does the heavy lifting in this dough by trapping air during the creaming stage, which builds the structural foundation required when working with heavy alternative flours. Creaming the butter with powdered sugar rather than granulated sugar introduces fine starch particles that inhibit gluten development and yield a more tender crumb once baked. Ensure the butter sits on the counter until it yields to gentle thumb pressure without losing its shape entirely, as melted fat will cause the cookies to spread flat on the baking sheet.
Superfine brown rice flour provides structure, but replacing it or the amaranth flour shifts the hydration needs of the dough significantly. Coconut flour, for instance, absorbs vastly more moisture than sorghum or quinoa flours due to its high fiber content, meaning direct one-to-one swaps without adjusting liquid can result in a crumbly, unmanageable mass that refuses to hold a log shape. Finely ground pecans add essential fats that compensate for the lack of traditional wheat gluten, lubricating the protein matrix so the slices do not shatter when cut.
Freshly squeezed orange juice and freshly grated zest supply volatile aromatic oils that dried or bottled alternatives lack completely, imparting a vibrant top note that cuts through the rich butterfat. Scraping a whole vanilla bean directly into the fat allows the seeds to distribute evenly, whereas extract introduces excess liquid that can toughen shortbread. Always chill the rolled dough log for a full hour at 38 degrees Fahrenheit to solidify the butter before slicing into quarter-inch disks.
Removing the cookies from the oven the moment the edges turn lightly golden prevents the starches from drying out completely. Pressing an indentation into each disk while the batch remains warm creates a structural reservoir that anchors the fruit jam without letting it slide off the sides during dusting with powdered sugar.
