3-ingredient Coconut Flour Shortbread Cookies
These coconut flour shortbread cookies are healthy 3-ingredient vegan coconut flour cookies with a delicious crumbly texture. Bonus, these healthy coconut flour cookies are also grain-free and keto-friendly.
There is no season to enjoy a delicious crunchy shortbread cookie! And what’s better than healthy coconut flour shortbread cookies 100% vegan to snack with a cup of coffee?
What’s coconut flour?
Coconut flour is a low-carb keto flour made from dried coconut meat. It is a very healthy gluten-free flour, low in carbs and high in fiber.
Due to the high fiber content of coconut flour, it can be difficult to:
- Bake with coconut flour – especially in vegan baking recipes where eggs are not involved as a binder.
- Swallow coconut flour cookies – the high fiber content dries up the mouth quickly, and some people found coconut flour difficult to swallow. That’s why you should always drink plenty of water when eating high-fiber food.
The key to baking with coconut flour is to use a fresh bag of flour with no lumps and measure the flour accurately, preferably in weight rather than cups.
How to make Coconut Flour Shortbread Cookies?
You only need 3 ingredients for these shortbread cookies made with coconut flour. However, while the recipe is pretty straightforward, make sure you measure each ingredient precisely for the best result.
Ingredients
The ingredients you need to make these coconut flour shortbread recipes are wholesome natural ingredients you probably have in your pantry.
- Coconut flour – make sure you use a fresh bag of coconut flour or flour that hasn’t been in contact with humidity. In fact, coconut flour is highly liquid absorbent, and an old bag of flour, not stored in an airtight container, forms lumps. As a result, the amount of ‘active’ fiber in your coconut flour won’t be the same if it has not been stored properly.
- Maple syrup – other liquid sweeteners will work, making dryer cookies. That’s why maple syrup is recommended for these shortbread cookies made with coconut flour.
- Melted coconut oil – you can use refined coconut oil if you don’t like an overpowering coconut flavor in your coconut flour cookies. In fact, refined coconut oil has no flavor compared to unrefined coconut oil.
- Optional – you can flavor the dough by adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Step-by-step coconut flour shortbread cookie recipe
As mentioned before, it can be tricky to bake with coconut flour because it contains a lot of fiber. To help you achieve the best coconut flour shortbread cookies, I have updated this recipe.
Follow the step-by-step recipe pictures below to make the best gluten-free, vegan cookies with coconut flour. Or watch my Web Story: Making the Keto Coconut Flour Shortbread Cookies.
Step 1: measure coconut flour
Coconut flour is high in fiber, and fiber tends to dry the cookie dough very quickly. That’s why you must measure the flour in weight or with the scoop and sweep.
Step 2: combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, add the coconut flour, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup.
Combine the ingredients with a mixing spoon until it comes together and forms a soft dough that you can roll into a cylinder.
Step 3: form a cylinder and refrigerate
Place the shortbread cookie dough on plastic film and roll into a log, about 2 inches in diameter. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or until the log is hard as a block of butter.
Step 4: slice the shortbread
Remove the log from the fridge. The log should be as hard as a block of butter. Remove the log from the freezer and cut off 0.4-inch think cookies using a long sharp knife. Don’t cut the cookies too thin, or they can fall apart.
If the dough crumbles apart, it’s easy to reshape the dough by hands, pressing the dough together into a round shortbread shape.
Step 5: bake
Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Cover a baking tray with parchment paper and place the cookies on the baking sheet leaving some space between the cookies.
The cookies won’t spread in the oven, but you don’t want them to touch each other.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are slightly golden brown.
Baking time depends a lot on the thickness of your coconut flour cookies. If some bake faster, remove them first from the oven.
Step 6: cool down at room temperature
Cool the coconut flour cookies on a cooling rack at room temperature before dipping them into melted chocolate.
How to decorate your coconut flour cookies?
This is optional but decorating shortbread cookies is always fun. I recommend melting vegan dark chocolate chips and dip half of the shortbread into the melted chocolate.
I hope you enjoyed this dairy-free coconut flour cookie recipe. If so, don’t forget to share it on Pinterest for later!
Can I use Almond Flour?
No, you can’t replace coconut flour with the same ratio of almond flour. Almond flour contains 4 times less fiber than coconut flour, and therefore the ratio of dry ingredients to wet ingredients will be very different.
If you love almond cookies, try my 3-ingredient almond flour shortbread cookie recipe.
Can I use other sweeteners?
You can use sugar-free liquid sweetener or agave syrup in this recipe.
However, keep in mind that sugar-free liquid sweeteners are high in fiber as well, and therefore the texture of the cookies will be much more dry and fragile.
You may need way more syrup or oil to achieve the same texture.
You can’t use crystal sweeteners in this recipe like coconut sugar or brown sugar. It must be a liquid sweetener.
Can I add nut butter to the recipe?
No, you can’t replace coconut with nut butter like peanut butter or almond butter. The only fat substitute available is vegan butter – not vegan margarine!
Can I roll and cut out the dough?
This recipe has been originally written to be rolled and cut out using a cookie cutter.
However, this technique is not the most appropriate as many people struggle to roll the dough.
In fact, the dough is so high in fiber that it dries out fast if you roll it too many times to form cut-out cookies.
That’s why this recipe has been updated on May 2021, with a no-fail technique that makes beautiful coconut flour shortbread cookies every time.
More vegan, gluten-free cookie recipes
If you love easy vegan cookie recipes, you may want to try my other recipes:
More vegan coconut flour recipes
If you like recipes with coconut flour, have a look at these:
Have you made these nut-free vegan shortbread cookies? Share a comment or review below. I love to hear back from you on my recipes.
Your friend, Carine
Learn more about how to start your vegan journey with our beginner’s guide to the vegan diet!
Coconut Flour Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup Coconut Flour
- ½ cup Coconut Oil - (4 fl.oz)
- ½ cup Maple Syrup - (4 fl.oz)
Instructions
- This recipe has been updated in May 2021. The ingredient measurements are the same, but the technique to shape the cookies has changed for the best results.
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line one large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Carefully measure the flour and liquids in small containers. I recommend using grams/oz to measure coconut flour with precision.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add all the ingredients. The order doesn't matter: coconut flour, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup.
- Combine with a spoon until it forms a soft and moist cookie dough.
- Place the shortbread cookie dough on plastic film and roll into a log, about 2 inches in diameter.
- Chill in the log in the fridge for 20 minutes or until the log is hard as a block of butter.
- Remove the log from the fridge. The log should be hard as a block of butter. Using a long sharp knife, cut off 0.4-inch-thick cookies. Don't cut the cookies too thin or they can crumble apart. If the dough crumbles apart, it's easy to reshape the dough by hands, pressing the dough together into a round shortbread shape.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between each cookie to make sure they don't touch each other - they won't expand in the oven.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the sides are just starting to become golden brown. Note that baking time varies a lot based on the thickness of the cookies. Don't over-bake them, or they will be very hard and dry in the middle.
- Cool down on a cookie rack at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- If you want to decorate the cookies with melted dark chocolate, wait for the cookies to be at room temperature. You can freeze the dipped cookies for 2-5 minutes to set the chocolate shell quickly.
Storage
- Store in a cookie jar at room temperature for up to 1 month or freeze in a ziplock bag. Defrost the day before.
Notes
Nutrition
Hello Carine;
I just found this recipe today and was planning to make this for someone who is trying to eat “no sugar” (including no artificial sugars) and wondering if you think this recipe would work if:
(1). I deleted the sugar altogether.
(2). Decreased the sugar by 50%?
If you could provide your thoughts on both of the above, that would be really appreciated.
I don’t think it will works without sugar I am sorry
I love coconut flour! Thank you for the sweet and easy recipe! I followed as written and it turned out great! No crumbling and very tasty!
Hi Carinne,
Thanks for posting this recipe, I am looking forward to figuring out how to make it work. I measured the ingredients in grams and managed to roll the dough into a log. But how do you cut the log? You do not have any photos. When I cut it, it completely crumbles into bits. You mention that the dough can be pressed back together if it crumbles, but that is not the case when it is chilled. I resharpened my knife so that it is very sharp, and I use very light pressure, but the log completely falls apart.
There’s picture above this comment section of how I cut the slices from the log. You can wet your finger if it’s that crumbly but I am not sure what happened I don’t have this issue here.
Delicious cookies, a bit crumbly…but that’s okay…just ate them anyway. I added the zest of a lime. Will definitely make again.
Hey Carine,
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. We will be relocating to a small island in the Pacific that is abundant with coconut so I’m trying out some recipes for homemade goods. I am familiar with coconut flour so knew what to expect and found this recipe super easy to use. I didn’t have quite enough coconut flour on hand so had to use about 50g of GF plain flour. Just made sure the texture was right. I melted my coconut oil first so it was the perfect consistency. Delish!!
I was wondering if I would be able to make them with golden syrup?
Feel free to experiment, I didn’t try that but it can work
I had trouble with these at first, the dough kept crumbling and i couldn’t form a ball. I left it to sit for a while and came back to it and it was still crumbly, but was able to roll it out by being very gentle and finally managed to bake them. They’re nice with some chocolate, and I made a few jam sandwich ones too.
Very tasty and although there were many tiny-print steps, it turned out great!
omg i just made these and they taste amazing. Absolutely brilliant recipe!!!! They smell and taste like shortbread cookies and hold their shape very well and also do not taste coconutty at all. I made heart shaped ones dipped in chocolate ganache. Perfect for Valentines 🙂
I made these cookies, measuring precisely and they look great! But we call them “the choking cookies” the only way to get them down with out feeling like you’re choking or having heart burn is to drink a lot of milk with them! Beware! ‼️
Coconut flour contains 4 times more fiber than any other flour. Some people consequently feel it difficult to swallow coconut flour baked goods. It depends on everyone tastebuds. Enjoy
Is it possible to add some sort of flavor extract like vanilla or almond? Not sure if it would alter the texture of the cookie, but I don’t know if anyone has experimented. I was going to try with ube extract since I know that usually compliments coconut really well in Filipino desserts. 🙂
Yes, but keep the amount low to avoid changing the batter texture too much 1/2 teaspoon is great. Enjoy! XOXO Carine
The best ever.My bnb guests are wild about these healthy, yummy cookiesGrandma Suzyq
Why did mine crack after cooking and not hold their nice shape?? Was all going well until I took them out of the oven
Come to think of it, is it because I used honey instead of liquid sweetener??
Good morning,
I am sorry to hear that and it shouldn’t happens. Coconut flour contains 4 time smore fiber than any other flours. Therefore it’s extremely sensitive to the liquid/dry ratio. Honey tend to be more sticky and it could be the reason. As a vegan blogger, I never use honey but I had success with maple syrup all the time. It can also be that your oven is too hot or you overbake the cookies. I hope it helps.
Can I replace the natural maple syrup with a sugar free maple syrup, like Lakanto Maple Syrup, sweetened with monk fruit? It has a very liquidy texture like the natural maple syrup, it just doesn’t contain sugar. Will this still hold the texture of the dough?
It won’t work here, there is way too much fiber in lakanto syrup, they will crumble apart and be very dry.
Made cookies to the T. Only commentary I have is that its a dry cookie. I would some type of a topping to it It was very hard to swallow
Coconut flour contains 4 times more fiber than any other flour and some people found it dry and hard to swallow. That’s why I like to dip mine in tea or coffee 🙂 Enjoy, XOXO Carine
I’m about to try these with my GF and DF son…would black molasses work instead of maple syrup??
No sorry black molasse won’t work, you need a light syrup like maple syrup or agave syrup
Hi! The cookies are to sweet for my personal taste! Do you have an ideea to make them less sweeter? I used agave sirup instead of maple syrup. Maybe agave sirup is sweeter than maple syrup. Anyway, it’s a bit challanging to make them but are the perfect cookies.
Agave syrup is definitely on the sweet side, maybe try brown rice syrup or apple syrup they contains less sugar. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Thank you for the hint! I’ll try that way and I’ll let you know.
Hi there
The biscuits tasted delicious.
I had a problem with binding the flour. I am not sure why ..
This recipe looks super easy. I’d love to give it a go. Could you include all the ingredients as measurement in weight? It would make adding it a breeze, as well as clean up only one bowl! : )
Sure, click the metric button before the ingredient list, this will convert the recipe in grams/oz automatically. Enjoy the cookies ! XOXO Carine
Unfortunately it only gives the amounts in mL or fluid ounces – not grams and ounces….
These were sooooo good! I ate half the batch while they cooled, oops!
Works well when you keep in mind that its 3 ingredients and will make a thin crisp cookie. The first time I made these, I followed to the letter and it worked well. I substituted 1/4 of my sweetener for honey and it worked well. I recommend completing covering them in dark chocolate with added freshly squeezed lime juice. Top it off with a bit of salt and you have a winner. 10 minutes is all it took to get these cooked properly.
Thank you for this recipe!
Made these to a T exactly as instructed and they fell apart instantly. Such a waste of expensive coconut flour & oil. Any ideas of what one can do with crumbled shortbread?
It takes time to learn how to bake with coconut flour. I contains 4 times more fiber than other flour so it is extremely liquid absorbent. That i why you must weight the flour and make sure it is fresh, with no lumps. You can always use the crumbled shortbread to make a crisp. Lay some blueberries or apple slices on a baking pan, sprinkle the shortbread on top and bake for 25 minutes. It will be delicious Enjoy, XOXO Carine.
I. Used half stork vegan butter and half coconut oil, agave syrup and a fine milled coconut flour.
Recipe works really well, obviously if you aren’t used to coconut flour (like me!) then they are a little dryer than normal short bread- otherwise wonderful!
Thank you
Thanks for your lovely feedback !
These were a nightmare start to finish for me. I did measure by weight and let it sit to absorb, but the batter ended up so dry it wouldn’t hold together yet so wet if I squeezed it the oil would express. It wouldn’t hold together well enough for cookie cutters so I wound up slicing it, and after baking it’s very much more like crackers than cookies.
I am sorry it didn’t work for you. I am not sure why your dough was so dry. I hope you will have better experience with others recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Would this recipe work with cranberries folded into it or do you think they’d crumble?
Delicious!
Thank you
There’s absolutely nothing I could’ve done to turn this into a dough. Tried everything. Weighed the ingredients specifically as mentioned. It seemed that there was WAAAAAAY too much coconut flour.
I ended up adding 4 eggs, and it still wouldn’t turn into a dough. I should’ve started with 50 g of flour instead of 200. Maybe then I would’ve had a chance.
I am sorry o hear that. It seems that some followers are having issue with the recipe while I, and many others have no problem with it. I am wondering if some coconut flour brand could be thinner and absorb liquid much more creating this issue you mentioned. I personally make this recipe almost every 10 days for my family and it come out great any time so I am sad to read your comment as I am not sure whats going on. I hope you will try other recipe form the blog and have more success with it. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Loved this! My dough didn’t want to form, was very crumbly but I’m no quitter! Haha. Made 8 hearts, had some with my keto lemon curd! (And whipped cream)
So delicious! Will dip a few in Sf chocolate for sure!
I am SO glad you love them! Thanks for sharing here. XOXO Carine
Please clarify coconut flour amount – it says 7 oz, or 1 2/3 cup plus 1 tbs…that seems like more than 7 oz…do you mean 2/3 cup plus 1 tbs? It looks like a typo to me, help!
You can click on the metric button for tablespoons conversion.
I used maple syrup, as suggested and it was CRAZY sweet. Must have a sweet tooth supreme to be able to eat these. Have you tried the maple syrup instead of your other liquid sweetener? Thank you anyway for posting this.
I am sorry to hear that, I don’t think maple syrup is very sweet in this recipe but we all have different sensitivity to sweetness. What you can do is use a liquid sweetener that has less sweeteness like brown rice syrup. It will work the same in the recipe and it is about 1/3 times less sweet for same amount. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
These were great! A little dry, but the chocolate helped. I would suggest smaller if you have a small cookie cutter. Just watch the timing as they’ll probably cook faster. Thanks for the recipe! #quarantinecookies
Can I use normal flour?
It won’t work with the same ratio I am sorry.
Do you have youtube recipe??? I can’t see the video.
Great recipe!!!
If you cant see videos it might be because you are using an ad blocker that block videos. Otherwise, all my recipe video are on my Youtube channel here. Enjoy.
I followed this recipe to a t, measured with a scale as instructed. I used liquid sweetener, it was so bitter I could not eat it had to throw it out, if the liquid sweetener makes it that bitter the recipe should be more specific for which type to use. I just spent a lot of money to throw it in the trash. It was inedible.
I am sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe. The recipe doesn’t change the flavor of the liquid sweetener you are using. The recipe tells you to use maple syrup or any unrefined liquid sweetener like agave syrup, brown rice syrup. None of those are bitter and the coconut flour doesn’t make the sweetener bitter. The cookie should end with a delicious coconut maple flavor but no bitterness at all. Which sweetener did you use?
Easy and fun to make and they look fantastic, however they are SO dry i actually thought i was going to choke on one because it just would!! Not!! Go!! Down!!!! They taste okay but I’m actually slightly scared to have another i used exactly the amounts in grams so maybe that’s how they’re meant to be?
Coconut flour contains 4 times more fiber than other fiber and consequently it soak up liquid in recipe. However they shouldn’t be that dry, and you may have added a bit too much coconut flour. Also, some people don’t appreciate the texture of coconut flour as it dry their mouth. I recommend to always drink well while eating such high fiber food. Thanks for trying my recipe and feedback. XOXO Carine.
I’m not vegan but tried this recipe as I’m trying to reduce my wheat intake. I didn’t weigh because I don’t have a scale. I used 1/2 cup melted oil 1/2 cup maple syrup 1 1/3 cup coconut flour. Mixed, kneeded into a ball let rest at least five minutes. I pressed into a square with my hands. Didn’t use a top parchment as I ran out lol. Used my rolling pin at the end to smooth out a bit. Used a knife to cut into squares. Baked and cooled as per recipe. Quite good. Next time I’ll experiment with some added cocoa powder
Thanks for the lovely feedback! I am so glad it worked well with many adaptation, thanks again for sharing with us. XOXO Carine
Hi,
Is possible to use another oil?
Thanks
Hi, I didn’t try something else I am pretty sure vegan butter will work tho. Enjoy the cookies, XOXO Carine
I just baked these cookies and they were easy and amazing. I put little sprinkles on them for the holidays. Thank you for posting.
I love the sprinkle idea! Please share a picture with me on instagram next time 🙂 Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine.
Hi! I bake it today. It was a real challenge. The Dough was too moist, i added more and more flour, until i get some good dough. I really believed that it wouldn’t work, but were delliciuos!
I am sorry to hear that this didn’t work out well t first time. . That is really strange, coconut flour contains 4 times more flour than regular flour so it usually work the oppoite, dough getting too dry. Are you sure your flour is 100 % coconut flour? Did you knead the dough long eough, at least 90 seconds to make sure the fiber absorb the liquid in the recipe. Thannks for trying my recipe and I hope it gets even better next time, XOXO Carine.
Can you use the Keto granulated sugar?
It won’t hold together you definetly need liquid sweetener like maple syrup or brown rice syrup (if you are looking for less sugar and carbs) or the cookies won’t get together. Enoy, XOXO Carine.
Delicious cookies! Can’t wait to try them dipped in chocolate next time. Thank you for such simple yet tasty recipe!
I agree, chocolate on top makes them even better! Enjoy the easy vegan cookies recipes around here. XOXO Carine.
It was impossible to flatten them out, I wont use this recipe again….sorry
I am sorry to hear that. Coconut flour contains 4 times more fiber than regular flour and the fiber absorb liquid extremely fast. That is why precision is the key, if you had slightly too much coconut flour in any recipe it gets hard or crumbly. That is why grams is better than cups for this recipe and natural maple syrup. I hope you get better result with another of my recipe next time, XOXO Carine.
What brand of coconut flour do you use when making this recipe (if you remember).
I live in New Zealand and I am using different brands, all worked well for me. The store brand called Pams or Avalanche.
These cookies were so dry! When eating it was a struggle to swallow them, it was like my body was rejecting them. I would not reccomend these to anyone!
The dough was impossible to work with, I couldn’t make a ball with it, so I thought it was to dry. I added some liquid, spoon by spoon, they became to moist. Added coconut flour and back and forth. Once cooked it was so dry.
I would not recommend that recipe.
Same here…couldn’t work with the dough:(
I am sorry it didn’t work out for you and hope you get better luck next time with another of my recipes. XOXO Carine
I am sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the coconut four cookies. Cocontu flour contains 4 times more fiber than others flours an it is highly liquid absorbent. That is why most coconut flour is dryer but that is also what you expect from a shortbread cookie to be crunchy and dry it is not a moist cookie. I hope you enjoy others recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine.
these are a very good and healthy take on cookie bars! i would definitely recommend, i also used vanilla coconut milk to add a little flavor, thanks!
Thanks for sharing! Do they cookies keep long?
You can keep those for about 3 weeks in a cookie jar at room temperature. Enjoy, XOXO Carine.
This looks so good! Can you freeze the dough for later?
I didn’t try to freeze the dough so I am unsure. I usually don’t like to freeze dough made of coconut flour because it is highly water absorbent and freezer add some moisture to the dough. Enjoy the recipe, XOXO Carine.
Hi, can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
I did, it works perfect, I just liquefied the honey warming it up in Bain-Marie and that was it.
I guess yes, it may dry the batter as honey is less liquid and you may need more to achieve the same result. As it is a vegan blog I don’t use honey and I am not sure about how it will work out in my recipes. XOXO Carine.
sorry, for me this recipe sucked. measured according to your recipe and they came out horrible.
I am sorry it didn’t work out well for you. What happend? Give me more precise details that I can help. Which sweetener did you use? Happy to help, XOXO Carine
Can I make this recipe with liquid stevia?
No sorry it won’t work. The cookie hold together because of the liquid sweetener. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine.
If you follow the recipe to the T it turns out amazing. I used left over vegan chocolate icing and they tasted really good with that as well. I will be making these cookies a lot.
Would I be able to add cranberries to the dough or do you think it wouldn’t be able to hold them? Can’t wait to try these!
I am not sure it will hold well unfortnately
Thank you so much for your comment 🙂 I am so glad you love them too. XOXO Carine
I’m sorry for the question – I can ever remember this – do you weigh the oil before or after you melt it?
This is what I do, I measure the solid coconut oil, melt it and then measure the liquid oil before adding in the recipe to be precise. So yes, you must measure the oil liquid! If I melt too much, return into the coconut jar it will solidify again and you can use it again later. Enjoy the cookies. Can’t wait to hear your feedback on those, XOXO Carine.
Perfect little shortbread ! Followed the recipe in oz as you recommended and come out great. Thanks for the easy recipe.