These light and flaky shortbread cookies are filled with chewy dried cranberries, fresh lemon zest and fragrant thyme for a delightful balance of sweet and savory flavors! Finished with edible flowers, they make a beautiful addition to holiday entertaining, cookie boxes or festive dessert tables.
The Ingredients
- Almond flour. This keeps the texture of the cookies light.
- Gluten free all purpose flour. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour. If you use a different all purpose gluten free flour make sure that it has xantham gum.
- Tapioca starch. This helps to give the cookies a light and flaky texture.
- Coconut oil. Use solid coconut. I like to measure it when it’s liquid and put it into the fridge for about 15 minutes to solidify.
- Maple syrup. This sweetens the cookies and acts as a binder.
- Thyme. It gives a slight savoury flavour to the cookies. Use fresh thyme.
- Cranberries. These give a nice chew and tartness to the cookies. Chop them finely.
- Lemon zest. Just a touch of lemon zest brightens the flavour.
- Edible dried flowers. I used dried and pressed Geum flowers. Make sure only to use flowers that are sold as edible. Alternatively the cookies can be topped with fresh herbs.
How To Make The Cookies
The dough can be made all in one bowl. Mix all of the dry ingredients and cut in the coconut oil. It should have the texture of wet sand, with only very small clumps. Then add the wet ingredients and form into a ball. It will be slightly sticky.
Roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment paper. Place the dried flowers on top and roll over again gently to secure the flowers to the dough. Cut out the cookies and bake!
Why You Will Love These Cookies
✓ Light & flaky
✓ Versatile
✓ Sweet & savory
✓ Allergy friendly
✓ Perfect addition to holiday baking
Looking For More Cookie Recipes?
- Chocolate Earl Grey Chocolate Cookies
- Orange Vanilla Sandwich Cookies
- Easy Dark Chocolate Cookies
- Onigiri Cookies
- Double Chocolate Tahini Cookies
- Lemon Sandwich Cookies
- Earl Grey Stained Glass Floral Cookies
- Savory Herb Shortbread Cookies
- Gingerbread Stained Glass Cookies
I hope you get a chance to add these lovely cookies to your holiday baking! They’re perfect for parties, holiday gatherings and cookie exchanges, bringing a little something special to any dessert table. They’re fun and easy to make, with simple vegan and gluten free ingredients so everyone can enjoy them!
Cranberry, Lemon & Thyme Shortbread Cookies (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 6 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup solid coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme loosely packed
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped dried cranberries
- zest of 1 small organic lemon
- 15 dried and pressed edible flowers for garnish see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl mix the dry ingredients – almond flour, Bob's Red Mill flour, tapioca starch, baking soda and sea salt . Stir until there are no clumps.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients. You can also use your hands to mix the coconut oil with the flour. The flour should have the appearance of wet sand with clumps no larger then a small pea. Add the chopped cranberries, fresh thyme and lemon zest. Stir to distribute.
- Pour in the maple syrup and water. Mix the dough with your hands until it comes together. It will be slightly sticky. Form it into a ball.
- Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to about 1/4" thickness. Place the flowers on to the dough keeping in mind where you want to cut the cookies. Place the piece of parchment paper on top and gently roll once or twice so that the flowers are flattened into the dough. Cut out your cookies with a cookie cutter. Use an offset spatula to transfer the cookies to the baking sheet. Gather the leftover dough and repeat.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the edges start to turn a light golden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack. They're best eaten the same day. They will have a light and crisp texture. They can be stored in a sealed container but they next day they will be a bit softer and and slightly crumbly. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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