Low-Carb Pecan Shortbread Cookies are made with only 7 ingredients. This no-fuss recipe calls for almond flour, pecans, honey, butter, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. As you can see, these cookies are made with wholesome ingredients. What you don’t yet know is that they taste incredible!
While these are an amazing gluten-free Christmas cookie, we enjoy Pecan Shortbread Cookies all year long. Made with a base of almond flour, these gluten-free cookies are a quick and easy low-carb dessert. They’re fantastic for those on special diets because they are not only gluten-free, when made with honey and butter they are SCD and GAPS compliant.
These cookies are so good fans tell me they’re addictive. Go ahead, bake these buttery treats and see for yourself!
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2½ cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
- 5 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- ½ cup salted butter or palm shortening , melted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and pecans
- In a small bowl, mix honey, butter, and vanilla
- Mix wet ingredients into dry
- Place dough in center of a piece of parchment paper
- Form into a log approximately 2½ -inches in diameter
- Place in freezer for one hour, until firm, unwrap and cut into ⅛-inch thick slices
- Place slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350°F until lightly golden, 7-10 minutes
- Cool for 1 hour
- Serve
Since Pecan Shortbread Cookies do not contain chocolate they are a wonderful cookie for your little ones if you’re trying to keep them off caffeine. My children and their friends love eating this egg-free cookie dough raw whenever I make a batch. Here are more paleo cookie recipes for you.
This post is an oldie but goodie from the archives, I first published this recipe in 2007.
karla says
love them
Elana says
Thanks Karla!
Bookworm says
The first comment was left almost 6 years ago, and we’re still commenting. Great recipe! I like the comments about adding things like cinnamon (or maybe pumpkin pie spice), substituting maple syrup for the sweetener or coconut oil for the butter, and forming the cookies by rolling into balls and flattening them. Using stevia for part of the sweetener is definitely a good idea for me. Now that I’ve found this recipe, I plan to try them all!
Elana says
That’s great!
Chris says
Made these, they were really good. I noticed after they cooled completely they tasted sweeter than when they first came out of the oven.
Elana says
Chris, glad to hear these were really good :-)
Connie says
Just have to add my two cents . . . these are WONDERFUL! I made them exactly as directed; they held their shape beautifully in the oven and I am delighted. I plan to make a variation as a cracker with bleu cheese, omitting the sweetener of course. Thank you, Elana!
Elana says
Connie, thanks for letting us know these were WONDERFUL :-)
jade says
hi, i just made these with honey and grapeseed oil and they were delicious! thx so much! Do you know if these would work if I omitted the oil/butter completely, and maybe add some non dairy milk instead to maintain the texture? I am searching for oil free cookie recipes.
Elana says
Jade, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Meg says
I was dying for thumbprint cookies this Christmas and so I adapted this recipe to fit the bill. It was great! I used maple syrup for the sweetener (and then added 1/4 cup of sugar to please the crowd), I chose butter as my oil, and I omitted the pecans from the batter. I rolled the dough into 1/2-inch balls, dipped them in egg whites, and rolled the balls in ground pecans. I then pushed in a small, deep hole in the center of each ball and added a dab of raspberry jam. I undercooked them JUST until firm to the touch–a little undercooked. They were a huge hit at my Christmas party and very beautiful! Having put some remaining dough in the freezer (I made a huge batch), I pulled it out a week later and used it to make cookie cutouts with my kids for Santa. They were even better! So buttery and sweet. Thanks for the versatile recipe!!
Elana says
You’re welcome Meg!
Becky says
Made these cookies and they were a hit with the whole family, even the kid that doesn’t like nuts in cookies!
*i used coconut sugar and they came out great!! I used same amount as recipe says.
Elana says
Thanks Becky!
Andrea says
After looking at your recipe, I decided to try to make a healthier version of “thumbprint cookies” (a classic Christmas cookie our family made when I was growing up!). After slicing the cookies, I made a little indentation in the middle of each cookie before popping them in the oven. Once they cooled, I placed a small amount of seedless raspberry jam on the indentation. They turned out great and look very festive! Thanks for the recipe! You are so creative!
Elana says
You’re welcome Andrea!
Ariel says
Does anyone know how long these will be good for once baked? I’m looking for a recipe to give as a gift to some family members who eat paleo, but I’m not sure how far in advance I can make them or how long they will last once I gift them. :)
Elana says
Ariel, they generally last for a few days.
Christina says
Can I make these with swerve instead of honey and expect the same texture?
Elana says
Christina, I haven’t tried that so not sure.