Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies — Tender, Crisp, and Sugar-Free

Buttery and crisp, these delicate orange-flavored gluten-free shortbread cookies are made with almond flour, millet flour, and tapioca — and they’re naturally sugar-free and low-carb. Dipped in dark chocolate, they become an elegant and irresistible holiday treat that feels indulgent yet wholesome. They’re simple, beautiful, and always a crowd-pleaser.

I love butter cookies, especially during the holidays, and this is one of my favorite treats to bake. They come together easily with just a handful of nourishing, easy-to-find ingredients. My favorite festive flavor pairing is orange and chocolate, and while these cookies are endlessly customizable, I especially like this simple rectangular shape, their delicate thinness, the bright orange zest, and that satisfying snap of dark chocolate. The texture is perfect — light, crisp, and fragrant — and they look so lovely on a festive table.

Another reason to love them is their practicality. These cookies freeze beautifully and can be made weeks in advance, giving you a delicious treat ready for unexpected guests or helping you get ahead with holiday preparations. If you make them just a day or two before serving, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge to maintain their crispness.

Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Cookies

Although the dark chocolate I use (85% cacao) contains a small amount of sugar, I still consider these cookies essentially sugar-free. The dough is lightly sweetened with allulose — a gut-friendly, low-calorie natural sweetener — just enough to give them a gentle, pleasant sweetness without the blood-sugar spike.

Each serving of four cookies contains only 2.9 grams of sugar, along with 3.3 grams of protein and 1.7 grams of fiber. It’s a sweet treat that offers steady energy rather than the crash you’d expect from traditional sugar-laden cookies. And if you’re diabetic or need to avoid sugar completely, feel free to use a fully sugar-free chocolate for dipping.

If you want to explore more sugar-free, gluten-free cookie recipes, check out our Christmas cookies, almond thumbprint cookies, or spritz cookies.

Below you’ll find the full ingredient list and a step-by-step guide with photos. A printable recipe card and full nutritional breakdown are available at the end of the post.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour (packed)
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/4 cup allulose
• 100g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons orange zest (from 2 oranges)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 200g dark chocolate (85% cacao, sugar-free if diabetic), for dipping

Step-By-Step Instructions

Prepare the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, millet flour, tapioca flour, allulose, and salt. Add the cold butter, egg, orange zest, and vanilla. Use your hands to bring everything together into a cohesive dough. (Alternatively, pulse everything in a large food processor until the dough forms.)

Chill: Divide the dough into two equal portions. Flatten each portion slightly, wrap in plastic film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven: Heat the oven to 170°C / 340°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll out the dough: Place one piece of chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Gently roll it out from the center toward the edges into a rectangle about 0.5 cm (1/4 inch) thick, keeping the layer as even as possible.

Cut the cookies: Using a pizza cutter and a ruler as a guide, cut the dough into long rectangular cookies — about 2 1/2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. Repeat with the leftover dough.

Separate them gently and transfer them onto the prepared baking sheet using a spatula.

Bake: Bake for 10–11 minutes, until lightly golden. Keep an eye on them — they brown quickly, especially in hotter ovens. Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat with the second batch.

Dip in chocolate: Chop the chocolate and melt it in a small saucepan. (Optional: stir in a bit of extra orange zest once melted — I love some extra orange flavor!)

Dip half the length of each cooled cookie into the chocolate and place on a parchment-lined tray. Refrigerate for 20–30 minutes, until the chocolate sets.

Store: Keep the cookies in a glass container in the refrigerator for several days, or freeze them for longer storage.

Enjoy these sugar-free and gluten-free shortbread cookies!

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