RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
March Pick: Desserts

Almond Shortbread with Orange Zest

Buttery slice-and-bake shortbread rounds made with almond flour and allulose, fragrant with orange zest and vanilla, and baked to golden edges.

Why you'll love Almond Shortbread with Orange Zest

Shortbread is Scotland's simplest cookie: butter, sweetener, and flour, and almost nothing else, which is why it tastes so much of butter. This one is made with almond flour, which gives it a tender, sandy crumb and a toasty, nutty flavor of its own, and with allulose for a gentle sweetness. Orange zest perfumes the dough, and late-winter navel oranges, still at their best in March, have the most fragrant peels of the year.

Rubbing the zest into the allulose before anything else is the small step that makes the orange sing. The sharp grains break open the zest's oil pockets, so the citrus oils coat every grain and spread all through the dough. Chilling the dough as a log firms the butter, so the rounds slice cleanly and hold their shape in the oven.

Allulose browns faster than sugar, so these bake at a moderate 325°F, which turns the edges golden while the centers stay pale and tender. Two small rounds with a cup of tea are a lovely way to end a meal.

Quick overview: This Almond Shortbread with Orange Zest takes 15 min of hands-on time and about 1 hr 30 min in all and makes 10 servings, each 2 cookies. You'll need a sheet pan and a hand or stand mixer.

Jump to recipe

Round almond shortbread cookies flecked with orange zest
Prep 15 minCook 15 minChill 1 hrTotal 1 hr 30 minServes 10Serving 2 cookiesYou'll need Sheet pan, Hand or stand mixer

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup allulose Label: allulose, and nothing else
  • 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest (from 1 large orange)
  • 6 tbsp butter, softened
  • 1/4 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 cups blanched almond flour

Instructions

  1. Rub the zest into the allulose: In a medium bowl, rub the orange zest into the allulose with your fingertips for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is damp and smells strongly of orange.
  2. Cream the butter: Add the softened butter, vanilla seeds, and salt and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed, or with a wooden spoon, for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Soft butter blends evenly; cold butter leaves streaks that melt into holes.
  3. Mix the dough: Add the almond flour and mix on low, or stir, until the dough comes together in soft clumps. Press it together with your hands into a ball.
  4. Shape and chill: Set the dough on a sheet of parchment, shape it into a log about 1 1/2 inches across, and roll it up in the parchment, twisting the ends. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until firm. Firm dough slices cleanly and keeps its shape in the oven.
  5. Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
  6. Slice and bake: Unwrap the log and slice it into rounds about 1/4 inch thick with a sharp knife. Set them 1 inch apart on the baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look dry. Turn the pan halfway through so they color evenly.
  7. Cool on the pan: Let the shortbread cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before moving it. Almond flour cookies are soft and fragile while warm and firm up as the butter sets. Move them to a rack to cool completely.

Storage and leftovers

Keep the shortbread in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They crisp a little more after a night in the refrigerator.

Freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months, or freeze the wrapped dough log for up to 3 months and slice and bake straight from the freezer, adding 1 to 2 minutes.

Variations

  • Lemon and thyme: Use lemon zest in place of the orange and add 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme to the dough.
  • Cardamom: Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom with the almond flour for a warm, Scandinavian flavor.
  • Orange and cocoa: Mix 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder into the almond flour for a dark, orange-scented shortbread.
  • Wedges: Press the dough into a parchment-lined 9-inch pie dish, prick it all over with a fork, score it into 12 wedges, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden at the edges. Cut along the scores while warm.

Notes and tips

  • Use blanched almond flour: Finely ground blanched almond flour makes a smooth, pale cookie. Almond meal with the skins on gives a coarser, darker crumb.
  • Zest only the orange part: Grate just the thin orange layer of peel. The white pith underneath tastes bitter.
  • Watch the color: Allulose browns quickly. Pull the cookies when the edges are golden, even if the centers still look pale.
  • Roll the log in seeds: Before slicing, roll the log in sesame seeds or finely chopped almonds for a crunchy rim.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Almond flour is ground almonds, so these cookies bring the nuts' monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, and fiber.
  • Butter is the real fat that gives shortbread its rich, melting texture, and fat with the almonds' fiber is what makes two small cookies feel like enough.
  • Allulose is one of the RESET360 sweeteners. It tastes and browns much like sugar while your blood sugar stays level.
  • Orange zest holds the fruit's fragrant oils, so the cookies taste deeply of orange from just one peel.
  • As you eat, notice the buttery crumb and the orange as it comes through, and pay attention to how two cookies after a meal leave you content, with your energy just as even an hour later.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Almond Shortbread with Orange Zest? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Why are my cookies crumbly?

Almond flour has no gluten to hold it together, so the cookies rely on butter. Let them cool fully on the pan, and make sure the butter is soft enough to blend completely into the dough.

Can I use monk fruit?

Yes. Use a granulated monk fruit sweetener with a label of monk fruit and allulose, and follow the package for how much replaces 1/3 cup of allulose, since blends vary in sweetness.

Can I use vanilla extract?

Most vanilla extract is made with alcohol, so these use vanilla bean seeds. Vanilla bean paste with a label of vanilla beans and water works the same way.

Can I make them dairy-free?

Use the same amount of firm coconut oil in place of the butter. The cookies will be a little more delicate and taste lightly of coconut.

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Tags: March Pick, Desserts, Scottish-Inspired, Gluten-Free Swap