Gluten-Free Chocolate Pecan Shortbread Cookies
I came across this recipe as I was looking for a something to bake with my friend that has celiax. I was familiar with snixy kitchen because I follow her on instagram, but it was only until I visited her website that I realized all her recipes are gluten free! My friend and I ended up making her chocolate matcha tarts, and then a few days later I made these. I made a few batches of these cookies over Christmas break and suprisingly out of all my Christmas cookies I baked these were my dads favorite. Who would have thought!
What you need: Makes 48 cookies
3/4 cup Diamond Nuts chopped pecans, divided*
3/4 cup + 1.5 tablespoons (102g) finely ground blanched almond flour
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (68g) gluten-free oat flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoon (48g) cornstarch
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (56 grams) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet dark chocolate
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Optional: Flakey salt
What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the chopped pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 6-10 minutes until toasty and fragrant. Pour the pecans onto a cutting board to cool. Once cool, finely chop the pecans - you don't want the pecans as fine as dust/flour, but the finer they're chopped, the easier your dough will be to roll out. Measure out 1/2 cup of the finely chopped pecans to put into the cookie dough. Set the rest aside for sprinkling on top.
2. Whisk together the 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, almond flour, oat flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
4. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter and beat until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
6. Roll the dough out between two parchment sheets into a 1/8 -1/4-inch thick oval. Place on a baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for 10 minutes.
7. Use a 2-inch round or fluted cutter to cut out cookies. Using a knife or bench scraper as needed to lift the cookies, transfer cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet, 1-2 inches apart. Repeat, rolling out the dough again as needed. Chill the cookies in the fridge for 20 minutes or in the freezer for 10 minutes.
8. Bake cookies, one tray at a time, on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes, until the edges just begin to turn golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before using a fine metal spatula to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining baking sheets.
9. While the cookies bake, Melt the chocolate. You can melt the chocolate in a double broiler, or do as I do and place it in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted.
10. Dust the cooled cookies with powdered sugar. Gently dip them halfway into the chocolate, tilting the cookie to get a clean chocolate line. Set the dipped cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet to set. While the chocolate is still melted, sprinkle the cookies with the remaining finely chopped toasted pecans and a few flecks of flakey salt. Let the chocolate firm up before serving (you can speed this process up with a quick chill in the fridge!
Notes:
*The first time I made this with walnuts and they turned out great! So if you don't have pecans on hand I would substitute with walnuts.
**I had trouble getting my chocolate to stick after putting on the powdered sugar. I put my chocolate in a piping bag and drizzled it on top. However, the chocolate still didn't stick very well and fell off after packing the cookies away. Make sure not to sprinkle a lot of powdered sugar on the top if you want your chocolate to stick. Or you can always eat your cookies plain... which isn't as fun. :(
Recipe from: Snixy Kitchen
