Low-carb, Grain-free Almond Shortbread Cookies with Sea Salt

Buttery goodness!  One thing I miss about going grain-free and sugar-free is a crunchy cookie!  The addition of sliced almonds gives these cookies a nice crunch to scratch that itch.  And the addition of sea salt on top really brings out the toasted almond flavor.  Oh, and these are quite quick and easy to make!

Almond Shortbread Cookies with Sea Salt

Makes about 15 cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups finely ground almond flour - Bob's Red Mill makes a great one!
1 stick butter - softened
1/3 cup low-glycemic sweetener (I use xylitol)
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup sliced almonds
Semi-course finishing Sea Salt to top with (such as Fleur de Sel)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Mix the first 5 ingredients together thoroughly to form a stiff dough.

Form 1 Tbsp at a time into balls.  I use a size 40 scoop to make this go much faster!  Position the balls on a baking sheet.  Flatten and top with sliced almonds, pushing the almonds down into the dough as you flatten the cookies to about 1/4" thickness.  Sprinkle each one with a little sea salt and push it in too.

Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes (they will still be quite soft), before removing with a spatula to a cooling rack to cool them thoroughly.

A size 40 scoop is the perfect tool to portion this size cookie

Flatten the dough balls to about 1/2" thickness with your fingers

Add the sliced almonds and press to flatten to about 1/4" thickness