Grain-Free Wedding Cookies (Vegan, Oil-Free)

My grain-free wedding cookies are the perfect treat for celebrating all year long. Made with coconut flour and almond butter, this easy version of the traditional cookies is vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, and quick to make with only 5 ingredients. Make them keto with 1 simple swap!

Easy Grain-Free Vegan Wedding Cookies

Mexican weddings are not required to make a batch of these tender, melt-away cookies. Any occasion–a birthday, reception, holiday, graduation party, or random weeknight–will suffice.

I have recreated this favorite cookie (also known as Russian tea cakes, in vegan, grain-free, oil-free and gluten-free form by swapping coconut flour for all-purpose flour and drippy almond butter for the butter (or olive oil).

Bonus: theses grain-free wedding cookies are good for you (think protein, fiber, nourishing fats from the almonds), so let’s add breakfast to the list of occasions for making and eating a Mexican wedding cookie 😊 .

Recipe Benefits

• Easy to make
• Only 5 ingredients (plus water & optional salt)
• Vegan (dairy-free & egg-free)
• Keto (with one simple swap)
• Grain-free
• Gluten-free
• Paleo
• Oil-free (no coconut oil, vegetable oil, margarine, ghee or butter)
• 2 grams protein & 2 grams fiber per cookie
• No added binders (e.g., no flax eggs, no psyllium husks)
• Made in one bowl
• No mixer required (stand mixer or handheld mixer)

Ingredients for Grain-Free Wedding Cookies

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.

• smooth almond butter (with no added sugar)
• confectioners’ sugar (a.k.a., powdered sugar)–use a grain-free version, or make my DIY Grain-Free Powdered Sugar in a few seconds with your blender or food processor
• coconut flour
• baking soda
• pure almond extract

You will also need some warm water and salt. Note that the salt is always adjustable/optional according to your dietary needs and tastes.

Step by Step Instructions

Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.

• Preheat the oven to 325F (160C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the almond butter, water, confectioners’ sugar, and almond extract until blended and smooth.
• Stir in the coconut flour, baking soda and salt until blended. Let stand a few minutes to thicken (the coconut flour will absorb the liquid).

• Using a small cookie scoop or rounded tablespoons, scoop out 15 even mounds of dough. Roll each portion into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 13 minutes until golden brown and set at the centers.
• While cookies bake, place the remaining 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar in a small, shallow bowl.
• Remove the cookies from the oven and cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet.
• Dip each warm cookie in the confectioners’ sugar, gently rubbing the sugar into the cookie to coat.

• Transfer cookies to a cooling rack / wire rack and cool completely.

Taste and Texture

These cookies have a a melt-in-your-mouth, delicate texture (as wedding cookies should), and a distinct almond flavor (from the almond extract). They do not have a noticeable coconut flavor.

The grain-free wedding cookies will absorb some of the confectioners’ sugar after a day or two. If you like, re-coat the cookies in more sugar (for presentation purposes). They rarely last that long at our house.

Tips for Success and Variations

• KETO Variation: Replace the regular confectioners’ sugar with a keto-friendly, sugar-free powdered sugar alternative. The different macros for each cookie are: cals: 69/ Net carbs: 2 g / sugars 1 g.
• Weigh the Coconut Flour: I strongly recommend weighing the coconut flour (using a digital kitchen scale), as opposed to using volume measures (i.e., measuring cups and measuring spoons). It is very easy to add too much coconut flour using volume measures which will alter the consistency (too dry) of the cookies. Toggle from US Customary in the recipe card to Metric to see grams amounts.
• Use Light-Colored Baking Sheets: Dark baking sheets and cookies do not play well together. The former overly darken or burn the bottoms of cookies. For best results, use heavy, light colored metal baking sheets.
• Line Baking Sheets with Parchment Paper: Parchment paper is a miracle product for baking. It promotes even baking, prevents sticking, makes it easy to remove items like cookies, and turns cleaning up into an extra-easy task. Look for boxes or rolls of precut sheets (you can find them online, in bulk, at great prices).
• Check Cookies at the Minimum Baking Time: Begin checking the cookies for doneness at the earliest suggested baking time. Bake for a minute at a time longer, as needed, if they are not done at the first check.
• Flavor Variations: The cookies can be varied in multiple ways.
  • Spices: Add 1/4 teaspoon (up to 1/2 teaspoon) of your favorite ground spice (e.g., cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice)
  • Extracts & Zests: Use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, lemon extract or orange extract in place of the almond extract. Or replace the almond extract with 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, orange zest, or lime zest.
  • Chocolate: Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of finely chopped or grated dark chocolate to the cookie dough along with the coconut flour.

FAQ

• What is the best storage for the cookies? Store the grain-free wedding cookies in an airtight container at (cool) room temperature for 1 day, the refrigerator for 1 week or the freezer for up to 6 months.
• What is the best way to measure coconut flour if I do not have a kitchen scale? Use standard measuring cups or tablespoons, but be sure to very lightly spoon the flour into the measure (do not pack) when measuring.
• What can I use in place of the almond butter? You can use any smooth, drippy nut butter or seed butter you like, such as peanut butter, Sunbutter (or my DIY sunflower seed butter), tahini, my DIY pepita butter, or cashew butter. You can also use my method for DIY Almond Butter to make other nut butters, using chopped pecans / pecan pieces, hazelnuts, or walnuts.
• Can I use other flours in place of the coconut flour? No. Coconut flour is used in very different proportions, and has different baking qualities, from all other flours. Equal amounts of other flours, such as almond flour, arrowroot flour, cassava flour or a gluten-free flour blend will not work in its place.

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