This dairy-free chocolate chip shortbread recipe is the only chocolate chip cookie we make anymore because it is so easy and so tasty! My daughter Katherine made a batch for a family reunion one summer and people could not believe they were dairy free. Since then, we’ve been making them for holidays, school activities, and other events. They are quick to whip up and we never need to plan ahead since I always have the simple ingredients on hand.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread is the One Cookie Recipe You Need
Katherine and I adapted this dairy-free chocolate chip shortbread recipe from one of our favorite classic cookbooks, The I Hate to Cook Book by Peg Bracken. We removed the nuts from her recipe and made them dairy free, naturally. The author calls them Shuttemup Cookies – and yes, they are that good.
Why You’ll Love this Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread
- Melt-in-Your-Mouth Goodness: As expected, the taste is perfectly sweet, slightly rich and has a deep, buttery flavor. But the texture is a surprise delight – firm yet soft and forgiving.
- Appealing to All: This dairy-free chocolate chip shortbread is suitable for vegans, fits most food allergy policies, and is enjoyed by everyone – special diet or not!
- Family-Friendly: This is a great “first chocolate chip cookie” recipe because it’s so easy and you don’t have to worry about raw eggs if kids taste test some of the dough. And little helpers enjoy patting the dough into the pan.
- Last Minute Savior: The ingredients are on hand in most dairy-free kitchens, and the directions are as simple as mix, press, and bake! There is no rolling, shaping, or cutting out to worry about.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- High Altitude: If you live at higher altitude (above 3000 feet), shortbread style cookies can be finicky, especially with butter alternatives. The oil and water can separate when baking, making the cookies greasy. You might need to add more flour. I would start with an extra 1/4 cup and see if that works in your climate.
- Sugar: We usually firmly pack the brown sugar. If using coconut sugar, the taste will be a little less sweet and a little more sultry.
- Butter Alternative: This is the make or break ingredient since it is the only ingredient that can vary by brand. Most buttery sticks and margarine sticks are formulated for baking. Use caution with buttery spreads, as some have too high water content or aren’t properly emulsified. If you opt for a spread, make sure it is specifically labelled for baking.
- Chocolate Chips: There are many dairy-free chocolate chip brands available. But we use Enjoy Life since they are allergy-friendly and everyone we know can eat them. Make sure to choose a brand that suits your dietary needs. Mini chips or regular-size morsels work well, and you cant choose semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, or even dairy-free milk chocolate.
Special Diet Notes: Chocolate Chip Shortbread
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter alternative and sugar.
- Add the flour and mix to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips. The dough will be crumbly, not wet.
- Press the dough evenly into your prepared pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown.
- Let the bars cool for 1 minute, then cut the cookies while they are still warm.
- Leave them in the pan until completely cool. They are a bit crumbly when warm, but do set up as they cool.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the refrigerator for freshness, or in the freezer for longer storage.
18 Comments
A variation I did was add 2 eggs and a teaspoon of baking soda, and they turned into fabulous cookies. Drop by the tablespoon onto a cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for sharing your successful modifications!
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They look amazing!
What about those of us who can’t have gluten? Any gluten free flour substitute?
Hi Dana, this isn’t tested gluten-free – you can trial it with your favorite flour blend, but I would make sure it has suitable binder.
These shortbread look like they would literally melt in your mouth! Yum!
I can see why these are the only way you make chocolate chip cookies! They sound totally delicious and I love the ease of bars instead of drop cookies!
I love that these bars are so easy to make and require only 4 ingredients! What a great recipe for anyone.
These look wonderful! I’d love to snack an a few now.
Oh my goodness, I haven’t had shortbread in such a long time… this has inspired me!
This looks so decadent!
So awesome, I had to double check that someone actually wrote a cookbook called “I Hate to Cook.” I love that, will have to check it out. 🙂
I know, such a great name, isn’t it?!
So strange to me that it’s only FOUR ingredients… but looks and sounds amazing so I’ll take it! I also like that you mix, pour/press, bake! Best recipe ever… easy!
You would love it Lori – I promise! Not paleo at all, but so worth it 🙂
I actually just started making shortbread this year, what was I waiting for it’s delicious?! I definitely want to try this chocolate chip version, sounds amazing!
I’m with you on not venturing into shortbread until later Sara – I think it’s because store-bought just doesn’t even compare to homemade, so you don’t really know how awesome it is until you take the risk!