Easy Cashew Nut Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Rich, tasty and delicious, these easy cashew nut cookies are perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year, for your holiday cookie exchange, or for snacking on any time of the year. Totally gluten-free and dairy-free too, but no one would know! Bake a batch of these delicious cashew cookies today!

Jump to:

• Celebrating Chinese New Year
• The Easiest Cashew Nut Cookies
• Why This Recipe Works:
• Ingredients You’ll Need:
• Ingredient Notes/Substitutions
• How to Make Cashew Nut Cookies (Step by Step)
• Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
• Recipe FAQs:
• Other Cashew Recipes to Love:
• Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
• Easy Cashew Nut Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Celebrating Chinese New Year

When we celebrate Chinese New Year back in Singapore, it’s always with plenty of food, and sweet treats are always present.

Among the new year goodies that are always at our CNY table, cashew nut cookies are easily one of my favorites.

From their familiar appearance with a cashew half on top of each cookie, to the smell of them baking in the oven, to their rich taste and sandy texture, these cashew cookies never fail to transport me back home to Asia.

The Easiest Cashew Nut Cookies

My grandmother makes extremely delicious cashew cookies, and today I wanted to recreate them in a version that’s both gluten-free and dairy-free.

While they may look complicated, these cashew cookies are really a cinch to make.

Why This Recipe Works:

• Simple Ingredients: All you need to make these cashew nut cookies are a handful of ingredients which are easily found at the grocery store (nothing fancy required!).

• Easy to Make: With the help of a high-speed blender, you can easily make this cashew cookies recipe. The dough comes together quickly, and is easy to form into balls. Press cashew halves on top of each ball of dough and bake! How much easier does it get?

• Totally Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free: The best part is that this easy recipe is 100% gluten-free and dairy-free, which means that even those with Celiac disease or gluten and lactose intolerances can enjoy these cashew nut cookies without worries.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required for this cashew nut cookies recipe.

(For exact measurements and quantities, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions

• Cashew Nuts: I like using raw cashews to grind cashew flour, but you may also use roasted cashew nuts if you prefer for a darker brown color. Alternatively, you may use 4 cups of cashew flour directly instead of grinding your own flour.

• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: I recommend using a good-quality gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that is made up of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch, potato starch). I do NOT recommend using a gluten-free blend that is made up of heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour).

• Sugar: I used granulated white sugar in this cashew cookies recipe, but feel free to use light brown sugar if you prefer. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend that you use Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that is zero glycemic index and will not raise your blood sugar).

• Dairy-Free Butter: I used unsalted dairy-free butter to keep this recipe dairy-free. You may also use cold coconut oil if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use normal unsalted butter instead.

• Eggs: I used 2 small eggs, but you may also use 1 large egg instead. The eggs help to bind the ingredients together in this recipe. If you are allergic to eggs, or simply want to make this recipe vegan, feel free to use aquafaba or an egg-replacer.

• Cashew Halves: Traditionally, cashew nut cookies in Asia are usually decorated with a cashew half on top of the cookie. You can buy cashew halves online, or make your own by simply cutting a whole cashew nut into half from top to bottom. However, feel free to leave out the cashew halves if you prefer.

How to Make Cashew Nut Cookies (Step by Step)

1. Blend Cashews into Fine Flour

Place the raw cashew nuts in the bowl of your high-speed blender or food processor and blend until you get a very fine cashew flour.

2. Sift Cashew Flour

Sift the processed cashew flour through a fine-mesh sieve to filter out any large pieces.

Return the large cashew pieces to the blender or food processor and process until everything is finely ground.

3. Whisk Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk the processed cashew meal, gluten-free all-purpose flour, and sugar together to combine.

4. Cut Butter into Flour Mixture

Add the cubed dairy-free butter and either use two knives or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until you get a sand-like texture.

Once the butter has been cut into the flour mixture, you should get a mixture with the texture of wet sand.

5. Add Eggs and Knead Dough

Add the beaten eggs and mix well. Use gluten-free floured hands to knead the dough well until you get a smooth dough.

6. Let Dough Chill

Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

(For best results, make sure you don’t skip this step as chilling the dough will help it harden a little and make it easier to manage later.)

7. Preheat Oven and Line Baking Sheets

While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 320F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

8. Roll Dough into Balls

Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and use the palm of your hands to shape dough into a ball.

Repeat until all the dough is used up (you should get about 20 balls).

9. Flatten Dough Balls and Top with Cashew Halves

Place dough balls in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart.

Flatten each dough ball slightly and press a cashew half on top of the dough.

10. Bake Until Lightly Golden

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until they are lightly golden brown on top.

Let the cashew cookies cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before eating.

Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:

• Line Baking Sheet: Line your baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silpat so the cookies don’t stick to the sheet once baked.

• Make Smaller Cookies: I prefer a larger cookie, so I used 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie (which gets me 20 larger cookies). However, if you prefer smaller cookies, simply use 1 heaping teaspoon of dough per cookie (this will get you approximately 40 smaller cookies).

• Use Other Nuts: If you don’t have cashews but would like still to make this cookie recipe, feel free to use other nuts such as almonds, walnuts or pistachios. Simply grind the other nuts into a fine flour and use it in place of the cashew flour, and top with the cookies with the nuts of your choice.

• Brush Cashews with Egg Yolk: You may also brush the tops of the cashews (the ones pressed on top of the dough) with egg yolk to add a little more color.

Recipe FAQs:

Other Cashew Recipes to Love:

• Cashew Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan)
• Coconut Cashew Bread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Cashew Bread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• 5-Minute Cashew Chocolate Pudding (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• 5-Minute Homemade Cashew Flour (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Homemade Cashew Milk (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes You’ll Enjoy:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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