They really are shortbread cookies baked without butter! Surprised me too! I used all kinds of vegan or plant based “fats” to mimic the attributes of butter. I honestly thought that without butter I could not make a shortbread cookie! There went my classic Italian snowball, aka wedding cookies; almond meal shortbread balls tossed in powdered sugar! If you read my ‘about me’ you not only know I love every characteristic of food: Color, smell, texture, taste! Also, I grew up in a food nirvana with lots of homemade baked goods all year! Yeast bread to sweet stuffed breads to classic drop, bar cookies, cakes, pies. I am not kidding when I say nirvana! So, it makes sense that I did put away short bread cookie using butter, away to maybe not ever see it again!
Then I found Miyoko European style cultured vegan butter. Yes, I use the name because this product created a lite, delicate crumb indicative of shortbread!
Shortbread is also known as European sugar cookies or Christmas biscuits. Earliest written recipe is credited to Mrs. McLintock, a Scottish woman. The original cookie is not very familiar today. According to Wikipedia the cookie was actually a “…enriched bread roll dusted with sugar and spices and hardened into a hard dry, sweetened biscuit called rusk.” Britain and Ireland substituted butter for the yeast making shortbread a staple. Scotland still creates the famous shortbread cookie with flour, butter and white sugar.
Short is the name for short crumb indicative of these cookies also because the high fat content prohibits long gluten strands in the flour. The Nibble describes ingredient ratio as, “…3 parts flour, 2 parts butter and 1 part sugar.” Although original cookies were and still can be made with oatmeal, AP flour gives them a fine texture. Mary Queen of Scots is credited with the refinement of butter and flour. Today the shortbread cookies (biscuits) have made their way into many kitchens worldwide, from Italian to German to Mexican to Indian and everyone in-between! Italian wedding cookies are the shortbread, almond balls rolled in confectionaries sugar. The ingredient list in part is classic shortbread: 3Cups flour, 1 ½Cups butter and ¾Cup sugar! The cookies make perfect treats to dunk in your coffee or to pack nicely as holiday gifts. Simple, delicious, perfectly crunchy, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth dairy free treats! I’ve made vegan shortbread cookies with dark chocolate chunks, fine chopped walnuts and peanut butter chips. This recipe is standard flour, butter, sugar & vanilla flavoring. You can shape, add almost anything as the variations below show.
- Vegan Shortbread Ingredients
- The Flour: all-purpose flour is the standard but If you are looking for a gluten free alternative or just trying to stay away from all-purpose flour you can replace it with almond, oat, or rice flour.
- Vegan Butter: Miyoko’s European cultured butter is the absolute best on the market. If you can’t find that one any vegan butter sticks will do here.
- Brown the butter – not only a different look but the flavor is YUMMY!
- Sugars: a mix of granulated, coconut or brown sugars is my favorite way to go, that being said nothing wrong with just using granulated sugar if that’s what you have in the pantry.
- Powdered sugar: Substitute total sugar for ¾ cups and increase vegan butter to 1 ¼ cup
- Vanilla: extract or seeds, it’s optional but gives your cookies a really nice flavor.
- You favorite Sea Salt: a few flakes of sea salt sprinkled over the top as soon as the cookies come out of the oven makes them extra special. Use it if you have some but don’t stress over it.
Flavor Variations:
- 3.5 oz of any: chocolate chunks, chopped nuts: pistachios, pecans or walnuts are great additions. OR
- use 1/2 cup of dried cranberries or peanut butter chips. OR
- FANCY, FANCY: add in one teaspoon of lemon zest or orange peel, or chopped rosemary!
How to Make Perfect Vegan Shortbread Cookies:
- Use the best Vegan Butter you can find and make sure it is at room temperature. I like Miyoko’s cultured European style butter, as it mimics butter for baking goods.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until incorporated well. This is why it’s super important that the butter is softened.
- Vanilla: add the extract if using, if vanilla bean is available that’s even a better option.
- Mix: use the paddle attachment to mix in the flour + chocolate chunks (if using) but take good care not to overdo this. We just want to make sure the dough comes together nicely.
- Chill the Dough! Form the dough into a log, wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate until completely chilled and set. This step is crucial to the final texture so please don’t skip it
Ingredients
- 8 oz cultured vegan butter
- 1/2 cup brown or coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour.
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Fleur de Sel sea salt flakes for garnish (optional) Or other sea salt grains
- Bring the butter to room temperature until softened. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350”F
- In the bowl of your stand mixer add the sugars and butter and cream together until incorporated using the paddle attachment. Start on low speed and gradually move up to medium.
- Add the vanilla extract then sprinkle in the flour and chocolate chunks. Continue mixing until everything is incorporated.
Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and using your hands shape it into a long log. Roll it in the parchment paper to the size of a medium rolling pin. Twist the ends and refrigerate until set (about 20 minutes or so).
- Once set use a serrated knife and slice the dough into 1/3-inch slices. It should yield approximately 24 cookies.
- Place the cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet without touching one another. (Use two cookie sheets or work in batches if necessary.)
- Bake your shortbread cookies for 15 to 17 minutes until lightly golden around the edges or done to your liking.
Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt if available. Allow to cool off completely before serving.
In the bowl of your stand mixer add the sugars and butter and cream together 
Rolling measuring cutting 
Fresh out of the oven
