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These vegan shortbread cookies are super fun to prepare and just as delicious! Buttery, crunchy, and so addictive you won’t stop at just one! Made in 1 bowl with just 6 ingredients, these cookies are just perfect for the holidays!
Whether you plan to make these for yourself, for the whole family, or gift them to friends, these buttery cookies surely won’t disappoint!
📘 What Are Shortbread Cookies
A shortbread cookie is a type of Scottish biscuit that is prepared with butter, sugar, and flour. It is popular during the Christmas holidays, but can also be enjoyed all year round as a snack to enjoy with tea or coffee.
🥣 How to Make It
It starts with vegan butter that is creamed with powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla extract. You can use store-bought vegan butter or homemade vegan cultured butter.
Next, add flour, almond flour, and a pinch of salt. Mix until it forms a smooth dough.
At this point, you can flavor the dough! I am sharing below 5 different flavors, but feel free to be creative!
Flavors
The recipe gives you directions on how to make the base vanilla dough. Then, you can flavor the dough to your liking.
Note: amounts below are given for 1/2 batch of the dough. Meaning you can simply divide the dough in half and create two flavors in one batch. Doesn’t that sound great?!
- Vanilla – Add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of high-quality vanilla extract.
- Matcha – Dissolve 1 teaspoon of matcha powder in 1 teaspoon of hot water.
- Espresso – Add 1 teaspoon of coffee extract.
- Strawberry – Add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of freeze-dried strawberry powder and a pinch of beetroot powder (for more color). If you want extra strawberry flavor, I recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry extract as well.
- Double Chocolate – Add 1 tablespoon of cacao powder and 3 tablespoons of finely chopped dark chocolate.
Once your dough is done, shape it into a long log of about 1.5 inches (4cm) in width. Wrap it tightly in parchment paper or plastic film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Baking
To bake, cut each log into 1/2-inch thick slices and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The cookies won’t spread much during baking so leaving just 1-inch between each is enough.
If you want to make diamond cookies: roll each log into granulated sugar before cutting it into slices. Rolling in sugar will add extra texture and give your cookies a cooler look!
Finally, bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let them cool completely, and enjoy!
📔 Tips
- Do not omit the chilling step: chilling the dough not only makes it easier to cut but also prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- For the matcha flavor: the highest quality of the matcha, the better the flavor and the brighter the color.
- Ingredients are given in grams for more precision and accuracy, as I found out that measuring with cups for these cookies didn’t yield consistent results.
- Not a fan of coating in sugar? Coat them in finely chopped nuts like peanuts, hazelnuts, or almonds!
💬 FAQ
Yes, simply use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour blend!
Yes, you can freeze the raw cookie dough after chilling it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. The cookie dough will keep for up to 6 weeks in the freezer. Before slicing, allow the dough to thaw in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.
Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
These cookies will keep for up to 5 days.
I hope you are going to love these vegan shortbread cookies! They are perfectly sweet, crumbly, buttery, and delicious served with coffee or tea! Plus, they make a delicious gift!
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Vegan Shortbread Cookies (5 Flavors)
Ingredients
- 120 g vegan butter soften, at room temperature
- 70 g powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 180 g all-purpose flour can use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
- 50 g almond flour
- a pinch of salt
- Optional: 1/2 cup granulated sugar for coating
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: To a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined and smooth.
- Next, add the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt. Stir using a spatula or wooden spoon until it forms a smooth dough. At this point, you can divide the dough in half and add the flavorings of your choice (see notes).
- Shape each half of the dough into a 20-24 cm (8 inches) long log. It should have a width of about 4 cm (1.5 inches). Tightly wrap each log in a piece of parchment paper (or plastic wrap) and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Bake: Preheat oven to
350 °F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. - If you want to make the sugar coating: pour 1/2 cup of granulated sugar on a plate. Unwrap a roll of dough and roll it into the sugar.
- Slice the roll of dough into 1-cm (about 1/2-inch) thick slices. Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between each.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Bake the other roll.
- Let them cool completely and enjoy! Cookies will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Notes
- Vanilla: Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Matcha: Combine 1 teaspoon of matcha powder with 1 teaspoon of hot water. Add the matcha paste to the dough.
- Espresso: Add 1 teaspoon of coffee extract. If you don’t have coffee extract, dilute 1 teaspoon of instant coffee in 1 teaspoon of hot water.
- Strawberry: Add 1 and ½ tablespoons of freeze-dried strawberry powder and a pinch of beetroot powder (for more color). If you want extra strawberry flavor, add ½ teaspoon of strawberry extract as well.
- Double chocolate: Add 1 tablespoon of cacao powder and 3 tablespoons of finely chopped dark chocolate.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
Love these! I added 1 more tablespoon of vegan butter. Made the matcha flavor and everyone loves them. Thank you.
Thanks Jill! I’m happy to hear you loved these shortbread cookies 🙂
Amazing vegan cookies recipe.
Thank you Thomas!
Thanks for your feedback Tommy!
These shortbread are delicious – another winning recipe 🙂
Thanks Gen, glad you liked them 😉
Thank you Thomas, I took your measurements and used what I had at home. Added zapote fruit and walnuts. Could only make 19 cookies and they are delicious! Great inspiration! Next time will try with coffee!
Thanks so much for your feedback Nina! 🙂