I have a lot of sickly sweet memories from childhood, ones which, when recalled in my mind, are glamour shot affected images complete with a cheesy vignette frame. Baking Christmas cookies with my mother can't be excluded from these precious recollections of my childhood, despite the fact that the older I got the fainter the sugary vignette effect became. That is, my cookies began to resemble male anatomy as opposed to cheerful holiday snowmen and stars.
But one thing remained the same: the terra cotta cookie presses which had a pre-design in mind. No willies would come out of these all too cute shapes, which ranged from kittens and owls to snowflakes and holly. When I was visiting my parents earlier this month I went shopping in the basem*nt and rediscovered these lovelies and, with my mother's permission, relocated them to England.
Recipe Notes
If you don't have any cookie stamps, never fear! You can roll and cut these into rounds or squares if you prefer, or even use a proper shortcake mould.
You can get creative with flavours too. For instance if you'd like to add a seasonal touch, throw in some cinnamon and mixed spice with the dry mix and substitute brown sugar.
Please note I have adjusted the recipe slightly to specify Pure brand non dairy spread as I have had a few complaints from people that this recipe doesn't work with other butter alternatives. I hate to be brand specific, but as it's an ongoing issue I needed to change it.
Vegan Scottish Shortbread
Makes 10-12 cookies
Ingredients
50g (¼ C) vegan butter alternative Pure brand spread
2 tablespoon sugar
90g (⅓ C) all-purpose flour
Directions/Method
Pulse sugar and flour in a food processor for one minute before adding cold margarine/butter. Pulse until mixed completely (another minute or so).
Roll into approx 10 heaped teaspoon balls and with a lightly oiled cookie press, press each to about ⅛th-¼th inch thickness. If you don't have cool cookie presses, just use a slightly oiled bottom of a glass.
Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 175 C for about 10 minutes (perhaps a little shorter if the cookies are on the thin side), or until cookies just begin to brown (they look prettier with no colour, but I like the taste of them slightly browned around the edges)!
Cool on a wire rack or just eat them straight out of the oven. Whatever.
I reserve the right to improve any malicious and trollish comments left below. Please do not comment about nonvegan products or activities.
Comments
Keysaysmeow
Thank you! Simple and awesome recipe. The cookies seem a tad formless but they're fine! Very sweet and very good, I added a little vanilla extract and some pink color for Valentines day! I am so grateful, all my non vegan friends love it!
That shouldn't be an issue. If I could get hold of Earth Balance I would try it! My parents are in the states so I might see if my mum will test it out for me. Sorry they didn't turn out! I hope we can figure out why...
Reply
Belen
Trying again doubled up. They're in the oven right now. Will let you know how they come out!
Laura
Exact same issue as the oily comment. They fall apart and turn brown after only minutes in the oven. There is no way this recipe is successful.
Reply
Kip
Hi Laura,
Thanks for letting me know? Can you tell me what butter alternative you used? I think I am going to need to change the recipe to specifically say Pure brand.
Reply
Beth Patrick
HI, could you tell me which variety of Pure you are using? My local supermarket sells "Pure Sunflower" and also "Pure Soya" spreads! Many thanks x
Reply
Kip
It's a matter of personal preference 🙂
Reply
I reserve the right to improve malicious and trollish comments.
Trackbacks
[...] I discussed making anatomically correct cookies last week, anise cutouts were truly the base of the inspiration. Another annual mother-daughter(s) [...]
Reply
[...] Shortbread cookies are a classic and the use of cookie stamps make these all the more irresistable. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Fun Facts For CookievoresCookies with my coffeesOngs she likes… [...]
Reply
[...] ordered the port. How delicious it was! It’s particularly yummy withcinnamon biscuitsandshortbread. If making it from scratch I would recommendthis recipe. It never [...]
Scottish shortbread contains 3 simple ingredients - butter, castor sugar and flour. Nothing more, nothing less. The only concession my Grandmother made was to split the flour 1/2 and 1/2, rice flour and plain. No margarine, corn starch, vanilla, granulated sugar, brown sugar, etc., as many other recipes state.
Irish Shortbread Is Distinct From Scottish Shortbread
Irish shortbread not only sometimes changes up the butter-to-sugar ratio (possibly going with 2/3 a cup of sugar to 1 cup of butter), but also adds cornstarch in place of some of the flour present in the traditional recipe.
The key with shortbread is not to overhandle it. Make the dough exactly as instructed, but don't mess around making shapes or over rolling the dough - you will end up with delicious but tough biscuits. Stretching and pulling the dough activates the gluten in the flour, making chewy cookies and not crisp ones.
Triangular wedges of shortbread became known as "petticoat tails", and this form of shortbread has become particularly associated with Mary, Queen of Scots. It has been suggested that a French term for the wedges of shortbread was petit* gâteaux or petites gatelles – little cakes, and this became "petticoat tails".
The name "millionaire's shortbread" appears to have originated in Scotland. The "millionaire" prefix to millionaire's shortbread or millionaires slice implies a level of decadence and wealth to the sweet treat, that it is an upgrade from regular shortbread.
Walker's Shortbread is honoured to carry a Royal Warrant, granted by Her Majesty the Queen, for the supply of Shortbread and Oatcakes. Walker's Shortbread is a gift fit for a king, and a treat befitting any special occasion.
Traditional Scottish Shortbread Cookies has always been one of my favorite cookies. Made with four simple ingredients, flour, butter, sugar and salt, these crumbly, buttery, delicious shortbread cookies will be a sweet treat your whole family will love!
Why is shortbread considered to be bad for you? Shortbread is considered unhealthy because of the high butter content. How long do gingerbread houses last before eating them could make you sick?
Sugar provides a fast source of energy. There are rarely any artificial additives. Cons: Shortbread is a weight watcher's nightmare because it is extremely high in saturated fat and calories.
The word "bread" comes from "biscuit bread" which was made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and dried out in the oven to make biscuits. Why do you poke holes in shortbread? The holes allow the moisture to escape during baking and more even heat distribution. This helps dry out and crisp up the cookies.
But in this shortbread cookie recipe, it really makes a difference. Chilling the dough helps the cookies hold their shape. If you don't chill your shortbread dough, the cookies will spread as they bake.
After shaping the cookies, don't rush to the oven! Instead, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so (overnight is OK, too). A short stay in the fridge will firm up the cookies and solidify the butter. This will help keep them from spreading too much.
If it's too warm, the butter and sugar cannot properly cream and the cookies will taste dense. Many shortbread recipes call for cold butter worked into the dry ingredients and that gives you a wonderfully flaky cookie but if not mixed properly, the results can be inconsistent.
Scottish shortbread cookies are a delicious classic treat that has been enjoyed for centuries. With their buttery flavour and delicate crumbly texture, they are perfect for any occasion. Ranging from a simple afternoon snack to a fancy dinner party, they never fail to impress.
Shortbread is similar to shortcake but doesn't include baking powder. Lots of rich butter gives shortbread a high fat content, resulting in a fine, crumbly texture. Shortcake and shortbread biscuits are delicious on their own, with fruit and cream, or simply topped with a delicate dusting of sugar.
Shortbread is called short because of the traditional ratio of one part sugar to two parts butter that lends a high fat content to the dough. This yields a soft, buttery crumb that melts in your mouth, similar to short crust pastry. This ratio is also what makes shortbread so crave-worthy. 2.
Dated back to the 12th century, a shortbread is a traditional Scottish cookie. Shortbread is a denser, crumblier cookie than sugar cookies and are often described as 'short' due to their high ratio of butter to flour which results in a rich, melt-in-the-mouth consistency.
Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
