Vegan Buttery Choc Chip Shortbread
Vegan Buttery Choc Chip Shortbread
~ Buttery shortbread with a soft, fluffy middle and crunchy top ~
When I was younger, I used to go to my grandmas house and I always picked the shortbreads out of the biscuit box. They were my favourite biscuits but since I went vegan, I could no longer have them. I have now finally perfected my shortbread recipe, and they taste exactly the same as the classic ones, maybe even better!
Stuffed with mini chocolate chunks, these go perfectly with a hot cup of tea. Perfect for a cold day. Get ready for winter with these delicious biscuits. Buttery, crumbly, slightly crunchy, shortbread perfection. For me, the shape actually makes a big difference. I love the shape of classic shortbread, especially with the little holes on the top. Perfect for dunking in tea!
You can make these without the chocolate chunks, and you can also add in some other flavours and add-ins if you like. Orange, lemon, pistachio and cranberry, are all delicious flavours. You can also make these in all different shapes if you like. Just have fun with it! If you do change the shape, it is important to keep the biscuit thick to achieve the fluffy centre.
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Equipment and Ingredient notes
Equipment needed:
- Large mixing bowl
- Fork
- Spatula / wooden spoon
- 9x9 inch square tin
- Knife
Ingredient notes:
Flour - Make sure to use plain or all-purpose flour for these biscuits. If you use self-raising, your cookies will rise and become cakey, and they will not go crunchy or crumbly.
Salt - I use sea salt. This will emulsify the flavour of the biscuits.
Vanilla - You can use either vanilla paste or extract. Both will work well. You can also change this for another extract, like orange or lemon.
Sugar - I use caster sugar in most of my baking since it has a finer texture. You can also use granulated sugar. Both will work fine.
Plant butter - This ingredient is very important. The better the butter, the better the biscuit. Try to use a butter that will not melt very easily.
Plant chocolate - For this, I recommend using dark chocolate about 70% cocoa. This will make sure that the shortbread is not to sweet. Make sure to chop this up extremely small into about the size of cocoa nibs. You want lots of chocolate sprinkled across the biscuits, but no pools of chocolate.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step one (the dough):
Add your plain flour, salt, sugar, vanilla, and plant butter to a large mixing bowl.
With a fork, crumble the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly dough forms.
Then, you can crumble the dough together with your fingertips.
Add in your extremely small chocolate chunks and fold in with a spatula.
Step two (the baking):
Line a 9x9 inch square baking tin with parchment paper.
Place your dough into the tin and spread out evenly.
With a knife, score 12 rectangular shortbread cookie shapes out into the dough. This will make them easier to cut once baked.
With a fork, press holes into each shortbread cookie.
Place into a 180c (conventional oven) or 160c (fan oven) preheated oven on the middle shelf.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden and slightly crunchy on the top.
Take out of the oven and let cool completely in the tin before cutting into your 12 shortbread biscuits.
Once baked, they will still be soft but don't worry, they will harden once cooled.
Enjoy with a hot cup of tea, or on there own!
The History of Shortbread
Shortbread first originated in Scotland, sometime during the 12th century. We can not date back to the exact date of when shortbread was first made, and the invention of them is often attributed to Mary, the Queen of Scotts during the 16th century.
Shortbreads are one of Scotland's statement foods along with scones, fruit cakes, pancakes and oatcakes. A classic shortbread typically consists of flour, sugar, salt, butter and vanilla. Some of them also contain small chocolate chunks like this one.
The invention of shortbread begins with something called 'biscuit bread' created in medieval times. Any leftover dough from this bread being made was dried out in a low oven until it hardened into a rusk type structure. Gradually, the yeast in these were replaced by butter, and eventually biscuit bread developed into shortbread as we know it today. The word 'biscuit' actually means 'twice cooked'.
When shortbread was fairly new to people, it was considered a luxury for working-class people and was reserved for special occasions like weddings, new years, Christmas, etc.
Prep time: 10 mins Serves: 12 Cook time: 30 mins
Ingredients:
- 2 cups plain flour / all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1 cup plant butter (230g)
- 1/2 cup caster sugar / granulated sugar (115g)
- 1/2 tsp salt (2g)
- 1 tsp vanilla (5ml)
- 1/2 cup plant chocolate chunks / very small (80g)
Method:
Preheat your oven to 180c (conventional oven) or 160c (fan oven).
Line a 9x9 or 8x8 inch square tin with parchment paper.
Place your flour, sugar, salt, plant butter, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl.
With a fork, crumble the butter into the dry ingredients as best as you can.
Now, crumble together again with the tips of your fingers until a crumbly dough forms.
Add in your extremely small chocolate chunks (about the size of cocoa nibs) to the dough and fold in until fully incorporated.
Place your dough into your lined tin and spread out evenly.
Score 12 even rectangular shapes into the dough (this will make the biscuits easier to cut once baked).
With a fork, add some holes into each rectangle.
Place in the middle shelf of your oven, and bake for 30 minutes.
When they are ready, they should be slightly golden on the top.
Take out of the oven and let cool completely in their tin.
Enjoy with a hot cup of tea :)
Notes:
- Do not over work the dough, keep it crumbly. This will give your shortbread the crunch and fluffiness in the centre.
- Use a good quality plant butter. The better the butter, the better the biscuit.
- I recommend using dark chocolate, about 70% cocoa to give the biscuits more flavour, and so they are not too sweet.
- Do not overbake. The biscuits will be soft straight out of the oven, but don't worry, they will harden once cooled.
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