Easy vegan shortbread cookies recipe with dark chocolate chunks, vanilla and cultured vegan butter. Also known as European sugar cookies or Christmas biscuits, they 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!
Only 4 ingredients, not counting the pinch of salt and optional chocolate.
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 cultured European butter is the absolute best on the market. If you can’t find that one any vegan butter sticks will do here.
- 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.
- Vanilla: extract or seeds, it’s optional but gives your cookies a really nice flavor.
- Chocolate Chunks: totally optional but makes your shortbread a little nicer in my opinion, if you like chocolate of course.
- Fleur de Sel: a few flakes of this 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:
- you can swap the chocolate chunks in the recipe with equal parts of chopped nuts: pistachios, pecans or walnuts are great additions.
- use 1/2 cup of dried cranberries or peanut butter chips.
- get FANCY: add in one teaspoon of lemon zest or orange peel, chopped rosemary or dried lavender flowers.
Topping Ideas:
homemade jam
creamy nut butter
chocolate drizzle
icing sugar.
How to Make Perfect Vegan Shortbread Cookies:
- Use the best Vegan Butter you can find and make sure it is at room temperature. I’m obsessed with Miyoko’s cultured European style butter, absolute perfection 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.
P.S. Don’t forget to come back here to rate the recipe if you give it a try, snap a photo and tag me with #VeggieSociety on Insta, it always makes my day ~ Florentina Xo’s
Vegan Shortbread Cookies
Easy vegan shortbread cookies recipe with dark chocolate chunks, vanilla and cultured vegan butter. Also known as European sugar cookies or Christmas biscuits they make perfect treats to dunk in your coffee or to pack nicely as holiday gifts.
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 168kcal
Ingredients
- 8 oz cultured vegan butter I used Miyoko’s
- 1/2 cup brown or coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour.
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar chopped (optional)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Fleur de Sel sea salt flakes for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring the butter to room temperature until softened.
- 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.)
- Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350”F. 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 Fleur de Sel (sea salt flakes) if available. Allow to cool off completely before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 94mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
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I just wanted to say Really awesome shortbread cookies and good luck not eating them all in one day 😂