Two flavours of 'buttery' vegan shortbread from one batch of dough…. lemon & poppy seed and macademia & choc chip.
Here's a quick and easy recipe to wow and woo your valentine, with not one but two flavours of beautifully 'buttery' shortbread, without the butter! These Lemon & Poppyseed and Macadamia Nut & Dark Choc Chip love hearts are sure to melt even the hardest of hearts.
There was a Valentines' Coffee Morning at Pre-School this morning, so these fitted the bill perfectly. Super-quick to throw together, (though they do need an hour of chilling in the fridge - you can be chilling elsewhere), using one big batch of dough to make two different flavours makes it look like you've put in far more effort than you really have... bonus!
📝 What you need
Dairy-free 'butter' Make sure you use a block butter (rather than a tub of spread), as the water content is much lower so you will get a richer, crumblier shortbread that is easier dough to work with. My current favourites are the Flora Plant Butter and Naturli Block if you can get hold of it.
Rice Flour This was a River Cottage tip for fantastic shortbread, and it really does make all the difference here so do try to get hold of some. It is widely stocked in supermarkets these days.
Macadamia nuts are very luxurious (with a price tag to match!), and have a particularly 'buttery' taste. (I also use them in my Vegan Flapjacks, I'm a bit of a fan!). If you can't get hold of any then try using hazelnuts or brazils - also a great match for the dark chocolate chips.
Dark Chocolate Chips Do check the labels to make sure they are milk-free - many brands whose bars of dark chocolate are vegan then sneak some milk into their chocolate chips, annoyingly. Never assume anything - read the labels!
👩🏽🍳 Flavour Variations
For more flavour ideas, how about:
- Pistachio and Orange 50g shelled pistachios and the zest of 1 orange
- Dried Cranberry & Pecan 50g dried cranberries and 50g roughly chopped pecans
- Vanilla & Choc Chip 1 tsp vanilla extract and 50g dark chocolate chips
- Hazelnut & Sultana 50g roughly chopped hazelnuts and 50g sultanas
❄️ Freezing
Did you know that you can freeze unbaked shortbread dough ready rolled and cut out into shapes, (or just roll out a long sausage shape and slice into rounds)?
Then when a friend comes over for coffee, just defrost a few on a baking tray in the morning, then pop into the oven and voila - freshly baked biscuits every time. Yum!
For more quick and easy vegan recipes take a look at my latest book Vegan in 15.
"Brilliant! Chock full of easy recipes and great tips and advice" Hello! Magazine
⭐️ Reader Testimonials
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Made these yesterday with my son during half-term. Wow, they are so delicious! We can't decide which flavour we like best. We'll definitely be making these again. Thanks for the great recipe!" Ann
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Vegan Shortbread Biscuits
Ingredients
- 250 g dairy-free block margarine
- 125 g caster sugar
- 140 g rice flour
- Pinch salt
- 250 g plain flour
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 50 g macadamia nuts roughly chopped
- 50 g dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a food mixer, beat the margarine and sugar together very well (for at least a minute), then add the rice flour and salt. Beat again.
- Add the plain flour and mix on a very low speed until just combined into a crumbly dough (it won't really hold together at this stage, don't panic).
- Tip out onto a floured surface, and use your hands to press the dough together into a large lump. Divide the dough into two equal halves, and return one to the bowl. Sprinkle this half with the lemon zest and poppy seeds, and gently knead it together until evenly distributed, (avoid over-mixing, do as little as you can).
- Add the chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts to the other half of the dough, and knead gently until evenly distributed.
- Cover two baking trays with baking parchment or greaseproof paper. Roll out the dough to around half a centimetre thick, (a little too thick is far better than too thin where shortbread is concerned!). Use a heart shaped cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can, placing them on the baking trays. Then roll the offcuts together and re-roll and cut again. Continue until all the dough has been used up.
- Repeat the process with the lemon & poppyseed dough. Place both trays in the fridge for an hour.
- Whilst the biscuits are chilling, preheat your oven to 160°C / 320°F / Gas Mark 3. When an hour is up, remove them from the fridge, sprinkle each one with caster sugar and pat gently to press it into the dough.
- Bake the biscuits for 20 minutes, they should remain fairly pale, don't let them turn too brown. After 20 minutes check underneath a few - if they are still a little soggy, flip them all over and return to the oven for a further 3-4 minutes.
- Remove and place on a cooling rack.
Made these yesterday with my son during half-term. Wow, they are so delicious! We can't decide which flavour we like best. We'll definitely be making these again. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks Ann - me and my son made some this week too and they are always a winner! Glad you enjoyed them. Kate
Vegan shortbread? No way! I can't wait to give these a go, thanks for the recipe 🙂
Thanks Cathy - you would never guess they were no-butter! Hope you give them a go - let me know how you get on!
What cute little shortbreads, love the sound of those flavour combinations! Perfect valentines treat!
Thanks Isabella! Yes lovely treats - just wish I did't have to make them for myself... haha!
These look delicious Kate! Love lemon and poppy seed. Even better that they are vegan too x
Thanks Emily! Yes me too - my favourite flavour combo ever.