Perfectly short and crumbly, buttery, vegan Christmas Shortbread bars with a layer of festive mincemeat sandwiched effortlessly through the middle. Quick, no fuss, no cookie cutters required.
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Ok, listen up folks, because we are making Vegan Christmas Shortbread and we are breaking all the rules! When rule-breaking is this good though I am here for it and you should be too.
If you are looking for super delicious Christmas Shortbread bars that involve no fuss and take minutes to make with no fancy cookie cutters or chilling of the dough involved, then this recipe is your friend.
We're talking big shortbread bars rather than dainty little cookies. Back to my old motto again ... Go big or go home! If you are going to eat a cookie make it count. And these make it count. One is all you need to feel completely cookie-satisfied.
So what exactly is going on here?
Well, we are taking vegan shortbread cookie dough, pressing it into a loaf pan with our fingers, spreading it with a layer of very festive vegan mincemeat, and then pressing another layer of shortbread dough on top of that to make a very fun mincemeat shortbread sandwich that gets sliced up into hefty sized bars.
Sound good? Then let's begin...
Mel x
Ingredient Notes
Here is what you will be needing and why:
- All-purpose flour - Essential for shortbread's color, texture, and flavor. Don't use anything else.
- Cornstarch - Essential for the best texture. Don't switch it for arrowroot or any other flour.
- Cane sugar or white granulated sugar - Also essential for color, texture, sweetness, and flavor. Other sugars will not work well.
- Vegan butter - Fat is essential in shortbread for that short, crumbly, texture and also for good flavor. Store-bought vegan butter is fine or use my vegan butter recipe. Just make sure you make my butter recipe at least the day before you are planning to make the shortbread so it has time to set.
- Salt - A bit of salt makes literally everything better!
- Mincemeat - The sweet, fruity kind. I have a vegan mincemeat recipe or you can use a jar of store-bought mincemeat. Make sure it's a vegan one though.
- Flaked almonds - These are mainly for garnish but the little nutty hits in each bite are nice too! If you have a nut allergy feel free to omit them.
- Dried Cranberries - They add a nice chew and also work as a garnish. Their red color looks nice and festive! You can safely omit them if you don't happen to have any.
Let's Make Vegan Christmas Shortbread Bars!
This festive vegan Christmas Shortbread is ridiculously easy to make.
1 - Line a loaf pan. One strip up the middle and one the other way like so:
2 - Add the flours, sugar, butter, and salt to a food processor and pulse a number of times, until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs and any big lumps of butter are no longer visible.
3 - Take the top off the food processor and being careful of the blade, take a little handful and squeeze it together in your hand. If it sticks together it's done. If not, put it back in and keep pulsing until it will come together in your hand.
4 - Put approximately half of the mixture into a lined loaf pan and press it down firmly all over with your hand.
5 - Top with a layer of mincemeat.
6 - Top that with the remaining shortbread mixture. Press it down really well all over, then push in the cranberries and flaked almonds over the top.
7 - Bake, then leave in the tin for 15 to 20 minutes. Cut carefully into bars with a sharp knife about 15 - 20 mins after it comes out of the oven and leave to cool completely.
How to Freeze Shortbread
This recipe can be frozen in its uncooked state and also once it has cooked and cooled.
- To freeze it raw - Prepare the recipe as instructed, pack it into the pan, and decorate it with the nuts and cranberries. Then wrap the pan extremely well and place it in the freezer. Cook straight from the freezer for an extra 10 minutes.
- To freeze once cooked - Cook the shortbread, lift it out of the pan, and cut it into portions after 15 to 20 minutes as instructed. Then lift it by the paper and put it back in the pan. Leave to cool completely, then wrap very well and freeze. To defrost, unwrap, remove from the loaf pan using the parchment paper as handles, and place uncovered on a cooling rack so the air can circulate around it. Once defrosted store in an airtight container.
Recipe
Christmas Shortbread
Author:Ingredients
- 2½ cups (312 grams) all-purpose flour , plain flour in the UK
- packed ⅓ cup (48 grams) cornstarch , cornflour in the UK
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (125 grams) white granulated or cane sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 packed cup (240 grams) vegan butter
- ⅓ cup (100 grams) vegan mincemeat
- 2 tablespoons flaked almonds , or chopped pistachios
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 320° F (160 °C) and place an oven shelf about ⅓ up from the bottom of the oven.
- Grease a 9 x 5 inch (or similar) loaf pan. Place a long thin strip of parchment paper down the middle of the pan, with some overhang over the ends. Once that's in place rub a little grease on it to "stick" the next strip. The second strip needs to be wider and go across the pan the other way with some overhang again. The overhang acts as handles for lifting the shortbread out and the grease helps to keep everything in place. To see exactly how to put the paper in see my picture in the post above.
- To the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt and butter. Pulse until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs and is just starting to clump. Test to see if it's ready by grabbing a walnut sized piece and squeezing it together in your hand. If it sticks together in a ball it is ready. If it doesn't put the lid on the food processor again and pulse until it is ready.
- Take the blade out of the machine, and put roughly half (eyeballing it is fine) of the dough into the loaf pan. Using your hands, compact it down evenly and tightly.
- Spread the mincemeat over the top of the shortbread layer with a spoon so it's even, then top with the remaining shortbread and press it down really hard all over so it's even and smooth.
- Press the flaked almonds and cranberries into the top, then bake in the oven for about 65 minutes until it is just starting to turn a little golden around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and leave in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, then lift out using the parchment paper handles. Leave on the paper, and place on a cutting board. Slice very carefully into portions, then lift it onto a cooling rack using the paper aagin, and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
NOTES
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Jennifer E Yoder says
Could this shortbread recipe be used for a pie crust? I would like to make a vegan bag apple pie. The crust is a shortbread crust rather than a pastry crust.
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes I think you could and there should be plenty enough to line a pie dish.
Jennifer E Yoder says
Thank you, for your advice. I'm so excited I'm going to surprise my daughter with it. Have a great day!
Kate says
Made this shortbread on Christmas Eve. Nice and easy to make and tastes delicious. Mine was a bit crumbly, maybe I didn't push it into the tin well enough. Will definitely make again. Thank you for the recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you enjoyed it. If it was really crumbly then maybe you didn't process it long enough. It needs to be able to be squeezed together in your hand, then pressed into the tin very well too. Then it should hold together well once cooked.