Vegan Coconut Shortbread, a delicious, melt-in-your mouth cookie made with healthy fats.
Indian sweets often combine the classic medley of coconut, cardamom and sugar. In my vegan Coconut Shortbread, I use these Indian ingredients to put a delicious spin on a Scottish favorite.
Desi loves shortbread and so do I. What's not to love about a cookie that's utterly simple and yet stunningly exquisite? I make my Vegan Shortbread Cookies for him often enough, but this time I wanted to try something different and something possibly healthier. Therefore, this vegan Coconut Shortbread.
For my Coconut Shortbread I chose not use coconut flakes-- I don't like the idea of anything, even delicious flakes, interrupting the perfect texture of shortbread. Instead, I substitute the butter with coconut oil. And then add a smidgen of coconut milk to intensify the flavor.
Coconut oil is a great substitute for butter in shortbread and other recipes that require flaky crusts, like pies, and even in cake frosting. That's because it remains solid at room temperature in all but the most tropical climates, like shortening would. Be sure to use an organic variety to make sure you get the purest flavor and texture.
One thing to keep in mind when baking with coconut oil is that it has a strong, coconutty flavor, so don't use it in a recipe where you want a neutral flavor. It works perfectly in this shortbread, though, because we want it to be as coconutty as possible. The reason I said that this shortbread is possibly healthier than regular shortbread is because some research shows coconut fat is actually heart-healthy (although any fat is still fat, so moderation is key).
Cardamom makes this coconut shortbread extra-special and reminds me a little of Naralachi Barfi, an Indian coconut fudge that is a sweet childhood memory. My mom would often make these soft and diamond-shaped barfis for my brother and me when we were kids and they would be pink or blue, exactly as a child would love them. They filled the house with the heady fragrance of sugar, coconut and cardamom, much like this shortbread does.
Try these vegan cookies next
- Vegan Sable or French Shortbread
- Pink Lemonade Cookie Bars
- Vegan Cardamom Sugar Cookies with Mango Icing
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Coconut Shortbread
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- 8 X 8 inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup coconut milk (cold)
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon sugar (for dusting shortbread, optional)
Instructions
- Mix together the flour, cardamom powder, and salt.
- Cream together the coconut oil and the powdered sugar with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until it's soft and fluffy, about two minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the flour in three batches, mixing well with a spatula after each addition.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for 15-30 minutes.
- Grease an 8 by 8 inch glass baking pan.
- Place the shortbread dough in the pan. Press with your fingers into an even layer all the way to the corners of the pan.
- Bake the shortbread in a preheated 300-degree oven for 50 minutes or until it is slightly darker at the edges.
- Remove to a rack, cool for 10 minutes, and then, using a sharp knife, cut into diamond shapes without going all the way through the shortbread.
- Cool thoroughly and then separate into diamond shapes.
Millie
Love this recipe!
I added 1/4 cup sweet rice flour to fill up the required flour. I also added lemon zest to the flour before mixing in.
I baked @325 for 45 mins.
I used Kirkland Organic coconut oil.
I left out the 1 tbs sugar, but dusted powdered sugar after cooling. Mine came out beautifully!
They turned out a nice brown, with a crunch and they melt in the mouth!
I will make them again! I might have to use parchment paper next time...they got a little stuck, but I could easily scrape them out.
I might also try adding some nuts.
Nice recipe 😋
Ania's Sweet Secrets
Hi,
How long do you think these will last in the room temperature?
Rusty
Just made these and it was delicious.
Although I didn't get shortbread crumbly texture, I got like a chewy cookie/ brownie or blondie kind of texture, which I love, so was not disappointed.
I think I would use less oil/ more flour next time but I was thinking coconut oil is probably quite variable depending on the room temperature when using it, and that probably affects the measuring process.
Definitely will make it again
Rusty
I'll add that it is August in Hong Kong, for more context regarding the oil temperature. I did keep it in the fridge right up until measuring it but it got soft very quickly.
Kimberly
Thank you for the recipe! I tried this today, and while the flavor is nice, the texture did not turn out like traditional shortbread. Instead of that crisp, crumbly, Sandy texture, mine are soft, almost a hint of chewy, and fairly brown in color. Only the very edges, which are dark brown, are crispy/crunchy. I followedThe recipe as written, but I used an 8” square silicone pan instead of glass. What texture do you get? Thanks so much for any suggestions.
Vaishali
Hi Kimberly, the silicone pan will definitely affect the texture and color of the cookie. Try baking these in glass or a metal pan next time.
Jeffrey Wong
This is DA BOMB!!!!
The cardamom is DA BOMB!!
I'm going over the edge and adding a little lemon juice (one tablespoon or whatever I can get from one lemon) and lemon zest to this!
See you over there!