By Alisa Fleming
These generously spiced cookies have a nice crisp that works perfectly for sandwich cookies. For a tender, melt-away texture, see the second option.
Makes: 28 cookies or 14 sandwich cookies
Free of: gluten and all top allergens.
Chai Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1 ⁄2 cup (120 mL) shortening (such as Spectrum palm shortening), room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 mL) dairy-free margarine, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (250 mL) brown or white rice flour, superfine if possible*
- 2⁄ 3 cup (160 mL) powdered sugar
- 1 ⁄ 2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch
- 1 batch spice mix
Method
- Preheat oven to 300º F.
- Place the shortening, margarine and vanilla in a mixing bowl and blend until creamy.
- Sift in the rice flour, sugar, cornstarch, and spice mix, and mix until smooth and thick. If crumbly, use a wooden spoon or your hands to bring it together.
- Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. If it is too sticky to handle, place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, and flatten them to 1 ⁄ 4-inch thickness.
- Bake the cookies for 25 minutes.
Let them cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make sandwich cookies, prepare the icing recipe on the next page, and spread it generously on the flat side of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies (flat-side down), and gently press together.
*Non-Gluten-free: If gluten is not a concern, then use an equivalent amount of all-purpose flour in place of the rice flour.
Recipe Variation
Melt-away Cookies: Omit the margarine, increase the shortening to 3⁄ 4 cup, and add 1⁄8 teaspoon of salt with the shortening. These are more fragile, but light and delightful.
Next Page: Spice Mix