We love shortbread, it’s just the best cookie going. On the topic of sweet sauces I’ll take vegan caramel over vegan chocolate any day of the week. So why not combine two of our favourite things? Here we have three ways with Vegan Caramel Shortbread – once with the vegan caramel sauce mixed into the batter, and two thumb cookies versions – one nut free with just a dollop of caramel sauce, and the other mixed with chopped up pecans. Molly can eat nuts so these were for her. Our Vegan Caramel Sauce recipe is at the bottom of the page. The Pecan version is super simple – just mix pecans with a tsp or so of caramel sauce and add into the thumb print once the cookies have cooled.
Vegan Caramel Shortbread
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Non-Dairy Butter (Naturli is the best if you can have almonds)
- 1/3 Cup Caster Sugar
- 1 3/4 Cups Plain Flour (sifted)
- 1/4 Cup Fine Ground Semolina
- 1/2 Portions of Dairy-Free Caramel Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F 170°C.
- If you want Pecan Caramel Shortbreads then take 2 pecans per cookie, chop them up, and mix them with 1 tsp of caramel sauce. Leave in a small bowl to one side to add to the top of the cookies once they are cooled.
- Beat the dairy-free margarine until it goes a lighter colour. Beat in the caster sugar until combined and the mixture looks fluffy.
- Then stir in the flour and semolina. I need to use my hands to bring it all into a ball.
- It should be a soft dough, which is very pliable. Take about a teaspoon of dough and roll it into a ball, place it on the ungreased cookie sheet and using your index finger, or thumb create a dent for the caramel.
- Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled put 1/2tsp or so of the caramel sauce either plain or mixed with chopped pecans (about 1/2 tsp pecans per cookie depending on your cookie, and thumb, size!) into the indent on the cookie. Don't do it while the cookies are warm!
- If you are doing the option with Dairy Free Caramel Sauce swirled in, add 2 tbsp of Caramel Sauce to a cup of cookie dough. Gently mix it in so it's streaky. Roll a teaspoon of dough into a ball, and flatten slightly. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Caramel Sauce is fabulous – and we drizzle it on vanilla ice cream, brownies, or any plain vanilla cake that it lying about. We make quite a lot in one go, and pop it in a jam jar for safe keeping (in the fridge). If you like, halve the recipe so you don’t have leftovers.
Dairy Free Caramel Sauce
- November 9, 2022
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Ingredients
- ½ cup Pure Sunflower margarine
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup coconut cream
- ½ cup golden syrup
- ¼ tsp sea salt (optional)
- ½ tsp vanilla
Directions
- Step 1
- You need to pay attention to the sauce so don’t wander off to do anything else and leave it. If you have a thermometer keep it ready by the side. Do have a bowl or jar ready to pour the sauce into
- Step 2
- In a heavy bottomed pan place the sugar, syrup and margarine over a medium heat. As the margarine and sugars melt whisk the mixture until smooth. As the mixture starts to warm up grab a wooden spoon and give it a stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan
- Step 3
- Bring the mixture to a rolling boil but make sure it doesn’t boil over! The mixture will start to thicken (keep giving it a good stir). Grab your thermometer and check the temperature. You need to keep an eye on the temperature to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. So check often
- Step 4
- Once you reach 230ºF then you’ve reached the right temperature for a nice sauce. Take it off the heat and add the coconut cream, vanilla and salt. Whisk and pop back on the heat and bring back to the boil for a 3-5 minutes – take off the heat when you reach 220ºF and check the consistency
- Step 5
- If it’s a bit thin keep it on the heat for a minute or two more
- Step 6
- Pour the sauce into a contained to cool down and don’t touch the sauce as it’s blisteringly hot!
- Step 7
- If you don’t have a thermometer then have a glass of cold water ready by the side. Dribble a few drops of sauce into the cold water – if you can form a soft ball with a few flicks with your finger then it’s the right consistency for a sauce. If you’re making sauce, but over cook it, (cough, ahem) then change plans and make caramels!
