Nutty and earthy rye flour and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt elevates these humble vegan shortbread cookies. You only need 5 ingredients to whip up a batch to enjoy!
There’s such beauty in simplicity. Cooking and baking doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. Sometimes all it takes it fresh, local ingredients and a simple preparation to let those flavors shine through. Have you ever plucked a perfectly ripe tomato off the plant and eaten it while it’s still warm from the sun? It’s perfection! And yet, you’ve done nothing to it but pop it into your mouth.
Over the past few years I’ve noticed a trend towards simplicity in my approach to cooking and baking. I think working with local farms has a large part in it. It’s something that just makes sense when you’re working with fresh, local ingredients. Take this shortbread for instance. At its core, it’s only 3 ingredients: flour, butter, and sugar. After a brief time in the oven, those 3 ingredients yield a lovely cookie!
I ordered a bag of whole grain Danko Rye flour from Barton Springs Mill a little while back and was saving it for a recipe in which I’d still be able to taste its nutty and earthy flavor. I figured a simple shortbread would be perfect and here we are! I used a cultured vegan butter (Miyoko’s is my favorite) and decided to add in a bit of vanilla and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt. These humble cookies make a lovely addition to a cup of coffee or tea. I highly recommend setting out an indoor picnic to enjoy them like I did 🙂
Salted Rye Shortbread
- Total Time: 20-22 minutes
- Yield: 14–16 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Nutty and earthy rye flour and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt elevates these humble vegan shortbread cookies. You only need 5 ingredients to whip up a batch to enjoy!
Ingredients
- 50g cane sugar
- 100g vegan butter, softened to room temp (I use Miyoko’s)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150g rye flour (I used stone ground Danko Rye from Barton Springs Mill)
- coarse sea salt for sprinkling such as Maldon
Instructions
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream the sugar and softened butter together until fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. This will take 2-3 minutes in a stand mixer on medium low speed. Mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour. Stop the mixer once a crumbly dough forms.
Dump out the dough onto a piece of parchment or plastic wrap. Using your hands, shape it into a log that is about 6 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the log, then place it in the fridge to chill for at least one hour. You can easily do this part a day ahead of time if you like.
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and line a standard baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap it. Using a very sharp knife, carefully slice the dough log into rounds that are roughly 1/4-inch thick in diameter. Place the slices of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of coarse sea salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom edges are just beginning to get a hint of color. Cool at least 15 minutes on the baking sheet before moving the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
- This recipe is based off the shortbread baking ratio which is 1 part sugar to 2 parts fat (butter) to 3 parts flour. The glorious thing about baking with ratios and weights is that you can easily sub in something of equal weight and still have great results. So, if you’d like, you can use standard all purpose wheat flour or even regular butter. I haven’t tested this with an all-purpose gluten free flour mix yet so I can’t vouch for it.
- If you are using an unsalted butter, make sure to add a pinch or two of salt to the shortbread dough.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Category: dessert
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