Sugar Free Spelt Shortbread

If you read yesterday's post than you have already seen the gluten free, sugar free shortbread. Well, I figured I would make a regular shortbread as well! While I do have a wheat sensitivity, I am not bothered by gluten so I thought spelt flour would make for a nice hearty shortbread and I was right! These bad boys are amazing!!! When they first came out of the oven I worried about them tasting a little too healthy for my omni family but once they cooled down and I had another bite, you couldn't even tell that they weren't made with all purpose flour. The recipe is pretty much the same as yesterday's post, derived from my Mom's recipe that she has used for years. I hope you enjoy!

 Sugar Free Spelt Shortbread

• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup xylitol (ground into powder)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening*
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine*

 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a magic bullet or high speed blender, grind the xylitol into a fine powder so it resembles icing sugar, this is what helps give the cookie that melt in your mouth texture. You will want to remeasure the xylitol after this step. Sift together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the margarine & shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture becomes crumbly. At this point you can either roll the dough into 1 inch balls or roll out to 1/2 thickness and cut out using your favorite cookie cutter. I like to roll them into balls, place on baking sheet and press a pecan into each cookie. Bake for 20 minutes. You have to be very careful when you take them out of the oven, if you try to transfer them to the cooling rack too soon they will likely fall apart. Let them cool on the pan first and then transfer to cooling rack.

 

* You could also use 3/4 cup Earth Balance buttery flavoured sticks instead of the shortening/maragine combo.