Ready to eat in under an hour, this easy-to-make Wholemeal Vanilla Shortbread is rich, buttery, and nutty. With just four ingredients—butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla—it’s simple yet delicious. Add some Peanut Butter Cookies to your biscuit collection
Table of Content
Wholemeal vs Wholegrain.
In a nutshell, wholemeal and wholegrain flour are basically the same. They are referred to differently in other countries. In the UK, we call it wholemeal, in the USA, these products are referred to as Wholegrain or wholemeal. Source - Cotswold Flour
Ingredients and Possible Substitutions
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used in this recipe, along with possible alternatives and why I may have chosen them. A complete list of ingredients and full instructions can also be found in the Recipe Card below.
Butter - Unsalted at room temperature
Sugar - soft brown sugar. You can use white caster sugar, but avoid using demerara or granulated sugar as the granules are much larger and could burn during baking, leaving brown patches in the biscuits.
Vanilla extract or Vanilla paste. Try using Maple Syrup as an alternative.
Flour - wholemeal flour or any wholemeal or wholegrain flour. Using all-white flour will give a different taste and appearance.
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 160 °C fan-assisted. Before you make this simple wholemeal shortbread recipe, line the base of an 8” square loose bottom cake tin with baking parchment.
Step 1: Using an electric mixer with the paddle beater, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
Step 2: Add the flour and slowly mix to form a smooth, firm dough.
Step 3: Place the dough into the prepared cake tin, and, using the back of a spoon, press down firmly and evenly to form a smooth base.
Step 4: Mark the dough into equal portions with a knife, cutting only partially through the dough. Add decorative holes in each section with a fork.
Step 5: Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 – 30 mins, or until baked. Before the wholemeal shortbread begins to cool, cut the portions all the way through.
Storage and Serving
Although you may find nothing is left after a couple of days, these wholemeal shortbread biscuits will keep for several days when stored in an airtight container.
Slice the shortbread into sections while still warm. Cool completely before breaking into portions and serving. However, they taste nice even when slightly warm.
Tips and FAQ
Tip:
To avoid crumbling, leave the shortbread in the baking tin to cool completely before breaking into portions and serving.
Can You Make Shortbread with Wholemeal Flour?
Wholemeal flour adds texture and flavour to this simple shortbread recipe, which plain white flour lacks and is a great way of introducing wholemeal and whole grain flour to your baking.