Today’s recipe for vegan shortbread bits is brought to you by Betterine, a natural baking a cooking stick. I was sent samples to try. All opinions are my own.

Any purchase links are affiliate links which means if you buy through one I make a small commission (at no additional charge to you)

I have been sharing the recipes I have been making for the hubby as he follows the soft food diet requirements of his post GERD surgery regimen. Any desserts or treats I make for him need to be the type that “melt in his mouth” so I made him meringue cookies the other day. I wanted to give him an alternative and I turned to his favorite cookie - shortbread. It was a perfect option since it does indeed, melt in your mouth. I was curious to try the vegan butter I had been sent and figured that a butter based cookie recipe was the perfect vehichle to really see how it worked in baking. The other thing I need to keep in mind for him is that he needs to eat in small bites so I made these cookies with my mini cookie cutters.

Vegan Shortbread Cookie Bites

3/4 cup vegan butter like Butterine, at room temperature up to two tablespoons more if needed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all pupose flour
1 vanilla bean, scraped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl using a hand mixer blend together the vegan butter and the granulated sugar. Alternatively use a stand mixer with the paddle attached.
Add in the scraped vanilla seed and mix well.
Blend in the flour, just until mixed. If you need to add a little more vegan butter do so a tablespoon at a time
Lightly flour your counter and roll out the dough to about 1/2″ thick.

Cut out the cookies and remove them to the prepared baking sheets.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 18 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through baking.

Cool on a wire rack.

How Were the Vegan Shortbread Bites?

They are deliciously buttery and full of vanilla flavor. The vanilla bean was an extravagance but these were for my husband so it was worth using it. I put the bean itself into my jar of homemade vanilla that is curing for future use. The small size is perfect for the hubby who can grab one or two when he wants a snack.

As to the Betterine - it’s really quite good. I had some on my toast with some of my homemade jam. Other than needing a little salt for this purpose it was very neutral in flavor and if I didn’t know I would have thought it was butter. It is made with coconut oil and can be exchanged for butter or margerine in any recipe.

You can follow Betterine on Facebook/Instagram