The festive season is well and truly here... and that means it's time for golden buttery shortbread.
The wonderful Rani from You Totally Got This shared another delightful recipe with us that not only tastes great but is also good for you! Rani says the secret to her sugar- and gluten-free Christmas shortbread is stevia – it gives these biscuits sweetness without the sugar rush. So you can have one of these sugar-free shortbreads as a bedtime treat without being kept awake all night.
Sugar-Free Gluten-Free Christmas Shortbread
Servings: 18-20 shortbread biscuits
Ingredients
- 50g butter
- 1 tablespoon stevia
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or vanilla essence
- 120g almond meal or almond flour
- 60g 85% or above dark chocolate
- Your favourite toppings - such as desiccated coconut, bee pollen and freeze dried pomegranate seeds, or chopped nuts.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper, and preheat your oven to 180ºC.
- Use your hands to cream the butter and stevia until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla powder or vanilla essence and mix until combined.
- Add the almond meal and mix to form a dough. Do not be afraid to use your hands here.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper, until it is flat and about 8mm thick.
- Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut the dough into 20 stars. On a warm day the dough may become too soft to work with. If that happens, don’t worry, just pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes before cutting out your stars.
- Place the stars on your lined baking tray and cook in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. The shortbread will still be soft when you remove it from the oven but it will firm up when cooled.
- Leave the shortbread to cool on the tray for 5 minutes and then remove to a baking rack.
- Once the shortbread has cooled break the dark chocolate into even sized pieces and place it in a microwave proof bowl.
- Heat the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds and then stir. After that put the bowl back in for another 15 seconds. If the chocolate is not fully melted put it back in the microwave for another 5 to 10 seconds, but watch it carefully so it does not burn.
- Dip the face of each biscuit into the chocolate and then place it back on the rack.
- Sprinkle with your favourite toppings, leave to set.
If you love this recipe by Rani, check out her Super Speedy Healthy Nachos. Or browse our Sleep Eats recipes to nourish your body and rest easy.
