Vegan Petticoat Tails

Shortbread is a centuries-old Scottish biscuit with the simplest ingredients, which relies on a high butter content for its distinct firm but crumbly texture. This recipe for vegan petticoat tails achieves the shortness of the butter-rich original using a balance of vegan margarine and coconut oil.

There are countless variations of shortbread, some using just plain wheat flour, some including semolina, ground rice or cornflour, or occasionally polenta. Ground rice produces the slightly gritty crispness of a good shortbread and contributes to the flavour, so that’s what I’ve used in this recipe.

The plainest form of this shortbread is perfectly good, but chopped stem ginger, dark chocolate, or a little lemon zest are all lovely additions. For an authentic flavour of the original petticoat tails eaten in the court of Mary Queen of Scots, try adding a teaspoon of caraway seeds.

The quantities given will make a deep 6″ round or a sightly thinner 7″ round. Pictured is a 6″ stem ginger version.

Vegan petticoat tails…

Ingredients

• 75 g soft vegan margarine (one with 70-75% fat content)
• 25 g flavourless coconut oil
• 55 g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• a pinch of salt (perhaps 1/16 tsp)
• 115 g plain white (unbleached) flour
• 35 g ground rice
• optional additions – chopped stem ginger, chopped dark chocolate, lemon zest, caraway seeds

Method

1. Set the oven to 150°C/300°F. Line the base of a 6″ (15cm) or 7″ (18cm) round tin and line or lightly oil the sides to a height of at least 2″ (5cm). A loose-bottomed or springform tin will make it easier to remove the shortbread.
2. In a large bowl, soften the coconut oil a little in the microwave to bring it to a similar consistency to the soft margarine (if your kitchen is warm it may already be that soft).
3. Add the margarine, caster sugar and pinch of salt to the coconut oil and beat with an electric whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Sift in the flour and then add the ground rice, along with any of the optional ingredients you are using.
5. Mix using a metal spoon or fork until the mixture has come together into a soft dough.
6. Transfer the dough to the tin and lightly press it to create a fairly level surface – it doesn’t have to be perfect and don’t press too hard or it will result in a denser shortbread crumb.
7. Smooth over the surface with the back of a spoon and use the tip of a fork to create a pattern around the edge. You can also prick the surface with a fork if you like, but it’s not essential with this recipe.
8. Lastly, mark eight segments using a flat-bladed knife or a dough-cutter, pressing around a third of the way into the dough.
9. Transfer to the oven and bake for at least an hour and up to 1 hr 15 minutes until it is lightly golden and risen around the edge. A 7″ round will need slightly less time than a 6″ round, but if you like your shortbread super-crunchy leave it in for a few minutes longer.
10. While it is still hot, take the knife or dough cutter and press through the marked segments – you can cut it when cool, but it’s more likely to break up.
11. Liberally sprinkle the surface with caster sugar and leave to cool before removing from the tin.

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