Lemon and Chia Seed Shortbread
  • Prep Time: 10 + chilling minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Serving:
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Lemon and Chia Seed Shortbread

By October 5, 2015

Healthier version of the Scottish Classic using spelt flour and artificial sugar to create a diabetic friendly biscuit.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Lightly grease a baking sheet with butter and sprinkle a little bit of flour over it, this will stop the biscuits sticking.
  2. In a mixing bowl cream together the flour and sugar/sweetener.
  3. Zest the lemons using a fine grater. Try to only get the yellow skin as the pith, the white bit underneath, is very bitter.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix until it is just combined.
  5. Lightly form the mixture in ball. Place into a freezer bag and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to fan 160 degrees Centigrade
  7. On a board lightly dust it with flour. Roll the dough out till it is about 5mm thick. Use a cookie cutter or small glass and cut the dough out into circles. Place on the baking sheet, leaving some room for expansion. Re roll the dough and continue to cut out cookies until you have used all of the mixture.
  8. Prick the top of the biscuits 3 times with a fork, this helps stop the biscuits from rising too much.
  9. Cook the shortbread for 25 to 30 minutes until the biscuits have gone slightly darker in colour. It is harder to tell when this point is reached with wholemeal flour. Another test is that the biscuits feel firm but not hard.
  10. Leave the biscuits to cool on the tray for ten minutes before removing to a wire tray to cool completely.
  11. Store in an airtight container, they will keep for a couple of weeks.
Allergens

Allergens

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This Lemon and Chia Seed Shortbread recipe is a healthier variation of the Scottish Classic. Shortbread is not a bread at all but is a very buttery biscuit. “Short” in cookery terms is used to describe a crumbly texture. To ensure you get this texture you have to mix the dough gently so that you don’t get a tough biscuit. Don’t miss out the chilling stage as this stops the biscuits from spreading too much and ensures that all of the butter stays in the biscuit!

To make these more friendly for people watching their sugar I have used the artificial sugar sucolin, it is a diabetic friendly sweetener and is the closest one I have found to using real sugar. The lemon adds a zingy twist to these biscuits. The plain flour has been replaced with spelt flour, this comes in white or wholemeal varieties and has a low Glycemic Index than plain flour and less Gluten. Chia seeds are a great superfood, if you don’t want to splash out on them you could use poppy seeds instead.

They make a great alternative to classic Christmas cookies, you can of course use christmas cookie cutters, stars always work well.

I hope you’ll love these Lemon and Chia Seed Shortbread, let me know what you think of them.  For some other low sugar recipes check out these tasty alternatives Low GI Carrot Cake and Chocolate and Raspberry cakes.

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