Little Chia Chai Shortbread

Aurelia Brogan
Jun 6, 2020
2 min read

Pottery by my sister, Danae Fasano Dehne

Lately, by the early afternoon we are tired of our screens and ready for a little treat. A couple weeks ago I bought some chia seeds because I read they are high in fiber and a great source of omega-3-fatty acids, which is good for your brain. I was craving a cookie with a crunch, and thought I would add my chia to a chai spiced shortbread. Bonus -they are gluten free and pretty fast to make depending on how many steps you want to take to make them look “pretty”.

Print Recipe

LITTLE CHIA CHAI SHORTBREAD

Small and delectable crunchy and lightly spiced shortbread-like cookie

Prep Time35 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Chai Spice, Chia Seeds, Cookie, Gluten Free, Shortbread

Servings: 24 small cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup oat flour gluten free
1/2 cup almond flour gluten free
1/2 cup gluten free flour blend *like King Arthur
1 TBSP Chia Seeds (if you don't have you can substitute poppy seeds)
⅛ tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
dash ground cloves
dash ground nutmeg
1 stick butter, softened
2 tbsp honey
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/8 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla
4 TBSP powdered sugar (for glaze)
1 tsp honey and maple syrup
1 tsp water
1 tsp white sugar

Instructions

Measure flours and spices into a bowl and whisk to combine.

Add 2/3 cup powdered sugar to bowl of mixer with the butter. Mix with stand mixer or handheld mixer until light and fluffy.

Add almond extract and vanilla.

Pour flour into butter mixture and mix until combined well, about 30-45 seconds. Dough will be a bit crumbly.

Spread out some plastic wrap on counter, and put the dough in. Wrap and seal. At this point you can roll and twist the ends so it's closed, and shape into a circle or a square of about 1 1/2" thick to 12" long roll. Freeze for about 20-30 min until cold enough to slice, and a bit frozen to the touch. You can stop here and bake any time or make right away. (Alternatively, you can also skip this step and just make balls of dough with a cookie scoop and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until cold, not shaping the dough at all will save you some time).

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°. Make a glaze of the remaining powdered sugar combined with maple &/or honey and 1 tsp water to make a slightly runny glaze. Prepare 2 cookie sheets by covering with a sheet of parchment on each.

Take dough out of freezer and with a sharp knife slice the dough into 1/4" slices and place 1" apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 9-12 minutes depending on your oven. Cookies will begin to get golden on the edges and a bit on top, but soft. Cool on the parchment, on wire rack until they firm up a bit.

While still on parchment, but once cool about 8 minutes, with a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the top and then sprinkle with white sugar. I topped mine with a tiny piece of candied ginger, but the drizzle and the ginger are all just bonuses. These can be eaten without and still be delicious.