Scottish Shortbread (Gluten-Free Option)

One of my favorite Holiday recipes is traditionally made without any spice at all. It’s Scottish shortbread and generally only contains three or four ingredients. Traditionally recipes use oat flour, not wheat flour, and that’s the way I make it – gluten-free. It’s based on a 1-2-3 ratio – 1 part sugar, 2 parts butter, and 3 parts oat flour. Make sure the oat flour is ground really fine or the texture will be a bit crumbly or grainy. Vanilla can be used as a flavoring but that’s optional. And a dash of salt is nice too.

For the best texture, I found that increasing the butter-to-oat flour ratio did the trick. I now use about 2 ½ parts butter. Yum. Butter should be at room temperature. Mix well with a fork and then knead with your hands. Roll to desired thickness and cut into rounds or sticks. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. Cook on parchment paper to prevent the bottom from burning. Rice flour can also be used for gluten sensitive but is a bit crumbly.

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