Delicious Vegan Spiced Oat Biscuits: An Easy Slice-and-Bake Shortbread Recipe

Discover the delightful simplicity of these vegan spiced oat biscuits – a truly easy-to-make shortbread cookie that promises a crisp, buttery texture and a comforting spiced flavor. Perfect for pairing with your favorite hot beverage, these shortbread-style biscuits are designed for convenience and deliciousness. Their “slice-and-bake” nature eliminates the need for messy rolling out, making them a stress-free baking project. Even better, you can prepare the dough in advance and bake them fresh straight from the freezer whenever a craving strikes.

When it comes to homemade treats, sometimes the most satisfying recipes are the simplest ones. These spiced oat biscuits perfectly embody that principle. While they might not be the most visually extravagant cookies, their irresistible crisp, crumbly texture and deeply moreish, spiced, buttery flavor will win you over with the very first bite. They are incredibly straightforward to prepare, making them an ideal choice for both novice and experienced bakers seeking a fuss-free yet utterly delicious biscuit to enjoy alongside a warm cup of tea or coffee.

The beauty of this recipe lies in its minimalist approach, requiring only a handful of common pantry ingredients and a few simple steps. The result is a batch of perfectly spiced, golden-brown shortbreads that crumble delicately in your mouth, leaving a lingering warmth of ginger and nutmeg. Whether you’re baking for a quiet afternoon treat, a casual gathering with friends, or simply preparing a make-ahead dough for future cravings, these vegan spiced oat biscuits are a reliable and beloved choice that delivers maximum flavor with minimal effort.

Key Ingredient Details for Perfect Vegan Spiced Oat Biscuits

Understanding the role of each ingredient is crucial for achieving the perfect texture and flavor in your spiced oat biscuits. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need and why specific choices matter:

Vegan Block Butter: This is arguably the most critical ingredient for achieving that classic shortbread texture. It is absolutely essential to use a BLOCK-style vegan butter or margarine, rather than the spreadable varieties found in tubs. Spreadable margarines contain a higher water content and air, which can lead to a chewy, rather than crisp and crumbly, biscuit. Since shortbread relies heavily on the butter for its rich flavor, choose a brand you genuinely enjoy the taste of. Personal favorites include Naturli Vegan Block, Flora Plant block, or Stork block, all of which yield excellent results.

Light Brown Soft Sugar: The addition of light brown sugar contributes a wonderful subtle caramel note to these biscuits, enhancing their overall depth of flavor. Its fine texture also helps to create a tender crumb. If light brown sugar isn’t available, you can substitute it with caster sugar or granulated sugar, though the slight caramel undertone will be less pronounced.

Plain (All-Purpose) Flour: Regular plain flour is the backbone of these biscuits, providing the structure. For best results, stick with a good quality all-purpose flour. While I haven’t personally experimented with gluten-free alternatives for this particular recipe, if you choose to try a gluten-free blend, look for one designed for baking and be aware that the texture might vary slightly. A common pitfall in baking shortbread is overworking the flour, which develops gluten and leads to a tougher biscuit, so handle the dough gently.

Oats: These are “oat” biscuits after all! For the ideal texture, use regular rolled porridge oats. Avoid jumbo oats, as their larger size can make the biscuits feel coarser. Standard supermarket own-brand rolled oats work perfectly here, adding a delightful chewiness and hearty flavor that complements the shortbread’s crispness.

Spices: My go-to combination for these biscuits is ground ginger and nutmeg, which offers a warm, inviting aroma and taste. However, don’t hesitate to customize the spice blend to your preference. Other fantastic options that would work wonderfully include mixed spice, pumpkin spice, or a generous amount of cinnamon for a classic, cozy flavor. Feel free to adjust the quantities to make them as subtly or intensely spiced as you like.

How To Make Spiced Oat Biscuits: Step-by-Step Guide

(Full measurements and instructions, along with specific oven temperatures, can be found in the detailed recipe card at the bottom of this page)

Follow these simple steps to create your batch of irresistible vegan spiced oat biscuits:

Step 1: Combine the Dry Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together the plain flour, rolled oats, light brown soft sugar, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg. Ensure all ingredients are well combined and evenly distributed. This initial mixing prevents pockets of unmixed spice or flour in the final dough.

Step 2: Incorporate the Butter. Add the cold, cubed vegan block butter to the dry ingredients. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture. Continue rubbing until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no large lumps of butter remain. This process helps create the characteristic crumbly texture of shortbread.

Step 3: Form the Dough. Gently bring the mixture together with your hands, pressing and kneading very lightly until it forms a cohesive ball of dough. Be careful not to overwork the dough, as excessive kneading can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to a tougher, less tender biscuit.

Step 4: Shape the Dough Log. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to shape the dough into a uniform log, approximately 5-7cm (2-2 ¾ inches) thick. Roll and gently compress the dough to ensure the log is as even as possible along its entire length. This uniformity will help ensure your biscuits bake evenly.

Step 5: Chill the Dough. Wrap the formed dough log tightly in a piece of baking parchment, twisting the ends securely to create a cracker-like shape. Refrigerate the dough for at least one to two hours, or until it is firm. Chilling is crucial as it allows the butter to solidify, preventing the biscuits from spreading excessively in the oven and making them much easier to slice cleanly.

Step 6: Slice and Prepare for Baking. While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4 and line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Once the dough is firm, unwrap it and use a very sharp knife to slice the log into even pieces, about 8mm (approximately ⅓ inch) thick. Arrange the slices spaced apart on the prepared baking sheets to allow for proper air circulation during baking.

Step 7: Bake to Golden Perfection. Bake the biscuits for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the undersides show a hint of color. Keep an eye on them, as oven temperatures can vary. Once baked, remove the trays from the oven and allow the biscuits to cool on the tray for about 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will firm up considerably as they cool. Once fully cold, store them in an airtight container to maintain their crispness.

Top Tips for Flawless Spiced Oat Biscuits

• Precision with Scales: As with all baking, I cannot stress enough the importance of using a digital kitchen scale for measuring ingredients, especially for flour and butter. Metric measurements are far more accurate than cup conversions, which can vary widely depending on how ingredients are packed. Using a scale guarantees more consistent results and is often less messy too!
• Avoid Overworking the Dough: Shortbread is known for its tender, crumbly texture. Over-kneading or handling the dough too much will develop the gluten in the flour, leading to tough, chewy biscuits instead of crisp ones. Mix just until the ingredients are combined, then gently bring the dough together.
• Cold Butter is Key: Ensure your vegan block butter is cold and firm when you start. This allows for a proper “rubbing in” process, creating those essential breadcrumb-like textures, and helps prevent the biscuits from spreading too much during baking.
• Even Slices for Even Baking: When slicing the chilled dough log, aim for consistent thickness. Biscuits of similar size and thickness will bake uniformly, ensuring none are underdone or burnt. A very sharp knife is your best friend here.
• Cool Completely for Crispness: It’s tempting to eat them warm, but for that perfect crisp shortbread texture, allow your spiced oat biscuits to cool completely on a wire rack. They will firm up and become delightfully crisp as they reach room temperature.
• Customize Your Spices: Don’t limit yourself to just ginger and nutmeg! Experiment with other warm spices like cardamom, allspice, or even a hint of black pepper for an extra kick. You can also add a teaspoon of orange or lemon zest for a brighter flavor profile.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

More Easy Vegan Biscuit and Shortbread Recipes:

If you loved these spiced oat biscuits, be sure to explore more of our simple and delicious vegan cookie and shortbread recipes:

• Pumpkin Spice Shortbread (Vegan)
• Vegan Cranberry Orange Shortbread
• Vegan Coconut Cookies
• Vegan Pecan Snowball Cookies
• Vegan Chocolate Orange Shortbread
• Vegan Vanilla Sugar Cookies
• Vegan Shortbread Fingers

These easy-to-make recipes are perfect for any occasion, from holiday baking to everyday treats, offering a variety of flavors and textures to satisfy every palate. Happy baking!

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