Rum praline shortbread (Christmas gift recipe) (2024)

Rum praline shortbread make the perfect edible Christmas gift. A little fancier than traditional shortbread and not quite as rum-laden as rum balls.

How is your Christmas preparation going this holiday season?

Don’t freak out if the answer is ‘it isn’t.’

I know the feeling.

​Is it just me or does it get harder to think of gifts for people every year?

My absolute go-to gift is always food.

Seriously, who doesn’t like receiving food?

I mean despite the fact that you get to eat it, it also means it’s consumed (aka no more things coming into our home).

These rum praline shortbread make a delicious Christmas gift.

Actually they make a pretty delicious gift any time of year.

The first time I made them was back when my Grandma was still with us & this was the first part of her present.

These bite-sized rum praline shortbread are soft and buttery like shortbread but have a lovely hint of crunch through them from the praline.

They make a great alternative to plain shortbread cookies or sugar cookies.

If you’re worried about teeth breaking on praline (something I have to consider with my grandma’s nearly 96-year-old chompers), don’t be.

It’s blitzed up nice and fine so it’s more adding a hint of texture rather than big crunch.

How to make rum praline shortbread

These delicious little bites are quick and easy to make with just a little rest time for the dough.

Ingredients for rum praline shortbread

To make them you will need:

• Pecan halves (I used walnuts instead)
• Brown sugar
• Whipping cream (or heavy cream)
• Plain (AP) flour
• Salt
• Baking powder
• Butter, softened
• Icing (confectioners) sugar
• Dark rum
• Vanilla extract (make your own with vanilla pods)

How to make rum shortbread

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C (350F) fan-forced.
2. Line a shallow, square baking tin with parchment paper so it extends over the side (doesn’t need to be neat or buttered – it’s more so you don’t have to clean the tin afterwards).
3. In a large bowl, combine the pecans, brown sugar and cream.
4. Spread the nut mixture over the pan so it is flat and in one layer.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the coating on the nuts is dry and crystallises (stir once halfway through the baking time).
6. Lift the sheet of baking paper out of the tray and place it on the bench for the nuts to cool completely.
7. Place the cooled nuts and 1/4 of a cup of the flour in the bowl of a food processor and blitz on high speed until the nuts are finely ground (but not powdered) then set them aside.
8. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
9. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter for 30 seconds on medium speed then add the icing sugar (aka powdered sugar) and beat until smooth.
10. Add the rum and vanilla to the electric mixer with the paddle attachment and beat them through then beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
11. Take the bowl off the stand and stir in the nut mix.
12. Form it into a ball, shape in a disc and wrap in plastic wrap then refrigerate for 4 hours.
13. Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan-forced (325F) and line a baking sheet (or 2 depending on size) or cookie sheet with baking paper.
14. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper until it is 27x35cm (11×13″).
15. Sprinkle the top with raw sugar.
16. Use a pizza roller cutter or sharp knife to cut it into 2cm (1″) squares. I eye-balled it but you can use a ruler.
17. Place the squares 1cm (1/2″) apart on the trays then use the blunt end of a skewer to poke 4 holes into each square. You may need to do to batches.
18. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.
19. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.

Store your rum praline shortbread in an airtight container.

Options to jazz them up

If you wanted to make them a little fancier, you could also dip in melted chocolate and leave to set.

Not here in Queensland where it’s 238044 degrees at Christmas, but if you live somewhere cooler it’s a great idea.

When I saw that the recipe said it made 140 rum praline shortbread I thought my eyes must have been playing tricks on me.

Then I read it again and saw that each little bite was just 1 inch square.

I made some a bit bigger and some teeny tiny like instructed.

It made the package look a little more exciting than having them all the same size.

Enjoy!

Or give them to someone else to enjoy!

What about you?

How are your Christmas preparations going?

Even if you are crazy busy it’s still fun busy right?

You might also like

• Lemon and ginger shortbread
• Chocolate spiced shortbread stars

Connect with Claire K Creations!

Be sure to follow me on my social media, so you never miss a post!

Facebook|Pinterest|instagram

Be sure to follow me onInstagramand tag @clairekcreations so I can see all the wonderful Claire K Creations recipes and creations YOU make!

I created a fun little group onfacebookand I’d love for you to join in! It’s a place where you can share YOUR favorite recipes, tips, tricks and tools for making life simpler, more natural and more connected and see what’s new around here (so that you never miss a new recipe, tip or trick)! If you’d like to check it out, you can request to joinHERE.

Rum praline shortbread

Yield: 140

Prep Time: 4 hours 40 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup pecan halves (I used walnuts instead)
• 1/4 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp whipping cream
• 2 1/4 cups plain (AP) flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup icing (confectioners) sugar
• 1 tbsp dark rum
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp raw sugar

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C (350F) fan-forced.
2. Line a shallow, square baking tin with baking paper so it extends over the side (doesn't need to be neat or buttered - it's more so you don't have to clean the tin afterwards.
3. In a bowl, combine the pecans, brown sugar and cream.
4. Spread the nut mixture over the pan so it is flat and in one layer.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the coating on the nuts is dry and crystallises (stir once halfway through the baking time).
6. Lift the sheet of baking paper out of the tray and place it on the bench for the nuts to cool completely.
7. Place the cooled nuts and 1/4 of a cup of the flour in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until the nuts are finely ground then set them aside.
8. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
9. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter for 30 seconds then add the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
10. Add the rum and vanilla and beat them through then beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
11. Take the bowl off the stand and stir in the nut mix.
12. Form it into a ball, shape in a disc and wrap in plastic wrap then refrigerate for 4 hours.
13. Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan-forced (325F) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
14. Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper until it is 27x35cm (11x13").
15. Sprinkle the top with raw sugar.
16. Use a pizza roller cutter or sharp knife to cut it into 2cm (1") squares. I eye-balled it but you can use a ruler.
17. Place the squares 1cm (1/2") apart on the trays then use the blunt end of a skewer to poke 4 holes into each square. You may need to do to batches.
18. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden.
19. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.