Marbled Shortbread

Marbled and marvelous

Author

Veronica Carlson
November 11, 2025

What’s Cooking Today? 👩🏻‍🍳

Marbling cake was invented in Germany, this technique involves swirling vanilla and chocolate batters together. But, the shortbread is a classic Scottish biscuit. We combined these two techniques for a ultra special shortbread recipe.

Let’s make some Marbled Shortbread 🍫🍪

This is what you will need for this recipe: 🥣 🥄

Ingredients
Ingredients for the Vanilla Shortbread 🧈🥛🧂🌾🌼🍬
• 80g Butter (6 Tablespoons)
• 40g Caster Sugar (3 Tablespoons)
• 5ml Vanilla Extract (1 Teaspoon)
• 40g Semolina (3 Tablespoons)
• 85g Plain Flour (⅔ Cup)
• ¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt Flakes

Ingredients for the Chocolate Shortbread 🍫🧈🥛🧂🌾🍬
• 80g Butter (6 Tablespoons)
• 40g Caster Sugar (3 Tablespoons)
• 35g Semolina (3 Tablespoons)
• 85g Plain Flour (⅔ Cup)
• 10g Cocoa Powder (1 Tablespoon)
• ¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt Flakes
• 5ml Milk (1 Teaspoon)

Method 📖
1. Prepare chocolate dough: In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric whisk for 1 minute until pale. Add the semolina, plain flour, cocoa powder, salt and milk. Stir until a stiff dough forms.
2. Prepare vanilla dough: In a separate bowl, repeat the same process using the vanilla shortbread ingredients.
3. Form marbled balls: Divide both doughs into small blobs, then roll one chocolate and one vanilla piece together to form a marbled ball.
4. Preheat oven: Set oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
5. Bake: Arrange the balls on the tray and bake for 15–17 minutes until golden at the edges.
6. Cool and store: Leave to cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container.

Serve: Enjoy! These can last up to 2 weeks—if you don’t eat them all first.

Don’t Forget! 📌

Even though the marbled shortbread is perfect as it is, perhaps you would like to try and make a more zingy shortbread by adding lemon or orange zest. To make a spicy shortbread, try using cardamom or cinnamon.