Vegan Custard Creams

Makes 20. Takes 50 minutes.

A gluten free and vegan version of a classic biscuit!

Custard Creams is said to have originated in 1908 in England and the elaborate design on top of it is from the Victorian Era. Here's a fun fact, according to a study by the Telegraph, an average of 500 people a year need hospital treatment because of biscuit injuries and custard creams are the top offender. Whether this is because they are the most commonly eaten, or because Custard Creams are cursed, we don't know. But interesting, eh?

Cookie Cutters

I found the cutest four pack of embossed cookie cutters from Dexam with custard creams, bourbon biscuits, iced rings, and jam treats cutters. I love these for the authenticity, but they are in no way needed for this recipe. If you have a rectangle or even a square cookie cutter, that's absolutely fine. Heck, you could make them a circle if you wanted to!

Making Vegan Cookies

For this recipe I used vegan block butter from Naturli which is made from shea, coconut, rapeseed and almond and I find that it works really well for vegan baking, I have found it in Sainsburys, but if you can't find it, I'd also recommend Pure vegan butter. As long as it's a solid block of vegan butter, instead of spread, it should work. The only other vegan substitute you will need is a milk alternative, for this recipe I used almond milk from Alpro.

I N G R E D I E N T S

For the biscuit

• 100 grams of vegan butter substitute

• 1/3 cup of caster sugar

• 1 tbsp of almond milk (or other vegan milk substitute)

• 150 grams of gluten free flour

• 3 Tbsp of custard powder

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour mixture already contains it)

For the filling

• 50 grams of vegan butter substitute

• 130 grams of icing sugar

• 1 Tbsp of custard powder

M E T H O D

1. Preheat the oven 180° celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Soften the vegan butter but gently microwaving for 15 seconds.

3. In a large bowl, beat the vegan butter and sugar together with an electric beater until light and fluffy.

4. Add in the milk substitute and beat again breifly.

5. Sift in the dry ingredients: gluten free flour, custard powder, baking powder, and xanthan gum.

6. With a spoon, fold the dry and wet ingredients together and mix until a dough forms. Get in there with your hands if necessary!

7. Cover the dough and place in the fridge for 15 minutes - this will make it slightly easier to handle!

8. Dust a surface with flour and roll out the dough until its about half a centimetre thick. Cut out rectangles of the dough and place on to the prepared baking tray.

9. Baking in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden.

10. Remove from oven and let them cool while you make the filling.

11. Beat the vegan butter substitute, the icing sugar, and custard powder together until combined. Add a splash of water to loosen up the filling.

12. You can either spoon the mixture onto the biscuits, or pipe them. I chose to pipe them just so the would be a little neater for the photos. Once you have iced half the biscuits, sandwich with another biscuit on top and that's your custard creams! Perfect for a cup of tea.