These melt-in-your-mouth VEGAN Peanut Shortbread Cookies pair excellently with your evening cup of tea or coffee. Don’t forget to dunk!
Growing up in India, I was raised on British words for things: Flat (apartment), indicator (turn signal), rubber (eraser), postman (mailman), lorry (truck), lift(elevator) – you get the idea! While I’ve managed to come to grips with most of the American alternatives after 4 years here, the word ‘cookie’ is proving to be quite challenging. I just can’t seem to stop calling them ‘biscuits’, only to have locals look at me quizzically, because ‘biscuits’, especially in the South where I live, refers to a salty, leavened lump of dough (more like a scone) that is typically served with fried chicken and gravy. And don’t even get me started on the spellings!
But call them what you will – cookie/biscuit, these are delicious little things that will make your coffee/tea time a little extra special.
If you, like me, grew up in India, then you’d be familiar with butter biscuits – my favorite things to dunk into coffee. They soak up the liquid (and flavor) within a second, and combined with their innate buttery softness, turns every bite magical.
These Peanut Shortbread Cookies are the plant-based, dairy-free versions of the butter biscuit I know and love, and since I made the first batch, I’ve made two more batches in less than a week, not just because the recipe needed testing, but because 1. I’ve been eating them non-stop all week and 2. it is quite flexible – you can top it with so many things, cut them out into shapes, pipe them, dip them, etc.
This base recipe can turn into oh-so-many-wonderful things and that makes it a keeper!
Coconut oil (particularly if stored in the kitchen cupboard) tends to be liquid in form. But for the ease of kneading, it’s best to work with the coconut oil in a slightly firmed-up, scoopable consistency. And for that, after weighing the coconut oil, put it in the fridge for a couple of minutes. Stir it once or twice while chilling, until it turns grainy, white and pudding-like.
And no, if you’re wondering, you wont smell or taste the coconut oil one bit. In fact, it smells ‘buttery’ and I have no idea how, but hey! I’m not complaining!
This VEGAN Peanut Shortbread Cookie is a simple, fuss-free snack that comes together in no time at all. And I am thinking they’d make excellent favors at Christmas! All you gotta do is find a pretty tin to put them in!
When you make these delicious VEGAN Peanut Shortbread Cookies (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here!
VEGAN Peanut Shortbread Cookies
- Prep Time:15m
- Cook Time:12m
- Total Time:30m
- Serves: 4
- Yield: About 15 cookies
Ingredients
- 100 g coconut oil
- 190 g unbleached all purpose flour
- 50 g icing suar
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/8 c roasted peanuts, crushed
- Salt + sugar, to sprinkle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a medium baking tray with parchment paper.
- Refrigerate the coconut oil until it is of a scoopable, grainy consistency. You have to keep a close eye on it - takes about 5-8 minutes. Stir 2-3 times as it chills in the fridge to prevent freezing solid.
- Combine flour, icing sugar, vanilla and salt in a bowl. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly.
- Add the grainy coconut oil to the flour mixture and knead to a smooth dough.
- Scoop 1 tbsp of dough and roll into a ball between your palms. Place on prepared baking tray. Repeat until you run out of batter.
- Using the tips of your fingers, pat down the dough balls to form flattened discs about 1/4" in thickness.
- Top each cookie with a pinch of salt and a generous sprinkle of sugar. Pile crushed peanuts on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 12-14 minutes. The edges and bottom should turn golden brown but the top remain white.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Keeps well for 1-2 weeks at room temperature.
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