We got a scant eight hours of daylight today, which was just a really grey dark day with a momentary spurt of sunshine.
There is however a cheerful hopefulness about today being the shortest day of the year; it means we’re slowly inching toward those glorious days of summer… but before that comes the most joyous anticipation of all, it’s four more sleeps to Christmas day!
We spent the weekend mostly baking cookies – there were hours spent mixing butter and sugar with flour, shaping and baking our favourite cookies for sharing with friends and neighbours.
We make these cookies with custard powder; they’re buttery, has the perfect crunch, smell heavenly and are so easy to make.
And look at the pretty festive yellow colour; it’s enough to brighten a dull wintry day!
I have a lone day of work tomorrow then I’ll be home for the remainder of the year, I’ll probably spend my time holed up in my tiny kitchen making more cookies.
I found the perfect recipe for linzer cookies or maybe I’ll make these snowy wedding cookies, I’ve been meaning to make more almond flour based cookies or perhaps a second or third batch of these special Christmas custard cookies.
I do so love them, they’re hit with everyone who has tried them, with a texture so delicately rich they melt in your mouth.
It’s an unfussy cookie with just six ingredients, and a few minutes required to mix the dough and bake the cookies, and then you’ll be rewarded with these delicious buttery and cute shortbreads.
[Tweet “Delightful Christmas custard #cookies that are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth good and #vegan!”]
- 1/2 cup (4.4oz) dairy-free butter substitute, softened
- 1/4 cup icing sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher sea salt
- 1/3 cup custard powder
- 2/3 cup white whole-wheat flour
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Cream butter and icing sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy
- Add vanilla extract and salt, and mix
- Add custard powder and flour to the butter mixture; use a spatula to mix until well combined
- Cover dough with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes
- Shape dough in balls and place on baking sheet, flatten them slightly with a fork and space them about 2 inches apart
- To press cookies through a cookie press, scrape dough into a cookie press fitted with a decorative plate and follow the manufacturer’s instructions – press out cookies spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, remove cookies as soon as edges start to brown – do not let them brown!
- Transfer cookies onto a rack to cool, dust with more icing sugar if desired
- Enjoy!
- I'd recommend using Bird’s Custard Powder in these cookies but in a pinch, you can use cornstarch.
- I used white whole-wheat flour because that is what I had, all-purpose flour works too.
6 Comments
Cookie sharing is one of the best parts of the holidays! These look delicious! Beautiful photos!
22 December, 2014 at 8:37 pmThanks Katie, sharing cookies is my favourite part of the holidays too. Hope you’re baking something good to share:)
22 December, 2014 at 9:03 pmE, I so wished I lived near you so I could pop in for a box of these. Merry Xmas.
24 December, 2014 at 3:48 amHave a very merry Christmas B!
24 December, 2014 at 12:22 pmSo amazing! I’ve resisted posting comments on some incredible food blogs but I identify with a lot of what you do and of course, your photography/plating skills are so wonderful that I just had to come out of my little shell. Thanks so much for sharing!
27 January, 2015 at 6:20 pm