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These St Clement’s Christmas Biscuits are flavoured with a hint of fresh orange and lemon and have a short and tender texture that is crisp to the bite. They’re simple to make, light and fresh to eat and are a wonderful gift for a loved one this holiday season!
These orange and lemon biscuits have a buttery shortbread base that is rolled thin to create a short biscuit with a beautifully crisp and tender texture. They are flavoured naturally with fresh orange and lemon zest and kept simple with just 7 ingredients.
They’re easy to make and use one bowl to keep the washing up to a minimum. First you mix the dry ingredients and rub in the vegan butter, then chill the dough, roll it out, cut out the cookies and bake until they’re just starting to colour.
Christmas cookies and biscuits are a lovely gift to give in the holiday season and these St Clement’s Biscuits are bound to go down a treat with your loved ones. Package them in a cute jar or airtight bag tied with a striped ribbon and a festive gift tag.
Quick links:
Why you’ll love these St Clement’s Christmas Biscuits
One bowl recipe. All of the ingredients go into one bowl so washing up is kept to a minimum which is always a bonus around Christmas time!
7 simple ingredients. This recipe is made with simple ingredients that are you will likely already have in your pantry – plain flour, icing sugar, caster sugar, vegan butter, lemon zest, orange zest and salt.
Easy to make. There are five simple steps to making these cookies – 1. mix the dry ingredients, 2. rub in the butter, 3. refrigerate the dough, 4. roll it out and cut out the biscuits and then 5. bake!
They’re buttery yet fresh. The texture of these cookies is beautifully light and crisp with a buttery shortbread-style base and a light and fresh citrus flavour.
They make a great gift. Package these sweet Christmas biscuits in a cookie jar or festive bag and tie the top with a red and white striped ribbon for a pretty vegan Christmas present that doesn’t cost the earth.
Top tips
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Keep the butter cold: Use a vegan block butter (rather than a spreadable margarine) and use it straight from the refrigerator to make sure it’s cold before rubbing it into the dry ingredients.
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Chill the dough fully: After you’ve made your dough, roll it into a ball and then flatten it slightly. Wrap it in a reusable wrap or place it in an airtight bag and refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes. This step is important because you want to keep the dough cold so that it is easy to roll out and so that the biscuits don’t spread in the oven.
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Flour your cookie cutters: Lightly dust your cookie cutters with flour to stop the dough sticking to them when you cut out the biscuits.
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Keep an eye on the biscuits during baking – you’re aiming for ‘just baked’: Differences in oven temperatures can cause biscuits to over or undercook. Bake for 11 minutes before checking them –
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Slightly golden around the edges = perfect melt-in-the-mouth texture
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Golden all over = crunchy and over-baked
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If the dough looks a little damp in the middle or underneath = underbaked, they will likely need another minute or two
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Storing: Store your biscuits in an airtight container on the counter top for up to 4 days. You can also make the dough in advance and store it in the fridge before baking, just be sure to wrap it very well before placing it in the refrigerator.
FAQs
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Help, my dough is sticking to the rolling pin! What should I do? Chances are it needs to chill for longer so pop it back in the refrigerator (wrapped up) for another 10-15 minutes. If the dough feels cold but is still sticking to the rolling pin, try dusting it with a little bit more flour before rolling it out.
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Help, my dough is cracking when I try to roll it out! What should I do? If your dough has been in the refrigerator for longer than 45 minutes it may be a little too cold. Rest it for 5 minutes out on the kitchen worktop before trying to roll it out again (don’t let it get warm though).
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Can I freeze the cookie dough? Absolutely! You can make the dough in advance and freeze it for up to 2 months wrapped well in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight, freezer-proof container. Put it in the refrigerator over night to defrost before rolling it out and baking it.
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Can I freeze these biscuits? Yes, store them in a freezer-proof airtight container and bring them to room temperature before enjoying.
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Loved these St Clement’s Christmas Biscuits? Here are some more delicious vegan cookies and treats to try
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Another Christmas cookie that is great as a gift! These Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies are deliciously sweet with creamy white chocolate chunks and tangy dried cranberries. They’ve got a thick, soft and chewy centre with a lightly crisp exterior.
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These Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies are an easy vegan treat. Made with 6 simple ingredients, these melt-in-the-mouth shortbread cookies are rich and buttery with a chocolate twist on a British classic.
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These Biscoff Billionaire’s Shortbread slices have a trio of delicious layers! Buttery vegan shortbread is topped with silky smooth cinnamon-infused Biscoff spread and a layer of glossy dark chocolate, decorated with piped Biscoff spread and a Lotus biscuit.
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For a healthier take on millionaire’s shortbread, try these delicious, gluten free Healthy Millionaire’s Shortbread slices. They’ve got a sweet oat biscuit base, gooey date caramel centre and a creamy chocolate topping. No bake, wholesome ingredients and they can be eaten straight from the freezer!
I hope you LOVE this recipe for St Clement’s Christmas Biscuits! Share this recipe with someone you think will enjoy it and don’t forget to tag @aveganvisit on social media when you try out the recipe – I absolutely love seeing your re-creations! Enjoy 🙂 x
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The Video Recipe:
The St Clement’s Christmas Biscuits Recipe:
St Clement’s Christmas Biscuits
Ingredients
- 175 g plain flour
- 50 g icing sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- Zest from 1 orange (unwaxed, approx 1 heaped tbsp)
- Zest from 1 lemon (unwaxed, approx 1 tbsp)
- 150 g vegan block butter* (cold)
- 25 g caster sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- In a bowl stir together the flour, icing sugar, salt and zest.175 g plain flour, 50 g icing sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, Zest from 1 orange, Zest from 1 lemon
- Rub the cold butter into the dry mixture until it is combined and no large chunks of butter remain. The mixture will resemble large breadcrumbs.150 g vegan block butter*
- Bring the mixture together into a ball, flatten it slightly and wrap it in plastic film or a reusable wrap. Place it in the fridge for 45 minutes.
- Note: The mixture should come together when squeezed between your fingers. If for any reason it does not then add 1/2 tsp of cold water, mix in and then try again to bring the mixture together.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional / 375°F / gas mark 5).
- Lightly flour a smooth surface. Roll the dough out to 1/2 cm thick and cut out 16 x 5.5cm (2”) rounds using a cookie cutter. Re-roll the dough and continue cutting out biscuits until you have used the dough.
- Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with caster sugar.25 g caster sugar
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until the edges of the cookies are just starting to colour.
- Leave the biscuits on the trays for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tara
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
