If you love the idea of strawberries and cream and do enjoy an occasional treat then this recipe is indeed the one for you Here is a rich biscuit that incorporates the magic of strawberries and cream with the addition of coconut. This is a cross between a shortcake and muffin in texture, although somebody said she thought they were a little ‘scone-like’. The flavour of these is insanely sublime, as is the texture and strawberries themselves, that smile on your taste buds.
By all means use whatever dried sweetener that you prefer – here I have used vegan white sugar, as they are a treat and didn’t risk making them with agave at this point (will do at another stage), as I wanted a dried ingredient, and I didn’t have any dried sweetener or agave left in the house. Serve these to good friends and family, and they will love you forever. Enjoy !
NOTE :
If you don’t occasionally indulge in a treat, in this instance I am referring specifically to one that includes both flour and sugar, then this recipe is NOT for you, unless you wish to substitute the sugar with raw coconut sugar or agave and the flour with gluten free flour or your choice or wholewheat flour.
Tip :
Be sure to store these in the fridge if keeping for the following day – but best eaten the same day.
My little daughter loves the TV character of Strawberry Shortcake, and that’s what inspired me to make these – she was entirely attentive, and lent a helping hand at all stages of preparing and making these.
Makes around 10 pieces, or so
DRIED INGREDIENTS
2½ cups white flour (all purpose)
1/3 cup of vegan white sugar, or equivalent sweetener of your choice
1/3 cup dessicated (grated) coconut
2½ tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
flour for dusting
icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar) for dusting before serving
WET INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp vegan margarine
3 Tbsp set coconut oil (I used Biona)
2 Tbsp vegan milk
½ cup plain Tofutti (vegan cream cheese)
1 cup sweet strawberries (not mushy or overly ripe), each cut into 3 or 4 pieces
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC)
- Next, line a large baking tray (I used 2 of them) with greaseproof paper (parchment).
- Now place your dried ingredients in your food processor, and process for 1 minute.
- Then decant your processed dried ingredients into a large mixing bowl, add the margarine and coconut oil, and crumble them up with your fingers as if making a crumble for a pie.
- Using an electric hand whisk, whisk the Tofutti cream cheese and the milk until smooth, but still thickish. Then spoon this into your dried mixture, and mix with a flexible spatula for a minute or so.
- Now add your chopped strawberries, and knead gently with clean hands, just until blended. Whatever you do, do not be tempted to overwork the dough, just enough for the ingredients to mix
- Dust your clean worktop with flour, then turn over the dough and shape into a ball – do this gently as the dough will be very soft (don’t panic – it’s supposed to be)
- Flatten the dough to about half an inch, and using a cookie cutter (I used a metal one), cut out each piece, and place into the lined baking tray. Any extra dough from the circles, work into a ball again, and cut them out in the same manner – again remembering to do all this gently.
- When you are done, place the trays into the hot oven, and bake for 15 minutes or so, or until they are golden. The stawberries will have yielded some of their juices from the sides, don’t worry about that, it’s all fine.
- Allow to cool a little, before serving with a fresh brew of tea. Enjoy !
All recipes, content & design © Miriam Sorrell www.mouthwateringvegan.com 2010
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These are wonderfull! Lacking strawberrys I went out into my garden and gathered wild ones. Just as good! 😉
Hi Miriam. Love another healthy biscuit recipe – thanks. Can frozen strawberries be suitable do you think, or will they be too watery?
Hi there Maraika, tricky question – it’s a try it and see scenario, but I feel it might just work. The texture of these shortcakes are more on the muffin side than biscuit, but are enormously pleasant. Let me know how they go – and remember they are best eaten on the same day, store in an airtight container and refrigerate too.
Camilla Hi there – I do hope you enjoy these, am not clear as to whether you have already made them since you say they are wonderful ! Very best wishes to you in the meantime.
This longish message is not specific to this recipe but perhaps to all your recipes and work!
I just wanted to write to you that I appreciate the aesthetics of your approach and the way you convey and channel your message. You are right that our eyes are the first to see before we taste. Seeing beauty, then tasting smelling and feeling the food adds a cascade of exuberant experience that is strongly engaging to lead us to another bite and soon explore into the adventure of another of your recipes. I have to add that the strength of convincing people through the senses is often very incontrovertible, it simply tastes GOOD! If we continue with the wave of understanding integrally what we are using for nourishment, the next sensory input might be sound or the flavor of savory words that impart yet another dimension of gratitude for seeing love on our plates instead of any less. A choice for a greener sustainable planet, a choice to save lives, including our own, and a place to find sustenance and expression for our higher potential as humane humans. The sound of words and the scents and sense that vegans can live, mindfully or with heartedness is immensely empowering of truing your being and evolving to be your best. Thanks for all your inspirations and aspirations!
I also appreciate writing to you just in order to develop my own heart and resonance in accordance with my heart and intellect and body. I aspire to always be a work in progress. And since words are some of the ingredients I use when the wordsmith in me is channeling, do feel free to repost this or quote me!
I am making the connection ultimately here that through the use of food you are able to focus the mind and the entire being on that experience which does then leave you with the fifth sense of sound unfed. But I think all will readily progress if they haven’t already, to appreciating the added positives of a plant based diet. (Really, is there anything other than a plant based one?) I have trouble even countenancing animals as food it is so wrong on so many levels. But you are helping people evolve through your work, or should I call it play, in the kitchen. People who feed people are very special in my book! Great thanks!!
Eric Triffin Hi there and welcome here. Many thanks for dropping by here with your extensive and poetic comment and your thoughts. Great vegan food is the greatest gift we can bestow upon our senses, the planet and share with others without harming animals or indeed needing any aspect of them for our food. These days many non-vegans aspire to not eating meat a few times a week, some for variety’s sake, others for the health and cholesterol free aspects of it, others for entertaining vegans and vegetarians, and others again purely because they simply wish to make something different. Veganism is on the increase and the key to sustaining it is irresistible recipes that tickle the tongue, please the senses and fulfill our appetites – this is where I come in and endeavour to ‘dance the dance’ and enjoy the entire process – the best part of it is when people from all walks of life and different preferences of what to eat visit my blog and drop their comments enthusiastically after sharing a recipe with their friends and family (often non-vegans) and rave on about how thoroughly a meal shared together was enjoyed. I then sit back and feel very satisfied and inspired to take veganism a step further in the hope that excellence is reached at some point, as I keep on extending my target point further and further away – that way I keep forever busy in my kitchen. Very Best wishes to you Eric.
Hi Miriam, thanks for introducing us to your cute little daughter…i think its a unique way…Hope to see more such stuff in your blog…Thanks..Ruby red quencher was another write up that i loved… 🙂
Hi VR thanks for your comment and glad you enjoyed the quencher. Best.
Finally got round to making these today as I was able to get the vegan cream cheese (sometimes so hard here in Scotland to get stuff regularly). Anyway they are gorgeous – a cross between a scone, cupcake and biscuit. Can’t see this batch lasting long!
Yvonne Hi there and thanks for dropping by with your feedback. How eloquently put – perhaps I could incorporate this description in my title, I thought of all three but wasn’t sure which one would best fit the bill – you are absolutely spot on, it fits all 3. Enjoy, and come back with more feedback when you try out some more recipes. Meantime very best wishes to you !
Hi Miriam, these look amazing and I can’t wait to try when I have found some vegan cream cheese. One question, vegan sugar? Isn’t all sugar vegan? Thanks
Yes Lauri, most sugar is vegan, very few are not out of Europe, feel free to ask manufacturers or google if you are very concerned – I think the few that are not vegan are processed via bone char or something similar. But as I said most are vegan – if you have a health food store you will likely be safe with what they sell.
I’ve having a couple of these hot out of the oven with dairy free margarine… Mmmm! I love the scone texture. I’ve missed scones since I went veggie (then vegan). These are a lovely twist on the traditional scone. I was thinking Strawberry & Cream (Scone) might be a more fitting name.
Or Strawberry & Cream Scone Cookies! Almost reached for a third one but must leave room for my main meal!
So glad you made and enjoyed these Silver ! 🙂
Hi Silver yes, they are a little ‘scone-like’ so I have included this in the description. Nevertheless I am delighted you enjoyed them ! 🙂
I was wondering whether they would work with soya cream. If so, would cream be used in place of the cream cheese? I didn’t have any coconut oil so used sunflower instead but I expect coconut oil would accentuate the coconut flavour along with the dessicated coconut. I might also try a dash of vanilla essence next time! Is there a reason these need to be refrigerated, is it because of the strawberries?
Siver Hi, I have not tried them out in any other way other than the recipe itself, but go ahead and try it out as you wish – experimenting is fun when time permits. Yes refrigerate because of the strawberries – I like to play it safe myself when it comes to food and the fridge is an excellent place for storing both sweet and savoury food when it doubt. 🙂