Chai Spice Shortbread

​Most people think that vegans eke out their miserable, sugarless existence foraging on a mixture of grass, leaves and salad. Hell no! These biscuits are really delicious and they're packed with sugar, fat and refined flour. They're almost definitely just as unhealthy as traditional short-bread biscuits. They also use gluten free flour which I don't think is any healthier than normal flour – unless you are a celiac. And coconut oil which gives them a bit of bite and a very mild coconut flavour but won't make you any healthier! They do, however, taste delicious and they would make a great treat for that special high maintenance vegan celiac in your life.
 
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

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In a bowl mix 2 and 1/2  cups of GF plain flour with 1/2 cup sugar and a pinch of salt. Add 1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon and a 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, ginger, cloves and cardamom. Add 3 tablespoons of apple sauce and a teaspoon of vanilla essence if you've got any – one of our kids drinks it like cordial, so I have mostly given up on vanilla essence. Rub in 1/2 cup vegan butter substitute and 1/4 cup coconut oil. Mix until it comes together as a dough – but not too much or your biscuits will resemble baked leather, which is not quite the effect you're going for. Add a little bit of cold water if your dough is less like dough and more like sand, just until it forms a clump.
 
Form your dough into a roll, cover with cling wrap and place in the freezer for about 20 mins. Once it's chilled slice into rounds and arrange on a tray covered in baking paper. If you forget it (as we pretty much always do) and it freezes into a solid doughy log, don't panic. Although it will be harder to cut into rounds it will still taste just as good.
 
Bake for about 20 minutes but start checking them after 15 because ovens are sneaky beasts and generally can't be trusted.