Care for a cuppa tea? I've made you some cashew butter tea biscuits to go with it! Or tea biscuit cookies... or just tea cookies... Whatever you call these in your part of the world -- this is a super simple version that requires no sugar, eggs, butter / non-dairy butter, binders, wheat or a million ingredient gf flour blend.
So about that tea... on a personal preference level, I sort of phased out of dunking things in my drinks a long time ago, HOWEVER these beauties + a glass of freshly made nut milk = perfection ?
These dainty cookies are simple to make and oh so comforting. Now to fill you in before you try them -- they're not quite like the "social tea" type tea biscuits you might have grown up with (don't want to set you up for disappoint here?), but the more wholesome ingredients and the non-fussy recipe make these equally satisfying.
I'd say the main difference between these and a traditional tea biscuit is the crunchiness level (these are a bit softer) and the sweetness (these are a bit less sweet). You can remedy the crunchiness factor by baking them longer if you prefer (I quite liked them at the 9 min mark). The less sweetness is something I thought was just perfect... Plus, if you really like them sweet, you can dunk them in some chocolate for a real treat, but more on this later...
To get those pretty sides I used a square cutter with fluted edges and a separate letter press made for cookies. I was really just having fun with these; that's all totally optional. You could make these any shape you like of course, or even just cut them into squares with a knife and call it a day. But there's something fun about playing "cookie dress up" isn't there? ?
If you find yourself looking for oil-free recipes, the cashew butter allows this recipe work without oils or butter substitutes -- an easy switch up. I've made tons of these cookies over the last little while, experimenting with other nut and seed butters. Sad to report that cashew butter worked best due to its mild flavor. The other butters work, but the cookies always felt like they were missing a little something.. So I recommend sticking to cashew butter for the best flavor. If you still feel like you want to experiement with other nut butters, you might want to try with added flavors (like cinnamon, lemon flavor, etc.).
Another quick note is that it's a small batch recipe. The cookies are crisper when freshly baked, but will soften up a tad when stored (mine went into a sealed tupperware container), so I preferred to make new tiny batches whenever I was in the mood instead.
Of course making heaps of batches of these cookies also meant they'd inevitably get dunked in some chocolate... and possibly form an ice cream sandwich.... Ok I know that's a lot more indulgent than just a simple tea biscuit, but hey, some days you just gotta chocolate ?
Must admit, I didn't make the most graceful sandwiches -- they were totally impromptu. I just filled them with this Mango Pineapple Ginger Turmeric ice cream (because that's what I had on hand) and dunked them in some melted chocolate. The result was an incredibly messy bar of deliciousness... highly recommend if you feel like indulging your inner child, (ie. you don't mind getting chocolate and ice cream all over your fingers!)
Otherwise, for the high-tea purists out there, let's just stick to plain biscuits, shall we? ;)
P.S. for a nut-free variation of this kind of cookie, you can try these vanilla bean cut-out cookies instead.
PrintCashew Butter Tea Biscuits
Sweet, delicate cashew butter tea biscuits/ gluten-free tea cookies. So wonderful with a glass of plant milk! Vegan and refined sugar-free.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Total Time: 29 minutes
- Yield: 8 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp white rice flour (I used a finely ground one)
- 2 tbsp cashew butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/16 tsp salt
- optional: 1 teaspoon cinnamon or a pinch of raw ground vanilla bean
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Process all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture begins to form a ball (note if the mixture is too sticky, add a bit more flour, if too dry, add a bit more maple syrup). Form the mixture into a ball with your hands and knead briefly, then flatten into a disk. Place the disk between two sheets of parchment paper on a flat surface and use a rolling pin to roll out into an ⅛" thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can (I used these) -- transfer those onto the prepared cookie sheet. Gather remaining dough scraps, form into a ball, and repeat the process of rolling out and cutting out more cookies until you run out of dough.
- If desired, use a letter press (I used this one) to stamp the cookies (I stamped the word "tea" on mine). Bake in a pre-heated oven for 9 mins (or bake longer for crispier cookies to your liking). Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool a few minutes (they will firm up a bit as they cool off). Enjoy!
Anna M Wegrzyn says
Hi,
I was wondering if I could use a sweet rice flour... like Mochico brand?
Thanks, Ania
Audrey says
Hi Ania, I don't think it's the best substitute here tbh -- it tends to produce a softer / mushier result. Regular rice flour, an all purpose gf flour mix, or even regular wheat flour if not gf, would work best here.
Pinky says
Can these be made with almond butter ?
Audrey says
Hi Pinky, yes you can make these with almond butter. The result will be a little different since cashew butter is a bit more neutral in flavor and I find it produces a slightly different texture in these types of pastries as opposed to other nut butters. Nevertheless, you'll still end up with something tasty :)
You might also like these almond cookies if you're into almond butter: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/cherry-almond-thumbprint-cookies/
Taegan Field says
Does subbing oat flour work?
Audrey says
Hi Taegan, it should be alright so long as it's finely milled (similar to rice flour). It'll change the flavor a tiny bit though (as each flour has its own mild taste).
MA says
Hi do you think one could sub butter for cashew cutter and have a shortbread like tea biscuit?
Tks MA
Audrey says
You might enjoy this recipe more: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/simple-gluten-free-vegan-shortbread-cookies/ since it's an actual shortbread :)
kat says
Mine came out hard as a rock :( Could it be because of the rice syrup I used instead of maple? And a teaspoon of rose water instead vanilla? Otherwise, I followed the recipe..
Audrey says
Hi Kat. I haven't tried it with rice syrup before, so not sure if that's what would have caused the issue. Could be that they got baked too long as well. Most ovens aren't consistent in terms of temperature from oven to oven, so some tend to bake faster than others. You can give them a try again but bake for a much shorter time. Another thing you can do in general is use an oven thermometer (they're like $5) to make sure it's heating up to the correct temperature (350F / ~180C). Hope that helps!
Vera says
Hi Audrey,
I'm gonna make these cookies for when I'm going away. How long do you think they'll last (in a tupperware box outside the fridge)?
Thanks!
Audrey says
Hi Vera. They'll easily keep well 4-5 days in a sealed container, un-refrigerated.
In my experience they taste best first day -- warm and a bit crispier, then soften up a touch and remain the same for the remaining days -- just so you know what to expect. That said, I make larger batches all the time and store them in a sealed cookie jar on the counter and it's a miracle if they last more than a couple of days ;)
Lisa says
Hello - could I use tapioca flour instead of white rice flour?
Audrey says
Hey Lisa, unfortunately not. Tapioca flour isn't really a flour, but actually a starch, so it typically doesn't work as a substitute for a flour on its own in a recipe. You could use something like brown rice flour, sorghum flour, or a gluten-free all-purpose flour mix.
Suzie says
Can i check if i can replace rice flour with normal plain flour ?
and maple syrup with honey?
thanks!
Audrey says
Hi Suzie. I had a few readers share that it worked fine with plain flour for them. I haven't tried myself, but based on their feedback I'd say go for it :) If your honey is runny, I don't see why it wouldn't work. It's typically a little less sweet than maple syrup and a bit thicker, so you may need to adjust the quantity to taste.
Renu Sen says
Hello!
Your recipes are amazing, thank you for sharing them. Could you use coconut flour instead of rice flour with these tea biscuits?
Best wishes
Renu Sen
Audrey says
Thank you very much :)
For this particular recipe, I don't think coconut flour will work as it functions completely differently to rice flour (very moisture absorbent) so the recipe would just need to be rewritten completely.
I do have some grain-free cookies on the blog if you're interested: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/alfajores-gluten-free-grain-free-dairy-free-refined-sugar-free/ They are made with almond flour, not coconut though. And they don't imprint as well, but they are really delicious and easy to make cutouts with.
Anja says
These are insane! They are so delicious I tripled the recipe and am making a second batch now. This time with cinnamon as you mentioned and coconut nectar. Big thank you for being such a great inventor!!!
★★★★★
Audrey says
Thank you, Anja -- your feedback made my day :) So happy you liked them!
Anja says
Hi again,
I wanted to mention to you that I accidentally used a bit more salt and it made a huge different. Instead of 1/16, I used 1/4 of a teaspoon. Please give it a try!
Audrey says
Thanks for sharing -- I can totally see how that would be delicious with a stronger salt & sweetener balance. Thanks for sharing your experiments.
Shunan says
Hi audrey, for the white rice flour, is it short grain rice flour (east asian type) or the long grain (indian type) since both tend to yield different results?
Audrey says
Hi Shunan,
Hmmm... interesting question. You know, the rice flour I bought doesn't specify what type of white rice. I think so long as it's ground finely, you're ok with either short grain or long grain-based flour for this recipe. Even brown rice flour would work.
Eli sur la Lune says
Extra with september's strawberries and "crème chantilly". But too few of them, next time I dobble the ingredients !
How does it come that it tastes like I used some cinnamon (and I didn't) ?
Eli
Audrey says
So glad you liked them, Eli! It's nice with the cinnamon -- a bit more of a "warm" flavor. Plain is good too though. I can't decide which I like better :)
Annika says
I have made them! I used half tapioca starch and half sorghum flour and also added a teaspoon of coconut oil because the dough didn't want to stick together. They are nice with a tea :)
★★★★
Audrey says
Thank you so much for sharing, Annika! So glad you're enjoying them and happy to hear about the alternative flour mix you used. I imagine they didn't want to "stick" because of the tapioca so the addition of a bit of coconut oil is a great idea to offset that. Thank you for sharing especially because so many people have been asking about a rice substitute here.
Sally says
These look fantastic!!! Will differentiatelly give them a try. By the way do you think you Can
use almond meal or coconut flour instead of white rice flour?
Audrey says
Hi Sally, no, unfortunately neither of these flours will work here to achieve the same effect as the recipe is designed for a grain-based flour base.
Bianca - Elephantastic Vegan says
OMG, these look simply perfect! <3 <3
Audrey says
Thank you Bianca! <3
Diana says
Audrey, these sound terrific! I am looking forward to making these, but I have to ask: what brand of (fine milled) rice flour are you using? And is it available here in Canada?
Thank you!
Audrey says
Hi Diana, lately I've been using the organic version from Bob's Red Mill most frequently (just what's available). I specified finely milled because I had some comments on other recipes where people made their own rice flour by pulverizing rice and having a recipe not turn out quite right, because using this diy method often results in some larger rice particles in there which aren't ideal for this kind of recipe.
Samantha says
These are just lovely Audrey! I think the "tea" lettering is so sweet, and your styling in the photos is very pretty and zen-like. I don't usually leave comments until I've made something, but this time I thought it was ok because my comment is about how beautiful your post looks :).
Audrey says
Thank you so much, Samantha! I appreciate it :)
Annik says
Could I use other flour instead of rice flour?
Audrey says
Hi Annik, yes most grain-based flours I can think of should work fine here as a substitution, though each will alter the taste (and possibly color) somewhat. If you try it with a different flour, would love to hear what you used and how it turned out.