Make your own delicious vegan digestive biscuits. These British favourites are crunchy, crumbly & not too sweet, they make the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea!
PREP TIME: 15 minutesminutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutesminutes
Servings: 18
Ingredients
heaping ½ cup (60grams)rolled, old fashioned or quick oats
2 cups (230grams)wholegrain spelt flour or wholewheat flour (plus a little more for rolling)
½ cup (100grams)sugar, cane sugar, light brown sugar, or turbinado/demerara sugar
Preheat oven to 380°F (190°C) and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
Add the oats to a food processor and process until they have a course flour like consistency.
Then add the spelt flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder and pulse a couple of times to combine.
Add the coconut oil. Pulse until combined and sandy looking.
Gradually add the milk a little at a time until the dough looks like wet sand and will come together when you squeeze it in your hand. I usually use 6 tablespoons, but this will vary slightly depending on the brand of flour used and humidity.
Dust a clean, dry work surface with some flour then transfer the dough to the floured surface. Pat into a ball with your hands then lightly sprinkle the top with a bit more flour.
Roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick, sprinkling with a little more flour as needed, and use cookie cutters to cut into rounds. If you don't have cookie cutters, the top of a mason jar does a great job. Keep rerolling and cutting the offcuts until it's all used up. I get 18 with a 3-inch round cookie cutter.
Place on the lined baking tray. They don't spread much, so you don't need to leave a lot of room around each one.
Bake for about 15 to 16 minutes or until just starting to turn golden brown on the edges and bottom. They will still have a very slight give in the middle if you push with a finger. As they cool, they will crisp up.
Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Digestives aren't at their best when warm, in fact their texture and flavour improves from the second day onwards.
If topping with chocolate
Once the biscuits are completely cool, very gently melt the chocolate with the coconut oil in a small bowl over simmering hot water, or in very short bursts in a microwave. Stir really well to combine.
Working with just one biscuit at a time, put a small dollop of melted chocolate on the top of the biscuit and spread carefully with the back of a spoon or a spatula to cover the top surface area. Leave to set before enjoying.
NOTES
Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container. They will keep well for 3 to 4 weeks. If you topped them with chocolate I recommend keeping them in the fridge unless your pantry is particularly cool.