Stuffed biscuits

Crumbly lemon shortbread biscuits made into discs, then joined together and filled with a raspberry cream, with a fresh raspberry in the center.
A vegan dessert with a balanced contrast between the citrus notes of the shortcrust pastry, the acidity of the raspberries and the creaminess of the filling.
Perfect as tea-filled biscuits, single-serving desserts, or an elegant display idea.

To make them gluten-free, follow the recipe this shortcrust pastry here.

Procedure

You can make this recipe in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a bowl by hand with the spatula.

Then weigh the margarine at room temperature into the bowl.

Add the lemon zest.

Add the sugar and salt.

Mix by hand or with a spatula for a few minutes until the mixture becomes creamy; there should be no pieces of margarine left, but everything should be well combined.

Pour in the first part of the milk, the milk must be at room temperature.

Mix, add 2 tablespoons of flour and continue mixing, then add the rest of the milk. 

Sift the dry ingredients together, including the flour, starch, and baking powder, and pour them into the bowl. Mix until a smooth dough forms.

Then form a rectangular loaf about 2cm thick, wrap it in cling film and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 170˚ fan assisted.

Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface and roll out the pastry with a rolling pin until it's about 0.5 cm thick. Occasionally, add flour to both sides to keep the pastry from sticking to the surface. 

Using a 6cm diameter round or flower-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 20 biscuits. 

Transfer all the cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a perforated baking mat. Bake at 170°C (fan oven) for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To keep the pastry crumbly for longer I recommend waterproofing it, read here how to do it.

With the leftover pastry, knead lightly again, let it rest again in the fridge, then roll out and cut out more biscuits.

Move on to preparing the raspberry cream.

Weigh the raspberries into a jug and blend until pureed. 

Place a sieve over the saucepan, pour in the puree, and sieve to remove the raspberry seeds. Add the water. 

Transfer the cream to a jug and blend with an immersion blender for a couple of minutes. Then add the cold margarine and blend until it is well incorporated and the mixture becomes glossy.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about 2 hours. 

Once it has cooled and thickened, take the cream, remove the plastic wrap, stir with a spatula, and then transfer it to a pastry bag. Store in the refrigerator.

Now take half of the discs and turn them upside down, so that since they are flat they will fit better with the other pastry disc. 

Place a raspberry in the center of each turned-over pastry disc.

Using a piping bag, fill each biscuit, making a ring around the raspberry.

Place the second pastry disc and press lightly.

Store in the refrigerator.