Is There A Substitute For Shortening For The Custard Cream Heart Biscuits?

Our answer

Nigella's Custard Cream Hearts (from FEAST) are based on the traditional British Custard Cream sandwich biscuit, but are more tender and melting in texture than the store-bought version. The cookie dough uses a combination of butter and vegetable shortening. Vegetable shortening is sold under various brand names, such as Trex, Cookeen, Crisco, Copha, Flora White and many supermarkets also have own brands. Vegetable shortening is 100% fat, without any other liquids added. It gives baked goods, such as pastry, a short, very crumbly and tender texture (hence the name "shortening") and gives these cookies a melt-in-the-mouth quality.

If you can't find shortening then you could use extra butter. As butter is around 80-82% fat, with water and milk solids making up the remainder, it will mean that the cookies have a slightly firmer, more crisp texture, as the extra liquid will toughen the glutens in the flour slightly. You could also try coconut oil as an alternative, though it will need to be cool enough to be in solid form. The cookies have a fairly good vanilla flavour from the custard powder, but using coconut oil could give them a slight hint of coconut flavour.