These vegan Portuguese biscoitos (cookies) are so similar to the traditional biscoitos that my Portuguese grandmothers (avós) make! These Portuguese cookies were always around throughout my childhood and fill me with such comforting memories. They are similar to Italian biscotti in that they are a great cookie to have alongside tea or coffee but they are much simpler to make!
Quick
Easy
Less Than 10 Ingredients
No Mixer Required
Shape Them However You Like
And Fill Up Your Cookie Jars!
What Are Portuguese Biscoitos
Biscoitos translates to cookies in Portuguese and these simple round cookies originated on the Portuguese island São Miguel. Both sets of my grandparents are from São Miguel so it's no surprise that we were regularly gifted massive cookie jars filled with biscoitos!
These cookies are not going to offer a huge punch of flavour (unless you have fun with the recipe and add some extra flavourings)! They are:
- Not overly sweet
- Crunchy on the outside
- Softer inside
- And quite mild in flavour
They are a very simple cookies that were always at the ready for visitors who may stop by for coffee or tea.
How Vegan Biscoitos Differ
Traditional biscoitos are made using butter, flour, eggs, and sugar. They are sometimes lightly flavoured with lemon or vanilla. You can jump over to Maria Lawton's traditional recipe on Azorean Greenbean.
That means that a vegan version needs to find replacements for the butter and eggs. Not too tricky!
- I use vegan butter in place of dairy butter (although there can be slight differences between brands, any should work well)!
- And I chose applesauce as an egg replacement!
I tried a number of egg replacers including aquafaba (the brine in a can of chickpeas), bananas, the baking powder/oil/water mixture... but the easiest, most similar, and tastiest substitute was applesauce!
How To Make Vegan Portuguese Biscoitos
Another wonderful thing about my substitutions for these vegan Portuguese biscoitos (cookies) is that they don't complicate the process for making them... and actually make it easier!
If eggs are used, they need to be beaten with a mixer BUT since I'm using applesauce... it can be simply stirred into a bowl with the other ingredients and no machine is needed!
In a large bowl combine:
- Applesauce
- Sugar
- Melted vegan butter
- A dash of lemon juice
- Pinch of vanilla extract
- And a bit of salt
Once these ingredients are combined, slowly stir in:
- White all purpose flour
- And baking powder
Shaping Portuguese Biscoitos
The most traditional way to shape these cookies is to:
Roll a piece of dough into a tubular shape about 8 inches long and then connect the two ends to form a closed circle or wreath.
Another design my grandmothers would often make was a "figure eight" shape.
Watch our recipe video in the recipe card to see me shape these vegan Portuguese biscoitos (cookies) into the two most traditional shapes.
As this dough is easy to work with you could shape it into letters or numbers. I have even seen people use cookie cutters and make Christmas tree biscoitos.
Likewise, feel free to add more flavour into these cookies! I have added more citrus flavour and almond extract which was lovely. There are a number of Portuguese desserts flavoured with almonds but it is not traditional for biscoitos.
Recipe Cost
This vegan Portuguese biscoitos (cookies) recipe makes between 24 - 30 cookies depending on the shape you choose and their size.
Our approximate cost is CAD $3.42. If we were to make these more traditionally using dairy butter and 2 eggs they would cost us roughly $3.92!
So... these are simpler to make than the traditional cookies, roughly the same or less in cost, AND they are so similar in taste! I'm pretty happy with how these turned out and please let me know if you try them!
You'll love my ebook "Da Terra" with 25 vegan Portuguese recipes! Head to our shop to get a copy! And yes... a recipe for vegan Portuguese custard tarts (pasteis de nata) is in the book!
For another Portuguese dessert recipe that I have recreated from my childhood, make sure to take a look at my Vegan Portuguese Sweet Rice - Easy Arroz Doce!
Print
Easy Vegan Portuguese Biscoitos (Cookies)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 - 30 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A vegan Portuguese biscoitos (cookies) recipe so similar to my avó's! Quick, easy, only 8 simple ingredients & perfect for dunking in tea!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 6 tbsp vegan butter, melted + 1 tbsp, divided
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups white all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
*All the ingredients for this recipe are from our pantry and freezer tips!
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Stir the sugar, applesauce, 6 tablespoon melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt together.
- Mix the baking powder into the flour and slowly add to the wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon at first and then switch to mixing the dough with your hand until all the flour is incorporated.
- Prepare a flat surface by laying down a silicone mat or lightly flouring the surface. To form a cookie into the traditional shape, scoop a ping pong size of dough and roll it into a long tubular shape on the flat surface (I roll them out to about 8 inches in length). Then bring the two ends together to form a closed circle and overlap one end on top of the other. See the photos in the blog post and watch the recipe video for help! Alternatively, you can make these cookies into any shape you’d like (figure 8’s are popular as well).
- Lay the formed cookies on the cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 - 20 minutes. If you want softer cookies check them at 13 minutes, brush with the extra 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter to help them brown on top and only leave them in for 15 minutes. For firmer cookies, check them at 15 minutes, brush with melted butter and leave them in for 18 - 20 minutes. *The cookies will be firm enough that you can lift them and check the bottoms to see how dark they are getting. It’s ok if the bottoms are dark… I always liked the slightly burnt ones best as a kid!
- These cookies keep well stored in a cookie jar at room temperature for a few weeks if they last that long! I find that these cookies do get softer as they spend time in a sealed jar so don't panic if they are quite crunchy and you think you over-baked them (also... crunchier means they will hold up better when dunked in tea)!
Notes
Approximate Cost: CAD $3.42 vs. approximately $3.92 using dairy butter and 2 eggs.
Feel free to add in extra flavourings that are not traditional! Almond extract is lovely.
I prefer the texture of these cookies when I mix the dough by hand and not with the use of an electric mixer. If you prefer to use a mixer you can follow the same steps and slowly add the flour to the machine a little at a time.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Portuguese
Tania
Thank you for this! The recipe was so easy and these brought me right back to my childhood.
Kathryn Alexandre
I'm glad to hear you found them easy to make and loved the nostalgia! Thank you for trying them and for leaving a review!