Vanilla Christmas Cookies

Our answer

Nigella's Christmas Chocolate Cookies (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) are fat cookies with a melting texture. The cocoa in the ingredients contributes both to the flavour and texture of the cookies, as cocoa has no gluten which makes the cookies more tender. Switching the cocoa for plain flour could make the texture firmer and more crisp.

Cornflour (cornstarch) would be a better substitute for the cocoa, as it also has no gluten and is sometimes added to shortbread to give a more crumbly texture. We suggest substituting the same amount of cornflour for cocoa (whether using weight or cup measures). We would also suggest adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract when you cream the butter and sugar, for extra flavour. However as we have not tested this substitution ourselves, we are unable to guarantee the results. You may also like to try Nigella's recipe for Vanilla Shortbread.