Method (cookies)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees c fan and line two baking trays with grease proof paper. Add the flaxseed and water in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes. It will jellify and this acts as the egg replacement.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl ,add in the dairy-free butter, sugar, vanilla extract and flax egg. Cream / beat together for a few minutes until light and pale in colour. I use a stand mixer with the balloon whisk attachment, but a hand held whisk or spatula will work great.
3. Sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix until a cookie dough forms.
4. Divide the cookie dough into 3 separate bowls.  Leave one bowl plain vanilla. Add a drop of pink food gel along with a drop of strawberry flavouring into the second bowl. Add a few teaspoon of cocoa powder into the third bowl making a chocolate cookie dough.
5. Spoon a teaspoon of each colour and place into a triangle on some grease proof paper. using your hands, shape and press them together gently to create a cookie shape. Repeat for all of the cookies.
6. Place onto the lined baking trays. Space them out as these cookies do spread.Sprinkle some sugar over the cookies (optional).
7. Place one tray at a time in the middle of the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. once baked, remove the tray from the oven, tap the tray on the worktop to flatten the cookies slightly and set aside to cool. Wait about 5 minutes before transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool fully before filling.

Method (buttercream swirl)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter and whip until creamy, then whip in the aquafaba. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
2. Add in the icing sugar and whip on high speed for 5-8 minutes to incorporate it.  If the buttercream feels too thick, add a few more chunks of butter. The texture should be very light and airy.
3. Divide the buttercream equally into 3 separate bowls.
4. Add a drop of pink food gel and strawberry flavouring to one bowl, a few teaspoons of cocoa powder to the second bowl and leave the last bowl plain white.
5. Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip nozzle. Pipe a swirl of buttercream onto half go the cookies and use the other halves to create a sandwich.
6. Pop into the fridge for 10 minutes to let the buttercream firm up.