Monday 2 January 2012

Gluten Free Shortbread Biscuits

These biscuits are also free of refined sugar and can be dairy free as well and they are pretty similar to the real thing, and are actually better a day or two after baking (but also good if eaten when they are cooled just enough out of the oven).

The Ingredients
100g cornflour
100g rice flour
80g xylitol
120g organic butter or olive spread
cornflour for dusting
Xylitol for sprinkling on the biscuits

The Method
Preheat the oven to 190oC (GM 5).

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.

Put the flours and xylitol into a food processor and blend together. Add the butter (or spread) and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together.

Dust a board with cornflour and press the crumbs lightly into a dough and roll out thickly on  the board. Don’t over work the dough as it will become greasy. Use a cookie cutter to cut-out the biscuit shapes and transfer to the baking tray.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. When you have removed them from the oven sprinkle on the xylitol before transferring to the cooling rack.

They look and taste like the real thing!

This recipe was adapted from Seriously Good! Gluten Free Baking.

Alternative Festive Cupcakes

This festive season I made my own seasonal treats... Green Tea Cupcakes with Red Rosewater Glaze. Unusual flavours that work well together and look the part too! 

 
Makes 12

The Cupcakes


The Ingredients
1 very full cup soya milk or lactofree milk
1 1/4 cups of gluten free self raising flour (e.g. Dove’s Farm)
1/3 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup of xylitol
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
4 teaspoons matcha tea powder (I got mine from Tea Pigs)
1/4 teaspoon salt

The Method

Preheat oven to 180oC and place cupcake cases in the muffin tray.

In a large bowl whisk together the milk, vanilla, almond, oil until well blended. This part can be done by hand.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, matcha powder, salt and xylitol. Blend together roughly by hand but then finish the whisking process with an electric handheld whisk - this will add more bubbles to the mixture making a lighter, well risen sponge.

Fill the cupcake cases evenly and bake for about 20 minutes. Allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack before adding the glaze.

The Glaze
This glaze is not sugar free, so if you want an entirely sugar free cupcake, you’ll have to give the glaze a miss, but the cupcakes are lovely on their own. I have unrefined powdered sugar instead of icing sugar which is very refined.

The Ingredients
1 cup of powdered sugar - Billingtons Golden Icing Sugar
3 teaspoons soya milk or lactofree milk
1 tablespoon of organic butter or an olive spread
1/2 teaspoon of rosewater
Red food dye

The Method
With a fork cream together half the powdered sugar and the butter/spread until the mixture is like fine crumbs.

Add the milk, food dye and rosewater and mix until well incorporated.

Use the handheld whisk to mix in the rest of the powdered sugar on a low speed until everything is well mixed and has a consistency of thick batter.

Use a palette knife to swirl it around the top of the cupcake cakes.

These cupcakes definitely bought some festive joy. 


This recipe was adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.