World Cup fever is definitely upon us and after last weekends result, I thought that maybe the boys needed some baking inspired help from home, hence the lemon, lime & Brazil nuts (get it?!)……well, that and I wanted to try out some gluten free biscuits. I’ve noticed that literally all the shops I’ve been in have started selling gluten-free flour. I’ve never used it before, usually opting for oaty biscuits. So I experimented. These were my results.
Firstly I used ONLY the gluten free flour and whilst the biscuits were tasty they were very, very crumbly and a tad dry. So, mixing in some oats, takes away that texture slightly. These biscuits are still crumbly, I think in a good way, but you’ll need a little plate to catch the runaways.
So here’s to a happy belly and a toast to the boys in Brazil!
Ingredients
100g gluten free oats (pulsed in a processor, so a finer texture*)
150g gluten free plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
125g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
25g soft light brown sugar
1 egg (medium)
1 lemon (2tsp lemon juice + zest of 1/2 lemon)
1 lime (3tsp lime juice + zest of whole lime)
80g Brazil nuts (roughly chopped)
Greased baking sheets, cling film
Oven at 180oC
1) In a medium bowl sieve together the oats, flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside. (*Pulse the oats in a food processor until they resemble the consistency of flour. Ish. Don’t panic if they are a bit bigger. Or even if you don’t have a food processor just use them as they are)
2) In a large bowl beat together the butter, caster sugar and light brown sugar. Beat until they are paler in colour than when you first started. Then add the egg. Beat until just mixed. Now add the zests and juices and mix well, until smooth.
3) Fold in half the flour bowl, until only just combined. Repeat with the remaining half. Then pop in the chopped Brazil nuts and mix until evenly dispersed.
4) This is quite a wet mixture because you need more moisture for gluten free baking. Pull out about a meters worth of cling film and set it on your work top. Chuck the batter onto the cling film and roll it into a log shape. I use my hands, it’s messy and filthy but great. Wrap the log in the cling film and pop in the freezer for at least an hour, until firm.
You can do this in advance and leave it overnight/until you are ready for some warm cookies.
5) Remove the ‘log’ from the freezer and cut about 1.5cm discs with a sharp knife. Place on your prepared baking sheet, they spread a little, so leave a bit of room for the babies to grow (6 per sheet is about right) They go in the oven for about 17-19 mins, they will be slightly golden around the edges.
6) Remove from oven and leave to cool on the baking sheet, then pop them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Gluten free goodies ready!