Blueberry and Oat Cookies

Well, we were out of biscuits again at home. The wheat free 'Bourbons' I made on Tuesday didn't last long enough to even take a picture so left hubby trying to put kids to bed and got the scales out. With a touch of cinnamon, this mix would also be great in cookie dough ice cream (might get round to posting recipe when I'm feeling a bit more summery).

60g Dairy and Soya Free Spread

50g (1/4 cup) Caster Sugar

30mls Oat Cream (or other milk substitute)

1 tbsp Honey (or syrup)

1 tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

50g (1/2 cup) Oats

150g (1 cup) Wheat free flour (I used gluten free white bread flour)

1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

50g Dried Blueberries

Preheat oven to 180ºC and line a tray with greaseproof paper.

Beat Dairy free spread, sugar, oat cream, honey and vanilla together.

Add all other ingredients and mix well.

Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls and place on tray, flatten slightly and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack.

Biscuit shortage sorted, now just need to figure out tomorrows packed lunch pudding, have run out of squeezy fruit pouches too...

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Inspired by a friend from home who has just set up a business selling sticky toffee puds, I've been craving one, but as she's about 500miles away, I have to make my own. I tracked down a couple of recipes I thought might adapt easily and settled on trying this one from the BBC Good Food website, but halved the quantity in case it didn't work! 

Ended up having to rush it between bath time and dinner, so no pictures of work in progress, but as both (all three if you count husband) boys demolished thirds in record time, I expect well make it again soon and add more photos.

100g Dried dates (chopped)

125ml Hot black tea (or boiling water)

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

45g Dairy and Soya Free Spread

90g Wheat Free Flour (I used gluten free white bread flour rather than plain flour) - as the original recipe is not free-from, you could use plain flour if you don't need it to be wheat free.

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Mixed spice

90g Caster Sugar (or any other sugar you have to hand)

2 tsp Egg replacer mixed into 60ml Oat milk (or other milk substitute)

Sauce:

2 tbsp Light muscovado sugar (I used 1 of dark muscovado and 1 of caster sugar as that's all I had)

50g Dairy and Soya Free Spread

70ml Oat cream (or rice or almond cream)

Heat oven to 180ºC

Put dates in bowl and pour over hot tea/water and leave to soak (not sure how long for, I was playing a game with the boys) until slightly softened. 

Blend to form a thick paste. Mix in the bicarbonate of soda.

Whisk the dairy free spread and sugar until light and fluffy, gradually whisk in the egg replacer mixture.

Whisk in flour, baking powder, and mixed spice.

Fold in the date mixture.

Pour into a greased lined tin (I used a small loaf tin for this quantity).

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until just firm to the touch.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by slowly dissolving sugar and dairy free spread in a small pan. 

Add the oat cream and simmer slowly until thickened slightly.

Cut cake into squares/slices, pour on the toffee sauce and serve with oat cream or dairy free ice cream.

Free From Food Awards 2012

Well this week the Free From Food Awards were held in London. While this is mostly a way to champion the latest in the Gluten free market, there were a couple of winners that meet the milk, egg, soya and wheat free brief. Check out the awards website for the full list of winners.

The 4 interesting ones for me are: 

Tesco Free From Ginger Cookies, (unfortunately the Highly Commended ASDA Gluten Free lemon shortbread has butter as the first ingredient!)

CoYo Coconut milk yogurt (and ice cream)

Vegusto No-Moo Mild Aromatic  dairy and soya free cheese (this product does contain nuts though) - the melting version contains gluten free wheat fibre though, so if you come across No-Moo cheese, double check ingredients on the one you have.

And finally Fria who do a whole range of wheat free bread/roll that don't contain egg!

Just need to try to get hold of some to try now...

Hot Cross Buns

I don't know why I've never tried wheat free buns before, they are easy and worked well, didn't have the heavyness of a wheat free loaf. Both boys ate them so will now experiment with some different flavours.

For these I adapted the seeded bread recipe on this site as most other wheat free recipes I use would be too wet to roll. The Bob's Red Mill bread mix probably would have worked too.

To make 6:

200g Wheat free Bread Flour Mix
1 tsp Xantham Gum
2 tsp sugar

1 sachets fast action dried yeast
175mls warm oat/rice milk
50g dairy and soya free spread

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

1/2 cup raisins/dries cranberries etc

grated orange rind/candy peel (optional)

2 tbsp extra wheat free bread flour, plus water to mix to a thick paste 

honey to brush on top

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Stir yeast into warm 'milk' and set aside for 5 minutes.

Mix dry ingredients well in a bowl.

Rub in the dairy free spread, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well to form a firm dough.

Shape, with oiled or wet hands, into balls.

Place on a greased baking tray, flatten slightly and cover with oiled cling film.

Leave to rise for 45 minutes.

Mix extra flour and water to a paste and pipe on crosses (I use a cone of grease proof paper).

Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from oven, brush tops with honey and then bake for another 2-3 minutes to set the honey.

Cool on a wire rack to stop them getting soggy on the base.

Split, toasted and spread with dairy free spread.

Chocolate Nests

Makes 6 nests

50g chocolate (Moo Free chocolate bar or buttons, Mortimer's Dark chocolate powder, Asda dairy free buttons etc)

40-50g Rice Crispies (or corn flakes)

Jelly eggs, jelly beans, jelly tots etc

Melt chocolate in a large bowl.

Stir in Rice Crispies until well covered with chocolate.

Spoon into cupcake cases and make a shallow indent in the middle.

Lick extra chocolate off your hands!

Fill with suitable eggs, sweets etc.

Allow to set before eating.

Enjoy!

Easter Ideas

Well, I had planned to write up a list of suitable easter foods and recipes in time for Easter, but it's been a bit manic this week. Probably too late to order your eggs if you don't already have them, but some can still be found. In Saffron Walden this week, I found a Moo Free egg in the new health food shop (sorry can't remember what it was called and they only had one on the shelf, so don't drive miles as it's probably already been sold) and a stack of Montezuma's dark chocolate eggs in the Adnam's shop. Waitrose in Stortford (and Ocado) had a Celtic Free-from chocolate egg with mint chocolate. 

Moo Free Easter Egg

Kinnerton are doing a Dairy free egg filled with jelly eggs available in some larger Sainsbury's, but only a simpson's or winnie the pooh egg! (Contains soya lecithin).

After dinner tonight, my two little helpers put together an easy alternative to an easter egg. Chocolate Rice Krispy nests with jelly eggs. Recipe to follow.

This week, we also had a go at milk, egg, soya and wheat free hot cross buns. We are now on our second batch!

For a non-edible treat, have an egg hunt with plastic refillable eggs filled with fluffy chicks, stickers etc.

Whatever you do, have a great easter weekend.