Basic Biscuit

Changing decoration can make all the difference to a plain biscuit
 to make it something special for a party

This is the go-to basic biscuit recipe I use when I need 'shape' biscuits as Mini Monster calls them. It's adapted from a recipe in The Australian's Women's Weekly book Cookies & Biscuits, and apart from the egg, it's pretty much a straight swap for wheat free and dairy free adaptations. 

The only thing I will say though is that if you're making it wheat free, the flour blend can affect the quantity needed. If you're new to baking, you might want to start with 10g less flour than recipe states and gradually add more if dough is too sticky. It's much easier that way then trying to moisten a too dry mix!

I usually only make half quantity (and add much less sugar) at a time, but unused dough will keep in the fridge for several days)

125g Dairy and Soya Free Spread (e.g. PURE Sunflower, Vitalite)

165g Sugar

4tbsp Dairy and Soya Free Cream (e.g. Oat, rice or almond)

260g Plain or Wheat Free Plain Flour

35g Self-Raising or Wheat Free Self Raising Flour

(or 295g Plain flour plus 1/4 tsp baking powder)

1tsp Vanilla Paste (or Extract)

Put dairy and soya free spread, 'cream', vanilla and sugar in a bowl.

Whisk together until pale and fluffy.

Add the flours (and baking powder, if using).

Mix with a spatula or spoon until mostly combined.

Add a little more flour if necessary and kneed lightly to form a soft dough.

Put on a lightly floured surface (if you use greaseproof paper, it reduces risk of cross contamination, as eel as making wiping worktop easier…).

Cover with cling film (reduces contamination from rolling pin, but also means you don't end up with a floury top to your biscuit) and roll out to desired thickness. 3-5mm usually works well.

Cut out biscuit shapes.

Place on baking tray.

Bake for 12-15mins at 180ºC.

If you're making jammy dodgers, put tsp jam on biscuits for last 10mins in the oven before topping with lid.

Tea cakes (Chocolate marshmallow ones, not bread)

Mulberry Marshmallow Filled Teacakes

Since I discovered how easy it was to make marshmallows I've had a craving for teacakes. I don't know how many times I've looked at the moulds on Lakeland's website and dithered over whether to order 1 (not enough for more than one each...) or 2 (but then realised they look too big for more than 1 anyway…). Then I looked online and realised hemispherical moulds came in many different sizes! I found one with 15 domes of about 3.5-4cm across and ordered it in time for 7 year olds birthday. Just. 

I hadn't planned to post this recipe yet as it was just an experiment, so I don't really have many pictures, but so many people on Twitter got excited I felt need to post it sooner. So here goes. It's another one of those recipes that looks more complicated then it is. Honest.

First I realised I was almost out of chocolate and needed most of it for the requested chocolate birthday cake (will also post recipe eventually, but don't feel you need to go for the same level of decoration!). 

'Naked' dragon during assembly

Ferno the Fire Dragon

Hunted around and discovered a Moo Free chocolate santa lurking at the back of the cupboard. Just don't tell the kids I melted it - I'm sure that by about June Mini Monster will suddenly remember he had one that he hadn't eaten!

My next mistake was putting the rest of the bowl of melted chocolate in the kitchen, ready to cover the bases when all assembled. Helpful husband ate it while doing the washing up, not realising I hadn't finished! Fortunately I found half a pack of chocolate buttons lurking in the bottom of the snack box…

I'd read somewhere about mixing a little coconut oil with the melted chocolate to give a crisp shiny finish, but I still got a bloom on my chocolate. Next time I'll skip the coconut oil (found coconut flavour overpowering) and try to temper the chocolate properly. Or not. Who cares if the chocolate is a little swirly? 

These seem complicated, but can be made in lots of little stages over a few days if necessary.

Biscuits (these can be made in advance)

60g Dairy and Soya Free Spread (Pure or Vitalite)

40g Caster Sugar

2tbsp (30mls) Oat Cream (or rice/almond cream)

1/2tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

145g Plain Flour or Wheat Free Plain Flour (may need a little extra if not using almonds)

25g Ground Almonds (optional)

1/4tspn Baking Powder

Put spread, sugar, vanilla and cream in a bowl and whisk together.

Add flour, baking powder and ground almonds, if using.

Mix together with a spatula until it comes together.

Add a little more flour, if necessary and kneed lightly.

Roll out to 2-3mm thick. 

Cut into circles slightly smaller than the diameter of your mould.

Bake for 12-15mins at 170ºC or until crisp.

Set aside (this amount of mix is much more than needed for the teacakes, so cut the rest of the mix into any other shape you want and bake. Or wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for a few days until you need more biscuits).

Chocolate

100g melted dairy and soya free chocolate (I used a mixture of Moo Free and Mortimer's for a slightly darker chocolate)

Brush the inside of your mould with melted chocolate (if you don't have a brush, just do what I did and use the back of a teaspoon, you just won't get such an even thickness).

If you're in a hurry, pop the mould in the freezer to set.

In the meantime, dip one side of the biscuits in melted chocolate and set them aside until ready.

Brush another layer of chocolate into the mould and leave to set again (I did this the day before I needed them).

Marshmallow (original recipe)

Vanilla and Mulberry Marshmallows

3 sheets leaf gelatine (I haven't had a go with vegetarian gelatine yet, but I'm sure it's possible too)

110g caster sugar

40g golden syrup

30mls water or fruit juice (I used about 60mls Mulberry juice reduced down to concentrate the flavour)

1/2 tsp vanilla paste (or extract)

Put sugar and syrup into a pan and just cover with cold water.

Heat gently until most of the sugar dissolved (do not allow it to boil at this stage) - swill the pan rather than stirring.

Remove from heat and put on a tight fitting lid for 10 minutes (the steam helps dissolve any sugar crystals remaining on the sides of the pan - if you leave these it will affect the caramelisation).

Return to heat and remove the lid.

Soak gelatine in cold water and set aside for 10 minutes.

Drain water off the gelatine and add the 30mls of water or fruit juice.

Microwave for 10-20 seconds to dissolve the gelatine (if you don't have a microwave, add boiling water, or hot fruit juice).

Bring to the boil and boil until you get to 130ºC - if you don't have a sugar thermometer, this is the 'hard ball' stage (fill a glass with cold water. Once the syrup has boiled rapidly and is starting to change colour, put a few drops into the water. If it breaks up it's not ready, if it goes into a long string it's not ready, if it forms a ball, but it's still soft when you squash it it's not ready, when if it forms a ball that is hard, you are there!)

Slowly pour the syrup into the gelatine mix, whisking constantly.

Continue to whisk until thick and pale and producing threads like chewing gum.

Assembly

Spoon marshmallow mix into chocolate shells - probably needs to be about 2/3 full (don't overfill or there will be no room for your biscuits - I pushed my biscuits down forgetting that silicon moulds are soft and shattered the tops of most of them!).

Pour the rest of you marshmallow mixture into an oiled tray to set. Cut into shapes and toss in a mixture of icing sugar and cornflour.

Top with the chocolate side of one of you biscuits.

Spread melted chocolate over the base to seal everything in (don't worry if you go over the edges, they can easily be trimmed).

Leave somewhere cool to set.

Turn out carefully - don't push bottom of mould! I stretched the mould around the edges to loosen it.

Enjoy!

Turkey Meatballs

This is just a basic meatball recipe, they can be served 'dry' with suitable veg etc (Mini Monster quite likes them cold in a packed lunch, kind of like a naked eggless Scotch egg…), or once browned you can add tomato sauce and serve with pasta.

2tbsp Wheat Free Breadcrumbs*

1/2 - 1 Clove of Garlic (finely chopped)

1tsp Flavouring (I used a mixture of sage, mustard seeds and black pepper)

250g Minced Turkey (or other minced meat)

oil for cooking

*I keep a stash in the freezer (made from wheat free bread that's more than a couple of days old and too crumbly for sandwiches, or bread that's gone wrong, or crusts), often then bulked out with crushed corn flakes, or oat meal, or whatever I have to hand. Failing that, Orgran Rice Crumbs or EsGir Crunchy Crumbs are a useful store cupboard standby…

Put everything in a bowl.

Use your hands to squish it all together and mix evenly.

Divide mixture roughly into quarters.

Split each into 2 (to give 8 pieces).

Split each into 2 again to give 16 large meatballs, or divide again to give 32 small meatballs.

Roll each piece into a ball and put it into a hot pan (with about 1-2tbsp oil). Allow balls to brown a little before trying to turn, or they will just break up (I loosen them with a metal spoon, then toss the pan to roll them over).

Check they are cooked all the way through before serving.

If your adding tomato sauce, deglaze the pan with a little (or a lot) wine before adding tomato sauce. 

Savoury Pancakes

Ok, I know it's a day late, but we didn't eat them until last night, and who says pancakes should only be for Pancake Day? The basic mix only needs 2 ingredients and they freeze well (if your children - or you - haven't polished them off before you get that far… Just put a piece of greaseproof paper or cling film between each pancake to stop the sticking together).

The days of stuffing them, smothering them with a thick creamy sauce, topping with cheese and baking until golden brown are a distant memory, but just think of these as the healthier option… Or get yourself some MozzaRisella and go the whole hog!

Make a stack of pancakes (click here for recipes, scroll down for the wheat free ones).

       

For the filling, use whatever you have, last night we had chicken (left over roast) and ham with broccoli, cauliflower and purple kale (veg the kids are eating at the moment!) in a creamy sauce. Also works well with fish, or, pre my pepper allergy, used to have roast peppers and courgette in tomato sauce…

For this, I stir fried some veg and smoked ham.

Added Chicken pieces and a mixture of dairy free cream and milk substitute (not too much, you don't want too much sauce) and chopped sage.

Mixed a little cornflour, mustard nutritional yeast flakes (gives a savoury taste) and water to a paste.

Added to pan and simmered until thickened.

Spoon filling along the middle of a pancake.

Roll up and place in oven proof dish.

Continue until you have enough. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Bake in hot oven for about 15 minutes or until slightly crispy on the outside.

Strawberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Divide and conquer seemed to be the only way to get through this afternoon. Boys seemed to be on a mission to see who could wind each other up the most today. On reflection, it may not have been the best idea to leave Mini Monster and Daddy at home with freshly baked cookies (both have the biscuit gene) cooling on a tray…

This made 13 (bakers dozen means there is always one for me to 'test' in each batch), we came home to a measly 4! They had been tidied away in a tin to hide the evidence...

100g Dairy and Soya Free Spread (Pure/Vitalite etc)

60g Caster Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

A FewDrops Of Rose Water (optional) - strong taste, not everyone likes it…

1tbsp Honey (or syrup)

1/2 -1 tbsp milk substitute (depending on flour blend used)

150g Self Raising or Wheat Free Self Raising Flour

2g (about 1/3 of a 7g tube) Freeze Dried Strawberries

White Couverture Powder to decorate

Whisk Spread, Sugar, Honey, Vanilla and Rose Water (if using) until well combined and paler in colour.

Mix in the Flour and Dried Strawberries.

Add a little milk substitute if mix looks too dry.


Use a tablespoon (or cookie scoop) and roll into balls.

Flatten slightly as they don't really spread.

Bake for 12 minutes at 170ºC

Remove from oven and leave to cool for a minute.

Top with about 1/2 tbsp White Couverture Powder.

Spread out with the back of the spoon.

Leave to melt.

Allow time to set before eating.

Enjoy.

Hide them from children and husband so you can eat them yourself...