Baking Coconut Biscuits

It was the return of Great British Bake Off on TV in the UK this week.  We'd seen on twitter that @HBFreeFrom were running a competition called Big Free From Bake Challenge - each week a different free from bake will be given.  We entered and were selected for week one which was gluten free baking... and our bake was BISCUITS.

Here's what we said as part of our entry -

We decided to bake a recipe that we make regularly, that is really simple and uses a small amount of ingredients whilst still making tasty biscuits.

Our recipe is printed on yellow paper (for easy reading) and laminated so Sous Chef J can use a white board pen to tick off the steps as they’re completed.

It’s a good beginner’s recipe and, as its steps are detailed clearly, is something that anyone can bake… you most definitely do not have to be a Master Baker to make this!

Here's  a link to the video we submitted... now uploaded to youtube

and this is the recipe

Take a look at the video... we hope you like it.  It really is how we bake... we shot exactly what we do and then had fun with our first ever foray into mp4 files and editing.... quite a lot of editing to get it down to 2 minutes (ish!)

Chocolate Snowballs

Recent snowy weather in the UK got Sous Chef J thinking about foods with a snowy theme.  We came up with a plan to make a gooey interior, coat it in chocolate and roll in 'snow'.  They are a no cook treat and, be warned, you *may* get messy!

The ingredients we used for the 'inners' were-

100g gluten free oats
100g caster sugar
30g melted butter
1½ Tablespoons cold coffee
1 heaped dessert spoon cocoa powder

For the 'outers' we melted 75g milk chocolate and had 20g dessicated coconut ready for rolling in.

The oats were whizzed in a hand blender.  After adding the other dry ingredients the 'inners' to the whizzing pot, we whizzed the mix some more.  Then the melted butter and coffee were added and it was whizzed again until the mix came together in a damp dough.

Using a measuring spoon, the mix was divided into Tablespoon sized portions and rolled.  We got ten portions from the mix we made and they were placed on a lined baking tray.  Once all the mix was rolled, the tray was covered in cling film and placed in the fridge for an hour.










Having checked the 'inners' were chilled through and fairly solid, the milk chocolate was melted.  After coating the 'inners' in the chocolate, they were then rolled in the coconut.  The snowballs were then returned to the fridge to harden.

These are a sweet, bite sized treat and we were quite happy with how they turned out.

Easy peasy Coconut biscuits (gluten free)

These biscuits are a variation on the following recipe from Waitrose.com (http://www.waitrose.com/recipe/Coconut_biscuits_with_a_raspberry_dip.aspx)

We have made them many times now, using Dove's Farm Gluten Free plain flour. They are a very 'short' biscuit and are great with a cuppa...

To make them, the following ingredients are needed:-

50g butter (cubed, at room temperature)
30g caster sugar
75g Dove's Farm plain flour (sifted)

20g desiccated coconut, plus extra for rolling

Having gathered all the ingredients together, we creamed the butter and sugar until soft. Then it's time to add the flour and coconut... at which point my sous chef admits defeat and hands the task of combining the ingredients over to me! On our first attempt we did think there seemed to be little hope of mixing all the ingredients successfully. However, persistence paid off and we were rewarded with a nice dough.

Having made these a few times now, we make double the quantity and, once combined, cut the dough in half. Then roll each piece into a rectangle about 10cm by 15cm (4"x6") before cutting small biscuits out. Our method is such that the sous chef then coats them in loose desiccated coconut and decorates them before placing on a greased, non-stick baking tray.

All that's left is to bake in the oven at 180ºC (for our fan oven) for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooked, they're cooled on the tray for 10 minutes before being transferred to a wire cooling rack.

Keep in an airtight container... if they haven't been eaten fresh from the oven!