lest we forget: some recipes for anzac day

Today is ANZAC Day here in Australia.

B3 and I went to see the local march,

VCH took B4, B5 and The Girl fishing, with B2 and his L plates doing the chauffeuring.

They have had great success lately and we have enjoyed several fresh fish meals!

B1 has a job as a "nanny" for 5 days ( he's a manny!).

When B3 and I came home, I made some Anzac Biscuits (cookies), in honour of our ANZACs.

I used this recipe here:

 If you are not wheat or sugar free you may like to try this recipe here:

 

Hope my fellow Australians are having a relaxing day while we remember those who fought for our freedom on foreign soils.

Lest We Forget

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gluten free gingernuts

A couple of weeks ago I was in Woolies and saw some Gluten Free Gingernuts in the Macro range.

Usually things like this do not tempt me but it was cold and it is sometimes nice to have a bikkie to dunk into a hot drink.

So I bought them and we had them one morning for a morning tea treat- by sharing them it meant I wasn't tempted to scoff the whole lot!

They were yummy but they of course were full of sugar.

It led me to think I could perhaps find a gluten free recipe that was sugar free or that I could adapt.

I also like simple recipes, I hate finding recipes with 50 ingredients and 5 different flours to use, 

I simply don't have the time or energy to go there.

So on my seach I found a recipe that looked like a goer.

I simply swapped rice malt syrup for the golden syrup and coconut sugar for the brown sugar.

While making the recipe I noticed two problems:

1. It only listed 1 teaspoon of ginger- I thought that is not enough, I will add more- only when I went to put the ginger in I discovered I only had one teaspoons worth left in the bottle - so I had to just put it in and be done with it!

2. It said to cook them at 190C for 15-20 minutes- now I knew that was too hot for too long- but I needed to work out the adjustments.

So a trip to Woolies to get some more ginger and a few attempts later I had the perfect recipe.

And the best part of all- they are nice and crunchy- just right to dunk into a sugar free hot chocolate!

So without further ado here is my perfected recipe:

Usually I hate recipes that are all weights and convert them to cups but they were odd sizes so it is easier to stick with the grams.

For my American Readers you may like to do what I do when faced with pounds etc but in reverse.
I simply press the little button on my scales that changes the setting to pounds and ounces, only you would of course have to change to kg/g, presuming of course that your scales have both!

Gluten Free Gingernuts

Ingredients:

50g butter

4tbsp rice malt syrup

50g coconut sugar

175g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour (if you are not gluten free use wheat flour)

1tbsp of ground ginger (not teaspoon)

Method:

Preheat oven to 160C and put baking paper on two trays.

Melt butter, syrup and sugar together in a large saucepan, cool slightly, then sift flour and ginger into the mixture, mix well.

Place macadamia nut size balls (the recipe said walnut size- but I like smaller biscuits as they go further with 6 kids, but if you like larger biscuits go for it!) of the mixture well apart onto the trays and flatten with a fork (in my experiments I found a fork worked better than just flattening with fingers).

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, remove and cool on wire rack. (normally I like to leave biscuits to cool on the tray to make them crispy- these however don't need it).

Enjoy with your favourite cuppa!

If you are grain free you might like to try this recipe or this recipe

I have tried the first but not the second, it looks yummy so it may be next on my list.

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expresso amorettis

This is again a recipe from 4 ingredients gluten free.

I made this the other day for afternoon tea when we had some visitors, I was a little unsure how the kids would like them as they have coffee in them, well apparently they must have liked them a lot because this recipe made heaps, there was a good half a container left and when I was going to Bible Study and thought to take some along there was only 3 left!

I think you could adapt it by using cocoa or carob powder instead of coffee and I think they would be lovely drizzled or dipped in chocolate.

Expresso Amorettis

1T instant coffee

3 egg whites

3 C almond meal (I buy this in bulk from the health food section)

1 C sugar (I used raw because I didn't have any white)

Preheat oven to 160C, dissolve coffee into 2T boiling water, allow to cool.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. 

Add egg whites, sugar and almond meal to coffee mix and stir until combined. 

Using a tablespoon (I use a teaspoon so I can make more biscuits) dollop balls onto a paper lined baking tray. 

Bake for 20 minutes (I baked for 15 because they were smaller) or just beginning to brown. 

I left these on the tray to cool for about 10 minutes then put them on a rack.

I am going to make these today to take to Church tomorrow and I think I will make a chocolate version.

peanut butter biscuits

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted a recipe, it's not like I haven't any to share and I even told friends I would post an awesome cake recipe and I still haven't done it.

But anyway after borrowing the fabulous 4 ingredients GF recipe book from the library and loving it VCH bought me a copy for my birthday.

So being inspired to cook the other day I tried out a few new recipes, the first I am going to share are these biscuits.

I took these to Bible Study and was immediately asked for the recipe, these are so easy and so moreish and very very yummy.

Peanut Butter Biscuits

1 C crunchy peanut butter

1 C raw sugar

1 egg

1t cinnamon (I had run out so didn't use it)

Mix ingredients in bowl roll into balls, the recipe said tablespoon size but I like teaspoon better- you get more biscuits, I found wet hands the best, flatten with a fork, I used wet fingers and bake 180C for 10 minutes, cool on tray.

Options: to cut some of the sweetness you may like to sprinkle with a little salt before cooking, I used Celtic Sea Salt, or sprinkle with sesame seeds.

I think these would be fabulous dipped in chocolate but I haven't tried it yet.

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anzac biscuits

An Australian classic would have to be Anzac biscuits, named because they were sent overseas to our Anzacs in WWI. 

If memory serves me correctly they originated from a Scottish oat biscuit.

I usually only make them once a year around Anzac day. 

Each year I go in search of a recipe and then never remember the recipe I used the previous year and whether or not it was a good or bad recipe.
 This year I got my recipe from the NMAA red Cookbook and seeing as they turned out well I thought I would preserve it here. 

I doubled this recipe and also made part of the mix into a slice.

Anzacs

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 C SR flour

1/2 C plain flour

3/4 C coconut

3/4 C sugar (raw brown or white) - I used brown

1/2 t bi carb soda

2 T boiling water

125g melted butter

2 T golden syrup

Mix together first 5 ingredients. 

Dissolve soda in boiling water and add to melted butter and golden syrup. 

Add to dry ingredients and mix well.

Place teaspoonfuls on a greased tray (I put down baking paper).

Or press into a greased tray and cut into squares while still hot. 

Bake in a moderately slow oven 160C (325F) for 12-15 minutes.

Cool on tray for 5 minutes before putting on a cooling rack.

If you choose to do a slice you may like to drizzle or spread with melted chocolate.

peanut biscuits

These are another family favourite
I apologise for a lack of pictures but I will make these soon and take some then for this post.

Peanut Biscuits
Ingredients:
1 C butter
1 C sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 C SR flour
1 1/2 C raw peanuts

Method:
1. Cream butter and sugar
2. Add egg and beat well
3. Mix in flour and peanuts
4. Place teaspoons full onto lined tray
5. Bake at 160- 190 C for 10 - 15 minuteshttp://www.blogger.com/posts.g?blogID=313939957537170892&searchType=ALL&txtKeywords=&label=biscuits

basic biscuit recipe

This is my all purpose biscuit recipe that I use all the time.

I got it many years ago when I was at Uni and went to stay with my friend Louise and her family in Camden. Louise made a batch of these biscuits one day and I immediately asked for the recipe they were so yummy.

I love the way that when you get a recipe from someone that you can’t but help think of them while you are cooking. This recipe is especially dear to me now as my dear friend died of breast cancer a few years ago, I will always regret that I never got a chance to say goodbye to her (she kept her secret until after her death) and when I cook these biscuits now I think of the family that she left behind and pray for her little ones.

You can adapt these biscuits in so many ways: make them into Jam Drops, Peanut biscuits, add dried fruit or our favourite Choc Chips!

I find this recipe makes about 75-80 biscuits depending on the size.

Basic Biscuits

Ingredients:

250g Butter

2C brown sugar

2 eggs

1t vanilla

3C Self Raising Flour

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar

2. Add eggs and vanilla

3. Add sifted flour

4. Add any extras now ( I use a half-3/4 pkt choc bits depending on how chocolaty you like it half white/ half milk chocolate are also yummy)

5. Roll into balls and put onto a biscuit tray lined with baking paper- I put 25 per tray

6. Flatten with a fork

7. Bake in a moderate oven 10-15 minutes until pale brown

8. Leave on tray for 10 minutes or until cool depending on how crunchy you like them.