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YNBO rosewater and pistachio vegan iced biscuits

Thank goodness I keep a stash of chickpeas in the cupboard because once again GBBO and the show stopper has me reaching for aqua faba. This week saw the contestants making standing constructions, viennese biscuits and practicing their icing skills. To be honest, I am not much of a biscuit girl but I loved last nights show and it makes me want to up my gingerbread house game this winter! I thought I would combine two challenges and give you a vegan cinnamon biscuit with a beautiful plant based icing. You could easily use this biscuit to make a house or other construction as it is a hard biscuit that holds icing well.

Normal royal icing needs egg whites to help it to set and whilst I am sure that you could try and use a combination of arrow root and corn starch, I figured that chick pea water would do the trick again. I decided to make my own icing sugar using unrefined sugar. Unrefined sugar is still sugar but it retains its naturally present minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus and iron. It is sold as raw unrefined sugar. Brown sugar is not unrefined unless stated, it is simply refined sugar that has had molasses added to it to give it colour.

For colors you could make a paste (1tsp hot water, 2 tsp ingredient) of: bee pollen (yellow), Acai (Purple), Beetroot powder (red/pink), matcha (green). To colour my icing i used 1 tbsp of acai powder to get a speckled purple. In order to get icing thick enough to pipe the easiest test is to run a knife through the icing in the bowl. It should take 15 seconds for the line to cover up again. For thinner icing (to flood/colour in an area) the same test can be done but it should take around 10 seconds for the line to close.

These cinnamon biscuits are crunchy and light. They hold the icing without getting soggy and they have a warming aftertaste to them. I topped the icing with ground pistachios but you could decorate with icing, chopped nuts or edible flowers.

Ingredients-Icing (for approx 40 biscuits)
60ml aqua faba

240g icing sugar

1 tsp rose water (or vanilla)

(1 tsp juice or 1 tbsp powder to dye)

Method
Place the aqua faba into a bowl and whisk until it becomes frothy

Add in the rose water and the sugar and whisk carefully until fully combined

Place into the fridge to set for 1.5 hours

Stir in colorings as desired

 

Ingredients – Cinnamon biscuits (approx 40)
150g self raising flour

150g plain flour

2 tsp cinnamon

100g coconut oil or 125g butter

1 flax egg or 1 egg

100g unrefined sugar

Method
Preheat your oven to 160C

Combine all the ingredients & mix into a firm dough

Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper to a 1cm thickness

Cut out and place onto a baking sheet

Bake for 10-12 minutes

Cool on a baking rack before icing

Peanut butter dog biscuits

Happy birthday Nanuk! Its the dogs 6th birthday today and obviously we are celebrating. We serenaded him this morning whilst the baby jumped on his head then headed out on the ‘surfer loop’. The loop starts at ours and takes us over the bridge and then into the park where there is a surf spot. Its the best moment, to watch these skilled athletes navigating the swell in turns whilst the rest of us vie for the best viewing spot. We then carry on through the park and then head home via the only bakery open around here on Sundays. Nanuk chased sticks, carried half a tree and then had a paddle in the Isar. He is now curled up in his bed, which is where I will imagine he will stay for most of the day.

I know bull terriers get a bad rap, and maybe I am biased, but Nanuk is the softest dog ever. The baby climbs all over him, pushes him over in his bed, steals his toys and demands our attention. Nanuk just lets it happen. He snuggles in for cuddles, guards me during every feed and runs to greet us every time we return. He is terrified of the bin men, of oven trays, loud noises, recycling lorries, thunder and loud rain. He loves sunbathing, hates baths and is the fussiest eater I have ever known.

I made these biscuits for him last night. They are full of ingredients to help keep him healthy, like coconut oil (for his skin) and cinnamon (for his breath). Peanut butter is chock full of vitamins and fats and also has a strong smell which means these work well as treats to play hide and seek with too.

These treats are designed for pooches but are safe for humans too…

Ingredients
1 cup flour

2 tbsp instant oats

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 cup peanut butter (unsalted)

1/4 cup mashed banana

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 cup beef/chicken stock (low sodium)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C

Mix all the ingredients together well until you have a thick dough

Place the dough onto a sheet of baking paper either roll out to about a 2cm thickness and cut out with a cookie

OR

Roll pieces of the dough into balls then press flat with a fork

Bake until golden brown

Store in an airtight container