Hey, it’s Clare again. Emily’s had three weeks back at work and managing quite well though blogging has had to take a little bit of a back seat. 

Cooking however has not, I’ve been busy creating/ experimenting. And I think it’s safe to say we’re getting there, in that some of the baking is more than acceptable. 

Everyone needs a little sweet treat now and then to put a smile on their face but what puts a smile on my face is finding something good enough for us all to enjoy including those with a nut allergy. 

I’ve adapted my favourite flapjack recipe to include lots of juicy dried fruit whilst excluding dairy and it’s a definite winner. 

Also a firm favourite are Viennese biscuits. The recipe I tried previously contained ground almonds so a no go for our nut haters. I found another nut free recipe also suitable for Emily and as chief taster, she confirmed they were better than the previous batch. 

Next on my to do list are chocolate brownies. I’ve been doing plenty of ‘ googling’ and narrowed it down to two potential recipes. I’ll give them both a go and get back to you. 

Perhaps my greatest success this week has been Sunday breakfast. A particularly grumpy start was transformed with a simple plate of a previous favourite of Emily’s. I was hoping that the gluten free flour ‘behaved’ itself on this occasion as the recipe wasn’t gluten free and I’ve eventually realised it has a mind of its own. But I have to say, Freee plain flour did me proud. Banana pancakes cooked in maple butter and topped with crispy bacon put tears in her eyes ( not quite what I was aiming for but they were tears of joy!). 

So have a go at the recipes and see what you think…

FLAPJACK  

Adapted from Simply Chocolate by Joanna Farrow 2002 recipe book

Ingredients

225g dairy free butter

225g Demerara sugar

175g golden syrup

450g porridge oats

170g mixed dried fruit

Method

1 – Line a 28x20cm shallow baking tin with grease proof paper or baking parchment.

2 – Melt the dairy free butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan over a gentle heat till the sugar is dissolved. 

3 – Add the oats and dried fruit and mix thoroughly to combine 

4 – Put mixture into prepared tin and spread with a spoon levelling the surface

5 – Bake in preheated oven 180 C/ 350 F/ gas 4 (reduce temperature if a fan oven as per oven guidance) for 20-25 minutes till just turning golden. 

6 – Leave in tin until almost cold, remove from tin and cut into squares, triangles or rectangles of whatever size you prefer. Enjoy.

I use Demerara sugar having tried every sugar combination over the years and liking the results of this the most. It takes slightly longer to dissolve. 

Emily is intolerant to wheat not gluten so any oats are suitable but if intolerant to gluten you need to check the oats are gluten free. 

Any dried fruit can get used depending on preference and the quantities used give a fruity flapjack without jeopardising the texture of the finished flapjack. 

Viennese biscuits 

This is the recipe I used using Freee plain flour. I also piped some into fingers and dipped each end in melted Nomo milk chocolate. 

Gluten Free Viennese Whirls

Banana pancakes with bacon

Adapted from a BBC Food recipe

I substituted plain flour with Freee plain flour and it worked a treat. Having no maple syrup in the cupboard I used maple butter and a teaspoon of dairy-free butter to fry the pancakes. They were topped with rashers of fried bacon.

There are three pancakes left which are in the fridge to be enjoyed with oat yoghurt, fresh strawberries, crushed walnuts and a drizzle of honey tomorrow. 

So I’ll see you next time with hopefully some successful, chocolatey treats.

Clare x