A crunchier take on vegan ginger snap cookies

A balance of dark sugars and spices, these crispy yet chewy cookies tick the boxes of so many dietary requirements – dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, vegan and FODMAP friendly.

Makes 16 large cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 17-18 minutes

Ingredients:

60g vegan butter

100g dark brown sugar

100g light brown sugar

75g golden syrup or molasses (approximately 3 tbsp)

½ tsp vanilla

250g gluten-free plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

2 tbsp non-dairy milk (preferably almond)

30g white granulated sugar for sprinkling

Equipment:

Large flat tray

  1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC fan / 180ºC non-fan. Begin by creaming together the vegan butter, brown sugar and golden syrup until combined. Add the vanilla and repeat whisking.
  2. In a separate bowl, sieve the gluten-free plain flour, adding the baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and spices in the mix.
  3. In three goes, add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until crumbly.
  4. Add 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk. Here you can either mix by hand or with a whisk; whichever is preferable. The dough should be thick and mouldable. Only if not sticking, add another teaspoon of non-dairy milk.
  5. With a tablespoon, roughly scoop up the mixture and roll into balls before liberally sprinkling them in white sugar.
  6. Place the rolled balls on a large flat tray lined with parchment paper, and lightly press each one down with a fork. Ensure that the cookies are spaced out on the tray; if not, bake the batch in two goes.
  7. For crunchy cookies, bake for 17-18 minutes.
  8. Transfer to a cooling rack. Ensure that the cookies are cooled for at least 15 minutes before eating as they need to firm up and become crunchy.

Gluten free parsnip, almond and coconut cake with white chocolate buttercream

In the words of LEON, this showstopper of a gluten-free cake -- upgraded by my choice of fodmap-friendly alternatives -- is UNBELIEVABLY and delightfully moist. This texturally satisfying cake balances the nutty sweetness of the desiccated coconut with the mild earthy fragrance of the grated parsnip, offering complementary layers of flavour and texture with each mouthful.
In the words of LEON, this showstopper of a gluten-free cake — upgraded by my choice of fodmap friendly alternatives, such as ground almonds instead of cashews and lactose-free cream cheese and white chocolate — is UNBELIEVABLY and delightfully moist. This texturally satisfying cake balances the nutty sweetness of the desiccated coconut with the mild earthy fragrance of the grated parsnip, offering complementary layers of flavour and texture with each mouthful.

Serves 10

Prep time: 45 minutes

Baking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

250gbutter (or non-dairy option), plus extra for greasing

250gcaster sugar

4eggs

150ggluten-free self-raising flour

1tsp baking powder.

¼tsp xanthan gum

100gdesiccated coconut

200gground almonds

250gfinely grated parsnips

4tbsp. almond milk

1spvanilla

Buttercream:

100gfree-from white chocolate

200gdairy-free cream cheese

75gsoftened butter (or non-dairy option)

1tspvanilla

300gsifted icing sugar

Equipment:

Twosandwich tins

  1. Preheat the oven to 140ºC. Grease the two cake tins with softened butter and line them with parchment paper. Tip: use reusable parchment lining from Lakeland.
  2. Whisk butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl, adding and beating the eggs one by one before the next addition.
  3. In a separate bowl, sieve the gluten-free self-raising flour with the baking powder and xanthan gum.
  4. Begin finely grating the parsnips. If not shop-bought, also grind the almonds until flour-like consistency. Combine both with the sifted flour, baking powder and xanthan gum.
  5. In three goes, add the dry mixture to the creamed butter, whisking well before each next addition. Once combined, fold in the desiccated coconut and add the almond milk slowly, until the cake mixture reaches ‘dropping’ consistency.
  6. Divide the mixture equally between the two lined cake tins and bake for 30 minutes, or less if a skewer comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a wired rack.
  7. Melt the white chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
  8. Add the cream cheese, butter and vanilla to the melted white chocolate and whisk together. Sieve the icing sugar and whisk again.
  9. Use half the buttercream to sandwich the cake halves and the rest to spread on top. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Ottolenghi’s saffron, orange and honey madeleines turned gluten-free

Ottolenghi's dessert cookbook, Sweet, is a standing ovation, but sadly there are hardly any gluten-free recipes in it. So, for those who love his food (particularly his spectacular desserts) and struggle to cater to your gluten intolerance, here's a simple yet impressive madeleine recipe you can showcase at any social gathering.
Since honey contains too much fructose, anyone following a FODMAP diet might find that it’s generally better to avoid it. Of course, this doesn’t apply to all as IBS operates on a case-by-case basis. Please feel free to use any one of these alternatives: melted brown sugar, melted golden syrup or maple syrup.  

Makes about 12

Prep time: 1 hour

Baking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

45g unsalted butter

1 tsp honey, plus an extra 1 tsp for glazing

One eighth tsp saffron threads

1 large egg

35g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla

finely grated zested of 1 small orange

45g plain gluten-free flour

¼ tsp xanthan gum

½ baking powder

10g shelled pistachio kernels, finely blitzed

Equipment:

Madeleine tray

  1. Melt unsalted butter, honey and saffron beads in a saucepan until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to reach room temperature.
  2. Combine gluten-free flour with baking powder and xanthan gum in a separate bowl. In another bowl, combine sugar, vanilla, orange zest and egg, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the melted butter and honey. Once combined, add the flour into the wet mixture in three goes, whisking well each time.
  3. Cover the mixture with cling film and place in the freezer for half an hour.
  4. Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan / 200ºC otherwise. Using the madeleine tray, brush each mould with butter and sprinkle with extra gluten-free flour.
  5. Spoon one and a half heaped teaspoons in each mould until it is two-thirds of the way full.
  6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Go around the edges of each madeleine with a spatula until they fall out. Transfer the madeleines to a wired rack to cool for 10 minutes before decorating.
  7. Melt additional honey in a saucepan and finely blitz the shelled pistachio kernels. Liberally brush each madeleine with honey, before dunking its narrower end in the nuts. Repeat this process, and neatly place on a serving platter with the nut side faced up.