Gluten Free Garibaldi

While visiting my Grandparents last month, we got onto the subject of favourite biscuits (as you do…) and I asked both my Grand’ma and Grand’pa what they’d love if they could have anything. For my Grand’ma it was a close call between a bourbon biscuit and a garibaldi, and for my Grand’pa – who was earwigging on our conversation and decided to join in for himself – it was a hands-down win for the garibaldi. And, as luck would have it (I don’t really think your biscuit preference can be down to genetics! Can it…?) my absolute favourite biscuits are bourbon and garibaldi!! More so the garibaldi tho.

So, I felt like it was time to get baking. For my Grandparents, it’s definitely getting easier to explain about being gluten free, and I think they just about understand it, but for a generation of people who have been brought up to eat what’s on your plate, it’s quite hard having to say no and to see their faces fall a bit when you don’t eat everything on offer. So, I thought what better way to make sure everything is eaten, and my Grand’ma can offer biscuits to everyone than to make some gluten free garibaldis?! That way, we all get to enjoy the same thing! I love it when that happens…

The only things I altered were obviously the flour – I used Doves Farm gluten free plain flour for this recipe. And then the less obvious things – I used light butter, rather than full-fat, I used half and half sweetener and sugar which created a really light, crisp biscuit and, rather than using mixed peel – which for those of you who read my Christmas Cake and Mincemeat recipes will know I hate – I tried out using orange zest! And it worked! A huge success and everyone commented on how delicious the light, orange taste was!

Ingredients

50g Sweetener

60g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting

110g Lighter than light Can’t believe it’s not butter

1 free-range egg, separated

225g gluten free plain flour, sieved

good pinch mixed spice

80g/2oz currants

The zest of one orange

3 tbsp milk (I used soya, but you could use semi-skimmed or whatever milk you are used to)

Instructions

Preheat the oven 160C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

1. Cream the light butter, the sweetener and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the egg yolk with a whisk until it is all mixed in.

3. Fold the flour into the mixture (I used a silicon spatula for this as it’s wonderful at getting all the mixture off the sides of the bowl, making sure you have an even mix) then stir in the mixed spice, currants and orange zest.

4. Stir in milk, gradually, to form a stiff dough

5. Flour and surface and rolling pin, and very lightly roll the dough until it is about 1cm thick.

6. Cut out the biscuits with a round, fluted cutter (I used the 2 1/2 inch one).

7. Place onto the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

8. Remove the biscuits from the oven, brush with the reserved egg white, sprinkle with a little caster sugar on each biscuit and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. (I tried one batch with and one without the egg white and sugar, and it really makes a difference, so definitely use it!)