The best gluten free biscuits ever?

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

Oh the joy. After years, nay decades, of toil and torment, I've finally made a gluten free biscuit that makes gluten-eaters sit up and take notice.

Don't get me wrong, this ain't no fancy-pants spiced creamy foo-foo biscuit. This is a down-to-earth, honest-to-goodness gluten free biscuit. The sort your granny might have bought to disappoint her grandchildren with.

Yes, I'm claiming grown up gourmet status for this biscuit - they've even been compared (by gluten free wifie, who is notoriously honest with her opinions of my cooking) to a classic Fox's biscuit. And who am I to argue?

And the best thing about these? They are as simple as can be. Quick and easy to make, and 10 days in a biscuit tin rendered them not one crispon less crunchy than the day they were baked.

Try them, and let me know what you think. Here's the recipe...

Non-nonsense gluten free biscuit recipe

100g gram flour (chickpea flour)
100g tapioca flour
100g of margarine (or butter if you're lucky enough not to be dairy free - this may make these biscuits intolerably beautiful ;) )
70g ground almonds
100g soft brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp baking soda

Sift your gluten free flours together, then rub the margarine into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and add the maple syrup. Mix thoroughly, then squidge together with your hands. If it's too dry to stick together, you'll need to rub in a little more margarine, or add more maple syrup. Then roll off balls of mixture and place on a greased baking tray. Press down with the back of a spoon into biscuity shape.

Bake for around 14 mins in a 180C oven, until just browned.

Remove for 5 mins then transfer to a cooling rack. Try your hardest not to eat one for another 10 minutes. Oh, the gluten free joy. I reckon a manufacturer should pick up on these. I've never tasted a gluten free biscuit with a better texture than these. I'm going to make another batch now - I've gone and made myself get a craving for one.

Breakfast lentil dal

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

Breakfast lentil dal??? :) Yep! Apparently it's quite a fave over in India, and with my gluten-free, yeast-free, everything-else-free breakfast options becoming more and more limited, I thought I'd see if I could knock together something lentilly and breakfast-friendly. Which means not too savoury, and maybe a little bit sweet.

And it's a cracker... :)

Breakfast lentil dal
100g red lentils, rinsed
Enough water to cook them down into a mush
2 cardomom pods
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
50g creamed coconut

Fry your spices for a minute in a little flavourless oil or butter. Add your lentils, cardamoms and about 3 times as much water by volume. Simmer for about 20 minutes, adding water when necessary, until the lentils have no 'bite' left. Stir in your creamed coconut, or coconut milk and shazam! Gluten free lentil dal you can eat for breakfast. Or at least I can. ;)