I designed & made these biscuits for a taste testing at Sunnybrook Health & Healing Centre in Melbourne. As the tasting coincided with Allergy Awareness month everything I made needed to be wheat, gluten, dairy, egg & nut free. These ones are also soy free as I used a soy free chocolate chip.

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour. 

 Ingredients

150 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

100 g Sugar (Your choice)

1/2 tsp Baking powder

Pinch of Salt (or to taste)

30 g Cocoa butter

35 g Nuttelex or other dairy free margarine

1 tsp Vanilla 

20 g Water

25 g Desiccated coconut

125 g Dark chocolate chips

 

Cocoa butter & nuttelex - There is a reason for this unusual combination - I wanted an emulsified fat/oil with a similar consistency to butter (substituting sweeteners & fats). Normally I make my choc chip cookies/biscuits with butter & egg. Both butter & egg contain natural emulsifiers that help to make the dough creamy rather than oily. Bakers' Magic gluten free flour contains some natural emulsifiers however the recipe needed a little more. My thinking was that the emulsifiers present in the Nuttelex would be sufficient to emulsify the cocoa butter. Butter (dairy) contains approximately 15% water whereas Nuttelex is approximately 30%. A combination of 50:50 cocoa butter:Nuttelex is approximately 15% water and it worked well in this recipe. If you want to use this combination or similar combinations in other recipes & have it on hand you will need to melt the cocoa butter at about 40^oC. Ensure all the cocoa butter has melted (it will be yellowish) & that it is not too hot. You do not want the Nuttelex to completely melt when you add it in. Mix in the Nuttelex until it's creamy & pale in colour. Cool in a lined container.   

Vanilla - The amount of vanilla used will be dependent on the flavour you want, add more than a tsp if necessary. I have used varying amounts of vanilla extract, paste & powder. 

Dark chocolate chips - I used & recommend Enjoy Life, I found that the taste most resembled dark chocolate chips. I have also tried Eskal Noble choice & Sweet William - both are cheaper than Enjoy Life however the taste is not the same. All of these brands can be sourced from Sunnybrook Health.

 

Method

Heat oven to 170^o C (fan forced).

Prepare 2 baking trays with oil or baking paper.

Thermomix

Melt the cocoa butter @ 50^o C for 1 -2 mins at speed 2. The time will vary depending on how warm your kitchen is. 

Apart from the chocolate chips & coconut place all remaining ingredients in the TM bowl. Mix for 1 minute on speed 4. Check that all ingredients have been incorporated. If not mix for a little longer. Add chocolate chips & coconut. Mix for 30 secs on Reverse + speed 1.

Food Processor

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. 

Melt the cocoa butter. 

Add the cocoa butter, nuttelex, vanilla & water to the dry ingredients & process until it comes together. 

Mix in the chocolate chips & coconut by hand. 

Both

The dough is easy to handle and can be rolled into balls between the hands. The size of the biscuits/cookies will depend on the amount of dough used. The choc chip biscuits pictured were ~ 14 g of dough and one batch will make approximately 34.

Place the balls of the dough onto the prepared baking trays & squash a little with the palm of your hand. Repeat with the remaining dough.  

Bake in the oven for ~13 - 18 minutes. The baking time will vary depending on your oven, how big the balls are & whether you want the biscuits slightly soft (~13 mins) or crunchy (~18 mins). If your oven has a “hot” spot turn the trays halfway through baking.

Simply enjoy!