Gluten Free ANZAC Biscuits

I've been asked to supply morning tea at work on Monday. I've decided to show everyone how delicious vegan food can be. At least one of the ladies in the group is on a gluten free diet and I think a couple others are trying to reduce the amount of gluten in their diet. I've decided to bring in some bikkies and I thought ANZACs would be nice. ANZAC bikkies usually have rolled oats as one of the key ingredients but I did some research and found that rolled oats can be irritating to some celiacs, but quinoa flakes are a good substitute.

Gluten Free ANZAC Biscuits

1 cup gluten free plain flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup quinoa flakes
pinch salt
2 large tablespoons golden syrup
125 gms vegan margarine
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon boiling water


Combine all dry ingredients except bicarbinate of soda in a large bowl.

In a saucepan on low heat melt together golden syrup and margarine. When margarine is melted, combine bicarbinate of soda and boiling water in a small dish. Add to melted margarine mix and stir until the mixture froths. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well.

Roll this dough into balls and press slightly on a baking paper lined baking tray or cookie sheet. They will spread little so leave some space between the biscuits. Cook in a medium hot oven (about 150 -175C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

The biscuits will be soft & a bit fragile when you remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool on the trays or if need the trays for more bikkies, you can carefully remove them with an egg flip onto a rack to cool completely.

Lemon and Poppy Seed muffins

I found this recipe for Lemon and Poppy Seed muffins on Vegan Bicyclinguist. They are absolutely delish! I cooked my muffins until their tops were a nice golden brown, a little darker than the one on the recipe page.

Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins

Date Crumble Squares

I was on the morning tea roster for church and wanted to cook something vegan with the dates I had sitting in my pantry cupboard. So after some searching, I found this recipe on Taste.com.au and decided to adapt it. Be warned it is quite sweet but you only eat a small square at a time.

Date Crumble Squares

2 cups chopped pitted dates
1 cup water
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats


Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 3cm deep, 20cm x 20cm flat pan with baking paper.

Combine dates, water and 1/4 cup of caster sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until dates have absorbed liquid. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Sift flour, brown sugar, and bicarb together. Add oats and stir to combine. Pour in canola oil and mix well. Press half the mixture into base of prepared pan. Spread date mixture over the top. Crumble remaining oat mixture over date mixture so dates are completely covered, pressing on with your fingertips.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of caster sugar. Cut into squares. Serve warm or cold.

Makes 20 squares.

Banana Muffins

It's been a while since my last blog entry and I have been cooking...just not photographing and recording recipes. I made these delish banana muffins for breaky and took three in to my Father in Law who is in hospital. He has complained about the quality of food whilst he has been there. He inhaled the large muffins like a man who hadn't eaten in a week. I don't know if it was because he really enjoyed them or if he was starving and would eat anything at that stage.

I didn't take a photo of my muffins but this is one I found on the web. It is from a blog called Black Dogs But the picture looks similar to my muffins.

Gingerbread Squares

It was my turn to be on the morning tea roster at church, along with another lady. I served a platter of fresh fruit, crunchy vegies with Sweet Chilli Hommus, chocolate cake, potato chips and this delicious gingerbread cake which I had never made before.

I adapted from this recipe substituting Origan Egg Free and soy milk for eggs and cows milk. The cake took about 45 minutes to cook in a moderate oven and a knife inserted in the centre came out clean, I knew it was ready.

When it was cold, I decorated the cake with lemon icing and scattered walnuts on top.

Gingerbread Squares

1 1/2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup golden syrup
Egg substitute equivalant of two eggs
3/4 cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 5cm deep, 21cm x 31cm (base) slab pan and line base and sides with baking paper.Sift flours, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and mixed spice into a large bowl. Add sugar and stir until well combined. Combine oil, golden syrup, egg substitute and soy milk in a large jug. Add to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. It should look a little lumpy. Pour mixture into pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

chocolate cup cakes

When did Aussies start calling patty pans cupcakes?


I made these delicious little chocolate cupcakes from this recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.

They were easy to make, easier than creaming butter and sugar and breaking eggs! I didn't have to buy anything special just used the ingredients that I already had in my pantry. This recipe was supposed to make 12 muffin sized cakes but I used small patty pans and it made 29 small cupcakes. Of course the cooking time reduced from 20 minutes to 10 minutes in the smaller tins.

I made the icing for the cream cakes from vegan margarine, icing sugar mixture and vanilla. I decorated the plain cakes and then with the left over mock cream, I added a drop of strawberry flavouring and a drop of pink food colouring.

Chocolate dipped shortbread buttons

I felt like something small but sweet and this bikkie is what I made. I adapted it from a recipe that was in a magazine over 20 years ago. I made these on a really hot day, so after the buttons were cool, I put the baking tray and the paper tin the freezer to make the tray cold, ready for the bikkies after they are dipped in the chocolate. It made the chocolate set quickly and not run everywhere.

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Buttons

1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup castor sugar
1/4 cup cornflour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
pinch salt
1/3 cup (approx) dairy free chocolate

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Centigrade and line a baking sheet with non stick paper.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except chocolate. Process until the mixture clings together when pressed between fingers. Roll mixture into small balls, and place on prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork.

Bake buttons for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

When tthe buttons are cold, melt the chocolate in the microwave. Remember to go slowly in 30 second bursts and stir regularly so you don't burn the chocolate.

Dip the buttons in melted chocolate and place them on the baking sheet that you used earlier, when baking the bikkies.

This mixture made 18 button bikkies.

Double Choc Chip Cookies

I bought a packet of vegan choc chip cookies at the supermarket and ended throwing most of them out. They were horrid. I've never made vegan cookies but I saw this recipe for Dreena's Double Chocolate Almond Explosion Cookies and thought I would have a try.

I adapted it to the ingredients that I had on hand - it's hard to find vegan choc chips, so I cut up some Sweet William dairy free chocolate as well as some sugar fee dark chocolate that had bought ages agoin a health food shop and I used maple flavoured syrup because that is what I had. Pure maple syrup is really expensive but I'm thinking that I might buy some for future recipes.

I think they turned out delicious, DO was impressed and he isn't a fan of chocolate chip cookies, but off course the real test comes, when my non- vegan son tries them.

Double Choc Chip Cookies

1 cup plain flour 1⁄4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 5
tbsp non-dairy chocolate (about 8 squares all up)
1⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄3 cup maple syrup (a little generous measure)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup canola oil (a little generous measure)

Preheat oven to 180°C. In a bowl, sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda. Add the chocolate chips, sugar, and salt, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the vanilla and then stir in the oil until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix). Using large spoons, scoop some cookie dough and roll into balls about the size of golf balls, and then flatten out to about 3/4 cm thick. Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out). Let cool for no more than 1 minute on the sheet (again, to prevent drying), then remove with a large spatula and transfer to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Mud Cake

I made this for my Mother-in-Laws birthday. I had never made an eggless cake before but it tasted delicious. I made it on the day before her birthday and iced it with a mocha frosting made with margarine, icing sugar, cocoa powder, a little vanilla and coffee. I think this cake would have been equally as nice served with vanilla icecream.

Chocolate Mud Cake