Author: cozebakes

Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits (Dairy Free included)

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I regularly make my Chocolate Digestive recipe and they are always a big hit. They’re really good and recently made another batch and as they cooled, my husband walked into the kitchen and said the smell was great and could he have them? He’s a coeliac and I felt really bad having to say no, these are not for you 🙁

So the hunt began to find a workable recipe for gluten free digestive biscuits and this is a combination of two I found and together, they worked perfectly. I also like that the ingredients were ones most coeliacs or gluten intolerant bakers would have at home. You will find this recipe along with some other great biscuit and cookie recipes in my Gluten Free Baking from the Heart Recipe Book (available here) 

There was one ingredient that did surprise me – Chinese Five Spice! Yep I know it gives a little heat at the back of the throat. Perfect! You can smell the spice while the biscuits are baking but it’s not identifiable once baked. You could replace the Chinese Five Spice with some Mixed Spice if you prefer.

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Honey & Orange Drizzle Cupcakes – Gluten Free

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Decided to try out these little beauties as I am a fan of honey in baking and they sounded lovely with the sweet, sticky topping and the mix of honey, cinnamon, spices and orange. They are so light and delicate and full of delicious flavours. Definitely worth making!

You can make them dairy free too by using a dairy free spread of your choice. You can choose to use walnuts as per the recipe or substitute with pecans or pistachios. All work really well.

They are perfect for taking on picnics, for a packed lunch and would be great sellers at a cake sale or charity event. The smell though …. oh the smell is simply divine!

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Gluten Free Brown Bread

~ cozebakes ~ 4 Comments

I recently found brown bread flour from Doves Farm. I use their flours in most of my gluten free baking. The quality is always excellent.

To make gluten free brown bread, it requires a mix of a few different flour types with lots of trials so to find one that’s been created, tested and is successful is such a joy! It’s great they have taken all the hard work out of trial and error with different flour blends and found the perfect combination!

You can find the complete Freee range from Dove’s Farm here: https://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/ 

The first time I made this recipe, I followed it to the letter and it resulted in a totally delicious and authentic brown bread. Such happiness ensued I can’t tell you! After that, I started to add my own twists and each loaf has been perfect.

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Cherry & Almond Cookies – Dairy Free version included

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I think practically everyone loves a Bakewell Tart and I’m as big a fan as the rest! These cookies have all those amazing flavours with only a little effort and you can make the dough ahead of time and keep in the fridge till it’s needed.

They contain ground almonds and almond extract to give that delicious Bakewell flavour and the recipe called for glace cherries  but as it’s the season for fresh and sweet cherries, I used half and half and it worked out really well.

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Strawberry Blondies

~ cozebakes ~ 2 Comments

Blondies to me are like the little sister of Brownies – basically the same but without the cocoa powder and chocolate.

They are buttery, soft, chewy and very simple to make with no mixers needed – always a nice thing!

Blondies are the perfect bake for cake sales, charity bakes and perfect to transport. What’s not to love!

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Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes

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Sometimes you don’t need extravagant, fancy bakes. You just want something simple that’s perfectly delicious without too many additions. These Vanilla Cupcakes fit the bill. I used vanilla bean paste rather than vanilla extract to get that rich vanilla flavour and as there’s so little else in the recipe, I felt it was right to get the best of the basic ingredients.

The recipes uses oil instead of butter and this gives them a great softness once baked and if you follow the instructions, then they will be perfect for you! I made a simple vanilla glaze just to spoon over the top as I didn’t want to cover them in buttercream, but for a special occasion, a whirl of buttercream will be perfect!

I’ll put the frosting recipe at the end for you 🙂

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French Strawberry Cake

~ cozebakes ~ 1 Comment

I love a recipe you make all in one bowl which is quick and easy and then ends up delicious. While away in the US, I bought a home style magazine and saw this recipe. It’s perfect for the summer when we are lucky enough to get such sweet strawberries.

I used a 9″ springform tin as this cake has a very soft layer in the centre and using a smaller tin might result in the top baking and the centre not quite baking through so the result is not a very high cake but every cake doesn’t have to be high like a Victoria Sponge.

It’s worth making and needs very little other than an optional dusting of icing sugar to serve. Of course if you have an occasion, why not pile some fresh strawberries in the centre and serve with a dollop or two of fresh cream 🙂

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Raspberry Bakewell Sponge Cake

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I am such a big fan of the traditional Bakewell Tart but sometimes I just don’t want to make the different components and it’s quite sweet so when I saw Jane’s Patisserie’s bakewell cake version, it was the perfect fit for me to have my bakewell fix without the effort.

I’ve made a few changes (as usual 😉 ) and it worked out really well. It’s full of the traditional Bakewell flavours we all love and using ground almonds really helps to keep it light.

Another bonus is that it needs so little to serve it up. The almonds and a dusting of icing sugar are the perfect finishing touches.

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Light & Fluffy Gluten Free Pancakes

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Pancakes are a staple of most kitchens. They work for so many occasions – breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon snack or an evening treat. Depending on the toppings, they fit so many bills.

Everyone has a pancake recipe they stand by and I’m no different but so far, the best gluten free pancake recipe I found was one using buckwheat flour and it’s a great one and works well. The only issue is that you might not get buckwheat flour as easily as plain gluten free flour. Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://www.cozebakes.com/2016/11/04/buckwheat-pancakes-gluten-free/ – this recipe has never failed to work but I finally found one that is healthier and uses no refined sugar plus you can make it dairy free if needed.

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Soft Toffee Muffins

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This recipe was originally for a loaf cake style but the amount of flour meant it wouldn’t rise much so I thought it might work better as small muffins and it did. I doubled the recipe to make 12 muffins. They don’t rise a lot but filling them about 2/3 of the way will ensure you get a decent result.

There’s no butter either; I used sunflower oil and instead of golden caster sugar, I used organic, non refined coconut sugar which gave the muffins a rich golden colour when baked.

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Chai Spice Raisin & Carrot Muffins – Low Fat, Gluten Free (regular recipe included)

~ cozebakes ~ 1 Comment

Sometimes I get absent minded while baking and make a mistake. Now and then, those mistakes turn into a new recipe that works out wonderfully and all is well again.

I wanted to make scones with a healthy twist, less sweet but full of flavour and decided to try mixing these ingredients. I used raisins as I had them but wanted them a bit plump as they can sometimes be hard to bite once baked. I covered the raisins with warm water and accidently threw the whole lot instead of draining them and it worked out ok! Suddenly the recipe turned from scones to muffins.

The mix of all spices works really well with the carrot and gives these muffins a lovely warm bite. They will last for up to 5 days in the fridge, in an airtight container and I just popped mine into the microwave before enjoying them.

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Dulche de Leche Muffins

~ cozebakes ~ 2 Comments

Such a simple, sweet and totally delicious muffin recipe yet looks really professional. Definitely one to impress guests. The muffins are light and fluffy just as muffins should be even though this time you use a hand mixer. It’s not at all like a muffin recipe to do this but in order to completely combine the dulche de leche, it has to be done.

I found that making the muffins the day before you need them really deepens the flavour so it’s a great make ahead recipe too.

You can of course make your own dulche de leche but I buy a tin of the Carnation Condensed Cream Caramel and this works perfectly.

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