Dinosaur Biscuits. Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Nut Free, Egg Free.

Dinosaur Biscuits

Gluten free, Refined Sugar Free, Egg Free


My little miss 4 is a funny little thing. While she belts out Frozen songs as much at the next girl and does ballet and loves barbie dolls she also absolutely LOVES dinosaurs, dragons, bugs, crocodiles, sharks and trucks and motorbikes.
Myself and my miss 9 often just look at each other mystified as we are both very much girly girls.
Violet's bedroom greets you with dinosaurs and dragons. her favourite colour is green and when she grows up, she wants to be a DRAGON.
Yep.

For her fourth birthday of course it was a Dinosaur Party - you can see the food and party ideas for that one HERE 

These biscuits both my 4 and 9 year olds can make and they both love! Though my 9 year old often makes hers with a love heart instead.

Ingredients

100 grams butter

½ cup coconut sugar or Natvia stevia

1 & ¼ cups gluten free plain flour or spelt flour plain – note spelt is not gluten free only low gluten)

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or essence

¼ teaspoon baking powder (gluten free)

3 tablespoons almond, coconut, soy or dairy milk

¼ cup jam with no sugar added. You will find many of these at supermarkets and health food stores or better yet, make your own yummy jam!

2 tablespoons water

1 potato (or very clean dinosaur)

Method

Pre heat oven to 180’c or 160 if it is fan forced.

Line a baking tray with baking paper, I use non bleached If You Care brand.

Heat jam in a saucepan with the water, stir and set aside.

Cut a large potato in half. Then take one half and score/cut a dinosaur shaped foot print into one side so that it sticks out.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until it looks fluffy and well together.

Gently fold in the flour and baking powder with a wooden spoon.

Once mixed well roll into small balls and place on the baking tray.

Flatten down slightly.

Use the potato (or dinosaur) to put a footprint indent into each biscuit.

Fill indents about ½ to ¾ with the jam.

Bake for around 12 minutes or until nice and golden looking and firm.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Notes

You can of course swap the dinosaur foot print for a love heart, star, circle etc have fun with it! 

No Added Sugar Choccy Cake

Due to popular request from Facebook

Here it is!!

My No Added Sugar, Gluten Free, Moist Choccy Cake XX

Chocolate Cake
Such a classic well loved invention and so many delicious variations out there!
One of my favourite things to make is chocolate cake.

I make a few versions myself and this one is my moist, no added sugar, gluten-free Chocolate cake X

Ingredients

Cake 

• 1 cups dates
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup cacoa (or organic cocoa)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste
• 1/4 cup stevia (or to taste)
• 8 drops chocolate stevia (optional for extra chocolatey flavour)
• 1/4 cup dark agave (or raw honey or maple syrup or rice malt syrup - you pick) optional
• 2 cups almond meal (if you are nut free read notes)
  

Frosting

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup dates
• 1 tablespoon Maca powder
• 1/4 cup cacoa (or organic cocoa)
• 8 choc stevia drops
• 1 tablespoon dark agave or honey (optional)

Optional Cream Layer

• 1 cup whipped cream. I use Maleny Dairies cream.

Method 

• Soak all dates in a bowl of water, just covered overnight, (or for at least 3 hours). Separate into two lots.
• Pre-heat oven to 180`c.
• Grease and line with baking paper 2 cake pans.
• In a bowl combine butter and stevias.
• Mash 2 of the bananas and add into the butter mix with the olive oil.
• Stir in almond meal, mix together, add a small amount of water if required.
• Gently toss through the frozen blueberries and pour mixture into prepared pans, trying to have an even amount of mixture in each.
• Bake in a moderate oven for approximately 20 minutes or until cake springs back from the tough on top.
• Remove from oven and leave in its pan to cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing by lifting out the paper and placing on a wire rack to completely cool.
• Prepare frosting while cake cools.
• Frosting:  In a blender combine frosting ingredients, blend together well. adjust sweetness if required to taste.
• Place frosting in a bowl, covered to chill in the fridge.
• When cakes are completely cool place one on a serving plate.
• Cover with a layer of the choc frosting and then a layer of cream.
• Top with the second cake.
• Cover with a layer of frosting.
• Chill whole cake for 15 minutes
• Serve.
• Store cake in the fridge.

Notes

• A very moist cake.
• Perfect for when bananas are in season and cheap.
• In season I like to use fresh cherries or fresh blueberries. With fresh cherries, remove pips and stems and toss through in place of the blueberries and serve with fresh cherries.
• Make as a single layer cake and just top with frosting and optionally serve with cream.
• Egg can be added to make the cake firmer. I have made this cake both with and without.
• If you are allergic to all nuts you could use a gluten free flour alternative in place of the almond meal, but you may need to make a few adjustments so it doesn't become too heavy. I would also add in some sorghum flour as well as a gf flour to increase healthy protein in the cake too.
• To make dairy free swap butter for oil and leave out cream.

Toddler Tips

• This is a great cake for toddlers, especially with no added sugar.

Happy Cooking!

Rebecca XX

The same cake made single layer with fresh cherries X

You might also like  Maca Balls, Chocclicious (no added sugar) Muffins, Choc Beetroot Muffins, Zucchini and Chia Seed Chocolate Cake

If you are a chocolate loving person but want to be healthy too I highly recommend hopping over and having a read of these two great blogs who have stack of gorgeous, healthy choccyness:
Natural New Age Mum
Naughty Naturopath Mum

Recipe and photography (c)RebeccaMugridge2013